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 t...
