Luke 12:22-48 "Seek His Kingdom" Jesus calls you to rethink your priorities in life. What are you seeking? Where is your treasure? Who are you waiting for? and What is your place in the kingdom? These four questions get to the heart of what it means to seek first the Kingdom of God. 1. What Are You Seeking? (12:22-31) If God offered you one thing, what would it be? If God said to you, "ask what I shall give you"-- what would you say? In our Old Testament lesson we heard about Solomon, who was offered anything he wanted by God. (1 Kings 3) Solomon was the king of Israel. He could have asked for wealth, long life, power...anything his heart desired. But his heart desired wisdom. He wanted to know how to discern between good and evil he wanted understanding in order to govern the people of God. In other words, Solomon was seeking the Kingdom of God. What are you seeking? What are you anxious about? The word "anxious" may be misleading. If you are a laid back person, you may say, "I'm not anxious about anything!" But the real question is "what are you most concerned about?" What is it that functions as the default of your mind? Where do your thoughts naturally gravitate? Jesus says, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. The most basic necessities of life food and clothing should not worry you. You may be unemployed right now but do not worry about these things. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Jesus gives two examples: First, Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, 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 his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? And second, Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! If God provides for birds and flowers, do you think it likely that he would ignore you? And so Jesus concludes by stating emphatically what has been implicit all along: 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. Notice the contrast that Jesus makes between the nations of the world and you. The word for "nations" is the same word as the word for "Gentiles." It is the word "ethne," from which we get our word "ethnicity." The Gentiles of the world seek after these things. All the ethnicities of the world seek after these things. But you are not supposed to be like the Gentiles. You are not supposed to be like the nations. Because you are God's nation. The call to seek the kingdom of God is also a call to renounce the kingdoms of this world. Jesus is establishing a new ethnicity a new nation. You are not allowed to think of yourself as an American just like Paul would say in Philippians that he counted his Jewish ethnicity as rubbish for the sake of Christ (Phil 3:4-11), and so also he called the Philippians to consider themselves citizens of heaven. You have a new citizenship. You may use your American citizenship for the benefit of the kingdom of heaven, but don't confuse the two! Of course, there are lots of other competitors for your loyalty as well! Your work your family your pleasure entertainment. None of these can be at the heart of your identity. You cannot set your heart on these things. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. God will take care of his children. And that is the point of our second question: 2. Where Is Your Treasure? (12:32-34) The reason why you shouldn't be worried about these things is because it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom! If God is your Father, and he is intent upon giving you his kingdom, then so long as you are seeking his kingdom, you have nothing to worry about! The treasure of the kingdom of God is far greater than any worldly treasure. So, Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. We saw last time that Jesus' parable of the rich fool was focused on his failure to seek the kingdom of God. But now we see that seeking the kingdom of God also means putting the needs of others especially the poor above our own. Sell your possessions and give to the needy. If your possessions if your stuff is getting in the way of your pursuit of the kingdom, then get rid of your stuff. And thus, provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Where is your treasure? What do you value? A friend of mine in Eritrea said that in America we value things and we use people. But in Eritrea they value people and use things. Part of it is because they don't have very many things. We have all sorts of stuff, and we have allowed our hearts to become attached to it What does it mean to have "treasure in the heavens"? I think sometimes we think of this in very abstract terms. We think it means that we value the pie in the sky by and by. We long for what we will someday have. That is so wrong that words fail me to describe how wrong it is! What does it to have treasure in the heavens? Jesus answers that question in the following section! Having treasure in the heavens means to be about the work of the kingdom! It means to value what Jesus your master told you to do! It means that Jesus is what you value! Brothers and sisters, are you about your master's business? Or are you about your self? Which brings us to our third question: 3. Who Are You Waiting For? (12:35-40) If you are seeking the kingdom of God, then you should be dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast. Before you jump to apply this to yourself, remember what Jesus is doing here. Jesus is talking about the coming of the kingdom. The Kingdom of God is coming. And we have seen that the coming of the kingdom is the coming of the King, and the coming of the King means the coming of judgment. When does the kingdom come? Well, the kingdom comes with Jesus! The kingdom comes when he is seated at the right hand of God. As we'll see later in Luke, the kingdom comes when the temple is destroyed in AD 70. And the kingdom comes when the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the church. In short, the kingdom comes whenever and wherever Jesus comes! And when Jesus comes, Those who are ready will be rewarded. Those who are not ready will be punished. Tonight we will be looking at David's mighty men three warriors who risked life and limb, crossing enemy lines, sneaking past the guards, just to bring their king a drink of water from the well in his hometown of Bethlehem. Jesus is asking, are you committed to the LORD's anointed like that? Jesus says, Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Jesus warns his disciples and through his words Luke warns Theophilus all those who love God be ready! Brothers and sisters, I fear that far too often we are sound asleep at our post. And if you feel ill-equipped for the task that is before you, tell me! My job is to equip you. And I try to keep an eye on what you need, but I can't read your minds and I don't know your hearts. If there is something you need to serve Christ more effectively, please talk to me or talk to one of the elders or deacons or to one of the older women in the church. Because notice what Jesus says what the master will do for the servants who are awake and ready: Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. You are called to be awake and alert diligent in your service of Christ, because Christ is a gracious master! Verses 39-40 add a different twist. The ESV was not helpful by putting this in the same paragraph, because this is really a second illustration. In verses 35-38, the return of the master is anticipated by his servants. But in verses 39-40 the coming of the thief is the unexpected event. But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. The kingdom of God comes as a thief in the night and you never know when! So You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 4. What Is Your Place in the Kingdom? (12:41-48) Peter's question is a good one. Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all? Is this something that is just for the 12? Or is this for everyone? Jesus replies that if the shoe fits, wear it! Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over the household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? This has particular relevance for those in authority: pastors, elders, and deacons in the church; fathers and mothers in the home; rulers and judges in the state. Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Someday God will require me to give an account for you. That's what Hebrews 13:17 says: Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Am I giving you your portion of spiritual food at the proper time? Are the elders leading you, keeping watch over you making sure that you are well-fed and growing? That's why you need to tell us if something is wrong! That's also why Hebrews 13:17 concludes, Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. There are time when I feel like the flock is scattered in 50 different directions, and I wonder whether we've gone back to the book of Judges, and everyone is doing what is right in his own eyes! But then I remember what Jesus said, My sheep know my voice. My task is not to be a sheepdog yapping at your heels. My task is to speak to you with the voice of the Good Shepherd (because my own voice can be kind of yappy!) Too often we become foolish managers, and we say My master is delayed in coming, and we forget that we are only stewards! We think that we are the masters of our homes, of our churches, or of our states, and we beat the male and female servants, and we eat and drink and get drunk. When you lose sight of who the real master is, it gets ugly. Fathers, you are not the master. You are a child of God. Do you want God to treat you the way you treat your children? Rest assured that he will! The master of that servant will come upon him on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. If you abuse the charge that God has given you, and use it for your own selfish ends, then God will destroy you. If you are simply negligent (but not abusive), then you will simply get a severe beating! As verse 47 puts it, That servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. This simply expresses the principle, Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. (v48) If you try to interpret these sayings in terms of the final judgment, then you will wind up with something approximating purgatory! But the kingdom of God is not something that will only come at the final judgment! These different sorts of judgments and chastisements are not awaiting the end of history, but come in the middle of history because Jesus has brought the final judgment into the middle of history! Think about Sodom and Gomorrah they got the last-days judgment early! (Fire from heaven) And as we'll see next time, Jesus says that he has come to bring fire on the earth! (v49) He has come to bring the last days judgment in the middle of history. The Kingdom of God has come in Jesus Christ. And we pray "thy kingdom come" over and over again, because his Kingdom has come, is coming, and will continue to come until the final judgment. When Jesus says, You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect, he is not just saying, "The Second Coming will come at an hour you do not expect." He is saying, the hour of judgment will come. If you are looking at the final question on the outline, "When does the judgment of the servants happen?" The answer is "whenever Jesus says so." Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He sits upon his Father's throne and rules over all things for the sake of his church. He may wait until the final judgment to deal with you but you better hope he doesn't! Pray that he might deal with you here and now! Because Peter tells us that it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1 P 4:17) The King has come therefore his judgment may fall at any time! Jesus says this to us to encourage us to press on to seek his kingdom; to store up that heavenly treasure that treasure that is nothing less than Jesus himself! If you would be a faithful steward of the kingdom of God, then let us together press on toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Because I know that I cannot do this by myself. We need each other. We need to rebuke each other, encourage each other, and exhort each other otherwise we are saying, "eh, God will deal with him at judgment day!" Let us not be so indifferent to each other, but let us stir each other up to love and good deeds as long as it is called today! Almighty God, have mercy upon us! In your fatherly care for us, do not let us get away with faithlessness and foolishness, but discipline us as true children, so that we might reflect your glory and your love. May your kingdom come, your will be done on earth in our midst even as it is in heaven. Grant us the grace to seek first your kingdom and to keep our eyes fixed upon our glorious treasure in the heavens, our Lord Jesus Christ. For we pray in his name. Amen.