- These verses make up one of my two favorite passages in the Bible. Still, as I studied this passage this week, I saw something that I had never seen before, something that opened up a depth that I hadn’t known was there.
- The key thing that I had never put together is that it is impossible to properly understand Jesus’ teaching on worry (vv. 25-34) without tying them tightly to Jesus’ teaching on money (vv. 19-24). Jesus’ teaching here is not really about worry generally, but specifically about the worries that will likely ensue if we adopt Jesus’ plan for handling our finances. The two sections have to be taken together in order to fully make sense. (Indeed, the “therefore” in v. 25 seems to emphasize that link.)
Our Request For Our Lives:
“How to have a little less worry about our finances.”
- Usually, we aren’t really interested in changing our fiscal priorities or our spending habits. We just want “4 Easy Steps To Reduce Worry.” Nothing too involved, just a little advice. But Jesus is not interested here in band-aid answers.
Jesus’ Vision For Our Lives:
“How to live a life of joyful dependence.”
- Jesus’ vision for our financial lives is revolutionary. It will require a totally different view of our money, where we invest it, and how we spend it.
- He is calling us to a life of using our money to expand the Kingdom (vv. 19-20). He is calling us to put our money where our salvation is by investing in the Kingdom, believing it is the most important thing we can ever share in.
- Further, as we joyfully invest in that Kingdom, we then live in “joyful dependence” on God to care for our needs. Knowing our likely anxiety about not being in charge of the money anymore, Jesus goes to great lengths (vv. 25-34) to explain why this dependence can be joyful and not stressful.
- The hard truth is that vv. 25-34 are not really directed toward us unless we’ve chosen to live out the truths of vv. 19-24. To ask the Father to reduce our worry about finances when we have refused to heed Jesus’ call concerning our finances is likely to receive no response from above.
What’s That Look Like?
- What does Jesus’ vision for our financial lives look like? If we wanted to take Jesus up on His offer, what are the specifics of how this would flesh out in our everyday lives? Here’s an overview.
1. It all starts a desire to invest in Jesus’ Kingdom instead of just buying more junk.
- vv. 19-20.
- We have to come to the place where we show with our wallets (and not just in what we say) that the Kingdom of God is the most important, most eternal, most worthy, most wonderful thing going on earth right now. If we truly believe that, our hearts will rush for the chance to invest in what God is doing.
- This attitude would be comparable to the IPO for Google recently. Everybody thought this was going to be the next big thing and everyone was desperate to get a piece of the action. Are we desperate to get “a piece of the action” with the Kingdom of God?
- Some may ask why God needs our investment dollars. The truth is that He doesn’t need our money - He’s got all the resources in the world. Still, in His providence, He has chosen to let us participate in what He is doing around the world, not only with our words and actions, but also with our money. (As the sermon progresses, we will see some of the practical benefits to our faith that come with living this way.)
2. That desire develops into a focus of wanting more glory for God instead of more stuff for me.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31.
- Our ultimate goal in life is supposed to be to give glory to God.
- We should desire to bring glory to God because (a) He is the One who saved us, (b) it makes sense that we should glory in the One who is supremely valuable, and (c) it was Jesus’ stated goal.
- When considering where specifically we should invest our money, the simplest answer would be: “Anywhere where it can bring glory to God.” Seeing churches expand, seeing children’s hearts touched, seeing people’s bondage broken, seeing the gospel preached - those are just a few examples of ways to invest our money that can bring glory to God.
- It is unwise for us to think legalistically about what an appropriate lifestyle would be. You could very quickly get into “It’s ok to own a Toyota but not a Audi” or “It’s ok to have three bedrooms but not four.” All of that is legalistic nonsense. The point of this whole thing is not to set an absolute income that every Christian should live on. Some people have greater medical bills, some have more kids, some eat more.
- The point is that when we get a little extra or when we’re thinking about what we spend our money on, do we think first of opportunities to expand the Kingdom? Are we more eager to use an extra $200 to help a teen that we know who’s in need or to buy a newer iPod? Is our first thought when we get our year-end raise that we can possibly buy a new car or that we can help a missionary friend in China?
- Too often our financial question is, “How much can I afford?” A far better question for a Christian is, “How much do I need?” As we “downsize” our lifestyles piece by piece, breathing room for Kingdom generosity is carved out. My biggest “want” slowly becomes wanting to give more glory to God.
3. That focus can create a concern in our hearts: “If I live a life of radical generosity, how will I pay the light bill?”
- vv. 25, 28, 31.
- All this (about living generously for the Kingdom) sounds fine in the abstract, but concern may begin to arise when we think about the fact that we still have an electric bill to pay, kids to clothe, car payments to make, etc. It’s at this point that many are likely to check out - “That’s a nice vision, but it’s just not practical.”
- That’s why Jesus goes immediately into a discussion of our worries about trying this lifestyle. Three times here He says, “Do not worry.” Why is He saying this? Because He knows we’re worried! He wants to explain to us why His vision will reduce our worries, not increase them.
4. That concern is answered in entrusting our finances to our Father.
- vv. 26, 28-30, 32.
- What we are doing, in effect, is choosing to delegate the job of providing for all our financial needs to our heavenly Father. We’ve been handling it ourselves, but Jesus says the Father is willing to take care of it.
- All this is tied to us living with a desire to invest in the Kingdom. Some people take these verses out of context. These verses are not a promise from God to provide us with all of our wants. He’s very clear that He will provide our needs.
- These verses are not applicable to rich people (like most Americans). The point of the verses is not “Worry less because your heavenly Father will provide everything you desire”; the point is “If you take Me up on my offer [vv. 19-20] to live a life radically abandoned to God when it comes to your money, your Father will absolutely guarantee that your generosity to the Kingdom will never mean that you will have to go without what you need.” You cannot divorce vv. 25-34 from their context - immediately following vv. 19-24.
- This is shown in the other place that these words on worry are recorded. In Luke 12:22-34, Jesus is saying much the same thing as here. The story immediately preceding that is the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21) - the entire point of which is that only a fool would be wealthy in worldly things while remaining poor in eternal (i.e. Kingdom) things. There again the promises with regard to worry are only applicable in the context of living a life of radical generosity toward the Kingdom and radical dependence on God.
- How, specifically, can we worry less when we turn these money issues over to the Father? Most of us tend to worry more when we aren’t in charge of something.
- We can have less worry by giving God control of providing for us financially because:
a. He loves us.
- He showed that beyond any shadow of a doubt in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
b. He’s pleased with our choice of priorities.
- When we make the Kingdom our top priority, He’s pleased.
- What Dad isn’t more eager to give generously when their son or daughter is pursuing something that is a passion of the Dad’s heart? If you love baseball and your son asks, “Dad, can you take me to a Reds game sometime?”, you’ll be calling Cincinnati. If you can’t get enough NASCAR and your daughter asks for a Dale Jr. ballcap, there’s no doubt you’re buying it the next day. If you love Jesus and your teenager says she wants to serve on a short-term mission trip, you’ll eagerly write the check for $400.
- When we align our priorities with our Father’s priorities, He’s all the more eager to take care of our everyday needs.
c. He’s competent.
- The honest truth is that many of us act like we’d have more confidence in a good CPA handling our finances than we would God handling them. The simple fact is that God is smart enough to handle your situation. He can be trusted with your checkbook. He won’t mess up or forget to provide for a need.
d. He’s knowledgeable.
- Because God knows everything (including all of your needs), there’s no need to worry about Him failing to provide because He was out of the loop on an important matter. He knows what needs attended to.
5. Entrusting our finances frees us to concentrate on two things: “How can I help the Kingdom of God expand in the world?” and “How can I help the love of God expand in my heart?”
- v. 33.
- Instead of a myriad of concerns, Jesus here basically says, “You concentrate on these two things and you can delegate the other stuff to your Father.” That simplifies things enormously.
- We just need to focus on the Kingdom and on growing in maturity in Christ (“righteousness”). And everything else will come along just when we need it without a moment’s worry from us.
What Are The Results Of Catching Jesus’ Vision?
1. Money brings joy instead of worry because:
(a) your money is secure,
- vv. 19-20.
- You know it can’t be touched in heaven, which is where our investment goes when we invest in the Kingdom.
(b) your money is touching lives, and
- We’re seeing lives changed for Jesus. How much more joy does that bring than another X-Box game?
(c) your money is bringing worthwhile “dividends.”
- What do you want to show for your money: a lot of interest, a big pile of possessions, or more people in heaven?
2. You grow closer to your Father because:
(a) you get to see God providing answers regularly,
- Many of us rarely see God move because we’re rarely in a position to really ask much from in terms of basic financial needs. In fact, many of us have requests that center around health issues because that’s the one area where things are going on that are beyond our resources. As we live out Jesus’ vision, we regularly see the Father “coming through” to meet our needs.
(b) every time He provides, your trust of Him increases, and
- Nothing builds trust like experiencing God come through time after time after time when you needed Him to.
(c) His priorities are increasingly becoming your priorities.
- We begin to see the world more the way He does and increasingly begin to see what’s really important.
Conclusion:
- I realize this is a radical call. But it’s not my idea; it’s Jesus’. Do you want what He’s offering or are you content to continue to live with your financial worries?
