Stop being so anxious! Don’t worry, just relax! Why are you so stressed? You’ve probably heard words like that fairly recently. It’s the nature of our age to be stressed isn’t it? In fact this passage from Matt 6 could have been written specifically for us, couldn’t it? We live in an age where anxiety and worry are at epidemic levels. Every year we discover that life is less certain. Our oil reserves are running out; the greenhouse effect is bringing about climate change; terrorism threatens us in a way that we’ve never experienced before; the population bubble known as "baby boomers" is about to hit retirement age and there may not be enough funds to keep us in the luxury to which we’ve become accustomed. And that’s just on top of the everyday anxieties and worries that come just from living: parents worrying about their children, children worrying about their aging parents; business people worrying about the bottom line, young people worrying about the cost of education and the large HECS debt they’re accumulating; students worrying about exams, elderly people worrying about illness and frailty.
So how do we live out these words of Jesus: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear?" Does this mean we should just forget about our worries, whistle a happy tune, pack up all our cares and woes, don’t worry, be happy? For example, does it mean we shouldn’t worry when our 18 year old son takes the car out for his first solo drive with his mates or our 17 year old daughter goes to the school formal after-party with her 19 year-old boy-friend?
When Jesus says not to store up treasures for yourself, does he mean we shouldn’t work on a business plan? Does he mean we shouldn’t be in a superannuation fund? Or be saving up for a deposit on a house? In fact should we even be thinking of owning a house in this world?
It’d be easy to read Jesus’ words about God’s care for us and to romanticise it wouldn’t it? To look at this idyllic picture of birds and wildflowers and be carried away by the idea that God will look after us no matter what; that everything will be rosy, if only we’ll trust him. But that isn’t what he’s saying here. Well, he’ll certainly look after us, but it may not be rosy.
There are a number of ways we could respond when reading a passage like this. First of all, we could read it, then think about our own lives and decide that this is so disconnected with the reality of life in the 21st century that it has nothing to say to us. That would be a mistake. On the other hand we could, as I said, be so carried away by the idea of putting our trust in God that we lose touch with reality, that we begin to live in a fantasy world where we deny the stresses and anxieties of ordinary life. I remember a man whose wife had died, who refused to admit that he missed her or that he’d experienced any sense of loss from her death. Why? Because that would have been to show a lack of faith in God. But Jesus isn’t suggesting we live in denial. Nor is he saying we shouldn’t plan for the future. In Luke 14 Jesus tells his followers they need to count the cost, to look to the future if they’re to keep on following him. So the other way to respond is to ensure that the focus of our plans is the kingdom of God, to make sure that the place we look to for assurance and hope in this world is the kingdom of heaven.
But first, let’s think about how this relates to our lives in the 21st century.
Let’s begin by remembering that this passage comes straight after the section we read last week. If you were here, you’ll remember that Camille talked about having the right motives for the religious acts we do as Christians. There we saw that it’s no use doing the right thing, even the religious thing, if the reason we do it is to build up our own esteem or reputation before other people. It’s only helpful if it’s done in order to glorify God.
Well, here Jesus goes on to talk about the way we order our secular life, e.g. how we make plans. And the same questions arise. Are we planning for our own pleasure and comfort, or our own self esteem, or are we planning with God’s glory in mind? And when we get there will we thank God for his goodness towards us or will we glory in our own wisdom and foresight?
In the passage we read from James 4:13 a similar situation is envisaged. There the rich merchant is planning a business venture that he thinks will make his fortune. Now it’s not the business venture that’s the problem, it’s his attitude that all that’s needed is his business acumen and everything will go well. It’s the lack of acknowledgement that God is sovereign and that everything depends on His goodness. It’s the implied boasting about how clever he is.
Well the same attitude is in focus here. The idea of storing up treasures for yourself implies both a self-reliance and a self interest that’s at odds with the kingdom of heaven. It’s a question of where your treasure resides and what it’ll be used for. Is it in heaven or is it in the material things of this earth? Jesus takes this idea of storing up treasure for yourself and points out that when we treasure something in this way, we actually make it the thing that rules our life. It becomes like an addiction. I’m sure you’ve heard the answer given by John D. Rockefeller to the question "How much is enough?" His answer was "Just a little bit more than you have." In other words you’ll never get enough to satisfy the need for security or fame or power or whatever it is that drives you.
In fact Jesus gives a hint here of why that’s the case. He says: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal." You see, the trouble with relying on material goods, or fame or reputation, or public acclaim, is that they can disappear at the drop of a hat. The share market can crash, a fire can tear through your beautiful home or your factory, a reporter can uncover some unfortunate fact from your past that you’d thought was forgotten, your dreams of success as an athlete can be wiped out by something as unexpected as a stroke, as Hawthorn footballer Angelo Lekkas discovered this week.
In fact, this is such an uncertain world, you’d be mad to hang your hopes on anything connected with it wouldn’t you?
But here’s the irony of the situation. We’re anxious about our future so we work and plan to ensure our financial security, but the end result is just more anxiety. Why? Because the things we’re relying on are so insecure. Because the things we imagine will keep us safe inevitably let us down. Rust and moths and thieves, things like disease, car accidents and inflation, mean that there’s always a level of uncertainty about the future that we can’t avoid.
It’s interesting, isn’t it, that we live in an age when our material comfort, the possessions we own, our access to technology, to health services, to education, etc., are at the highest they’ve ever been, yet the general level of anxiety is also as high as it’s ever been?
So what’s the answer? Well, Jesus’ answer is that our focus needs to change, from material things to heavenly things; from wealth and possessions to the kingdom of God. That is, to things that will expand God’s rule over people’s lives. In fact this has two elements.
First of all where are we looking for our security? Is it in material things, or is it in the things of the Kingdom of God? As we’ve just seen, material goods give an image of security, but it’s a counterfeit security. Real security comes from Jesus’ finished work on the cross. The only real and lasting hope in this world is the hope of eternal life in the next.
Bur secondly what are we working towards? What are our goals in life? If they’re tied up with wealth and position, in money and fame and power, then our efforts are being totally wasted. But if we’re working towards building God’s kingdom we’re building for an everlasting future. We’re building wealth that can’t be counted. As one of those quotable quotes in the news sheet says: "The real measure of our wealth is how much we’d be worth if we lost all our money."
Here’s where Jesus’ saying about the eye comes in. "22The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; 23but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" Now substitute the word ’goal’ for ’eye’ and the word ’life’ for ’body’. And you’ll get an idea of what Jesus is intending by that metaphor. Then you get something like this "Your goal is what directs your life. So, if your goal is sound, your whole life will be full of light; 23but if your goal is bad, your whole life will be full of darkness. If then your life direction is darkness, how great is the darkness!"
I was at a church growth conference last week and one of the significant things that was said was that we as a church are a pilgrim people. That means we can never be defined in static terms. But more than that, it means we need to be defined by where we’re going, not where we’ve been. Now this was said by an Anglican bishop so he had some experience of churches that wanted to be defined by where they’d been. But he was right wasn’t he? Unless we’re defined by where we’re going, that is by the Kingdom of God, then we’ve failed as a Church; we’ve simply reverted to being another human institution. If, as Christians in our secular life we focus on material possessions, on human recognition and fame, then we’ve lost our way. We’re walking in darkness.
And if we try to have our cake and eat it too, all we do is go cross eyed, or get a sore neck from trying to look in 2 directions at once. We can’t keep our eye on God and on wealth at the same time because they’re moving in opposite directions.
So what are you going to do? As I said earlier, there’s nothing wrong with planning. There’s nothing wrong with being careful. If you’re the cautious type, that’s OK. The important question is, what are you planning for? What is the goal that you’re heading towards? Where are you putting your energy, your time and money? Is it in your own personal future or is it in the Kingdom of Heaven?
I was reading an autobiography this week of one of our local Anglican lay leaders. He’s a man who built up a furniture business from scratch during the 30s, to become one of the major suppliers of household furniture in Australia. But at the same time he was a significant leader of the Christian Church. He was involved with CMS, was instrumental in the formation of the predecessor to the United Mission to Nepal, he helped in the establishment of Scripture Union Australia, he was one of the people who persuaded Billy Graham to come to Australia for the 1959 crusades, he was on the Ridley College Council, he was one of the early leaders of EFAC, he helped to start Zadok magazine, etc. etc. Now he’s obviously a man of great business skill who could have put all his energy into building a business empire, but that was only a small part of his focus. Far more important for him was the Kingdom of God. Now, he must be in his mid 80s by now, but he’s still working hard for the kingdom. He continues to take an interest in the various organisations of which he’s a part.
But there’s more to his story than even that. There was a time when he was asked to take on the position of General Secretary of the newly formed Scripture Union Australia. He thought seriously about it. He prayed for God’s guidance. He asked his spiritual mentors for Godly advice and this is what he decided: he decided the kingdom of God was better served by him remaining in business so he could support the work of the gospel with his money, while continuing his important role as a lay leader in the various organisations with which he was involved. Now others have decided in the light of these verses to give up their secular job to go into full time ministry. But he decided his vocation was as a businessman and a lay minister. So he kept on running his business until he retired.
But here’s the interesting thing. The business he built up has gone. It was bought out by the Rank Organization and I’m not sure that Rank even exists any more. But I can tell you that the people who have heard the gospel and been built up in their faith through Scripture Union or CMS or EFAC or Zadok, or the Billy Graham Crusades haven’t disappeared. They were lasting treasure. All his business acumen, all the energy he put into that business was only secondary to his greater focus, of seeing the kingdom of God grow, of seeing people come to faith in Jesus Christ. And wasn’t that a wise choice? To open his eyes to the goal of the kingdom of heaven and to make that the place to store his treasure. To see his worldly wealth primarily as a resource for furthering the gospel.
So what are you worried about? Are you worried about what you’ll wear to work on Tuesday, or what you’ll have for dinner when those friends come over next week? Or are you worried about whether your work mates, or those friends, know Jesus Christ; whether they’re prepared for the Kingdom of heaven.
Where are you putting your energy, your money, your time? Are you putting them into your own personal future, your own worldly security, or are you investing them in a future with God?
Do you see your giving to St Theo’s or to missions as an irksome duty or as an investment in the best business venture around?
Here are Jesus’ words to you today: "strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
For more sermons from this source go to http://home.vicnet.net.au/~sttheos/
