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The Extent of His Lordship
Luke 12:22-34
Pastor David Smit
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I have a friend who is not married, and wanted to be a father. So he adopted a son. He came from a home filled with brokenness. His father abandoned him and his sister when he was 6 or 7. His mother worked the streets at night and often did not come home. The police discovered them one morning in the cold of winter in their pajamas looking for something to eat in the garbage can. My friend and his adopted son came to visit us and together we, with other friends and their children went to a café which has a buffet. After prayer my friend’s son was the very first in line with the other kids, heaping his plate as full as he could possibly get it. When we as adults finished going through the buffet line, my friend’s son was on his way back to fill a second plate. My friend pulled his son aside and reassured him that he did not have to eat so fast or so much, because there would be plenty of food. Because of his childhood experience he subconsciously had this voice which said, “Eat now, get all you can now because there may not be enough and there probably won’t be any tomorrow.”
When you believe in Jesus Christ, you are delivered from the power of sin. However, the effects of evil come back subconsciously and we think we better grab all we can—because you never know about tomorrow.
But God reminds us again this morning He loves us. We are His children. We are called to be Stewards. A steward is one who takes that which God has given and manages it for His glory. A steward realizes that ultimately it is not mine, because Everything is the Lord’s, I must settle the possession issue in my life.
But what keeps coming up is the issue of provision. Who will provide for me and my needs? Remember the parable Jesus told—for that fellow, the farmer whose crops were so productive, it all belonged to him. He has gotten rich, he would stay rich, and he would store up all his riches for himself. Until God said, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. The lights went out, he was out of there and his hearse did not pull a U-hail trailer or a grain trailer. No, he left it all behind Jesus said, “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for Himself but is not rich towards God.”
But what about the future? Who is going to provide for me, what about my needs? Jesus speaks to that issue as He turns back to His disciples. What does it mean to make Jesus Christ not only the Savior of our Life, but also the Lord?
Lordship means “Trust in Jesus Christ”
What does trust look like. Your child climbed up to a high place, afraid to come down. You come and you say, “Jump, I’ll catch you.” Because they had complete trust in you, they jumped into your open arms.
Trust means “No need to worry”
Worry literally means to divide, Jesus says; do not be torn apart by worry about those temporal, earthly things. It is interest the word Worry comes from an Anglo-Saxon word which means to strangle. Worry is destructive, it will literally strangle the life right out of you.
Do you worry? Yes, I am afraid I do too. Somehow I want the uncertain to be certain and I will try to make it that way. Corrie Ten Boom said it so well, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of it struggles and sorrows, but it empties today of its strength.”
The Rich man worried a lot. He worried about what he had, he worried how he was going to keep and store what he had. Jesus turns to his disciples and says “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.” (Luke 12:22). Don’t be anxious. Worry is no respecter of persons. The rich worry about they are going to do with all that they have. Those who do not have enough worry about how they are going to get what they need.
And all of us in between do our share of worrying too. But Jesus said there are two groups those who worry and are anxious and those who do not. And the difference between those two can be summed up in one word. LORDSHIP!!
There are those, like the farmer who said, all that I have belongs to me. This is my life—I am going to run it the way I please. I’ll take care of myself. BUT when there are Problems—then we say “O God Please Help me!” Then God will say, Go help yourself, it is your problem. You won’t trust in me and give it to me, Go help yourself!
He owns all that we have.
He was the one who formed this body in my mother’s womb. This body is now His temple; He has come to live within me. If we put God first in our life and we live with the daily awareness that He owns everything that we have. (don’t just say, but this to be true) 1) I do all I can to make Him #1 2) He runs my life, I am guided by His Owner’s Manual, I realize God brought me into this world, I can put my trust in Him, I do not have to worry.
I can say, “God, I am yours” You have placed your name on my forehead—I belong to you! I give everything over to you. Now I no longer have a problem, but it is also God’s problem I look to Him for direction, because He is Lord. I am his servant. I am His steward. Now that makes such a difference in my life when I trust Him completely.
We must depend on Jesus Christ. He WILL do what He promises. We can count on Him. Jesus said, If our Heavenly Father takes care of the Ravens, he provides for the birds, who do not sow or reap or store up their food supply, but depend on the Lord. Won’t he do to same for us? It is really undeniable that God does take care and feeds the birds. God does paint the lilies there many colors. And you are unsure if God can take care of you?
And if he provides such care and beauty to the birds and the Lilies which is here such a short time, won’t he bless you with what you need. “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” Luke 12:31
We must be submissive to Jesus Christ
God has asked us to show our gratitude to Him in light of all that he has done for us. Of all that God has given to us, which ultimately belongs to Him, he asks us to give him a Tithe. Tithe means tenth. Of the 100% which God gives to us, I thank Him with at least 10% now I need to be obedient and do that.
But Pastor, you just don’t realize our financial situation. If we began to tithe, we could never make it. We would go further into debt. No, you won’t! How can you say that? Because that is what God clearly teaches in His Word.
I want to share this important Biblical Principle. Look with me to Proverbs 3:9-10: “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Do we have any accountants here this morning? Pencil to paper this will not add up. If I give my firstfruits to the Lord, my barns will not be as full.
How important is this idea of a tithe to God? God tells us in Malachi 3:8-10, “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. [9] You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me.” [10] Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. TEST ME in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” There is no other place in Scripture where God actually challenges us to test Him. But he does when it comes to my resources. He says “Go ahead, put me to the test. If your heart is right and you want to show God your thankfulness, give to the Lord a portion in gratitude and see if what you have remaining will not go farther than if you had kept everything for yourself. Go ahead, the Lord says, put me to the test and see if I will not pour out an abundant blessing.
To His Old Testament people God said, “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” Leviticus 27:30 The tithe is holy to the Lord. When we are obedient to tithe, we are acknowledging that everything we have--our money, our material goods, a sound mind, good health, our employment, our family, everything comes from the Lord.
The Lord, in turn, increases our income, he stretches what remains, protects what remains and causes us to enjoy what remains after our tithe with a clear conscience. “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 If you are stingy towards God, do you want Him to be stingy towards you?
In thanksgiving to the Lord, I invite all of us to make a commitment this morning. I have asked the Elders to pass out these green sheets. If you earn any money at all - boys and girls, young people, husbands, wives - I want you to take a moment before the Lord and take the next step. There are two choices: I will continue to tithe. You were taught that important principle before. Yes, I will continue and be more conscious of Christ’ Lordship. I will continue to tithe.
OR, I will begin to tithe. Maybe tithing is not something you have thought about. Or tithing is something you have never practiced as part of your commitment to the Lord. You have never thanked him in that way. Take up the Lord’s challenge, Go ahead, test the Lord and see if you are not blessed in your giving. He is either LORD OF ALL or He is NOT LORD AT ALL in our lives!
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