Feb. 25, 2001

Luke 12:22-34

How to Keep from Being Frozen by Worry

1. Introduction

1. Illustration – An old Jewish folktale tells of two young brothers who had spent all of their lives in the city and had never even seen a field or pasture. So one day they decided to take a trip into the countryside. As they were walking along, they saw a farmer plowing, and didn’t understand what he was doing. "What’s he doing?" they asked themselves. "This man goes back and forth all day long, scarring the earth with long ditches. Why would anyone destroy such a pretty meadow?" Later in the day they passed the same place again, and saw the farmer sowing wheat in the field. "What’s he doing now? He’s got to be crazy! He’s taking perfectly good wheat and tossing it into those ditches." One of the brothers decided that the country wasn’t for him, so he went back to the city. The other brother stayed, and in a few weeks saw a wonderful change. The field was soon covered with a green lushness he’d never seen. He wrote to his brother and told him to come quickly and see what had happened. So the brother came back from the city, and he too was amazed at the change. As the days passed they saw the green earth turn into a golden field of tall wheat. Now they understood what the farmer had done. But when the wheat grew ripe, the farmer came with his scythe and began to cut it down. The brother who had returned from the city couldn’t believe his eyes. "What’s he doing now? What kind of an idiot would work so hard to grow such beautiful wheat just to cut it down?" And he returned to the city. The other brother stayed and watched the farmer collect the wheat, separate the chaff and carefully store the rest. And he was overwhelmed when he realized that by sowing a bag of seed, the farmer had harvested a whole field of grain. Only then did he truly begin to understand that the farmer had a reason for everything he did. He said, "And this is how it is with God’s works, too. We mortals see only the beginnings of His plan. We cannot understand the full purpose and end of His creation. So we must have faith in His wisdom."
2. Context – That story brings out an important truth – that God has a plan. We may not know what that plan is, and so we worry when things aren’t going the way we think they should. Jesus, in Luke 12:22-34, has something to say about that. Let’s read it together.

1. Scripture Passages

1. Luke 12:22-34 - Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³ Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ²⁶ Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? ²⁷ "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. ³² "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
2. All of us struggle with worry. Worry in and of itself is not sin, but when we allow the worry to overcome us and keep us from action, then we have a problem. We are sinning. In this passage Jesus gives us some keys to keep us from being frozen by worry.

1. Worrying about Daily Needs

1. This passage comes right after Jesus told the parable of the rich fool, who had so much that he was going to tear down his barns and build bigger ones to hold all of his grain. He was on easy street, but the problem was that he didn’t think about the needs of others. He didn’t even consider helping others or seeking God for instructions. That decision to leave God out of the equation cost him his life. In verse 21, Jesus says, "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
2. That’s the context. Perhaps the most interesting part of this passage is that Jesus didn’t just say "Don’t worry!" and leave it at that. That’s the biggest clue that worry is not sin.
3. So Jesus says not to worry about our basic daily needs. Most of us don’t have to do that because we have jobs or have money saved up. In Jesus’ time, most people lived from hand to mouth, from day to day. If you didn’t catch fish that day, you probably didn’t eat. If the wheat didn’t come in like you’d hoped, you went hungry. If the herd died of a disease, you were out on the street. Some folks here today may feel like they are in similar circumstances. Even those who have enough often worry about the future. Jesus knows that we focus our attention on that which our mind dwells on. He knows that we have enough to do in our lives without dwelling on our basic needs. We have a tendency to obsess about our worries, to focus on them to the exclusion of other considerations. That is where we get into trouble.
4. Jesus has the answer for this. He says, in verses 30-31, For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. In a very practical way, when we focus our minds on God and His kingdom we won’t worry about our daily needs. We have to recognize and keep reminding ourselves that the same God who takes care of the birds and the flowers is much more willing and able to meet our needs. Notice that I didn’t say "wants." God will provide all that we truly need.
5. Illustration – Hans Kung writes, Faith is central to all of life. For example, you go to a doctor whose name you cannot pronounce and whose degrees you have never verified. He gives you a prescription you cannot read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never seen before. He gives you a chemical compound you do not understand. Then you go home and take the pill according to the instructions on the bottle. All in trusting, sincere faith! If we can have faith in our doctors and pharmacists to meet our medical needs, how much more can we have faith in God to meet our daily needs. But Jesus doesn’t just stop there. He goes on.

1. A Parable of Contrasts

1. Have you noticed the contrast between verses 22-29 and verses 33-34? Verses 30-32 act as a pivot point for this contrast. The first part of the parable tells us not to worry about our daily needs; the last part tells us to sell our stuff and give away the money for the benefit of others.
2. Think about this for a minute. Most of the people in Israel during Jesus’ time on this planet we could very easily classify as "working poor." They didn’t have much to begin with, so imagine what an impact Jesus’ instructions to sell their possessions must have had on His audience. Through the years there have been many who have interpreted these verses as meaning that they have to live in abject poverty and self-deprecation. That isn't what Jesus was saying. He says, in effect, that everyone has something to give, and when you give with His kingdom in mind you build up treasures in heaven.
3. The point of this passage is that we have to keep our focus on God and His kingdom in order to keep from being overcome by our worries. Earthly forces can never destroy spiritual rewards, so they last. Jesus is saying that those things in our lives that contribute to building the kingdom of God in our lives are the ones that we have to focus on. And that’s more important that worrying about our daily needs.
4. Illustration – Someone once found a servant weeping on the back porch one morning. When asked why she was crying, she said she had seen a snake in the garden, and started thinking what if that snake had been in the back yard instead of the garden, and suppose the little boy of the family had been there, and suppose the snake had seen him, and suppose the snake had bitten him and she burst into tears again. And yet neither the boy nor the snake were in the back yard! B. Carradine writes, The cause of the servant’s grief, silly and needless as it was, was better grounded than that of some heart burdens and mental harassment we have observed in life; because the woman did see a snake that morning, while others have created their serpents and vipers with their own lively fancies. When we focus on worrying, we take our eyes off of God. Let’s make sure we keep our focus on our God.

1. A Lot Easier Said Than Done!

1. It’s a lot easier to know not to worry than it is to keep from obsessively worrying, isn’t it? My family knows that, on some issues, I am a real worrier. There have been many times in my life when I’ve been frozen by worry. Have you ever had that happen? I am far from perfect on this, but there are some things I’ve picked up that can help. My prayer is that they can help some of you from being frozen by worry.
2. First, Jesus says in this passage to keep a kingdom focus. In other words, try thinking from God’s perspective. Why would God allow the focus of your worrying into your life? Is there some area that you aren’t fully giving Him permission to have His own way with or to root out of your heart and life? What kind of a witness could handling this situation in a manner that focuses on God have to those around you? How will worrying about this benefit the kingdom of God? Remember that worry about things other than basic needs is not sin, but worrying to the point that it excludes God’s ability to work in a situation is sin.
3. Second, allow the situation that you are worrying about to drive you to pray and seek God for His will. For example, if you are worrying about a loved one who doesn’t have a personal relationship with Christ, pray for that person, and keep praying until God answers. Sometimes we give up too easily, and sometimes we don’t give up easily enough. Keep praying until God answers, thank Him for His answer, and then leave it in His hands. Refuse to dwell on it, because dwelling on it can freeze you up or keep you from focusing on God and His desires. Seek God and His kingdom, and it will help you deal with worry.
4. Third, find a brother or sister in Christ to talk to about it. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. You, a brother or sister, and God are a three-strand cord, one that can overcome worry if you hold together with Him. You know, Satan is a liar and tries to get us to believe that there is no one we can trust with who we are. And there is a speck of truth in that – you do have to make sure the person you share with isn’t going to make something private, public. So we have to be people of integrity in not sharing with others what has been shared with us in confidence. But all of us have need of someone we can share our deepest worries and concerns with, and we can’t wait until the crisis hits to begin developing that relationship. Find someone you can share your worries with, who will pray for you and lift you up. And resolve to be that person for someone else.
5. Fourth, spend time reading the Bible. God’s Word is full of people who had some pretty major worries that God took care of. Constantly remind yourself of Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. The God who came to the aid of so many people in the Bible is the same God who comes to the aid of us in our time of need. And the enemy will throw doubts at us, so that we feel like God has forsaken us. Feelings are not always a true reflection of reality. We have to refuse to allow those doubts to get a foothold in our minds, because the fact is that God is here and is taking care of us. He will not let us down. He may choose to do things differently that we want Him to, but He will always work for the long-term benefit of those who love Him, follow Him, and serve Him. So read the Word and believe that the same God who was active in the lives of those who loved Him then is still active in your life and working to make you like Him. He will work it out for your greatest eternal benefit and His greatest glory. Trust Him.
6. Fifth, there are a lot of quality, biblically sound Christian books dealing with many of life’s issues and challenges. Look for one that speaks to your need, and read it. Allow the Holy Spirit to use the author’s experiences to speak to your situation and meet your need. This may seem to some to be a cop-out. Why can’t the Bible speak to all of our needs? It does do that, but sometimes we need to see it through another filter, through someone else’s eyes, in order to fully understand what it means to us. There is a wealth of wisdom in Christian literature that can help us through the difficult times.
7. Are any of these suggestions new or original with me? No, but we have to keep reminding each other of them or we forget to do whatever we have to, to get our focus back on God. Which is where it needs to be. Luke 12:34 brings out a critical point - For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. If those things we treasure are the things of this earth, then that is where our heart will focus. If those things we treasure are the things of God, not our interpretation of God, but truly the things of God, then our hearts will focus on God. The key to keeping from being frozen by worry is to keep our focus on God, the One Who will meet every need we will ever have.
8. Illustration - Henry Nouwen, in Making All Things New, wrote, Today worrying means to be occupied and preoccupied with many things, while at the same time being bored, resentful, depressed, and very lonely. I am not trying to say that all of us are worried in such an extreme way all the time. Yet there is little doubt in my mind that the experience of being filled yet unfulfilled touches most of us to some degree at some time. In our highly technological and competitive world, it is hard to avoid completely the forces which fill up our inner and outer space and disconnect us from our innermost selves, our fellow human beings, and our God… Jesus responds to this condition of being filled yet unfulfilled, very busy yet unconnected, all over the place yet never at home. He wants to bring us to the place where we belong. But his call to live a spiritual life can only be heard when we are willing honestly to confess our own homeless and worrying existence and recognize its fragmenting effect on our daily life. Only then can a desire for our true home develop. It is of this desire that Jesus speaks when he says, "Do not worry… Set your hearts on his kingdom first… and all these things will be given you as well.

1. Conclusion

1. Is there an issue or a problem you are struggling with worry about today? Are you having problems with focusing on the things of this world instead of longing in your heart for the kingdom of God. Begin to change your focus by giving God permission to meet that need in the way He sees fit. Then try to see things from His perspective, to pray hard and seek Him, to share your burden with a brother or sister in Christ, to read your Bible and trust that the God of the Bible is the God of today and will meet your need, and read a Christian book that speaks to your heart. Taking these steps can do a lot to move us into the kind of dependency on God that He wants and is best for us.
2. With every head bowed and every eye closed, if you’re struggling with worrying about something today, and that worrying is keeping you from moving forward with God, please raise your hand and we’ll pray for you. Raise your hand as a sign that you are willing to follow God’s leading and to focus on Him, and He will honor that commitment.
3. Let’s pray.