Three High Hurdles to Human Happiness
Introduction: We sang a great hymn a few moments ago. It was written by Martin Luther, a German monk with a very troubled conscience, who, on October 31, 1517 (480 years ago this Friday) had the courage to challenge the ecclesiastical authorities of his day with a higher authority—that of Holy Scripture. The result was the Protestant Reformation and a serious movement back to the Bible. One verse we sang stands out very clear to me in light of the Scripture passage that is our text this morning:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still;
His kingdom is forever.
Keep those words in mind as we turn this morning to Luke 12:1-34. We’re going to begin our study at verse 4, but I want to read from verse 1 to get the context:
Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
“I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”‘
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
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. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 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! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
“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. 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! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 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. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
I have chosen as the title of my message today, “Three High Hurdles to Spiritual Maturity.” If you followed our reading carefully, you probably picked up what the three hurdles are, namely fear, greed, and worry. You may have even noted a fourth—the one Jesus began with—hypocrisy. Each of these is accompanied by a stark warning:
Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy;
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body;
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;
Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what
you will wear.
Now I am not going to deal today with the first of these warnings—the one against hypocrisy—because that paragraph is really a conclusion to the theme we dealt with last week at the end of chapter 11. We want to concentrate our attention on the other three—fear, greed, and worry. These three are very common in the church today, and I think they are common because we have come to accept them as normal.
We tend to view a person who struggles with fear as, at worst, emotionally disturbed and in need of therapy. We would hardly suggest he or she is sinning and needs to repent. Greed is rampant today, so much so that we hardly notice it. People will change jobs for a $5,000 raise, giving hardly a thought to the effect that job change may have upon family, friendships, ministry, church life, or anything else. And worry? Well, we’re all guilty of it, so nobody is. Besides, if it gets out of hand there are always tranquilizers available.
This state of affairs is difficult to reconcile with the teachings of Jesus in Luke 12. He tells us not to be afraid, not to be greedy, and not to worry. If Jesus tells us not to do these things, my assumption is that to do them is sin. Our society may not view them that way, and even the church may not view them that way, but the more important question is, “How does God view them?”
Jesus warns against fear.
Fear is a universal emotion, and not always a bad one. If we did not experience fear, we would not be motivated to take appropriate action to escape danger. But more often than not fear is a detriment. There are many who fear the imaginary rather than the real, and even when there is real danger, we often exaggerate it. This produces emotional paralysis or worse.
There is a particular kind of fear Jesus has in mind when he urges His disciples here not to be afraid. It is the fear of persecution. They were in real danger for their lives; and they probably weren’t exaggerating it. In fact, strong early church tradition indicates that every one of the Twelve Apostles except John became a martyr for his faith. But even for them, Jesus says, their fear is misplaced.
Fear is misplaced. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” We have it backwards. We fear people, who at the very worst, can only hurt us physically, while we fail to fear God who has power over our eternal souls. He’s not trying to get His disciples to question the security of their relationship with Him (except maybe Judas); He’s urging them to get their priorities right. Awe and respect belong to God, not to men.
Do you feel intimidated when you are in the presence of a Very Important Person? I think we all do. Last year I preached for a week at Dallas Theological Seminary. The man who introduced me was Chuck Swindoll. He sat four feet behind me, and next to him was Howie Hendricks. On the other side were Dwight Pentecost and John Walvoord and a score of other scholars and preachers par excellence. I was intimidated; in fact, I was scared. I was definitely out of my league. I had to talk very straight to myself and say, “Self, these guys put their pants on one leg at a time, just like I do. They are mere men and though they may or may not be impressed with what I have to say, what is far more important is what God thinks of what I have to say.”
But not only is fear misplaced; it is also irrational.
Fear is irrational. Jesus offers two illustrations to demonstrate the irrationality of fear. First, he speaks of sparrows. Five of them were sold for two pennies in His day, yet, according to Jesus, not one of them was forgotten by God. This speaks of God’s benevolence. Second, he tells us that the very hairs of our heads are all numbered. Even for the most follicly-impaired individual, that’s pretty amazing, since the average head has over 100,000 hairs on it. This speaks of God’s omniscience. What’s the point? If we have a sovereign God who is omniscient and benevolent, then fear is irrational.
Jesus’ point is to encourage His disciples to remain faithful, not fearful, in times of trial. He wants them to acknowledge Him as their Lord before men and if they do, He will acknowledge them before the angels of God. In fact, He gives them a promise—that when they are hauled before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, they will not have to be concerned about having the right words to defend themselves, “for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
Now this is not offered as a philosophy of preaching. I have known a few pastors who refused to prepare so that the Holy Spirit would have free reign in their preaching. From what I heard from their pulpits, I would say the Holy Spirit had very little to do with those sermons. Nor is it a promise for those who go into an exam unprepared. But it is a promise for those who are under attack for their faith.
Most of the fear we experience is not related to persecution, but there is still something we can learn from this passage. No matter what fearful situation we are facing, if we are rightly related to God, it really doesn’t matter who’s on the other side. Even one person plus God is a majority.
Now we find the second hurdle beginning in verse 13.
Jesus warns against greed.
Some of you recall that I preached on the parable of the rich fool last Fall, so I’m not going to camp on it today, but I do want to point out a few important truths for review. First, Jesus tells us that …
Greed comes in many forms. “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.” The man who interrupted Jesus was exhibiting only one form of greed, namely the inordinate desire to obtain financial security without earning it. “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” That kind of greed is also seen in the hordes of people who play the lottery every week, or those who visit the casinos, or even those who take undue risks in the stock market. But there are others forms of greed. There is the desire to have every new luxury, to own every new gadget, to climb the social or business ladder, to fill one’s closets with extravagant clothes. There are also those who are greedy for power, for attention, or for fame.
And please don’t think that greed is the exclusive province of the wealthy. Poor people can be just as greedy as rich people. It’s not a function of how much one owns; it’s a function of how much one wants.
A second truth that is conveyed is that …
Greed cannot be satisfied by possessions. Jesus says, “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” He can have more and more, but that doesn’t satisfy him. The Romans had a proverb to the effect that money is like seawater: the more a man drinks, the thirstier he becomes. A greedy person never has enough.
If you’re not careful, you can read Jesus’ parable as teaching that there is a point where a greedy person has enough. After all, in verse 19 the rich man says to himself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” But what you must notice is that this is only what he says he will do. He doesn’t have a chance to demonstrate whether he would actually do it or not, and experience tells us that very few do. Many wealthy people go to their graves still concerned about amassing more wealth. Why? They will tell you it’s for their heirs, but I think the real reason is simply that greed is insatiable.
The worst thing about greed, however, is that …
Greed produces spiritual poverty. God calls the greedy rich man a fool and says, “This very night your life will be demanded from you.” The foolish thing he did was to think the future was within his own control. But everything we have is held by lease, and the lease runs out when God says, “This night ….” Then Jesus adds, “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Please notice that the mistake of this rich man was not that he stored up things for himself. That is not inherently wrong; in fact, it is inherently wise, to a point. His problem was that he stored up things for himself but was not rich toward God. What does it mean to be “rich toward God?” It means investing for eternity—investing our time, our talents, our money, and our hearts in worship and in serving people, reaching out to them with the good news that Jesus loved them enough to give his very life for them.
Before we leave this second hurdle, it would do well to recall that Jesus is speaking about greed to an audience that is predominantly poor or humble in social status. Most of his listeners were undoubtedly people who labored from day to day for marginal wages. If he can say such things to those of humble means, how much more are they true for those of us who have so much?
We come now in verse 22 to the third hurdle. Maybe you’ve already knocked over two, but let’s try one more.
Jesus warns against worry.
It is clear that worry and anxiety are eating a lot of people’s lunches. Speaking of lunch, I went to one on Thursday at which the speaker was a Christian psychologist. I was fascinated to hear him say that whereas ten years ago depression outweighed anxiety three to one in his clients, today it is about even. In other words, he has seen a significant rise in the number of people seeking therapy for anxiety disorder.
There are probably a number of reasons for that. Life is getting more complicated today. The family is disintegrating. The values we grew up with are being destroyed. Cynicism about government is increasing. All of these contribute to rising anxiety levels.
But perhaps the biggest problem is that our list of “essentials” has grown so large. Jesus speaks of food and clothing—that’s what people worried about in his day. Our list is much longer.
How can we afford a cell phone for each member of the family?
How can do we park three cars when we only have a two-car garage?
Is it better to put our savings in an IRA or a 401K?
Now, I know that not everyone here struggles with such questions, but some do. And all of us have a longer list of things to worry about than did our parents or grandparents.
Jesus focuses His condemnation of worry on the tendency we have to fret over the basics of life: food and clothing. Shelter, work, and transportation would be other basics that would probably fit into the same category. He says, in effect, that life is not defined by these things—it is more than these things; therefore, we should not be anxious about them.
Now if we are not supposed to be anxious about the basics, it stands to reason that we surely shouldn’t be anxious about the insignificant things that are the focus of much of our worry. For example, you mail a birthday card and you aren’t sure it will get there on time. A caller hangs up just as you get to the phone. You discover when you get home from a meeting that you have a bad run in your hose. Some people can work themselves into an enormous stew over just such insignificant things.
And if we’re not supposed to be anxious about the basics, we surely shouldn’t be anxious about the things we cannot control. For example, the weather looks threatening and you have a picnic planned. The plane is delayed and you have a connecting flight to make. Unexpected guests arrive and the house looks like it normally does. All of these are situations which loom pretty large for the moment, but there is absolutely nothing we can do about them, so why worry?
Jesus offers us three arguments against worry.
The natural world argues against worry.
Consider the ravens. The word “consider” means to “carefully think about.” He’s asking us to use the reasoning capacity God gave us, and when we do, we will realize that worry is useless. I wouldn’t be surprised if a flock of ravens didn’t fly over just as Jesus was speaking, and He pointed and said, “Think about those birds.” Ravens do not plant crops or harvest them. They don’t have barns or pantries to store up food. Do they starve? No, because God feeds them. And how much more valuable are we than birds! Don’t overlook the fact that the birds Jesus refers to here are unclean birds.
Applying the message of the ravens, Jesus asks them what they had accomplished through anxiety lately: “Who can add a single hour to his life through worry?” On the contrary, you’ve probably shortened it. Well, if worry cannot accomplish something as little as adding an hour to your life, why worry about the bigger issues?
I have mentioned before that when I was a kid and would get my tail in a knot over something or other, my father would always say, “Mike, you’ll never know the difference five years from now.” I used to hate that. In fact, I have accused him of violating Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children,” because that statement of his would exasperate me no end. But you know something, he was right. At least 99% of the issues I would find myself in a stew over were things I couldn’t change, or things I only thought might happen, or things that didn’t really matter even if they did happen. I don’t think I’m any different from you.
We could all learn a lesson from Chicago Cubs fans, like Bruce Roquet: do they fret and stew over whether the Cubs going to win the pennant or not? No, they know they’re not going to win, so they relax and just enjoy the game. We can learn from them by contrast. We know that as Christians we’re going to win, so we too can relax.
Consider the lilies. “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin.” The term “spin” means to spin thread, i.e., to create garments. Yet, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed as majestically as a lily.
I enjoy beautiful architecture. I love to go to art galleries. And to me, a bridge like the Clark Bridge in Alton is a fascinating structure. But friends, the very best of human creations pales into insignificance compared to the creations of God—the magnificence of the mountains, the incredible shapes and colors under the sea, the beauty in a flower garden, the clouds in the sky.
The point Jesus makes is this: If God places such incredible beauty into nature but without any permanence (the grass of the field is here today and gone tomorrow), then how much more will he take care of His own children whose souls are of eternal significance?
The problem, of course, is not just one of reason; it is also a problem of faith, or rather the lack of it. Jesus says, “O you of little faith!” Faith is simply taking God at His word. Why don’t we trust Him? How often has He failed us? Oswald Chambers has said that all our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God. Faith, on the other hand, is the attitude which always takes God into consideration.
But there’s a second argument here.
The pagan world also argues against worry. Look at verse 29: “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things.” Jesus’ point is this: if the pagan world is obsessed with worry over food, clothing, shelter, and the like (and they are), that in itself should warn us to avoid it. After all, they have no heavenly father to take care of them, but we do. And that introduces his third argument:
The character of God argues against worry. As our Father, God knows what we need, and He will not fail to give it to us. “Seek his kingdom, and these things—the necessities of life—will be given to you as well.” Here’s the point: go for the stuff of this world and you’ll miss the kingdom. But go for the kingdom and you’ll receive the kingdom and the stuff. Only, the stuff will be your servant, not your master. When men truly honor God, God honors them. His servants may not grow wealthy as the world understands riches, but they will never lack the necessities in this life, and they will be wealthy in eternity.
Now the final three verses in our text for today offers us, I believe, the key to clearing all three hurdles—fear, greed, and worry—and the key is to be rightly related to the Kingdom of God. Listen as I read again the last paragraph, beginning in verse 32:
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 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. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The Kingdom of God is twofold: it is the rule of God in our everyday lives, and it is the promise of a life hereafter enjoying Him and serving Him for all of eternity. Both of these aspects of the kingdom are a gift from God to all those who become citizens of His Kingdom by faith in His son, Jesus Christ. Verse 32 says, “Your father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom.” But at the same time, we are told to seek the kingdom. To seek God’s kingdom means to live as his representatives, to reflect his righteousness in a world unconcerned about knowing Him.[i] And there is nothing to fear in this pursuit, since God has only the best interests of His sheep in mind. “Fear not, little flock,” Jesus says. If there is nothing to fear, then we can afford to be generous with what God has given us.
Think of it this way. Suppose you were adopted by Bill Gates and were given legal right to inherit his entire fortune. What would you do with your own stuff? Well, you’d probably just give it all away, the whole shootin’ match. You know people who need it a lot worse than you do. That 6-year-old car you’re nursing along could go to World Impact, the furniture to Sunshine Mission, and those 200 shares of AT&T stock to the Building Fund. Well, that’s not far from what Jesus actually suggests that we do: “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.” Friends, that makes total sense if you are going to inherit the fortune of Bill Gates. But, of course, you’re not. No, but your eternal inheritance is infinitely greater.
There are plenty of passages in the Bible that make it clear that a vow of poverty is not required of every believer; in fact, we are encouraged to work hard, take care of our families, save something for a rainy day, leave our children an inheritance, if possible, and generally live wisely. The exhortation to sell it all and give to the poor is addressed to the disciples who were going to be itinerant evangelists. The more disentangled they were from material things, the better off they would be. But there is something all of us can learn here, and that is to hold things lightly.
There is such a thing as a purse that will not develop holes, a treasure that will not be exhausted. It is the treasure that is stored away in heaven by means of a life of ministry to people. Would you dare to ask yourself this question: how many people will be in heaven because of my influence? You say, “Well that’s not fair, I don’t preach every Sunday like you do.” Frankly, most of the people who come to faith in Christ through the preaching here at First Free would never have darkened the door of this church if it weren’t for one of you inviting them. And how about your children? Have you played a part in their acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior? How about your praying? When Tatarstan Team 7 sees Tatars come to faith in Christ, it is not just that team who are storing up treasures—it’s also all those who sent them and prayed for them.
Conclusion: Jesus concludes with this basic truth: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” A man’s heart, the concentration of his energies and his interests, is always with his treasure, i.e., the things he values most. Where is your treasure today? In barns, in beautiful homes, in stocks and bonds? Or is it in the things of the Lord and the people of God?
Friends, when we are rightly related to the Kingdom of God, fear won’t be a problem because we will be trusting the sovereignty of God; greed won’t be a problem because we will be trusting the resources of God; worry won’t be a problem because we will be trusting the benevolence of God.
I close with Luther’s words once more:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still;
His kingdom is forever.
Tags:
The Reformation
Fear
Greed
Worry
Hypocrisy
[i].Darrell L. Bock, Luke, The NIV Application Commentary, 350.