Luke 12:22-34 - Anxiety of Possessions

In regards to the sermon today the sermon today hinges largely on who God is and God's care for us as his people and I want to introduce this idea by talking about two things that maybe at first in our mind don't go together. But as we see and we'll see in a moment the passage clearly links the two things and one of them is materialism and the other is anxiety. Let me start with materialism last year a year ago just before Christmas a group The Abacus data group didn't survey and did a poll of 1500 Canadians. How these 1500 Canadians 41% of those surveyed almost have identified themselves as someone who struggles with anxiety 1/3. So they've been formally diagnosed with anxiety and a similar proportion had had been prescribed antidepressants. So just pull a 5500 of them had been prescribed antidepressants and this survey they found that 34% of adult men and 47% of women strongly or someone agreed with the statement. I consider myself someone who struggles with anxiety among those aged Thirty 71% of females reported being anxious and 53% of men the same and among 18-29 year-olds 63% reported having regular anxiety anxiety.

Culture in our society. So that's one issue. Here's another research poll conducted about Christmas spending that speaks to materialism. This year so the current year 2019 79% of Canadians planned planned to spend the same or more than they did in 2018. How much was that Canadians expected to spend an average of $17 at Christmas time, which is more than the average rent the people play or mortgage people pay for their homes. $485 on gift cards gift certificates $350 on travel 270 on groceries 145 and dining out. So these are two things that may be in our mind or not connected. Will the question I have for you this morning as we go to God scriptures how much of our anxiety is caused by our materialism the Bible clearly suggest and we'll see in this passage that these two things materialism the love of possessions and anxiety go hand-in-hand so much so that my favorite commentator on the Book of Luke Darrell Bock summarize this passage with this line a life attached to possessions becomes a stumbling block because it leads to high anxiety. Very interesting. Let's let's read Jesus's words and his teaching his disciples in regards to anxiety materialism and Luke chapter 12 verses 22 through 34. Could you open up your Bibles turn on your devices or read along on the back of the inserts in your Bulletin? Luke 12 verse 22 And he that is Jesus said to his disciples. Therefore. I tell you do not be anxious about your life. What you will eat nor about your body. What you will put on for life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Consider the Ravens they neither sow nor reap. They have beer store Houston or barn and yet God feeds them of how much more value are you than the birds and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to expand of life and then you are not able to do a small a thing. Is that why are you anxious about the rest consider the lilies how they grow they neither toil nor spin. Did I tell you even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these but if God so close the grass, which is a live in the field today and tomorrow a restaurant in the oven how much more will he clothed you? Oh you of little faith and do not seek what you were to eat and what you were to drink nor be worried for all the nations of the world seek after these things and your father knows that you need need them instead seek his kingdom and these things will be added to you. Fear not little flock for does your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom sell your possessions and give to the needy provide ourselves with money bags that do not grow old with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail or no Steve approaches and no mas destroys for where your treasure is there. Will your heart be also let spray father God we come to you this morning looking for your help because we are finite creatures and because we still battle sin. We need your help. We need your spirits help this morning to understand your word the new apply it to our lives. I pray father God that you would help us to understand your truth with our minds and embrace it with our hearts knowing that as we do so it will change us. Albus Potter guide to see Christ. We know that a Clear Vision and sighting of Christ with the eyes of our heart will transform us from one glory to another

Help us father help me Lord God. The conveyor Proclaim your truth in a way that's accurate. No way. That's faithful. No way that helps those ends that we've asked for before all this in Christ name. Amen. The main idea for this passage, I would articulate this way since God cares for his people Disciples of Jesus need not and should not be anxious since God cares for his people Disciples of Jesus need not and should not be anxious. Let's start by talking about these words of the Bible uses to describe these emotions this passage talks about being anxious or having anxiety and worrying and the command is not to be that way. So let's let's understand what it's talking about. The Biblical word here used as anxious is to be troubled with cares. It is to have an intense desire for something accompanied by fear of the result of not acquiring it. That's what anxiety is you want something and you're fearful about not getting what you want and the results of not getting what you want. So that's what anxiety is to be troubled with cares. The word worry is an interesting word. It comes from a metaphor describing a ship being tossed on the sea. It describes a a vacillating between fear and hope it's an emotional roller coaster with pendulum swings. Wanted apps of fear and despair. That's what worry and anxiety are. No, both anxiety and worry when spoken about negatively have certain connotations which come out even In this passage their connotations of fear of self-interest and pride and a rejection of God's perspective on things. There's always preparing this. I thought you know, we live in a society where not many of us. Are worried or anxious about what we're going to eat or what we're going to wear. We in fact live in a society where that's not a major concern for most people to my thoughts were well wouldn't that suggest you therefore as we see the scripture that we would be less anxious than the rest of the world but they find the opposite is true where there is well, it seems anxiety increases. It's always wondering is this only about food and clothing, but of course scripture talks about anxiety and many other things Luke 10:41. If you recall Jesus's words to Martha when he was going to her house to be hosted by her. He said Martha Martha you are anxious and troubled about many things. And suggested that she shouldn't be. That her sister Mary was focusing on the things that were important. We can just go a couple versus previous to this Luke chapter 12 verses 11 where we read and when they bring you before the synagogues in the rulers and authorities do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself for what you should say. So it goes beyond just food and clothing we could read Matthew chapter 6 verse 34. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. And if the Apostle Paul expands the things we are not to be anxious about when he writes to the Philippians do not be anxious about anything that's Philippians 4 verse 6 It's okay not to be anxious and not to worry is a very common biblical imperative and we'll work all to hear is to fight anxiety and battle against worry and to do so it helps us to understand these things very interesting as we look at how Jesus describes anxiety and worry by the words that he shares here in these verses. Anxiety to Jesus speaks against has several qualities. First of all, we read and verse 23 for life is more than food and the body more than clothing indicating the anxiety has this concept of in Balance to it. There is a fixation on something an inordinate amount of care put on something having food to eat and having clothes on your body is something important but the suggestion here is there's an imbalance we're too fixated on it. There's also in verse 25 this concept of the futility and uselessness of worrying anxiety. Jesus says which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life. It's futile. Another verse 26, we see a wastefulness to anxiety if that you are not able to do a small thing. Is that why are you anxious about the rest you're wasting your time to worrying to be anxious about these things is to waste your emotional energy in your time. So long with this imbalance in futility and uselessness of wastefulness. There's also the idea of a lack of faith. Jesus says in verse 28, but if God so close the grass, which is a live in the field today and tomorrow stone at 11. How much more will he clothed you? Oh you of little faith.

You add to that the idea of fear that we get from this definition of worry. Which is again that pendulum swing and and dipping into faithlessness and fear even to the point. Where is all commentators agree in verse 30, there's the idea and anxiety of idolatry that is looking to things to replace God to try to find your security and your hope and your happiness in possessions in Reverse 30. Jesus says for all the nations of the world seek after these things all of the pagans all of those idolatrous Road the world seek after these things. It's all anxiety. According to this passage is a state of imbalance prioritizing of cares. And doing that is futile and useless and a waste of your time and energy and it gives evidence of a lack of face faith in a surplus of fear. And it may very well indicate an idolatrous heart and soul that is just as description of anxiety from this teaching passage of Jesus. And so the call is not to be anxious to call is not to seek to eat in the drink into fear. Not until there's some negative commands there. But how do we do that? What's the positive command here? Will we see the positive instruction In this passage, but I want to remind you of a paradigm which I've spoken before particularly if we're looking to be Sanctified to to grow in our godliness to grow in our Holiness. This is almost always the Paradigm that scripture indicates and the god uses to help us to change it. So we as people who are too anxious and worried too much and I confess I Was preparing a sermon I don't consider myself an anxious person. I don't consider myself who one who worries most but as a preparing a sermon I realized I worry and get anxious far more than I realize. I want to be that way. So how do we change it? So the Paradigm of the Bible Azo for change is if you recall head hard and hands, that's how God changes us. It starts remind How We sync. Removes to our heart in terms of what we care and what we desire and what we long for and is though it's those two things a line with God's word. Then we change the way we act and so we seeing this that the Jesus follows that same paradigm. Aside from the negative commands don't be anxious don't speak things of the world's. Don't fear. We weren't we are twice given a positive command. A command that begins with the word consider. We see it in 24 and 27 consider the Ravens. They neither sow nor reap. They have neither Storehouse nor bar and yet God feeds them of how much more value are you than the birds and then verse 27 consider the lilies how they grow. They neither toil nor spin your I tell you even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these understand that word to consider is to fix one's mind upon its to be attentive to something. It's to perceive and understand. So Jesus tells his people in light of not being anxious in light of not worrying to fix your mind upon the Rave and be attentive to the lilies perceive and understand what's going on. Very interesting that Jesus Jesus is instructions in regards to battling. Our wayward emotions is not to feel differently, but to think differently now, I realize we're all on a spectrum. Wellness Spectrum in and how we go through life and relate to life is different, but we could make a generalization that there are group of people who we would call thinkers and there are people who we were referred to as feelers people who are more emotive and I'm bias in this and that I think I'm the side of thinking and lessee motive than others. And so there is a buy here, but it's clear time and time again scripture that Jesus wants us to start with our minds. He wants us to start a boat sinking. It's what his positive command in regards to anxiety is considered. And what does he ask us to consider? Really? We can break it down into three things. Weird to think about the character of God, we are to think about the works of God and we are to think about the promises of God. Look at this consider the Ravens consider the lilies we can look and see God's character. God is a generous God feeding the animals and clothing the plants and he's powerful because he doesn't all over the Earth. That's his character. And when you consider his Works through the actual work of maintaining the planet and the animals and the physical world points to his work of creation. The number to think about the promises of God all these things will be added to you. That's a promise if we seek God's Kingdom. So he lays out for us what we need to think we need to think about the character of God the works of God in the promises of God my brothers and sisters. We have so much more of a foundation in regards to this than even the disciples who Jesus was teaching because we look at this through the lens of the Cross. We have the gospel as evidence of these things and I want to encourage you as you feel anxiety as you worried if that's something you struggle with to be intentional about thinking properly in those times and about thinking about the character of God in the works of the god in the promises of God particularly in the gospel. In the gospel. We see God's character. He is a merciful gracious loving God. He demonstrated that he demonstrated his character in the prison life and death and resurrection and Ascension of Christ and we need to think about those things and we need to think about God's were ultimately that's to his work of penal substitutionary sacrifice where he through Christ pay the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross.

And to think of the promises that come to us as a result of the Gospel in there are many of the New Testament. Let me give you Romans 8 3132 where Paul writes What then shall we say to these things. If God is for us who can be against us. He did not spare his own son. That's the gospel. But gave him up for us all how will he not also with him graciously. Give us all things. You know I could stop there. And if this coming year 2020 each time, we got lured and tempted into being anxious and to be worried if we would just do this one thing to be intentional and think of God's character in God's works and God's promises. I think it would be an immense help in regards to not being anxious. I want to encourage you brothers and sisters. You have put your faith in Christ. You have an amazing Foundation from which to battle anxiety. You can look to the gospel to all that God did through Christ on your behalf and see his character and see that work and see the promises and thereby fight anxiety in your mind. If you're here this morning, you're not a Believer brought you've never even given any thought to religion or Christianity. I want to encourage you to say when you face anxiety. And when you face worried understand that we as believers do have a firm foundation from which the battle died in our lives. Not Firm Foundation is Jesus Christ in his birth in life and death for Sinners Like Us. And then it says in his resurrection and his Ascension is coming again someday. And for those who put their faith and trust in him, they have a firm foundation to fight anxiety when I courage you to consider that this morning. And so we begin our battle with anxiety in the Mind by deliberating on the character and works and Promises of God, but it doesn't stop there because it's gotta get from our mind to our hearts. One of the things we see in this teaching on anxiety is that anxiety is a heart issue it pertains to our desires in our love. I need ESV which I read to you. It says do not seek what you will eat or drink. In the NIV. It's interesting. They there translation gets to the heart issue a bit better doesn't say do not seek. It says do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink. Because we seek and pursue that which we desire and so it's a heart issue.

Read this 29 30 31. For you again. Do not seek or do not set your heart on what you are to eat. And what year did drink nor be worried for all the nations of the world put their hard on these things that they're hard on these things seek after these things and your father knows you need them instead seek his kingdom set your heart on his kingdom desire and long for things of his kingdom in these things will be added to you and it makes it abundantly clear verse 34 for where your treasure is. There will your heart be also that's all we got very practical advice in regards to anxiety and these scriptures to first of all, we are to renounce worldly desires. He says do not see do not set your heart on what to eat. And what year to drink nor be worried. And we're to affirm Godly desires instead seek his kingdom put your set your heart on his kingdom. I told her I was thinking about these desires and and wanting to get the the truth of God's character in the truth of God's promises and a truth of God work for my brain to my heart. I said like how does that happen? How do we get that into a hurry, so we're not anxious about things.

And this idea for where your treasure is there? Will your heart be also we need God's help. It's my couragement regards to anxiety comes from Ephesians chapter 1. Or Paul writes for this reason because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints. I do not cease to give thanks for you remembering you in my prayers. So Paul praise this for the flip and then I encourage you to pray this for yourself and for your brothers and sisters in regards to anxiety. What does he pray that the god of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of Glory may give you the spirit of wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of him having the eyes of your hearts and Light. Paul prays that the eyes of their hearts are enlightened why that you may know what is a hope to which is called you what are the riches of his glorious inheritance to the Saints? And what is he in measurable greatness of his power to believe according to the working of his great might if you are dealing with anxiety of your dealing with worry particular about physical worldly things. Let me encourage you to pray to God that he would Enlighten the eyes of your heart. The you would desire for Kingdom things that you would long for things of his kingdom and that he would help you to change what it is you desire what it is you seek after what it is you treasure that's why we're getting very practical advice for Jesus in regards to anxiety. We are to deliberate. Are you consider God's character God's work God's promises as we think about what we should desire and if we're not Desiring the right thing we pray God Enlighten the Eyes of My Heart so that I can see and love that which is of you. But it doesn't end there. It's got to get for my head to our hearts and then into our hands it has to change how we actually live.

What's the last thing is due one of the commentators humorously noted that though the Ravens do not worry that the supply of worms may run out. They also do not expect the worms to crawl down their beaks. Rite Aid got to go and collect the worms are going to do something at work called to do something. We're called the think rightly were called the desire rightly. We're also called to do things and I think we get very helpful practical instructions here.

First of all recalled to deny ourselves Jesus sell your possessions deny yourself those things would you think will bring happiness but that are really bringing inside. The number to be generous where they give to the needy. Think about others in need and what they're looking for and meet those needs and then we're to pursue Kingdom ends. We are actively try to get Heavenly treasure. That's what his instructions give us. And so while I finish this morning with a reminder in a summary of a very practical approach to anxiety and worry in our life. Let's deliberate what's deliberate on the character of God delivery donut works of God delivery on the Promises of God when anxiety rears its evil head and worried seems to take over our mind and heart let's go and think about who God is and what God has done what God has promised particularly in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not set us on the right track in for my headache goes to a heart. And is a heart issue. We were announced worldly desires God. I don't want any part of that. We are firm Godly desires God. I want to seek your kingdom. And we pray that God would Enlighten the eyes of our hearts that we will love what he loves. And then we are practical. We actually do something in regards to this particular instance. We deny ourselves. We treat others generously and we pursue Kingdom. Let's pray. Father God we thank you for your word. I thank you Lord God that father God you have demonstrated to us your character by the great work that you did through Jesus Christ and all the promises that come to us through that and I pray father God that you by your spirit would help us. In 2020 father God to battle anxiety to fight worry. I know you would do so by helping us to deliberate and to think properly when worry and anxiety come to us for whatever reason help us to think Godly thoughts remind ourselves of your character. remind ourselves of your great works and remind ourselves when your promises and you also help us not only our mind but in our hearts help us to reject desires and longings that aren't of you help us to affirm those that are and I pray that you would Enlighten the eyes of our hearts so that we would see And desire will you would have us see you in desire and finally let us to act on those things by ourselves help us to give generously the others Lord God help us to see people in need and meet that need and help us to pursue father. Things of your kingdom. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Ashley Usher's to come forward as we take up this love offering for the in God ways. Again. This is a great opportunity for you to be generous to show them your appreciation for their work Among Us and for their service to us and to encourage them going forward as the ushers make the weight of the front. Will you pray with me Lord God again. We thank you for Mario and Kendra and their family. We thank you Father God for their work and their service among us. We thank you for the fellowship with us and their commitment to us. And father God we pray that you would bless their every endeavor. Father God is they going for Sue the call that you put on their lives. We pray father God that you would bless their work the day father God to the planting of a church would bring great glory to your name that they would see your kingdom bill. They would see your gospel go out. And father God should they become anxious and should they worry and I'm sure those things will come up. I pray father God that you would help them to think Godly thoughts and desire Godly things in to pursue your kingdom and all that they do. I pray father God you would also bless the kids is this will be a change for them as well. Watch over them. Keep them close to you. Let them sense your presence give them wisdom and all the decisions they make and pray this in Jesus name. Amen.