[transcript] Sometimes life is so overwhelming, and even thinking about taking care of basic everyday needs can create stress and worry. Today, we're going to see that Jesus knows our hearts, and he knows the things that burden us. He's actually given us instructions for how we can cope with everyday pressures and concerns. Hi friends, welcome to my channel. My name is Sarah, and I love the Word of God. And it wasn't long ago that I was feeling completely overcome by fear and worry. Even everyday normal life stuff felt overwhelming to me. Now this is the last video in a series where I've been sharing with you what I've learned as I've studied God's Word, looking for wisdom and guidance on how to deal with the things that were worrying me and creating fear. You can find the first two videos in this series linked in the description below. But today we're going to look at what Jesus himself had to say about fear and worry.

So grab your Bibles and let's seek him together. Today, we're going to be in Luke chapter 12, verses 22 through 34. I'm going to read the whole passage to you, and you can follow along either on the screen or in your own Bible.

And then we're going to break it down and look at each verse and see what it is that we can learn. So. Luke chapter 12, starting in verse 22, says,

"Then he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, don't worry about your life, what you will eat, or about the body, what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens. They don't sow or reap. They don't have a storeroom or a barn, yet God feeds them. Aren't you worth much more than the birds? Can any of you add one moment to his lifespan by worrying? If, then, you're not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest? Consider how the wildflowers grow. They don't labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that's how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will he do for you of little faith? Don't strive for what you should eat and what you should drink. And don't be anxious, for the Gentile world eagerly seeks all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom and these things will be provided for you. Don't be afraid, little flock, because your father delights to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money bags for yourselves that won't grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be."

Now, for just a little bit of context, in the verses right before this, Jesus has just finished teaching the crowds about greed. And he's been telling them about how they shouldn't spend their time and their effort storing up an abundance of possessions.

And then he turns to his disciples and just as he always does, he sees right into their hearts. He knows what they're thinking.

You see, you have these men who have been following Jesus, and they've given up much to follow him. Men who, other than Judas, clearly are not money hungry, they're not focused on material possessions, they're not motivated by a desire for things, and yet Jesus still seems to have something to say to them on a similar topic. He begins in verse 22 by saying, "Therefore I tell you, don't worry about your life, what you will eat, or about the body, what you will wear." So you see, he doesn't see the need to talk to his disciples about wealth or about greed. But he does know that sometimes they worry about these basic necessities. That sometimes their thoughts are too focused on physical things. And he wants to address even that, the worry about basic food and clothing. And I love this about Jesus, that he knows our hearts, often better than even we do. In my last video, we looked at God's response to three of the patriarchs and the fear that they were experiencing. But we noticed that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob never actually acknowledged their fear. It doesn't say that they knew that they were afraid. And yet God looked at them and He knew they were experiencing fear. And we see Jesus do this very thing right here. He's been giving a teaching that perhaps seemed not to really apply to the disciples. And so then he turns to them and he starts speaking to them about what he knows does apply to them. What he knows does actually impact them, this concern about their needs and their everyday provision. Then, in his sweet mercy, Jesus goes on to give reasons why they are not to worry about their necessities.

So in verse 23, he says, "For life is more than food and the body more than clothing." Now, this is kind of hard for us, right? Because while we might intellectually know that there is more to life than food and clothing, the reality is we need food and clothing, and so do the disciples. But Jesus is not saying that their needs don't matter. What he's saying is he wants them to zoom out. He wants them to look at the big picture. And he's going to elaborate on what that means, but first, he's going to give them a few specific reminders about who God is. Now this is really significant if you've seen the last video in this series, because in that video we talked about how God gives somewhat of a formula for how to deal with fear. He gave four specific things to focus on instead of focusing on the thing that is creating fear. God tells his children to focus on who God is, where God is, what God has done, and what God has promised. And what's fascinating about this is that while we saw this all the way back in Genesis, here in Luke, we see Jesus doing the same thing. He says in verse 24, Consider the ravens. They don't sow or reap. They don't have a storeroom or a barn, yet God feeds them. Aren't you worth much more than the birds?

So he's saying, remember who God is. God is the creator. He is the provider. He takes care of even the birds, and you are created in his image. You are much more valuable than the birds. Then, if you skip down to verse 27, we're going to look at 27 and 28. It says, "Consider how the wildflowers grow. They don't labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that's how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will he do for you?" Jesus is pointing to the fact that God is creator and he is provider, that he is the one watching over his creation and seeing that their needs are met in his perfect way and in his perfect timing. Now, in the middle of this reminder of who God is as creator and provider, he offers this humbling reminder of who man is. Looking back at verse 25, he says, "Can any of you add one moment to his lifespan by worrying? If then you are not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest?" Here, Jesus is offering a little bit of logical perspective. Worry is utterly useless. It is completely and absolutely unproductive and unfruitful. It is a waste of our time and our energy. And God is reminding us that we cannot add time to our lives by worrying. The reality is that God, as creator and sustainer of life, has numbered our days, and we don't have a say in that. Our worrying does not change that.

So then continuing this gentle humbling, Jesus in verse 28 refers to his disciples as you of little faith. Now, this phrase, "You of little faith," It's used to refer to those who trust Christ, too little.

So he's saying to his disciples, you are not trusting me enough. You are not trusting your father enough. Your worry reveals that your faith needs to grow. Now we're skipping around a little bit. We already looked at verses 27 through 28.

So skip down to verses 29 through 31. Where we read, "Don't strive for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don't be anxious. For the Gentile world eagerly seeks all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Now, all throughout his time on earth, Jesus was teaching about the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven. He mentions the kingdom specifically there in verse 31. Jesus was constantly telling his followers that this new kingdom is going to be different from the kingdom of man. That the way that we, as followers of Jesus, as members of the kingdom of God, are to relate to each other, the way that we are to function, the way that we are to think in his kingdom is to be different.

So when he says that the Gentile world eagerly seeks after these things, He's saying that this concern, this worry, this anxiety about food and clothes and drinks, this is what the world does, but this is not what we do. The kingdom of God has a different way of thinking, and this way relies completely on God.

So he says, "Your father, he knows that you need them." Now remember how we talked about the raven and the wildflower? He's telling the disciples that this burden of their needs, It's not theirs to carry. Your father, he's saying, is taking care of these things. He knows what you need better than you do.

So trust in him. Decide to no longer be those of little faith.

And then he goes on to tell them what to do instead of worrying. He says, but seek his kingdom, that is the Father's kingdom, and these things will be provided for you. Now, this is a little interesting, and there are some questions about the interpretation of what these "things that will be provided for you" are. It could be that these things are the food and drink. The things that the disciples were worrying about, it could be that what's being said here is that if you will seek his kingdom, these things, your basic needs, they will be provided for you. But it's possible that what's being said here is seek God's kingdom, and he will give you his kingdom. Because if you look in verse 32, it says, "Don't be afraid, little flock, because your father delights to give you the kingdom." See, your father He delights to give you the kingdom. Let that sink in. If that doesn't give you goosebumps, then listen to me one more time. Because if you are a follower of Jesus, then this applies to you. Don't be afraid, little flock. Because your Father, he delights to give you the kingdom. In 1 Corinthians 2:16-17, Verse 9, we read, "But as it is written, What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived, God has prepared these things for those who love him." Then in Ephesians chapter 3, verses 17 through 21, Paul prays this prayer, and he says, "I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width ...height and depth of God's love, and to know Christ's love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."

So what does it mean that God delights to give us the kingdom? It means that it brings God joy. It brings him pleasure to have us as part of his kingdom and to bestow on us the rights and privileges of his rule and reign. This is the kind of king that he is. He is a good king. He is kind. He is a father who loves us, who knows what we need and is taking care of us.

So we do not need to worry. Our heart, our focus, should be seeking to see God's kingdom grow. To see people come to know who our king really is. To work to be a part of demonstrating the kingdom values. This upside-down kingdom that Jesus established and taught about while he was here on earth. In the last couple of verses, he goes on to be even more practical. Starting in verse 33, it says, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money bags for yourselves that won't grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be."

So here he's bringing it back to the beginning. Remember in verse 23 when he said, life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Here he's saying make money bags for yourself, but he's not talking about literal bags of money. He's saying store up things that are truly valuable. Be generous. Be kind. Trust God for your needs. And set your heart and your mind on the kingdom, not on physical needs. Here's the thing, friend. Our God, He knows what we need. And he's taking care of it. Our job is to trust him. To step back, zoom out from those things that we see right in front of us, those everyday needs that can so quickly distract us and consume us and turn our eyes away from what really matters. Instead, we can set our hearts and our minds on the kingdom, both on the way that we can influence and grow the kingdom here on earth by pointing people to Jesus, and the confidence that we're going to spend all of eternity under the loving care and protection of the one true king. And if we will view our lives in light of eternity, in view of the facts, we are citizens of the kingdom of heaven, that the almighty creator of the universe rules and he can be trusted. Then, we don't have to worry. Because we know that our God's got it all under control. Thanks for watching, friends. To watch the other videos in this series on fear and worry, you can click this link here. And remember, keep seeking the Lord. He is so worth knowing.