There once was a king who had all this world could afford. But the thing he loved most was to laugh. Once while he was being entertained, a jester came along. He wanted to join in the festival and perform for the king. His opportunity came and he put on the best comical show he’d ever done, and the king laughed harder than he’d ever laughed before.
Once the festival was over, the king wanted to hire this man to be his personal jester. After he was hired the king laughingly handed him a small stick and said, “You are the most foolish man alive. When you find someone more foolish than you, give them this stick,” and the king laughed heartily at his own wit.
Many years later the king lay on his death bed. He called for his jester, because he wanted to laugh one more time before he died. When the jester’s performance was through, he asked to speak to the king alone.
When they were alone the jester asked, “King where are you going?” The king responded, “On a far journey.” The jester asked, “and how do you plan to get there?” The king said, “I don’t know.” At those words the jester pulled the stick from one his pockets and handed it to the king. The king was stunned and asked the jester why he had given him the stick. The jester replied, “King, today I have found a more foolish man than I. For you see, I only trifled with the things of life, but you have trifled with things of eternity!”
The king was much like the rich fool Jesus spoke about in Luke 12. He had accomplished a lot of great things. He had accumulated all kinds of wealth – but – he wasn’t prepared to die.
In Luke 12:13 to 21 we learn about the dangers of covetousness. Covetousness damages relationships, it distorts reality, and it determines rewards. It is important for us to remember this – because the first verse of our text is, therefore. We’ll see the significance of that more clearly as we examine the text. I’ve titled the message “Seeking the Kingdom of God.”
Right now, I will read Luke 12:22 to 34 and then show you the rewards of obeying Christ’s commands related to seeking the kingdom of God.
The commands Jesus gives in this text present several REWARDS that come to those who are truly “Seeking the Kingdom of God.”
The First REWARD (for seeking the kingdom of God) is,
It Reduces Anxiety
In the parable of the rich fool, just prior to our text, the wealthy farmer gave a lot of thought and attention to his newfound wealth. He wasn’t just concerned about what he needed for the day, but what he thought he needed for the rest of his life. And he planned accordingly.
But Jesus called him a fool because he planned for a future he would never see. And he failed to plan for a future he couldn’t escape! He trifled with the things of eternity.
He learned the truth of Ecclesiastes 5:11; “When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?” But he forgot the truth of Psalm 62:10; “…if riches increase, set not your heart on them.” And Proverbs 23:5; “For riches suddenly sprout wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.” Jesus ended that earlier section of teaching by warning the crowd that this is the condition of every person who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.
The foolishness of the rich farmer is the backdrop for Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom. The rich farmer made a terrible mistake; one from which he didn’t recover. He had expended all his energy on his present circumstances, his physical life. And he ended up with nothing to show for it. After giving this example to the multitude, Jesus now turns specifically to the Twelve.
In light of the grave error the rich farmer made, Jesus counsels the Twelve not to be anxious, distracted, or worried about their physical needs. The grammar indicates that this command can take on the positive “do not be anxious” or the negative “stop being anxious.”
Some people have taken the wording of the King James Version “take no thought” as a reckless disregard for the future. But that’s not how the original readers would’ve understood it. Shakespeare and other writers of the time clearly use the word with the meaning of anxiety. Jesus used the same word in Luke 10:41 in His rebuke of Martha. He said “Martha, Martha, you are careful (anxious) and troubled about many things…” Jesus told her she had allowed herself to be distracted by things of lesser importance.
In verses 22 to 28 of our text Jesus speaks primarily about our need for food and clothing. His first statement in verse 23 sets the tone for what follows. “Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.” One would be hard-pressed to reach that conclusion in our modern’ consumer-oriented culture. Huge amounts of time, energy, and finances are expended on these two things: far beyond the scope of our needs. Albert Barnes asks this question; “Shall not He who has conferred the greater blessing (life), be willing to confer the less (food/clothing)?”
Along with acknowledging our needs Jesus issues several commands. The first is “consider the ravens.” What can we learn from them? To consider is more than just giving something a passing glance. The word speaks of observation and understanding. Jesus said the ravens don’t store up provisions in a pantry or a barn; yet God makes sure they always have something to eat. But neither do they sit on a tree branch and wait for their food to come to them!
Jesus reminds the disciples they are of much more value than the ravens. Earlier in this chapter Jesus mentioned the Father’s care for the sparrows; how He notices when one falls to the ground. When you take time to observe and understand what Jesus is saying and the comparison He’s making, then our anxieties about our needs seem somewhat irrational, don’t they? And a renewed focus on seeking God’s kingdom will reduce our level of anxiety.
In verse 24 Jesus continues this theme by asking “Which of you, by anxious worry, can add even an hour to your length of life?” Now I know the KJV says “…can add to his stature (or his height) one cubit?” But the Greek word used here can refer to either height or length of time. And Jesus is talking about food and clothing which relate to sustaining or prolonging life. I believe verse 26 helps us clarify the meaning.
There Jesus asked, “If you are not able to do what is least, or very small, why do you worry about bigger things?” Now, is adding 18 inches to your height a very small thing? Hardly! That would be a major accomplishment. But how about adding an hour to a lifetime of 70 years? That’s not such a big deal, right? So here again, the Word of God is its own best commentary. The context helps us understand the meaning.
The second command Jesus gives that will help to reduce anxiety is – consider the wildflowers of the field. No one plants them; they don’t work, and they don’t weave cloth. But even Solomon, in all his extravagant royal finery, was not dressed in such exquisite beauty! Seeking God’s kingdom reduces the level of anxiety in our lives about our material needs. It gives us a greater ability to appreciate the beauty God has placed all around us.
Not only that but think about the lifespan of a wildflower. Even though it lasts a very short time in comparison to a human life, yet God creates it with great care and beauty. Will He not much more care for you and me as His children? And the grass of the field grows at God’s command without cultivation; it exists today, tomorrow it is cut down and used for fuel in the oven. If God invests time and energy in something as simple as the grass of the field, how much more will He care for you and me? O how weak and small our faith is!
In light of God’s care for the lower orders of His creation, the command of verse 23 takes on greater clarity. “Do not be anxious or worried about your life, what you will eat; nor for your body, what you will wear.”
We live in a world filled with uncertainty. Governments and economies teeter on the brink of collapse. Violence abounds and injustice increases. Yet we need not fear. God has promised to supply our needs as we seek His kingdom. And when we follow His commands, the reward is reduced anxiety and increased faith.
The Second REWARD is,
It Reorients Activity
In verses 29 to 32 the commands of Jesus reveal this second reward. Notice again He begins with an imperative; “And YOU, do not seek (or stop seeking) what you are to eat and what you are to drink…” Jesus’ use of the word YOU is emphatic – you yourself stop seeking! From the context we understand that the seeking Jesus is talking about is more than just looking for something. The word contains the idea of striving to secure or obtain something.
He further says that we are not to be anxious for our daily necessities. We must not attempt to buoy up our minds with false hope. By false hope I mean the idea that if I can just earn a little bit more, if I can just store up a little bit more, then I’ll be secure. That’s what the rich farmer thought, and you know how that worked out for him!
According to verse 30, anxiety for daily necessities is what preoccupies the peoples of the world. Albert Barnes says, “Those destitute of the true doctrines of religion, and unacquainted with proper dependence on Divine Providence, make it their chief anxiety to seek food and [clothing].” Many people see this life as the sum of human existence and we understand why they would strive for these things. But for you and me, who know what true life is, why do we struggle so much, especially when we have so many promises from God to supply our needs?
Jesus shows us clearly that seeking the kingdom of God will reorient our activity. We turn from striving after the supply of our daily needs and turn to striving for His kingdom.
I want you to think with me about this idea of reorientation. The people of the world have their minds oriented to the present and to the near future, their lifetime. Because their focus is on gaining maximum pleasure in life, they make choices like the rich farmer. You probably know friends or neighbors or even family members who have made generous provision for this life but failed to make any provision for eternity. That’s because their lives are oriented or directed by the desires of human existence.
So, when a person becomes a disciple of Jesus, his mind, will, and emotions need to be reoriented. The focus of life changes from seeking the world’s material goods to seeking the spiritual realities of the kingdom of God. Remember, Jesus is speaking to the Twelve when He says “Stop worrying about what you are going to eat and drink…” He was challenging them to reorient their lives to a new paradigm. That same challenge is for you and me today.
The question that immediately comes to mind is, “How do we do this; how do we become reoriented to the reality of the kingdom of God?” Think about a compass, a simple instrument used to determine direction. A compass is basically a magnetized needle that reacts to the magnetic field that surrounds our earth. But the earth’s magnetic field is weak. So, if you inadvertently place a stronger magnet near the compass, the compass will give you a false directional reading. The compass will reorient itself to the stronger magnetic field.
When God created you and me in His likeness and image we were born with an orientation toward Him. But because we are born with a sin nature, there is a competing orientation. As children grow and develop, the orientation toward sin and self becomes stronger; if left unchecked it becomes predominate.
If a person is not exposed to the truth of the Gospel, or if they reject it, they continue following the orientation toward self. Their needs, their wants, their desires become the controlling force in their lives. Their internal compass deceives them because the “magnetic pull” of self is stronger than the orientation toward God. They think they’re headed in the right direction but in reality, they are headed for destruction.
In contrast, a follower of Jesus is oriented toward the kingdom of God. What is the kingdom of God? (If you want a fuller explanation of the kingdom of God, I can send you a printed or audio copy of my teaching from Luke 4:32 to 44. It is titled “Preaching the Kingdom of God.”) What does it mean to be oriented toward the kingdom of God? Let me share with you a response from a radio listener in India who reoriented his life toward the kingdom of God. He is now a regular listener to our Hindi language broadcasts.
Here’s what he said. “For the last 8 or 9 months I went to another state in search of a job. In this period, I could not listen your radio program or any Christian program. My prayer life became disturbed due to my busy timetable of work. Even I had no time to spend a few minutes with the Lord. I have seen that there was no blessing in all my earning. I spent more than I earned. All these things made me think about my spiritual life. And one day I decided to come back to my village and restart my agriculture business in my father’s field.
Today, here in my house, I feel real peace because I have been continually listening to your program for three weeks. The Lord has restored my spiritual strength through His Holy Spirit. Your messages and prayers bring many spiritual blessings into my life. Sometimes Satan attacks me, but I believe that through your prayers he will be defeated. Please pray for me so that I may completely commit my life in the hands of the Lord.”
Can you see how this brother in the Lord has reoriented his life toward the kingdom of God? His original thought was – he could make more money in another state. But he discovered, like many of us have, that the more you make the more you spend. And tragically, it was detrimental to his spiritual life. By reorienting his life toward the kingdom of God he now is experiencing peace and spiritual blessing.
In verse 32 Jesus puts His finger on an emotion that is often the driver of our activity. It is fear. People have all kinds of fears. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of loss of health, reputation, or finances. These fears become the motivation for all kinds of activity. People try to insure against failure. They try to accumulate financial resources to provide for their security.
But Jesus said, “Stop being afraid, little follower of Christ; it is your Father’s will and His delight to give you the kingdom.” Wow! Jesus wants to give us the kingdom of God and we’re worried about food and clothing? That makes no sense! Jesus is teaching us that when we release our hold on earthly things, we can have the assurance that He will provide for our needs, for the remainder of our physical life and on into heaven.
I fear we too often have a disoriented understanding of what it means to seek God’s kingdom. This command is not just for a few special followers of the Lord; it is for everyone who claims Christ as Savior and Lord. So, it applies equally to those in what we call “full time Christian service” just as it does to the business owner or the employee.
Seeking the kingdom of God is the vocation and calling of every true believer. What you do to earn a living and provide for yourself, or your family, is not your vocation. It is only your job. If you’re a business owner, your business exists primarily for the growth of God’s kingdom. If you’re an employee, your work should be done primarily for the glory of God. If you’re a mom or a dad your role should be to expand the kingdom of God by preparing your children to be a part of it.
Now maybe you wonder “How can I know if I am seeking the kingdom of God?” Remember, I said seeking the kingdom of God will reorient your activity. Think about what you do; the activities you choose and the people you associate with. Do your choices focus primarily on things or on relationships? Do you see people as interruptions or opportunities? See, the kingdom of God is about relationships. If your business or other pursuits keep you too busy to have time for those in need, you’re probably giving too much attention to material pursuits and not enough attention to spiritual things.
Some time ago, I was sitting in the office of a businessman who is very much involved in ministry to others. My assistant was with me and we were sharing with this brother about Heralds of Hope’s Bible distribution program and how he and his community could be involved. As we talked and he asked questions the visit got longer. Being conscious of his time, we suggested at least once that we should be going. But he indicated that what we were discussing was more important than business. Based on comments from those who know this businessman and from our visit, I came away convinced that he has a kingdom focus.
I’m grateful to my parents, and especially my dad, for helping orient our family toward spiritual things. One of the ways he demonstrated that orientation was his support for our local church. When there was a scheduled gathering of the believers we were there. If that meant that the hay in the field got rained on, so be it. If that meant the corn got planted later than all the neighbors, that’s the way it was. His actions showed us the importance of orienting our lives toward God, His Word, and His people. It is a lesson that has paid huge dividends in my life. And now I have the joy of seeing my own children orient their choices toward God’s kingdom.
What about you, my friend? Do your activities give proof that you are seeking the kingdom of God? It is good for us to take time periodically to evaluate where we are and where we’re going. That’s what the listener from India did with respect to his employment. And when he began to seek the kingdom of God it reoriented his activity.
A person who is in an unfamiliar wilderness area doesn’t just look at his compass once and then put it away. No, he keeps it handy so every now and then he can look at it and confirm that he’s still headed in the right direction. If he has gotten off-track, he can make course corrections. That’s what we need to do as we walk this journey we call life. If you and I are truly seeking the kingdom of God, it will reorient our activity.
The Final REWARD is,
It Revives Generosity
The final two verses of our text focus on this reward. Generosity is a blessing. Don’t you like it when people are generous with you or toward you? I do! Have you ever been generous with someone and felt the blessing of the Lord? I have. Jesus said if we seek the kingdom of God, it will revive our generosity. But yet I’m not totally sure I want this reward!
I have to admit, I don’t like these verses; they make me uncomfortable. And I know many other professing followers of Jesus who share my discomfort.
Jesus said “Sell what you have and give to the poor; provide storage bags that do not wear out, unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief can get near it and no moth can corrupt it. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” He didn’t make any exclusions or qualifiers; He just gave a simple, straightforward command! What is it about this that makes me nervous?
First, let’s look at what Jesus didn’t say. He did not say, like He did to the rich, young ruler “…sell all that you have.” Is it possible that Jesus would ask you or me to sell all we have? Certainly! He knows us completely; knows our motivations, the things that prevent us from being totally committed to Him. So, He could ask that of us but in this text He doesn’t.
OK. So how does that help us decide how much to sell or how much to keep? Are you ready for the answer? The answer is…. I don’t know; that is, I don’t know specific amounts or percentages. That may be different for you than for me. What Jesus is after here is that we use what we have to seek the kingdom of God. My problem is – I use what I have to try to build my little kingdom! And I have to admit, I’ve sometimes failed to share in the needs of others because of that selfish motivation. And motivation is the key.
Do you remember what Jesus said it will cost us to be His disciple? Let me remind you. Here are Jesus’ words from Luke 9:23 and 24. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” If we have and are denying ourselves, and are taking up His cross daily, shouldn’t generosity be a natural result?
Our struggle in this area reveals we aren’t as surrendered to Christ as we think. If we’ve truly given all to Him, then He controls everything. If He says give it away, we give it away. If He says keep it, we keep it. But the reality I find in my own life is this; I give God a portion of my money or possessions and then I retain the right to say how the remainder will be used. No matter how you define it, that’s not the full surrender Jesus demands.
Jesus invites you and me to exchange perishable wallets, purses, or bank accounts for ones that will not perish. He promises treasure in Heaven that will not fail. That promise doesn’t apply to earthly treasure. As we noted earlier, it can fly away as though it had wings! Many people today have discovered their life savings are being eaten up by inflation. Governments print more and more currency, so the value of their savings decreases. Instead of gaining on their savings, they’re actually losing. And most earthly possessions decrease in value over time.
There is additional security in Heaven’s investments. Jesus said no thief can break into the storage vault and moths can’t get in to lay their eggs and hatch their destructive larvae. No matter what our “earthly treasure” is, there are always ways for it to be lost, stolen, or ruined.
Now here is Jesus’ concluding statement; “Because where your treasure resides, there your heart will reside also.” Your heart follows your treasure. This statement binds this whole section of teaching together! If your treasure is here on earth, that’s where your focus will be. If your treasure is being stored in heaven, then your focus will be there. And the conclusion is clear that if you are truly seeking the kingdom of God, your treasure will be in Heaven.
I began this section by saying one of the rewards of seeking the kingdom of God is – it revives generosity. The testimony of R. G. LeTourneau is a graphic illustration of this truth. His life verse was Matthew 6:33, the parallel to verse 31 of our text. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (daily needs) will be provided for you.”
As a successful entrepreneur and inventor of major earth-moving equipment, he became a multi-millionaire, even though he only had a 7th grade education. To this day he is considered “to have been the world’s greatest inventor of earthmoving and materials handling equipment.” He gave away 90 percent of the profits from his business and kept just 10 percent for himself. He was fond of saying “I shovel it out, and God shovels it back in; but God has a bigger shovel.” Countless lives were impacted by the Gospel because of his generosity.
Most of us have the idea that if we had more, like R. G. LeTourneau, we’d give more. But, you know, that’s probably not true. Most of us discover that as our income increases our lifestyle increases too. Our list of “needs” gets bigger. That because we’re focused on the kingdom of this earth more than on the kingdom of God.
One time I was in a meeting with some men and one of them said to me “If I had a million dollars I’d give it to Heralds of Hope for ministry.” One of the other men spoke up and said to him, “But what about the twenty dollars in your wallet?”
Jesus wants you and me to experience the joy of generosity. Think about it; can you name anyone with more generosity than God? He gives physical life to all people and provides the sunshine and rain even for those who hate Him. Even greater generosity is evidenced in that “He loved the world so much that He gave His one and only begotten Son that whoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
And when you think of the generosity of God in the sacrifice of His Son, what enabled Jesus to go through that terrible suffering? Hebrews 12:2 gives us the answer. “… who for the JOY that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” It was the joy of generosity that enabled Jesus to endure the cross!
As you reflect on your life, are you filled with joy? Or is life a burden to endure? No matter what circumstances you and I face, seeking the kingdom of God will revive a spirit of generosity in our hearts and bring to us the joy of blessing others. And we will discover in the process that our treasures are found in relationships rather than in things.
So, as you think about seeking the kingdom of God and you evaluate your life by the criteria Jesus gave us in this text, are you experiencing these rewards?
Are you anxious or fearful about the future? As I think about my country, the United States, with trillions of dollars in debt, and trillions more in unfunded liabilities, I believe that an eventual collapse of our economy is certain. I don’t see how it can be avoided. But I am not afraid. Seeking the kingdom of God has reduced my level of anxiety.
Reflect on the activities you pursue in life. What is the primary focus of those activities; is it for this life or the life to come? One of the rewards of seeking the kingdom of God is it will reorient your activities toward heavenly treasure. The cheap pleasures of the world will lose their appeal as you reorient your activity toward God’s frame of reference. You will place a higher value on people and relationships, and a lesser value on things.
And finally, you will experience a revival of generosity. You will experience the reality of Acts 20:35; “It is a greater blessing to give than to receive.” Along with that revival comes a sense of increased joy and security. As you see your resources being used to meet practical needs and to share the love of Jesus with others, your natural tendency toward selfishness will decrease. You will experience the principle that your reaping is in proportion to your sowing. Your treasure will be in heaven so that’s where your focus will be.
I urge you to join me in experiencing these rewards that result from seeking the kingdom of God.
Heralds of Hope is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit
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