Bryan Craddock - Security

October 29, 1929 is known in history as Black Tuesday. It was the day that the stock market crashed. Some investors were so devastated by their financial losses leading up to the crash that they committed suicide—eleven men on October 24 alone. The crash coincided with a number of other tragic events. In 1926 the Gulf States had been struck by a category 4 hurricane that all but destroyed Miami. In the 1930s the Midwest entered a time of drought that led to incredible dust storms known as the Dust Bowl. 

The combination of these events led into the period that we now call the Great Depression. Unemployment rates were so high that at one point it is estimated that 28 percent of the population had no income. Landlords couldn’t collect rent. Cities couldn’t collect taxes. School in many cities had to close because they couldn’t pay their teachers. In many ways society was shutting down.

Rightly or wrongly, President Herbert Hoover bore much of the blame. People talked about ‘Hoover blankets.’ That was what they called old newspapers. ‘Hoover flags’ were empty pockets turned inside out. ‘Hoover wagons’ were cars with no gas pulled by horses or mules. ‘Hoovervilles’ were tent cities springing up around the country where homeless, unemployed people were living. As the 1932 election drew near it’s said that hitchhikers would hold up signs that said, “Give me a ride or I’ll vote for Hoover.”

Many people today are expressing concerns that we may be on the verge of another Great Depression. On Wednesday evening as he addressed the nation, President Bush said, “The government's top economic experts warn that without immediate action by Congress, America could slip into a financial panic, and a distressing scenario would unfold.” He then went on to describe events similar to the Great Depression.

Are we really on the verge of another depression? If so, can government intervention really prevent such a crisis from happening? I don’t know, and I don’t think anyone really knows for sure. But I do know this—my confidence is not in Wall Street or the principles of capitalism. Neither is my confidence in the United States government and all of our politicians.

Examine any U.S. coin or dollar bill and you’ll find our national motto, “In God we trust.” Yet trusting in God’s financial provision seems to be the farthest thing from the mind of our political leaders. My only confidence and security in the face of these financial fears is in God and His provision. 

This morning we are going to examine Jesus’ teaching on this subject. How can we go through life with financial confidence and security? How do we put aside our worries?

Jesus on Security

On one occasion Jesus was speaking to thousands of people, when a determined man pressed through the crowd and interrupted him. The man wanted Jesus to take his side in a dispute with his brother over the division of the family inheritance. Instead Jesus confronted the man’s greed and exposed his materialistic assumptions by telling a parable. The parable was about a rich man who decided to hoard his wealth and retire from life. In the story, the rich man is called a fool because God revealed to him that he was going to die, but he had not given any thought to eternity only to his possession.

As Jesus finished the story he turned to his followers, his disciples. They weren’t greedy. Many of them were making significant sacrifices to follow Christ. James, John, Peter and Andrew, for example, were all fisherman, but they had left their nets and their homes to be with Jesus as he went from place to place in Palestine preaching. They weren’t trying to amass a fortune, but they did have concerns about where there next meal would come from. So with the subject of money still in mind, Jesus addresses his disciples’ concerns—concerns that may be somewhat similar to our own in the face of this current financial crisis.

For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:22-34).

Could there be anything more relevant to our circumstances today than these words? Jesus has given us here crystal clear instruction to address our financial worries. We can summarize his words with three headings: (1) a gracious command; (2) a powerful comparison; (3) a surprising alternative.

A Gracious Command

Jesus didn’t just say, “You do not have to worry,” He said in verse 22, “Do not worry.” This isn’t optional.  Jesus was giving the disciples a command.  The King James translates this phrase, “take no thought,” but there’s a difference between thinking of something and worrying about it.  We will see that Jesus assumes later on that they will take some thought of eating and drinking.  The best way to translate this phrase is “stop worrying.” The implication given is that they were already worried. In case they missed this command the first time, Jesus repeated it in verse 29: “And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.”

Is there anyone who enjoys worrying? Certainly not. Worry is terrible. It consumes our lives. Some times it upsets your stomach and ruins your appetite. Other times it makes you want to overeat to forget about your worries. Some times worry keeps you awake at night. Other times it wears you down so that you just want to stay in bed and hide away from the world. Who doesn’t want to stop worrying? Yet we still choose to worry. You may not even realize that you have a choice, but it’s true. By telling us to stop worrying, Jesus reveals that we do have a choice in the matter.

What choice do we have? We can’t control all of our circumstances. We can’t control the stock market or the price of oil or the food supply. You can’t control whether your employer will have to lay you off. We can’t control whether there is a drought or a storm that destroys crops and drives prices up. What choice do we have in the matter?

Jesus said that the choice you have in the matter is a choice about how you will think about life.

First, you can choose to think about luxury or you can choose to think about survival.

In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus told us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” But we’re used to getting so much more than just bread. More than any other culture at any time in the history of the world, we in the United States have limitless choices when it comes to food. Just look at the size of our grocery stores. There was a time when everyone shopped at small neighborhood markets. Now we have colossal stores with multiple brands and varieties of every product we could ever want. In biblical times and in many parts of the world still today, people have not had so many choices when it comes to food. In many places, people are just happy when they get to eat.

The same is true when it comes to clothing. Our shopping malls are like temples for the worship of clothes. Some of us worry about having the latest fashions. Even if you’re not fashion conscious, most of us are still pretty picky about color and size and comfort of the clothes we wear. Many people in the world today would be thankful for any article of clothing that was still in decent shape.

What I’m getting at here is that we inflict worry upon ourselves by getting wrapped up in luxuries. Jesus wasn’t addressing luxuries, he was addressing basic survival—any food, any clothing. The Apostle Paul said, “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content” (1 Tim 6:8). Setting aside worry begins with adjusting your standard. Would you be content with any food and any covering? For most of us this would be a shift in our mindset, but it’s necessary if we are going to obey Jesus’ command to stop worrying.

There’s a second choice you can make to help you put aside worry. You can choose to think about life now, or you can choose to think about eternity. Jesus said in verse 23, “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”

Jesus had just confronted the same kind of thinking in the man who wanted his brother to divide the inheritance. To that man He said, “Not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). When we worry about money and about possessions – even about financial survival – we’re looking at life as if it’s all about the material things. That’s not true. There’s more to life than food, or clothing, or other possessions. There is more to life than your physical health. We are spiritual beings, and even when our bodies die we will continue to exist. We will either spend eternity in the presence of God or we will spend eternity away from God in unending punishment.

If you will choose to look at life from this eternal perspective, you will have a different outlook on financial worries and other suffering. The Apostle Paul had this perspective, and even though he faced intense suffering he was able to rise above it. Listen to how he described it in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Jesus has commanded us not to fall into financial worry. And what a blessing that command is for us!

A Powerful Comparison

To illustrate His point Jesus makes a powerful comparison. He compares God’s concern for us with His concern for nature. And the argument works like this. If God is concerned with feeding the lowest of unclean birds and if he is concerned with clothing the grass out in the field with beautiful wild flowers, how much more will he be concerned about you—a person created in His image with an immortal soul.

Jesus mentions the raven. Ravens eat carrion, dead animals. They’re nasty birds and the Old Testament declared them to be unclean. The Jewish people weren’t supposed to eat them or have any contact with them. Other birds were also considered unclean—vultures, owls, eagles—but those birds at least have a degree of power and beauty.  The raven doesn’t even have that. It was a nuisance. Nevertheless, God still takes care of the raven. Jesus argued that if God feeds the raven, doesn’t it make sense that he will meet your basic needs for food. After all, you’re much more valuable to Him than any bird. God cares for you.

At first glance, you may think that Jesus is saying that you don’t have to work at all, but that’s not his point.  Jesus notes that the raven doesn’t sow or reap. He doesn’t work. In contrast, you and I are able to work. The raven doesn’t have a storeroom or a barn, but we do have the capacity to save up. Jesus wasn’t saying that God’s provision for us would always be miraculous. We still need to work and save, but as we do so, we don’t need to worry because we know that God cares for us.

Jesus observes that worry doesn’t accomplish anything. A literal translation of verse 25, has Jesus asking whether worry adds a cubit to your height. A cubit was a measurement of about 18 inches. In the context it probably makes more sense to understand this figuratively as a reference to adding a small amount of time to your life span. Jesus says if you can’t even do this small thing, then why worry about other matters?

Then Jesus turns his focus to a second example from nature: wildflowers growing on the grasses of the fields. Most English translations use the word “lilies” in verse 27.  We may envision some carefully cultivated flower, but it’s hard to know today exactly what kind of flower Jesus had in mind. From verse 28, it seems like he was just talking about flowers that grew wild out in the fields. No human being did anything to cultivate them or sustain them. Yet God ensures that the grass of the field is clothed with beautiful flowers.  Jesus says that these flowers are even more beautiful than the royal clothing of Ancient Israel’s King Solomon, one of the richest men who ever lived. That should ease our worries about having clothing.

Again, Jesus isn’t necessarily talking about anything miraculous. He says that these flowers don’t toil, but his point is that you and I can. These flowers don’t spin—they don’t manufacture fabric for clothing, but we have the ability to do that.

The grass and its flowers have no real value. They do not last.  The flowers are there one day, but soon after they wither and dry out. Then the grass is only good to help start a fire. So Jesus argues that if God gives such lavish clothing to these useless wildflowers, don’t you think he will take care of you?

If God is careful to provide food for lowly birds and beautiful “clothing” for grass in the field, he will certainly provide for you. You shouldn’t worry because God cares for you. Even when we ignore him, God is always there taking care of us.

The Apostle Paul explained God’s care for the world with these words in Acts 14:16-17: In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.

We call this God’s common grace. He provides good things to all people, even those who want nothing to do with Him. Think of it this way. Every time you eat a meal, the very fact that food is available for you is a message. God is reminding you, “I’m here. I’m the one who has given this to you. Trust in me.”

If he feeds ravens and clothes the grass of the field, why should you or I worry about having our basic needs met?

A Surprising Alternative

Jesus gave us a gracious command in saying, “Do not worry.” He gave us a powerful comparison as we think about how God takes care of birds and flowers, we know that he cares for us so much more. That should diffuse our worry. As he continued, he gave us a surprising alternative to worry. Instead of focusing on what you will eat or wear, he calls us to focus on seeking God’s kingdom.

Here again is what Jesus said: And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. (Luke 12:29-31).

In the first part of the passage Jesus talked about worry. In this section, he changed his terms. Instead of worrying, he talked about seeking. Seeking comes before worrying. Worrying is what happens when you’ve been seeking, but you don’t seem to be getting anywhere. When food and clothing are the things that you seek, you will inevitably end up being consumed by worry. So you need to shift your focus.

Jesus says to seek God’s kingdom, but what does he mean by that? The Bible teaches us that one day Jesus will return to reign upon earth. When that happens, Jesus will sit as judge. Those who have trusted in Him will be able to enter His kingdom. Those who have ignored and rejected Jesus Christ will be condemned to eternal punishment.

How does someone seek God’s kingdom? At its core, seeking the kingdom of God means wanting Jesus to come and reign over the earth. That’s part of the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:9-10).

We seek the kingdom of God when we pray for the kingdom to come. But there’s more to it. Seeking the kingdom of God also means personally wanting a place in that kingdom. We seek the kingdom when we believe that Jesus is the king. We seek the kingdom when we start submitting to the king now. We seek the kingdom by sharing with other people the good news that they too can have a place, an inheritance in God’s kingdom by trusting in Jesus Christ.

Seeking the kingdom isn’t hard. God offers it to us. Jesus said in verse 32, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”

But even in seeking God’s kingdom, sometimes we lose focus. Sometimes our hearts drift back to just seeking food and clothing. Jesus gave us an antidote in verses 33 and 34: “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Generosity is another way to seek the kingdom of God. In fact, there’s no better way to wean yourself away from a focus on possessions than to start giving away your possessions. It’s just a fact of life—it’s impossible to just stop doing something. You can’t just stop worrying. I mean, if you weren’t worrying what would you do with all your time?  And if you had too much time on your hands, you would probably start worrying again. So we have to replace worry with this alternative, giving. The one who benefits most from giving is you.

What’s more, Jesus said that when you give money to things that line up with God’s desires it in effect stores up treasure in heaven. God will reward us in eternity for all the ways we serve Him now.

Conclusion

Where is your heart this morning? Or maybe a better question, where has your heart been this week? Where will it be tomorrow morning? Are you driven by seeking food and clothing? Or are you driven by seeking God’s kingdom?

Jesus has given us a very gracious command: do not worry. We don’t have to seek all the luxuries; we can be content with having our basic needs met. Keep your mind focused on eternity.

Do you understand the lesson Jesus gave us from nature? God cares for you. Won’t you entrust yourself to Him? Rely upon Him.

Put off financial worry and put on generosity. Even in the face of this financial crisis, we should still be generous toward God’s kingdom purposes. His purposes should be our highest priority.