Following in the Footsteps of Jesus: In God We Trust

Posted on Aug 23, 2009 in Sermons | Comments Off

Speaker: Andrew Brown
Key Passage: Matthew 6:19-34
Date: 23 Aug 2009

Sometimes it seems like the world is just full of worries.  Sometimes life simply seems full to the brim with angst and anxiety.  All the talk often seems to be about the next impending disaster.  I was talking to someone the other day and they said they had recently been to an Age Concern meeting.  I thought that’s a good way to sum up our day -we live in an age of concern.  There are so many different things to worry about.

What are some of the things that people worry about?  How about you call them out?

[Whiteboard: Jobs, economy, terrorists, going bald, how long is this sermon?]

…The other day was a beautiful day.  I was sitting in the sunshine with a nice cup of coffee, without a care in the world, when suddenly I began to worry, “I don’t have any worries!  What’s wrong with me…?” That’s a whole load of worry!

Now if we were to propose a solution to all these worries, you might suggest: 1. ‘Don’t worry, be happy.’ 2. ‘She’ll be right.’ Or 3. ‘Have a holiday.’ I might suggest 4. ‘Work harder.’ (Yeah right!)  Most people would probably say [Together], 5.  ‘You need more money!’ But what would Jesus do?  And what would Jesus say?

In His second major life application from ‘The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached’ (Matthew 6:19-34) Jesus would say, “DON’T GET DISTRACTED!!” Can we say that again aloud together: “Don’t get distracted!!” Thank you. That’s it in a nutshell.  Now I can go and sit down!  No, wait.  Let’s unpack it a little.

Jesus answer to the question of worry is counterintuitive.  What Jesus says is don’t focus upon the money.  Money is not the answer to life’s worries.  In fact, don’t even focus upon any of the other materialistic answers that people often tend to give you, like get more pleasure or enjoy more holidays.  Jesus says that none of these is the true cure for care.

1. Instead what Jesus says is focus above all on the Kingdom of God (v19-24)!

Which is a strange and unusual remedy so let’s follow His argument for a little while.

Jesus asks the crowd the question ‘where is your treasure?’ Where are the things that are most important to you right now –the things that motivate you to get out of bed every morning?  What comes into your own mind when I ask you that question?  It could be a person, an object or a place –even a combination of them all.  I had a friend in Amway who put pictures of their financial dreams on their fridge.  There were clippings of houses, boats, aircraft, and holidays from all kinds of magazines.  This was what was meant to inspire them.  What would you put on your fridge?  What would we see if we went to your place?  What would it be for you?

Because Jesus says that there your thoughts and feelings will be too!

You see, do you remember what it was like when you were first in love, or perhaps were missing a really good friend?  Ever had your heart and body in two different places at the same time?  My first stint as a student Pastor was in Te Awamutu one summer, while Nan stayed up here in Auckland.  I think I did a good job in Te Awamutu.  I think they were relatively pleased with my ministry, but to be honest my heart and mind were with Nan three hundred kilometres north most of the time.  So where is yours at this moment?  Where do you hoard your treasure?

Because if your treasure is made of earthly things, Jesus says it will deteriorate and decay.  The moths and the rust will get to it.  The thieves will break in and steal.  New things will grow old before you.  In the Greek language Jesus uses He implies that your treasures will be eaten away before your very eyes, and watching this will only disappoint and darken your soul.  But if your treasure is with God, then it cannot be touched.  It is safe and secure for all time, so that your heart will be brightened (and lightened) with this knowledge.

The way Jesus describes it is almost like having cataracts in your eyes.  With a cataract the lenses grows milkier so that very little light penetrates to the back of the eye.  In the end you can’t see very much at all.  All you glimpse are vague outlines and some coloured blurs.  In the same way Jesus says that if you focus all your attention upon the material aspects of life alone, your vision of life will become narrowed down and go dark.  You’ll miss the whole spiritual richest and wonder of life.  All you will see will be impermanent things and your heart and soul will grow empty within you.  (As they say, you become like what you love).

Ayatollah Khomeneini (remember him?  He overthrew the Shah), he once wrote to the President of Russia, and said that one day your whole system and way of life will fall down.  Communism, he said, is a materialistic vision of life.  Its goal is to look after physical needs, but it cannot feed the hungry soul.  In the end, because it is one-dimensional and empty of true spiritual values, he wrote, it will collapse from within.  Within a few short years of him writing this, we all saw it happen.

Well he was only really echoing the words of Jesus who said but “What if you gain the whole world, but lose your own soul?” In the end Jesus says you simply cannot have it both ways.  Either God or money will be your master, your treasure or your goal, so focus upon the Kingdom of God and have the very best and the most rewarding lifestyle of it all.

2.  However, many people would raise the question at this point, “But if I follow Jesus, who will take care of me? If I don’t run about frantically meeting my physical needs, then how do I know that things will be okay? It’s all very well for a single, young man running around in 1st century Galilee to talk about this great ideal of putting God first in my life, but what about us people living in the 21 century?  His words won’t pay my bills!”

Yet Jesus knew what it was like to live in a hand to mouth subsistence economy.  The peasants all around him, even his own family, were only one bad harvest or a heavy tax bill away from poverty.  The disciples relied upon patrons to support them.  That could change at any moment.  Jesus knew how tough life could be, and yet still He makes this remarkable statement; therefore (therefore) don’t worry. Don’t obsess about the money.  It will be all right in the end, because God will take care of you!

It’s an incredible thing to say, really, -so let’s look a bit more closely at the reasons Jesus has for saying this.

a. For a start [Floor] Jesus says, God has already given you what?  -A life and a body.  He will surely give you even more.  Why would God give you these and then not make sure that they would be okay?  So do you have life, sir?  Do you have a body, madam?  God has given these gifts to you.  He has supplied them to you, so He will take care of you and all the other little details like food to eat and clothes to wear.  God’s already given you the important things, so you can assume that He’ll take care of the minor.

b.  Besides Jesus says what’s the point of worrying excessively?  Can worry make any of you any taller?  No.  I know some of you would like to be!  But if worry really worked some of you would be giants today!  Can worry help you live any longer?  No, worry can actually shorten your life!  Can worry give some of you more hair?  (Actually that’s not in the text).  So why worry about having enough money?

c.  Look it’s nearly springtime now.  Jesus would say do you see the flocks of sparrows eating grass seed on the lawn?  Even birds as common as that get provided for.  And what about these?  [Pick up daffodil].  Aren’t they beautiful?  The daffodils do okay.  Here today and gone by next week, yet so stunning while they are here.  There is such an exquisite degree of beauty and loveliness in these.  It’s almost excessive.  Yet you are more far important to God than these.  [Hand over].  Of course He’ll take care of you!

d. You know what does a person who does not know God act like? ‘What’s a typical generalisation of such a person?’ (Jesus might ask).  They tend to run around like ants on an anthill frantic to get every scrap of good luck that they can.  They check their horoscopes daily in the Herald.  They buy lotto tickets faithfully every weekend.  They even plant money trees outside their doorways.  Silly things to do, but not you!  You don’t need to.  God already knows what you need and God will place it right beside you, within reach, as you give first place to Him!

Maybe you can think of it this way.  I was reading the other day about a weary traveller who came to the banks of the Mississippi River for the first time.  This is ages and ages ago.  There was no bridge.  It was early winter, and the surface of the mighty river was covered in ice.  He wondered, “Do I dare cross over?  Will the uncertain ice bear my weight?” Night was falling, and it was urgent to reach the other side so he wouldn’t freeze to death in the open.  Finally, after much hesitation and with many fears, he began to creep cautiously across the surface of the ice on his hands and knees.  He thought that he would distribute his weight as evenly as possible and keep the ice from breaking beneath him, but when he was halfway across he heard the sound of singing behind him.  Out of the sunset came a man, driving a horse-drawn load of coal across the ice and singing merrily as he came –not a care in the world!  And here he was –trembling on his hands and knees afraid that the ice was not strong enough to hold him on his own! Apparently the ice gets several metres thick there in the winter, but he didn’t trust it.  Is this in any way like you?  Are you creeping on the promises of God?  Are you trusting Jesus words to you only slightly, or are you willing to trust the promises of God and walk boldly, when Jesus says, “I will never leave or abandon you?”

Jesus says, “Keep your eyes on the Kingdom and doing Kingdom things and all these other things that you worry about will also be supplied by me.

3. However, if you are like me and occasionally want to be a doubting Thomas, you could still say, “Andrew, these are nice words to hear.  They are all very idealistic, but what do they really mean for me?” Then I would say four things. You can do four things in response to Jesus words.

a. The first thing is Relax!  Lift those heavy shoulders [right], then let them go.  You see it’s not simply all up to you.  Some of you I know have been carrying an enormous burden.  You’ve shouldered a heavy load.  You are thinking it’s my job, it’s my responsibility to… find work, to get into uni, to decide on a career, to feed my face or my family, to pay the mortgage, to get the car fixed, to look after Mum and Dad, and to prepare for the future.  And you’re right.  It is your responsibility, but it’s not all up to you!  Stop being so intense.  Relax!  God is your business partner.  God is your boss or master.  Remember the old quote, “While you work, God provides.” Yes, God is full of surprises!  You just never know what God is going to do next to help you!

Of course, does that mean bad things will never happen? No, bad things do happen, but when they happen they are not the end of the story.  God has the final say.

I knew someone who was fired from a very senior role one day.  As they were driving down the motorway home, they wondered ‘what will I do?’ They asked God for help, looked up and saw the sign of a well-known company.  They rang them up to see if they had any jobs going.  They did.  Within a year they were one of their top sales people.  Now it may not always happen that quickly, but if you’re thinking of yourself as a traipse artist or a tightrope walker at the moment crossing a very deep chasm, remember that there’s a safety net called God not far beneath you.

b. Then return to your work and your planning with confidence (say on Monday).  Keep working!  Just because God is looking out for you, don’t give up your day job.  You see there’s a very significant little word in this passage.  It’s first.  Jesus says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God,” but he doesn’t say give up everything else!

You still need to labour.  You still need to invest.  The sparrows that God provides for still need to forage.  Even Jesus wasn’t idle.  He sat down by the well in Sychar exhausted from his efforts to preach good news to the people of Israel. Simply go to work with confidence.  Be prudent and deal with the issues you face knowing that God is with you.

c. Thirdly, repent.  Make God your top priority.  Find out how you can serve God and love God, right where you are every day. Unfortunately the truth is that some of you need to change your priorities.  Some of you have been following a god called mammon.  You have used God and loved mammon, and now you must learn to love God and use mammon to serve Him.

d. And fourthly always remember to pray.  Always pray.

Just recently I came across a little phrase that is gradually changing my life.  I’m using it as a spiritual tool.  It says, “If a problem is not worth praying about; it’s not worth worrying about.” I’ve decided that if I’m worrying about something, I now will pray about it.  It’s brilliant that now all my worries are being directed to God.  It’s a neat reminder for me that God already knows what is going on in my life and is actively working ahead of me. James 5:13-16 says, “(13) Is any one of you in trouble?  He should pray. (16) The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

So what you can take from Jesus words is: 1. Relax, 2. Return to your work, 3. Repent, and 4.  Remember to pray.

C.  But the key in all of this, in order to cure your cares is to put first things first, and then let the rest all fall into place.

Don’t be like Peter who was invited to walk on the water by the Master, but then lost his confidence by looking at the waves rolling all around Him.  Remember that God is your ultimate source of strength and security in life, have faith and then go forward

May you all be like the famous reformer Martin Luther, who was once challenged by a Cardinal who threatened to crush him with all the power of the Pope, with a force that was stronger than the whole of Germany. “Where then when that happens,” thundered the Cardinal, “will a wretched worm like you be?” “Then as now,” said Luther, “in the hands of Almighty God.” May you be like he.

Let’s pray.