Sermon Tone Analysis

Live Free Today (12:22-34)

(Temple 01/13/2019) Our passage today begins in , verse 22.

In this chapter 12, Jesus has warned His followers of religious hypocrisy, of fear of the world more than fear of God, of blasphemy, trusting self more than God, creating a false image of Him, and loving material things more than God.

He develops that topic of loving material things more than God by addressing two sins that associate with materialism—worry and greed.

Warren Wiersbe said that many people are crucified between two thieves—regrets of the past and worry about the future.

According to this passage we might say that many people are crucified between the two thieves of worry and greed.

Both rob us.

Worry robs us of today.

Greed robs us of eternal treasures.

The Lord Jesus Christ suffered, died, and rose again so that we might be free from such thieves that rob us of the abundant life in Him.

By trusting Him with our tomorrows, we can be free from worry.

By trusting Him with treasures in eternity, we can be free from greed.

The point of this message is for believers to live free today.

With such freedom in mind, let us examine the teaching of our Lord beginning at verse 22 of .

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

23The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

24Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

25And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

26If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

27Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

28If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

29And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

30For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

31But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

32Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

33Sell that ye have and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Jesus taught in the ninth chapter of Luke what is of major importance and what is of minor importance.

We can easily find ourselves majoring on the minors and minoring on the majors.

Because pride makes us so resistant to hearing and obeying the Word of God, Jesus teaches this same principle again.

Live Free of Worry (12:22-32)

Worry, like a rocking chair, will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.

—Vance Havner[1]

Worry goes beyond concern.

Concern is a part of care about God, others, and ourselves.

We cannot love without having concern when something is wrong or an issue needs addressing.

Worry goes beyond concern to an unhealthy anxiety such as Jesus’ example of obsession with food and clothing for tomorrow.

WebMD notes:

Chronic worrying can affect your daily life so much that it may interfere with your appetite, lifestyle habits, relationships, sleep, and job performance.

Many people who worry excessively are so anxiety-ridden that they seek relief in harmful lifestyle habits such as overeating, cigarette smoking, or using alcohol and drugs.

Chronic worry and emotional stress can trigger a host of health problems.

The problem occurs when fight or flight is triggered daily by excessive worrying and anxiety.

The fight or flight response causes the body’s sympathetic nervous system to release stress hormones such as cortisol.

These hormones can boost blood sugar levels and triglycerides (blood fats) that can be used by the body for fuel.

The hormones also cause physical reactions such as:

Difficulty swallowing

Dizziness

Dry mouth

Fast heartbeat

Fatigue

Headaches

Inability to concentrate

Irritability

Muscle aches

Muscle tension

Nausea

Nervous energy

Rapid breathing

Shortness of breath

Sweating

Trembling and twitching

When the excessive fuel in the blood isn’t used for physical activities, the chronic anxiety and outpouring of stress hormones can have serious physical consequences, including:

Suppression of the immune system

Digestive disorders

Muscle tension

Short-term memory loss

Premature coronary artery disease

Heart attack

If excessive worrying and high anxiety go untreated, they can lead to depression and even suicidal thoughts.[2]

Worry is an issue that only accomplishes anxiety and harm to us.

Therefore, we should resist the temptation to worry.

All the water in the world

However hard it tried,

Could never, never sink a ship

Unless it got inside.

All the hardships of this world,

Might wear you pretty thin,

But they won’t hurt you, one least bit

Unless you let them in.[3]

Worry is sin.

Worry is a sin that demonstrates a lack of trust in God.

Worry causes us to think our problems are too big for God, or God doesn’t care what we are going through, or our God-given life is hopeless.

We fret that things are out of control and there is no remedy.

We think that our life is so messed up that even God cannot fix it.

All these thoughts create a false image of the true God.

What were you worrying about this time last year?

How did your worrying fix the problem?

Worry is sin because it discourages faith.

Look at verse 28.

“O ye of little faith!” Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, including the world of worry.

Worry is sin because the Bible commands against it.

Jesus tells us plainly in this passage to not worry.

Verse 29: Don’t be of a doubtful mind.

Many of these verses are similar to verses in the Sermon on the Mount.

In that Sermon, He concluded in Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.

Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

We have enough problems for the day without piling on tomorrow’s problems, either real or imagined, on top of them.

Corrie Ten Boom said, “Worry is an old man with bended head, carrying a load of feathers which he thinks are lead.”[4]

I was intrigued to find that the WebMD article, which is peer reviewed by medical professionals, said, “Although excessive worrying and high anxiety can cause an imbalance in your body, there are many options you have that can re-establish harmony of mind, body, and spirit (italics mine).”

The Bible addresses the health of mind, body, and spirit.