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Chapter 12, verses 22 through 34. is we're going to be this morning as we're continuing this series to the Gospel of Luke. And if you notice here, so first of all, by the way, pessary Kevin and I have not let you know, we didn't design the order of this text. Okay, this was given to us and we preach through it. So no, this isn't like, Oh my gosh, why do we keep on getting hit in the face with fear and money? If you read ahead, you're kind of noticing all that stuff's anxiety. It's all coming up. So we didn't plan that guys. It just happened. The Lord Jesus did. So we're all buckling up, right? This is like, what happens if we just preach to the text, we just deal with what comes next. We preach it, but the Holy Spirit work on us, and we keep on going through. So that's kind of this one, because we're talking about worry and anxiety this morning. And you notice Jesus does this too. And he's done this in chapters 11 and 12. He like says something really harsh to the Pharisees and the scribes. And then he turns to His disciples and said something just as like, compelling and difficult to work through. Right last last week, that was the exact same thing, just something hard. The Pharisees, and now he turns to His disciples, the text says, and he says all of this to them, but we're talking about worry. And I want to, I've noticed this, that we have a few different strategies and our culture in dealing with this thing, this big, horrible word that we many of us in this room even are struggling with anxiety, worry, how we deal with it. Notice two different strategies. The first one is what Bob Bob McFerrin would say, Don't worry, be happy.
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Okay? If you've heard that song, right, like I used to have the fish that would sing it. So you press the button, and it'd be I'm not gonna sing it for you guys. Not like Isaac Todd. Okay, so anyway, but you know, the Don't worry, be happy. Don't worry, be happy. The lyrics are hilarious, though. Ain't got no place to lay your head. Somebody came and took your bed. Don't worry, be happy. The landlord say your rent is late. He may have to litigate Don't worry, be happy. So here's the strategy, escapism. Like large, terrible, this, don't worry about it. Like, that's the that's the goal just kind of distance yourself. Honestly, that's how I deal with my stress and I and my anxiety.
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I escaped, sometimes in healthy ways, sometimes in unhealthy ways, but I just try to like apathetically stop thinking about it. That's how I deal with stress and anxiety in my life. Right? And that's kind of a Bob Marley right, like, just don't worry about a thing. Everything's gonna be all right. You know, I mean, this like over optimism akuna Matata, it's a wonderful phrase means no worries for the rest of your days, right? Like it says, over and over, just don't think about it. Don't do it. And many of us do that exact thing. That's our antidote to the anxiety is just don't think about it. Escape.
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All of us. Some of us go on the other end of the spectrum. Don't worry, take control. Don't worry, take control. And I think a lot of us really do this. If you're worried about something, just fix it. Try harder work. Harder, get more organized, plan ahead more, make more money so that it can all be under control.
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Right? We just worked hard to fix it, get it done take control. The problem is when we worry about something and we just to try not to or we worry about something and then we just try to fix it. Things just keep on bombarding us in this life or both of those strategies seem to fail us over and over and over and over again, right?
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No one can say that either of those strategies has successfully cured my anxiety. Because there is no such thing as someone who is anxious free. Because the opposite of anxiety is trust. And nobody can perfectly trust God until glory. Honestly only perfect person who's able to do that was Jesus Christ Himself. So all of us are anxious. That's where we find ourselves and Jesus looks to His disciples and articulate to all of them. Do not be anxious about this life. It says here in chapter 12, so we can stand up with me we're going to read this together. Verses 22 through 34.
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Read this out loud, on the count of 3, 1, 2, 3 and he said to his disciples, therefore I tell you do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body. What you put on, for life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Consider the Ravens, they neither sow nor reap they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Oh of how much more value are you then the birds and which of you being anxious can add a single hour to a span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing is that why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon and all his glory was not a raid like one of these. But if God's so close the grass which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothed you? Will you have little faith and do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried for all the nations of the world. Seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek His kingdom and these things will be added to you. Fear not little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the needy provides yourselves with money bags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no mock destroys. For where your treasure is there. Your heart will be also.
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Let's pray. Jesus is that the Lord's of my mouth and the meditations of my heart would be pleasing to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. Jesus. Would you be so horrified by this text today? Oh, we are anxious. Oh, we are weary. Oh, we are heavy laden. Gotta we come to you today and find rest for our souls. Jesus, would you point to the ultimate, ultimate, ultimate truth that you Jesus are what we are looking for. That's her rest can be found but that'd be so clear. But the end of this message today, Jesus repellency Christ's name, amen.
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You guys can be seated. Okay, so if the antidote of you know, don't worry, be happy, don't worry, take control. All of those things fail. Here's the antidote that Jesus provides for us. Don't worry. Trust God's provision. Don't worry, trust God's provision, its main idea of the text. And trusting God's provision will do two things. Number one, it will free us worry. Number two, it'll free us to seek the kingdom. So it'll free us from worry and it'll free us to seek the kingdom. So let's talk about worry first because Jesus, we also need to talk about what kind of worry is Jesus talking about here? What kind of anxiety is Jesus talking about here?
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And there are a few different types of anxiety and caveats. I'm a theologian, I'm not a psychologist, so no tomatoes thrown at me. Okay, so anyway, but done a little bit of research to figure this out. Going to sum this up.
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Okay, so, I'm going to submit primarily three types of anxiety. Okay, the allergic perspective, the psychological one. Alright, so here we go. First one, and anxiety due to a mental health disorder or illness. Some called the forward is not known how many pastors or theologians will deceive and admit that that isn't the true guys. It is indeed true. There is just a brokenness in this world. That if Even our cognitive reasoning and our mental capacities. Now, just like the data, even in the life science world is just evidence of just mental diagnoses of mental illness and problems. It's just straight up real fat. And many of Christians have tried to dis spiritualize actually just a health issue that we just need to call for what it is, here's the effects of living in a broken world, our body breaks down, our mind breaks down.
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So there is an anxiety that is caused by a mental disorder and illness. That's one form of anxiety. Well, there's a second form of anxiety too. And that is being anxious due to something we value being threatened by external circumstances. Right. So anxiety due to something we value being threatened by external circumstances, like a looming hurricane, coming to our town, if we live down in Florida, causes anxiety because there is a few threats on its way that is threatening things that we value.
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Like our lives like our homes, like our loved ones, like a way of life. That is a natural human reaction that is actually good that that that brings forth fight or flight, right? Like like, Okay, so this all of a sudden our body gets pumped with with hormones that puts blood sugar in our bloodstream and we get a burst of physical energy that keeps us alive. God's grace, fight or flight. Okay. And actually, this is something that we even see the Apostle Paul with some weird experiences. He said that he had anxiety and worry for the churches, and Philippians chapter four. Worried about their well being worried about what could happen to them worried about if their churches were going to survive it anxiety and worry for them, and unsure of what those external circumstances are going to do to them. Jesus Christ Himself, had anxiety and worry. Look at the garden of get 70 This may knew the Lord Jesus Christ, new What was coming, and it was going to be suffering and death. And he was full of anxiety and worry in that moment crying out to God sweating drops of blood, he was so worried about what was coming. And even This is crazy. Even in the latter part of this exact Chapter, Jesus says himself that he's worried about it. Okay. Look in chapter 12, verse 15, Jesus says, I have a baptism to be baptized, which means his baptism through death. And how great is my distress until it is accomplished?
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Jesus was a human Jesus worried. But there's a second or third type of anxiety that Jesus is actually getting and I'm just gonna go in and say this, many people have I've even had this question as far as me is anxiety and worry is sin. My answer that question is depends which anxiety and worry we're talking about here. So its first to the answer is Nope. Because that's victim of being a part of a broken world. And that natural response of what it means A human being Jesus Christ Himself worry, he had distress.
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He was experiencing that. But the third one is where we placed in the category of Jesus would look at that and say, You're doubting right now, you are in sin right now. And that's this. This third type is this. We're anxious due to an obsession with something we value being threatened by external circumstances, and obsession with something we value being threatened. So there's a concern for something. And there's an obsession with something that word obsession is key. Because when we become obsessed, it's because we believe that this something we value is critical to our very life. Something we obsess over means we believe that we cannot move on in this life without it. So if it's threatened, we freak out with anxiety and worry, right? That's this third type of anxiety and this is what Jesus is talking about in this text, that type and we Can all fill in the blank on what it is for you and me in this room that causes that level of obsessive worry.
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Maybe it's money, maybe it's a job, maybe it's a relationship. Maybe it's your reputation. Maybe it's a specific freedom that's going to be hindered by something, whatever it may be, we all experience we have a value of something that creates a level of like obsession within us that if it's threatened, it brings forth that anxiety and that worry, that obsession of it right? Well in Scripture, including Luke 12, there's constantly this Do not be anxious in those moments. Do not be anxious, do not be anxious and that what Jesus is talking about right here. Do not be anxious. But here's what's crazy.
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He speaks on the things that it would make sense we should be anxious about. Look in verse 22. Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body what you will put on for life is more than food and body is more is more than Clothing the word to be anxious literally in the Greek means to expend careful thought or concern to worry about events and circumstances and Jesus and and in this case it's unproductive unhealthy concern or worry, but all of us are saying this. Jesus, we're talking about food. We're talking about like clothing like like protecting ourselves from the elements. We're talking about the things that we need to survive that anything Don't worry about that. basic needs for humans, the top five, oxygen, shelter, water, food, sleep without these the body will die. Okay. I don't know if you guys have heard the survival rule of threes. campers out here. Maybe you've heard this you haven't been enlightened you This is how we can survive folks.
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We can survive three minutes without oxygen. Three minutes till we are pathetic as humans okay. To we can survive three hours without shelter. We can survive three days without water. We can survive three weeks without food. We need these things to survive. What's funny is the thing that doesn't fit the rule of threes and sleep. Apparently it's 11 days. Okay? I don't know why they haven't figured out the kind of the rule of three without one. They get converted two hours maybe but they haven't yet but it was a high school student random fact factoid high school student, my Randy Gardner in 1965. They set the record high school student set the record on how long you can stay up till basically your body starts to break down for a science project. Okay, so as I was researching this on the article that said, warning, don't attempt to break these records yourself, you could die. So I'm going to say that now. Don't attempt to break those records ourselves, guys, you could die. We don't want to be sued. So but here's the deal. This makes sense. For us to be anxious about these things. It makes sense. And Jesus saying Don't worry about it.
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Don't worry about it. So Jesus gives us three reasons why we need not worry and trust God's provision, even the most crucial things, we need not worry about them. Here the three reasons number one, we see it in the text. God cares for you. God cares for you.
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Verse 24. Consider the Ravens they neither sow nor reap they have neither store houses nor barns and yet God feeds them of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to a span of life? If then you are not able to do as small of the thing is that why are you anxious about the rest?
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So y'all know my love for animal documentaries. I've given countless illustrations on the best you know, different moments I've seen and wonderful documentaries about animals with David Attenborough and his wonderful voice just commentating on everything okay, but this is what I love. Jesus Himself is mentioning one, so You're welcome he mentions the Ravens so clearly my love for that makes some sense as the Lord Jesus Christ is using them so but so so he mentions ravens ravens are unclean birds according to Leviticus 11 they're gross. They're like eat just just they scavenge. They're disgusting. They're like small vultures, right there just gross things even like, like the Israelites were named supposed to touch him and make him unclean. Jesus uses them very interestingly, as the example, nasty things. And while like animals only think about their survival, that's all they think about is their survival. They actually don't need to worry about surviving because God takes care of them. They don't have to save up stuff. They don't lug carcasses and put them in like a box to save for later. They just know intuitively, that there's going to be more food tomorrow. Even the beast the unclean creatures of the world. Don't worry like we do. So Jesus is saying, they don't have barns don't have store houses, they instinctively trust that God's caring for them if the unclean ravens who don't think about survival but know they're going to be provided for Don't worry, how much more do we valued by God need to trust that God will provide for you and me, no matter where we find ourselves, no matter what we can just look at nature. Look at the squirrels. Some of them are building nests in my house right now. And I don't know how to get rid of them. And they are just knowing that they're just going to be taken care of. There's this instinctive newness and we who know the Lord Jesus Christ, seem to act with less confidence of an animal who has instinct and a God that will provide for us. Okay, if we can trust in God's provision, because He cares so deeply For us, therefore we need not worry. That was number one, he cares for you. She can trust that he's going to provide for you. Or he's number two. I love this. God is invested in you. He's invested in you. Okay? So look at this verse 27. Consider the lilies, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon and all of his glory, Solomon, most richest King, in all of the history of the world came decked out to the nines and everything you can imagine, man had all the riches in the world is the most beautiful thing you can see all of this kingdom was this decked out in beauty. And Jesus says that the flowers of the field put Solomon to shame. They're so beautiful. They're just decked out in beauty.
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So it says that all of them they're not even like Solomon and all this glory was not arrayed like all of these. But if God's so close to the grass, which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he closed You have your little faith.
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So this is going on here. So it brings up flowers in the field. Flowers aren't simply closed for survival, right? They're not just closed so that they can just make it through like harsh wins. They're just decked out for whatever reason God decided and they look completely beautiful. So much so we cut them and put dead plants in our house because they still remain beautiful even though they're dead. Right? So we would like their God, God spent intentional time invested intentional time into making flowers of the field wild flowers of the field, beautiful. Even though he knows that within days, they will wilt and die and be used as fire candling. The creator of the universe, invested time in making flowers beautiful, even though some of them only last hours. The Lord of heaven and earth, spent time crafting you beginning in your mother's womb, and invested his image within you. And if he will spend all of that time working on the flowers, how much more will he spend time working on you, and caring for you, and therefore providing for you. He's invested in you, he, he provides for you because you're his masterful creation, that he put his image in. He cares about what happens to you, because he's invested time in you, therefore he provides for you. So Jesus kidnet here. So recap and I pass a recap and I had a moment where we were walking down a downtown Des Moines and we had this rare thing happened. We were both dressed in suits, you remember that?
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I don't even know why we were I don't even remember. I think it was we had something we went to and for some reason, we had to wear a suit and we were like, this feels great. I feel way better than I should. I know I look way better than I do. I and we just looked at each other give yourself a nod and kept on walking around. The reality is like that. It was great. Whoever gets to wear a suit I envy you guys you guys maybe we should wear suits more or less anyway. The time and investment communicates importance and value that's why you see someone dressed up you like it took some time, spend some money, like more considerate about it. That's impressive.
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Oh, the Lord took so much time and investment in you because you're that important to him. Don't you see? We have no need to worry. For his invested in you like that. He's invested in you like that. Trust the Lord's provision because he's invested in you.
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Reason number three. God knows you. Got knows you first 20 And do not seek what you already eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried for all the nations of the world, seek after these things and your Father knows that you need them instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. So to those who do not know God in this world, the world is all that there is. What you see is what you get. Right? So therefore, that survival is the main theme of all animal animal documentaries. You notice that it's the common theme every animals trying to survive, how will they do at this time? Okay, lovely animal documentaries. It's still dramatic. So every time that's what it is, well, the reality is for those who do not know God in this world, that's the theme for them too. Survive. And if you're lucky, you can enjoy it while you do. Survive and if you're lucky, maybe you can enjoy.
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The reality is how often do we function just like that in our daily life, kind of where we literally just think today is about survival. And maybe if I'm lucky, I can enjoy it. We function as practical atheists more than we care to even admit, thinking that God isn't even there providing for us we have to fend for ourselves. We have to live this life, trying to eat, trying to live trying to pay our bills, trying to keep our heads above the water, and we function just like the rest of the world, and it kills our witness. When we are overly obsessed with this world and trying to survive and make ends meet. What we are doing is destroying our witness to a God who takes care of everything. It hinders our witness. When we're overly obsessed with this world.
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This is what I love. And here's how we know this. For God knows us because Jesus says your father knows what you mean. Your father knows what you need.
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Parents can do this crazy thing with their toddler. They can anticipate when their kids are hungry. Right? Like, the kid is losing their mind. They don't know what's wrong with them. This is the day in the life of the Norris household. So losing their minds. I don't know why I'm so angry. I don't know what's happening. I do know what's wrong with you. You haven't eaten since 7am. And it's 12. You're hungry right now. So let me get you some food. I know what you need, even when you don't know what you need.
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Our God knows what we need, even when we don't know what we need. He's fully aware of what we need. Notice, therefore that when we pray to Jesus, it's not like we're making him aware of something we're struggling with. Every time we give a prayer to Jesus help me in this. He says Oh, I know. You need help. Give me this. I think I need this to this make it through. Oh, I know that you do. Or actually, I know that you don't. Every time we talked to Jesus, I know, I know. I know. I know.
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We're not making him aware. We're just running to the one who knows everything about us. That's why prayer can actually bring you a peace that can surpass all understanding. Because you're placing yourself in the presence of your father that knows everything about you knows everything that you need. It's why you look at kids and they're so free. They don't worry about the next meal. Why? Because they know dad's gonna put it on the table. Even if dad can't. Even kids in poverty are lighter than some of our adults that don't worry about any of our meals.
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Because there's just this intuitive trust. It's not my job to provide for me. It's my parents job to provide for me. That gives freedom And culture avec its freedom to you and me. When we're able to say, provision isn't ultimately my job, it's his job. That gives freedom from anxiety, freedom from worry, because we know that Jesus knows what we need, God knows what we need. So trusting in God's provision frees us from worry and anxiety. But trusting God's provision also frees us to seek His kingdom, okay also frees us to seek His kingdom. So that goes all the way back I think to verse 43, and verse 43, said this, for life is more than food and the body more than clothing. When you're anxious, that's all life is, is what you value in what you need in that moment. But when you are free from anxiety, you are free to think about the more important things in this life, which is ultimately the kingdom of God.
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We were made for so much more than merely to survive in this life. This is what separates us from the rest of creation we were made to reflect God's image to the world, to be as representatives of the earth, to further his glory and kingdom to be fruitful and multiply. Notice how the garden was full of good things full of life to the fullest. We are called to care for those in need to establish peace where there is turmoil to give hope or there is despair to bring joy where there is mourning, to announce that a king has come to declare that he is the one they are looking for that he is indeed sitting on the throne right now to proclaim the incredible good news that Jesus Christ has come for sinners like you and me. That our task is to proclaim and display the kingdom of God to a world who needs him. The most We are free from anxiety because we've trusted in the Lord's provision we can seek that above all else we truly can.
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This is our purpose to seek His kingdom to worship the king. It's what I love. Jesus describes the reality of what it looks like for us when we live as seekers of the kingdom as Kingdom people. He says that generosity becomes our reality, generosity becomes a reality for the kingdom person. So I want to show you that first going to say a god generously gives to us and we therefore can generously give to others. God generously gives to us and therefore we can generously give to others when we live in His Kingdom we seek His kingdom, he generously gives to us like in verse 3231 says instead seek His kingdom and these things will be added to you and 32 says Fear not little flock for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom all these things I love That all these things will be added to you. So this is what Jesus is saying. God generously and happily, provides his kingdom to us. He generously and happily provides this kingdom for us. It's his Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Christ Himself adds so much to our lives when we seek and adore him. He does not only Forgive us, he sends us His Spirit. He not only promises us heaven, He also gives us heaven on earth. He overwhelms us with His blessings, and it's your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom Jesus says he joyfully gives it not but grudgingly or out of obligation, he goes overboard. It makes me think of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory not the creepy one with like Johnny Depp like the old school one where the you know, like the great one, okay?
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So like, right, Charlie? You know, hey, just really wanting to catch Break gets that golden ticket runs home first time someone gets out of bed is his grandpa he gets up then they go and they're in this chocolate factor and all these other people and they're like we're gonna get a life supply of chocolate This is the greatest thing that we can possibly cancer the whole thing is just how do we actually make our way through and not get swallowed by, you know a chocolate fountain or whatever it was or turn to the blueberry like you're just making your way through because of this. What is the greatest thing that could happen to me a life supply of chocolate, right? So Charlie's doing 20% What I love about the end of it though, is Willy Wonka, the owner of the Chocolate Factory remember the very end of the movie right? They're like flying in that weird spaceship thing k they're looking around. And and then all of a sudden, Willy Wonka is no longer that creepy. Just still a little creepy, but he looks at Charlie and he just says, I'm not just going to give you a world supply of chocolate. I'm going to give you this entire factory. That what is better than the blessings of God is actually God Himself. That is actually being in his presence, the giver of all of those gifts, the one he manufactures all of the blessings of the kingdom. God says, I'm not just going to give you the blessings of the kingdom, I'm going to give you the kingdom itself, because I'm going to give you the king, which is me. You can have me, which surpasses everything you could ever imagine or dream of the king is what we need. He is the one who gives us all the good gifts, so therefore the giver is so much better than any gift. So he says, I'm just going to add more and more and more and more, so I'm just gonna give you myself. Can you give you myself?
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The glorious truth that is. Okay, so this is what I love. And this is a small little thing here. But when we're thinking all about anxiety, we're thinking about all of this. This just describes Jesus's tone. And it describes our tone. I think, when we're working with people who are struggling with anxiety and it's this. He says the phrase Fear not little flock and the midst of all that You're not little flock because your God cares for you. I don't know if you know if you're like me, and I'm someone who actually doesn't have just a consistent struggle with anxiety and worry, I get it like every now and then. But it's not this pervasive struggle that I continue this kind of fall back into. So therefore I can sometimes be overly harsh towards people where I do actually tell them just get over it and fix it and stop worrying about it. believe in Jesus little bit more, be done with it, and be harsh.
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Jesus says Fear not little flock. Guys, sheep are among the more skittish of all creatures. They're frightened easily. If they are completely cared for and safe. They jump at the first sign of trouble. Just like that, most skittish of all farm animals. And this is us. We're anxious and worried and stressed and here's what's crazy. Jesus explained all of these reasons for Why we need not be anxious and worried. And yet he still tenderly deals with us and causes his little sheep, his little flock.
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Jesus is so gentle. While he easily could have said, I've laid all this out to you, here's all of the regions logically get out of it logically, stop worrying about stuff logically be done with it, just get over yourself.
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She's so gentle with all of us. So Cottage Grove, may we be people because there's so many of us in this room that are just weary and heavy laden with anxiety. Our call is to be tender towards our brothers and sisters, who are struggling with this just like our Lord is tender towards us. He calls us to be gentle just like he is. He's that good shepherd, Psalm 33. And he calls us to emulate that good shepherd as we deal with those who are afraid and anxious for called to be tender. So God is generous towards us and therefore we can be generous towards others. So verse 33 says, sells your possessions and give to the needy, trusting God's provision allows us to seek His kingdom and do things this radical, like selling all that we have and giving to those in need. That thing, that thing, money, that thing that we're stressing out about that we think we're going to get control, that's going to give us the freedom from anxiety. That's one of the primary things just like if I had more stuff, I would worry about less things. Jesus says not only will be freed from the anxiety, that money can bring you, you'll be so free, you'll give it away. It's not just neutral. It's all of a sudden you're shoving it out. I don't need it. Take it, take it, take it take it. generosity just starts to cultivate out of us and we do almost foolish things like selling all that we have and giving it away towards people who need it. Trusting God's provision our allows us to seek His kingdom and do something that radical. The freedom from worry about the provisions in this life allows us to be generous towards what God has given us in this life.
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It's that trust, that trust in His provision that allows us to be that generous. And while pagans like everyone else in this world is worried about what they have, the Christian is not only free from that anxiety, they're free to give it all away.
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This points, ultimately, not to the individual of you and me. This ultimately points to the generosity of our God. So common to commentator put it this way, God often shows his love for sinners by how his saints reach out and love to meet their needs. This the means of care for those who go hungry are often those who have something to do Give me that we are conduits of grace that God uses to help people in need. And simultaneously at the same time, we become signposts pointing to the ultimate one who they need, which is Jesus Christ and His provision that when we're generous, we're witnessing at the exact same time. When we're a generous people, we're witnessing people. That's why we're saying, Let's bring a bunch of people together and give away a ton of free and super reduced stuff to our community. Why not? So we look good, but so that we can put our fingers up on to say, there's a God is even better. There's a God has provided so much more. There's a God who's with you in the midst of whatever there's a God who will provide for you, even when you feel like you got nothing else to do right now. There's a god. That's why we are generous. That's why we seek to be radical in our local missions. That's why we want to continuously be asking how do we give more and more and more to this local community because it points to a God who gives infinitely more to us.
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That's why we do it. That's why we do it. It's it's compelling witness. Freedom from attachment to our, to our possessions is a profound witness to the world. And Jesus says this about what happens to us when we do all this. He says provide yourself it's like giving that generosity does this. It provides yourself with money bags, verse 33, that do not grow old with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. The stock market crash of 2008 had 2.6 million people lose their jobs in the US. Did you know that 2.6 million people lost their jobs in the stock market crash in 2008. Well in 2009 a year after that crash, this is crazy. The deaths from suicide top to those from car accidents. The deaths from Suicide top those from car accidents. And sociologists are saying, we know why. The stock market crash. People have nothing else to live for. People put all their value into a market that was faulty, that was going to fail. And the thing so many people valued the most money and security was taken from them.
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What Jesus is saying to you and me, when you seek the kingdom of God, and His righteousness and desire to be on his purpose and mission in this world, he's saying that there's something that we value that will never be taken from us. We value something that is always a profound return on investment that will never be lost or destroyed. While money rots, status wanes and relationships break. A piece will surpass understanding. A joy will come in the morning, a hope will never disappoint. love will never fail. That all comes from Jesus Christ, any pursuit of the kingdom, it's never a waste of our time. And it'll never be lost and never be destroyed. I love this when you're around season saints who've been investing in the kingdom of God for decades, you're blown away. Our staff got the opportunity to sit with the rest of our network under two men who are in their 70s and 80s, who've been following Jesus since they're teenagers. And I I basically got my worst grades in college and finance and accounting, okay, but I do know this, how you accumulate wealth primarily is over time. Wealth is accumulated over time, meaning if you pour money into a 401k when you're 19 versus when you're 39. I think decoder you can check me I think you have a 350% increase in your return on your investment if you start when you're 18, as opposed to 39. Meaning when you start early and you invest early you accumulate wealth at skyrockets when you do it later. We sat underneath these men who've been investing in the kingdom of God since they were 15 and 16. And these men were the richest students I've ever seen in my life. They were exuding godly godliness was oozing out of them, as they were talking about their marriages, as they were talking about discipleship, as they were talking about evangelism and wait for it. church planting. Yes, one of them uprooted and left and helped plant a church in his mid seven days. These men are passionately pursuing Jesus in their 70s and 80s. And I tell you what, their testimony was far more compelling than any testimony Bill Gates could give me, because I noticed something that was never going to be taken from these men. When I know that, just like that Bill Gates can lose it all.
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It is always worth investing in the kingdom of God. Jesus ends with this and this is what I'm going to end with where your treasure is there your heart will be also where your treasure is there your heart will be also. What it means by this is that a person's treasure which is visible, is a clear indicator of the state of one's heart which is invisible. The heart and scripture is a big word and refers to more than just simply the organ that pumps blood it refers to the center of one's being, our desires, our devotion, our convictions, our emotions, our will, our reason. Our generosity reveals what we truly seek.
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So if you're not sure what you value most in this life, take a look at how you spend your money. If you want to know, what is the most important thing to you, it'll be revealed by how you spend your money.
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It's what Jesus is saying. Kingdom people are generous people. So the way in which you can tell if someone is radically pursuing the kingdom of God is if they're radically generous with what they treasure, even their money, what they value, that they're giving it towards the kingdom of God. It's revealing who they ultimately are. Are we rich towards the things of God? That's a big question for all of us. And on a spiritual level, here's what Jesus is also saying about what we treasure. That's where our heart is, is that what we value reveals who or what we worship. Because this is ultimately what this is about. What we're devoting ourselves to is ultimately what we worship, what we value and what we believe we can't live without is revealing our idolatry or our authentic worship. That's what it's ultimately revealing.
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But I love this, that I saw this in Genesis 22, of the story of Abraham and Isaac, some of you guys know this story. Well, the whole story was this of Abraham promised by God to actually be the One that would bring forth the blessing to all of the world that God would bring forth a savior through Abraham, and was all dependent upon what? A son being born to him. So he promised Isaac and God gave him Isaac this miracle child. But then God surely after Isaac is born, says to this, go sacrifice Isaac on the altar. I was testing Abraham in that moment of Where is your treasure? Is it me? Or is it the gifts that I've given you? Is it me or is it the gifts that I've given you? Is that test. And so Abraham takes Isaac he puts puts wood on his back brings him up the hill has the torch and the knife in his hand. He lays his son on the altar and he's about to it the Texas he brings the knife up to slay his own son. And God says stop. I've seen where your heart is set. And look, there was a foreign there was a there was a ram caught in the store and God said I will provide the sacrifice and he spared Isaac and the sacrifice was given. And it was all demonstrating something way more profound than something happening between Abraham and Isaac. For while the story revealed that Abraham valued the most was the Lord, he was willing to give up his own Son, God spared him from that test. And he provided a substitute.
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Like I was pointing to a day when he would send his own son up a hill, God would lay his own son down on some wood and it would be a cross. And he valued us so much, that he would slay his own son, so that we could ultimately be provided for that he provided the sacrifice we ultimately needed, which was provision and freedom and forgiveness from our sin. That because Jesus died, we can be forgiven and freed from since entanglement to this world. It causes our anxiety and worry and breaks our trust. And because Jesus rose from the dead is sent his spirit, we can grow in our trust in God's provision and seek His kingdom rather than this world.
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So Cottage Grove when we trust in God's provision, we're free from worry and free to seek His kingdom. And then let's pray.