NR 08-08-04
Luke 12:22-34 – Do not worry
Story: Church at the turn of the century
At the turn of the 20th Century, the roof of the hall of a little Swiss church was falling down.
So the members of the church got together regularly after the service in the hall to pray for funds to repair the roof .
One of the people who used to come along to the prayer meeting was a miserly old man.
He would sit at the back of the hall - so he could sneak out just before the collection plate came round.
One Sunday, he was held up on his way to the prayer meeting by the vicar and when he got to the hall he could only find a seat at the front.
During the prayer meeting, a piece of the roof fell and hit him on the head.
Feeling spoke to by the Lord, he stood up and said "Lord, I’ll give £1000"
A voice at the back of the churchwas heard to say " Hit him again, Lord"!
Often God has to speak to me in a similar way. But he doesn’t use a piece of plaster.
He gets my attention by a verse or a powerful passage from Scripture
And for me one such hit comes from this evening’s Gospel reading
Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on (Luke 12:22)
and its corrollary
If God so clothes the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much will he clothe you, O you of little faith. And do not set your heart on what you will eat or what you will drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things and you Father knows that you need them. But seek first the Kingdom and these things will be given to you as well. (Luke 12:28-31)
Story: When I worry Maddy has a nice little saying: “Why pray when you can worry!!”
Story: On the last night that I was on holiday in Switzerland, I got a message that Chris our second son was rushed into hospital with colitis – and I realised that all I could do was to commit Chris to the Lord and go to sleep.
The Lord wants us to come to the position of trusting him.
If we want to understand more fully what Jesus is saying in our Gospel reading this evening - I think it is important to look at the context.
Our reading carries on from the Parable of the Rich Fool, (Luke 12:13-21).
I am sure you remember the parable, where the Rich Fool was castigated for his greed.
He built barns to keep his wealth to himself – rather than sharing his abundant excess with those in need.
Yet conventional wisdom would tell us to save up against a rainy day. So what is Jesus saying?
I think the key to understanding the Parable of the Rich Fool is the man’s excessive greed.
Those with a lot of money often find it very hard to be generous.
Story: Paul Getty, the famous oil baron, was so worried about his money, that it is reputed he installed pay phones in his house at Sutton Place just outside Guildford, Surrey - so that his guests would not waste his money on phone calls.
In Luke 12, Jesus then moves on from the greed of the Rich Fool to talk about worry, the subject of our Gospel passage this evening both are linked.
The love of money that brings with it worry.
And as an aside, I’d like to say that Money itself is neutral – it is the love of money that Jesus castigates.
But the love of money is not the only thing that causes us worry - ill health (or even the fear of ill heath) is another example.
But whatever the reason we worry - there is a root problem.
That problem, I believe, rests in a lack of trust of God.
This evening I would like to suggest that we should apply two challenges when we are tempted to worry.
1. The first challenge to the temptation to worry is this. On what is my faith based?
2. The second challenge to worry is what are my goals in life?
Let us start by looking at the first challenge to worry.
1. On what is my faith based?
Story: George Müller (1805-1898) was the founder of a children’s home in Bristol in the early 19th Century.
He was a man of a simple faith, which can be summed up as: God had called him to his work and so God would provide.
And with this attitude he experienced God’s provision many times.
Here is just one story told about him.
Let me read it to you:
“THE ORPHAN CHILDREN all had their dinners and were ready for bed.
They always well loved and cared for but they didn’t know that evening that the orphanage was out of money and there was no food for breakfast the next day.
Though he did not know how, George Müller was confidant the Lord would provide for the orphans.
Müller went to bed, committing the care of the orphans to God.
The next morning he went for a walk, praying for God to supply the orphanage’s needs.
During his walk, he met a friend who asked him to accept some money for the orphanage.
Müller thanked him, but did not tell the friend about the pressing need.
Instead, he praised God for the answer to prayer and went to the orphanage for breakfast. “
Müller knew his heavenly Father and knew that he could trust Him.
What was that faith that Müller had? He had heard from God and could TRUST him.
Hebrews 11.1 tells us that faith as “the substance of things hoped for”
For Müller it was not blind faith. It was a faith based on evidence.
He had already seen God’s provision for the Orphanage a number of times. So he was able to trust Him in this time of need.
The Bible scholar R.H Mounce said, “Worry is practical atheism and an affront to God”
When we worry, we show that we don’t have faith in God as our provider – in other words we don’t trust God.
This is an affront to Him; because Jesus has told us that God our Father knows our needs and will provide for them.
Indeed in our Gospel reading this evening Jesus said “..but seek first the Kingdom and all these things will be added to you. (Luke 12:31)
In other words, if you make God’s agenda your agenda, God will provide all you need.
Which brings me on to the second challenge to worry.
2. What are my goals in life?
Jesus said in our Gospel reading this evening
“Where is your treasure, because that is where you will find your heart.” Lk 12:34
What makes me really tick. What do I have great delight in? What are my goals in life.
Jesus challenges us to make obedience to God that treasure – our goal in life
God wants men and women who have a one track mind – set on obeying God.
And God our Father has given the Church one mission and that isn’t to worry!!
Jesus said in Mt 28:19 and 20 that we should preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God to all the nations.
The Early Christians ate, slept and drank it and because of their faithfulness to the call of God, we are here this evening in church.
Conclusions
What is the antidote to worrying?
There is no one simple answer.
I can think of three antidotes we can apply
1. The first antidote is to read about how God has provided for others
One good source is in the Bible, both in the Old and New Testament.
The book of Ruth in the Old Testament is a beautiful story of how God provided for two widows who had lost their husbands.
The book of Acts in the New Testament is so dynamic of how God’s word spread in a miraculous way – for example
Peter’s deliverance from prison in Acts 12 or Paul’s miraculous escape from the sea and a snake at Malta in Acts 27.
These are all stories to encourage our faith.
I find Christian biographies really encouraging.
For example Kermit Bradford’s “Miracle on Death Row” or Richard Wurmbrand’s “In God Underground”.
Why - because I read of real people who have experienced God’s provision.
2. The second antidote is to ask God to remove your unbelief.
In Mk. 9 a man brought his son for healing to Jesus and Jesus said to him: “If you can believe, all things are possible for him who believes.”
And the man answered:
“Lord, I believe, help my unbelief” (Mk. 9:24).
What a great prayer that makes.
We can decide we are going to believe - and where we falter, we ask God to deal with our unbelief
3. The third antidote is to look at your goals afresh
Are you really committed to what God wants you to do?
If we want to see God working in our communities, then we must first be prepared
to accept the challenge of God.
If we get on with the work that he has called us to do, then we can leave God to look after our needs.
Jesus said in Luke 12:34
34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Can I also suggest that where your heart is will actually define what you consider your treasure to be.
