WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.120 Luke chapter 12 verses 22 to 34 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.659 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:38.640 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:41.359 Consider how the wild flowers grow. 00:00:41.880 --> 00:00:43.179 You do not labour or spin. 00:00:43.939 --> 00:00:49.120 Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 00:00:49.900 --> 00:00:55.620 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown in the fire, 00:00:56.379 --> 00:00:59.640 how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith? 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:03.000 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink. 00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:04.500 Do not worry about them. 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:09.980 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your father knows that you need them. 00:01:10.700 --> 00:01:14.219 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:19.240 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 00:01:20.240 --> 00:01:22.439 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. 00:01:23.039 --> 00:01:25.780 Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, 00:01:26.240 --> 00:01:28.420 a treasure in heaven that will never fail, 00:01:28.420 --> 00:01:31.480 where no faith comes near and no moth destroys. 00:01:32.219 --> 00:01:35.480 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 00:01:35.480 --> 00:01:43.140 So again, I'm very grateful to Duncan and to Anne for agreeing to help us out. 00:01:43.420 --> 00:01:51.480 Now, for a few minutes, perhaps, we can turn our attention to those words that we've heard from both Anne and Duncan, 00:01:51.680 --> 00:02:00.040 from Jesus in Luke chapter 12, verse 32, to recognise how Jesus speaks to our fears. 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:02.300 Let me read them one more time. 00:02:02.600 --> 00:02:09.460 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 00:02:10.580 --> 00:02:16.460 Now, you may or you may not know that do not fear is the most frequent command in the Bible. 00:02:16.460 --> 00:02:24.240 But it's really important for us to know how to hear those words. 00:02:24.900 --> 00:02:32.719 And we understand in conversation that our tone matters and it reveals what lies under our words. 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:39.060 Jesus in chapter 12 is teaching his followers and he knows his followers. 00:02:39.319 --> 00:02:40.919 He knows their anxieties. 00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:42.699 He knows their fears. 00:02:43.539 --> 00:02:46.919 In Luke chapter 12, he knows that they are fearful of death, 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:50.439 especially death as martyrs for trusting in Jesus. 00:02:50.819 --> 00:02:54.479 He knows that they are fearful about facing public shame. 00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:59.259 He knows that they have fears about their physical needs. 00:02:59.259 --> 00:03:06.620 So when Jesus says, do not fear, what tone is he taking? 00:03:07.819 --> 00:03:15.699 This is not Jesus as drill sergeant in an army, shouting, rebuking, saying, 00:03:15.799 --> 00:03:17.439 Christians, show no weakness. 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:17.939 No. 00:03:19.639 --> 00:03:23.019 This is like a parent to a young child. 00:03:23.020 --> 00:03:25.880 I know it's dark. 00:03:26.580 --> 00:03:27.939 I know it's scary. 00:03:28.380 --> 00:03:29.920 But I'm here with you. 00:03:30.700 --> 00:03:31.660 Don't be afraid. 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:39.400 Jesus wants to calm fears by reminding his followers, by reminding us, 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:40.740 I am here. 00:03:41.660 --> 00:03:42.700 I will help. 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:45.219 I will be with you. 00:03:46.760 --> 00:03:48.960 Fear is natural. 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:53.120 For the disciples, it was natural that they would want to preserve their lives 00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:58.760 and maintain their honour and reputation and to provide for their physical needs. 00:04:00.060 --> 00:04:07.460 For us, it is natural that we would have anxiety about financial security, 00:04:08.020 --> 00:04:09.960 about our jobs, 00:04:10.819 --> 00:04:15.780 about physical health and well-being for ourselves and the people that we care about. 00:04:15.780 --> 00:04:22.420 It is natural that we would have anxiety to be returned to a place where we can enjoy relationships again, 00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:24.199 face to face. 00:04:25.019 --> 00:04:27.319 It's natural that we should have fears. 00:04:28.899 --> 00:04:32.600 But Jesus knows that there is a danger, 00:04:33.899 --> 00:04:37.819 that fear can lead us to doubt. 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:43.759 Fear can lead us towards unbelief. 00:04:43.759 --> 00:04:50.639 Fear is not sin, but fear can lead us towards sin if we respond in the wrong way. 00:04:52.219 --> 00:04:54.699 In Luke chapter 12 and verse 32, 00:04:55.759 --> 00:05:01.719 Jesus is responding to what perhaps might be the greatest of all fears, 00:05:02.300 --> 00:05:04.079 even for the people of God. 00:05:04.500 --> 00:05:06.939 Is God really good? 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:10.219 Is God really kind? 00:05:10.220 --> 00:05:18.140 Can I trust God in the present and with my future? 00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:25.780 Maybe you have asked that question during this crisis or in past experiences. 00:05:26.780 --> 00:05:31.120 Maybe there is someone among your family or your friends who's wrestling with that question right now. 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:40.180 Well, let's hear Jesus' loving response to his followers as he looks to calm their fears 00:05:40.180 --> 00:05:49.079 and as he calls us to know and to trust our good and gracious God. 00:05:49.079 --> 00:05:58.500 Three things to say about who our God is in the middle of fears. 00:05:59.459 --> 00:06:02.099 First of all, do not fear. 00:06:02.919 --> 00:06:04.800 God is your shepherd. 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:06.740 What is the church? 00:06:07.019 --> 00:06:12.459 According to the words of Jesus, the church is God's little flock. 00:06:12.459 --> 00:06:19.680 Little, which maybe speaks to us of our feelings small and weak and vulnerable, 00:06:20.620 --> 00:06:22.120 that we're prone to wander. 00:06:22.379 --> 00:06:23.579 We're easily frightened. 00:06:23.719 --> 00:06:25.139 We feel little. 00:06:26.180 --> 00:06:30.219 But little also speaks of God's affectionate care. 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:31.740 It's a title of affection. 00:06:32.620 --> 00:06:35.779 Colin Buchanan, who writes children's songs, 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:40.139 we've been tuning in to his family worship time. 00:06:40.139 --> 00:06:46.399 He has a song about being strong and courageous because God holds his little ones safe. 00:06:47.899 --> 00:06:49.699 We are God's little flock. 00:06:49.819 --> 00:06:52.620 And so Jesus is saying, remember, God is your shepherd. 00:06:54.019 --> 00:06:57.599 If you're trusting in Jesus, Psalm 23 is your song. 00:06:58.740 --> 00:07:02.779 You have in God a shepherd who provides for you all that you need, 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:04.039 all that's for your good. 00:07:04.339 --> 00:07:07.919 The one who gives rest to your body, to your mind, to your soul. 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:09.620 The God who leads. 00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:12.160 Leads even in the darkness. 00:07:13.020 --> 00:07:16.740 The God who guides and protects, who walks with us, 00:07:16.860 --> 00:07:18.920 even through the valley, the shadow of death. 00:07:18.980 --> 00:07:21.720 And many of us feel like that's where we are right now. 00:07:22.420 --> 00:07:24.600 He is the God who causes rejoicing. 00:07:25.280 --> 00:07:28.860 He is the God who supplies his goodness and love all of our days. 00:07:28.860 --> 00:07:34.360 Jesus in Luke 12 has been reminding the disciples, look around. 00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:38.480 Notice in your fears that God cares for all of creation. 00:07:39.780 --> 00:07:42.439 To quote another old hymn, his eye is on the sparrow. 00:07:43.580 --> 00:07:50.660 But Jesus is saying, how much more does God delight to care for you as his little flock? 00:07:50.660 --> 00:08:00.740 And on top of that, remember, follower of Jesus, God has sent Jesus to be your good shepherd. 00:08:01.520 --> 00:08:02.820 Remember John chapter 10. 00:08:03.320 --> 00:08:06.820 Jesus, the one who comes to lay down his life for his flock. 00:08:07.320 --> 00:08:09.940 The one who knows his sheep. 00:08:10.260 --> 00:08:13.640 The one who calls them by name and they listen to him. 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:18.980 The one who seeks to call others into his flock. 00:08:18.980 --> 00:08:21.600 Do not fear. 00:08:22.200 --> 00:08:24.759 God is your shepherd. 00:08:26.100 --> 00:08:29.580 And remember, there are no little people. 00:08:30.020 --> 00:08:31.700 There are no little sheep. 00:08:31.819 --> 00:08:38.680 There is nobody who is unimportant to our all-powerful, altogether good shepherd. 00:08:39.800 --> 00:08:41.580 So come to him in your fears. 00:08:42.899 --> 00:08:44.120 And have him provide. 00:08:44.120 --> 00:08:51.779 Do not fear, secondly, according to Jesus, because God is your father. 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:53.360 So what is the church then? 00:08:53.419 --> 00:08:56.840 The church is God's family, God's children. 00:08:58.379 --> 00:09:02.019 In our community groups, we've started reading in John's Gospel. 00:09:02.179 --> 00:09:07.000 And in John chapter 1, we discover that Jesus came to call those who would believe in him 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:09.639 and give them the right to become children of God. 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:12.519 To have the right to call God our father. 00:09:13.419 --> 00:09:15.279 And what kind of father is God? 00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:21.460 Well, Jesus, teaching the crowds and teaching his disciples in chapter 11 and verse 13 of Luke, 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:26.620 reminds us that God is the perfectly good, the perfectly generous father. 00:09:26.620 --> 00:09:31.460 And he cares for his family. 00:09:32.580 --> 00:09:37.779 In a family, it should always be the case that the kids have the easiest job. 00:09:38.539 --> 00:09:41.220 Because children don't need to make decisions. 00:09:42.419 --> 00:09:43.879 Not significant decisions, anyway. 00:09:44.340 --> 00:09:48.159 They don't need to bear the responsibilities of guiding the family. 00:09:48.899 --> 00:09:52.639 Of trying to navigate a family and a household through a crisis. 00:09:53.980 --> 00:09:55.340 Kids are shielded. 00:09:55.340 --> 00:10:03.540 We have conversations out of their earshot to protect them from carrying on their little shoulders more than they can bear. 00:10:04.440 --> 00:10:08.100 We say to them, you do not need to worry about this. 00:10:08.899 --> 00:10:11.540 This is something for your parents to deal with. 00:10:13.340 --> 00:10:14.500 What about in God's family? 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:15.639 Think about that image for a moment. 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:17.300 In God's family, who is our father? 00:10:17.300 --> 00:10:24.980 He is the eternal, the unchanging, the all-wise, the perfectly holy God. 00:10:25.899 --> 00:10:32.460 And he announces to us in Romans chapter 8 that he is working all things together for the good of those who love him. 00:10:33.259 --> 00:10:34.560 He has given us Jesus. 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:39.120 He will certainly give us all good things that we need. 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:43.320 So we are not invited to know everything. 00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:47.080 We're not invited to know why these circumstances have come on us. 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:50.279 We're not invited to know when the lockdown will lift. 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:52.879 But we are invited to trust. 00:10:53.320 --> 00:10:56.200 To trust in our good, good father. 00:10:59.480 --> 00:11:01.500 Last thing to notice from this verse. 00:11:01.500 --> 00:11:02.340 Do not fear. 00:11:02.340 --> 00:11:04.480 God is your king. 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:06.679 What is the church? 00:11:07.399 --> 00:11:11.500 The church are heirs to God's kingdom. 00:11:12.860 --> 00:11:17.840 God's people, those who are trusting in Jesus, we're a spiritual royalty. 00:11:19.340 --> 00:11:23.399 Notice in this passage what delights God. 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:27.539 Your father has been pleased. 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:33.480 He is delighted to give his church the kingdom. 00:11:34.279 --> 00:11:36.340 Here is God's generous grace on display. 00:11:36.459 --> 00:11:38.360 He's not selling the kingdom. 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:41.360 Here's the price you need to pay in order to get in. 00:11:41.959 --> 00:11:43.980 He's not rewarding the kingdom. 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:48.840 Here is the level of obedience you need to attain before you can be accepted. 00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:56.780 No, he gives generously out of his grace to draw us to himself. 00:11:58.060 --> 00:12:00.860 God is pleased to give. 00:12:01.680 --> 00:12:08.920 God has been pleased to give his one and only son to come as our servant king. 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:16.639 The one who would live that life of perfect love and obedience that we fail to live. 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:26.580 Jesus, who then gives himself as the sacrifice for the sin of his people to atone for sin, 00:12:26.659 --> 00:12:33.139 to wash us clean from sin, to secure our forgiveness and eternal life and peace with God 00:12:33.139 --> 00:12:38.319 and an eternal inheritance that can never be taken from us. 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:42.740 So when we ask the question, is God good? 00:12:43.640 --> 00:12:44.660 Is God kind? 00:12:45.280 --> 00:12:46.740 Can I trust God? 00:12:47.820 --> 00:12:51.640 We need to ask and answer that at the foot of the cross. 00:12:51.639 --> 00:13:01.179 We need to see the love of God in Jesus, in the giving of Jesus, in the salvation that's secured through Jesus. 00:13:02.299 --> 00:13:06.080 In the future, hope that it's secured through Jesus so that we can say, 00:13:06.699 --> 00:13:07.759 yes, God is good. 00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:08.960 Yes, God is kind. 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:09.539 Yes. 00:13:10.319 --> 00:13:14.120 In the middle of this crisis, in the middle of my fears and my tears, I can trust him. 00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:20.860 Yes, because God is pleased to give to his little flock his kingdom. 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:27.580 Our shepherd king is always working on our behalf, 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:32.500 ruling over all things to bring final salvation, 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:37.259 to bring ultimate glory and joy to his people. 00:13:37.259 --> 00:13:44.879 Jesus' answer to your fears and mine is to invite us to raise our eyes, 00:13:45.659 --> 00:13:51.399 to see our God, to trust his character, to trust his promise 00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:56.580 and to trust in the salvation that Jesus came to bring. 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:57.740 Amen.