Dealing With Dread
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Jesus' comprehensive teaching of why Christians should be anxious for nothing.
Text: Luke 12:22-28
Date: 11/26/2023, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 128
Description:
Immediately after His scathing commentary on covetousness, Jesus addresses one of the greatest problems facing humankind in our day-to-day lives: the ever-present problem of anxiety. We will look at this from two perspectives: specific anxieties that are the result of some problem or calamity, and non-specific anxieties that manifest themselves as a vague indiscernible dread that hangs like Damocles' sword over our heads and cripples us as disciples of Christ. We will explore Jesus' three illustrations as to why we should not be anxious and take comfort in His reassuring words of how to deal with dread. We will realize that anxiety is another attempt, like covetousness, to control God's Providence and is therefore grounded in the spiritual problem of idolatry. But Jesus does not just state the problem, He also provides the solution. The only way to deal with dread is to trust wholeheartedly in the Providence of the One true God who holds your life, death and eternity in His hands! And therefore, to be anxious for nothing!
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I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 12:22-28.
A. Context
B. Dealing with the problem of anxiety.
1. The command to not worry, vs. 22.
a. A change of audience.
b. Tying this to the previous passage.
c. Defining some important words.
i. Defining "anxious".
ii. Defining "life", Luke 12:20.
d. Identifying the illustrations.
i. Two kinds of anxiety.
ii. The existential concept of "dread".
2. A summarizing wisdom statement, vs. 23, Psa. 24:1, Luke 12:6-7.
3. The example of food, vs. 24.
a. A strange choice of bird, 1Kings 17:3-4, Lev. 11:13,15, Matt. 6:26.
b. How it relates to humans.
c. God's gracious provision, Luke 12:6, Matt. 5:45.
d. God's value system.
e. Getting to the point.
4. The expansive example of "psuche", or "life", vs. 25-26.
a. Remembering God's sovereignty, vs. 25, Psa. 139:13, Heb. 9:27, John 14:1-3, Deut. 28:66.
b. The absurdity of anxiety, vs. 26.
i. The impotency of the god of "self".
ii. A matter of trust.
5. The example of clothing, vs. 27-28a.
a. The lilies of the field, vs. 27.
i. How it relates to humans.
ii. The glory of God's Creation.
b. The temporal nature of dread, vs. 28a.
i. Something of little value, Isa. 40:7, James 1:11.
ii. The lesser to the greater.
iii. Not the "prosperity gospel".
6. The bottom line, vs. 28b.
III. Application: Analyzing anxiety.
A. When Kingdoms collide.
1. A difficult subject.
2. A matter of perspective.
3. Learning from Peter, Matt. 14:25-31.
B. Seeking a solution.
1. Many reasons for anxiety.
2. Re-imagining the Sword of Damocles, John 1:12-13, Psa. 36:7, John 16:27, Rom. 8:28, 2Cor. 4:17-18.
3. Remembering our armor, Eph. 6:17.
IV. Conclusion
