Do Not Worry – Part 2
Luke 12:22-34 (29-34)
September 8, 2019
As you know we are in the middle of a long segment in Luke’s gospel
Which comprises a sort of reactionary sermon by Jesus
To an enormous crowd.
We already saw the first topic:
1) IN RESPONSE TO A GROWING CROWD
• Jesus saw the huge crowd and took the opportunity to warn His disciples with regard to ministering to large numbers of people.
• Namely, not to let the crowd influence your message.
2) IN RESPONSE TO A GREEDY REQUEST
• A man interrupted wanting Jesus to force his brother to share the family inheritance.
• Jesus rebuked the man
• And then delivered a sermon illustration on greed
Following that, Jesus has now turned back to His disciples
To address a hidden issue of greed, and that is worry.
I call WORRY a hidden issue with greed
Because it is COMMONLY OVERLOOKED AS A FORM OF GREED.
Jesus told us in:
Luke 12:15 “Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
According to Jesus greed comes in many forms.
• We often think of hoarding as a form of greed.
• We often think of coveting as a form of greed.
• (One could throw in there gambling or theft or ambition in that category)
And yet often overlooked as a form of greed is worry.
Worry can be a form of greed,
Particularly when that worry focuses on physical or financial needs.
For worry at its core is still a manifestation
Of an unhealthy focus on material things.
And so it’s no surprise that
Jesus has now turned back to His disciples to address the issue of worry.
We started this section LAST WEEK, but did not complete it.
Allow me to recap where we’ve been.
There are 4 points to be made in this leg of the sermon. (We’ve seen the first two)
#1 A COMMAND TO OBEY
Luke 12:22-23
The command is clear, “do not worry”
“do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.”
It is a direct command from the Lord
And therefore to disobey it is most certainly a sin.
And Jesus even gave some rational explanation to this command.
(23) “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”
In short, the sole purpose and goal of this life and of this body
Is not see how long you can make it last
Or how good you can make it look.
We understand the purpose of life.
Romans 14:7-8 “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”
We understand the purpose of the body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
The body and life were both given as instruments
For the glory and service of God.
Perhaps a better way to say it is like this:
THE BODY IS NOT SOVEREIGN – GOD IS.
Too many people live their entire life,
Like the needs of the body are the ultimate needs of their existence.
You’d think the highest calling in the world
Is to take the best care of the body you can.
But the goal is to use the body and to use this life for the glory of God.
The goal is to use the body and to use this life for obedience to God.
Worrying about the things of the body
Only indicates that a person’s PERSPECTIVE has become distorted
And they are PRIORITIZING the wrong things.
So, “do not worry”
That is a command and Jesus certainly intended it to be obeyed.
#2 A CONSIDERATION TO OBSERVE
Luke 12:24-28
And you’ll remember that Jesus actually gave us 4 things to consider.
1) WORRY DISREGARDS YOUR VALUE
• Jesus spoke of the RAVENS which were classified even in the Old Testament Law an unclean bird.
“and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!”
Jesus wanted you to consider your value to God
As one of His redeemed children.
If He will take care to feed a bird,
How much more would He care to feed you?
Don’t disregard your value.
2) WORRY DISPLAYS YOUR ARROGANCE
Jesus reminded that none of us even has the ability to “add a single hour to his life’s span”
Things like the length of life are under God’s sovereign control.
That is His responsibility, not ours.
When we abandon our responsibility (which is obedience)
And try to assume His responsibility it demonstrates an arrogance
That we have tried to control things that are beyond our ability.
And when you do that, it’s no wonder worry and anxiety come about.
Instead, leave the things that are God’s responsibility to God
And you focus on the things that are your responsibility.
“If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?”
3) WORRY DENIES GOD’S GOODNESS
We saw how God is so good and faithful
To care for every element of His creation.
Whether that is things like mountain goats or deer,
Or even seemingly insignificant grass which is here today and gone tomorrow.
And yet God puts extreme detail and meticulous work
Into the beauty of a flower.
God is a faithful and meticulous caretaker of all of His creation.
And if He is a good steward, don’t you think He’ll take care of
The pinnacle of His creation which is man?
Of course He will.
“how much more will he clothe you?”
4) WORRY DEMONSTRATES LITTLE FAITH
And Jesus made this clear when He said, “You men of little faith!”
Worry is in effect a slap in the face to God.
It insinuates that either He can’t handle your problems
Or He won’t handle your problems.
So when you worry you are either accusing God
Of being too weak or too disinterested to help.
And those are just some of the things
That Jesus wanted you to consider regarding worry.
So, thus far as Jesus deals with the issue of worry we have seen:
A Command To Obey
A Consideration To Observe
This morning we want to move forward in our text and see what else we can learn from Jesus about worry.
#3 A COMPARISON TO OPPOSE
Luke 12:29-31
Jesus first restates the command.
“And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying”
You will notice there that while worrying can be a form of greed,
There are also VARIOUS FORMS OF WORRY.
Often times worry is purely thought of in terms of internal anxiety.
We think of worrying as someone just sitting in the corner
Wringing their hands, biting their lip, and just agonizing
Over where the money will come from.
But that is not the only way worry expresses itself.
Some people demonstrate their worry by EXCESSIVE SEEKING.
Which is why Jesus starts by saying, “And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink”
There the worry is depicted by a man who just determined
To work longer and faster and harder to try and solve the problem.
He had nothing to eat, he had nothing to drink
And so his worry was revealed in the fact that
He totally preoccupied himself with his needs
And simply sought it that much harder.
Now, this is where BALANCE certainly must come in play.
Scripture is clear:
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.”
Certainly we understand that work is ordained by God.
• And incidentally work even precedes the fall as Adam was ordained as a
caretaker of the garden even before he fell into sin.
• And we know that work is the command of God and an important aspect of the
Christian life.
So the issue at hand here IS NOT a man who works too hard.
The issue is that when a man has a financial problem
That he sees work as his salvation.
It is the man who because of his physical needs
Has totally devoted his entire focus and priority to meeting those needs
And has lost sight of everything else.
Other things have now fallen to the side.
• Things like corporate worship…
• Things like witnessing…
• Things like benevolence and generosity…
• Perhaps even things like relationships and family…
HIS WORRY IS REVEALED THROUGH WHAT HE SEEKS EVERY DAY
(Perhaps instead of worry we would use the word PRIORITY)
You can see what matters most
(you can see what he’s most worried about)
because of what he constantly seeks.
And Jesus confronts that too.
And if you’ll notice He then tells us
Why we should not have an unhealthy preoccupation
With seeking or obtaining the things of the world.
(30) “For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek;”
DO YOU CATCH THE COMPARISON?
When a child of God is totally preoccupied with getting the things of the world do you know who he is acting like?
HE IS ACTING LIKE A NON-BELIEVER.
That is the mindset of a lost person.
That is the mindset of the nations.
That is really as deep as the world’s thought process often goes.
They are totally preoccupied with meeting the needs of the body
And with obtaining the things of the world.
They “eagerly seek…all these things”
Listen to Paul’s account of a lost world:
Philippians 3:17-19 “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.”
Paul spoke of people who are consumed with the things of the world.
And Paul called them enemies of the cross of Christ.
It is not a flattering comparison to be compared to the world.
We are called to be different.
That is a comparison we should categorically oppose.
• There should be a definite DIFFERENCE in our ambition and their ambition.
• There should be a definite DIFFERENCE in our desires and their desires.
• There should be a definite DIFFERENCE in what we seek and what they
seek.
In fact if you continue on in that same passage Paul outlines that difference.
Philippians 3:18-21 “For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”
Did you catch that from Paul?
“our citizenship is in heaven”
We aren’t overly concerned about the things of this world,
We are concerned about the things of heaven.
Might I suggest that this SHOULD BE THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE between the redeemed and the unregenerate?
Paul said:
Galatians 6:14 “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
We have a tough time claiming to have been crucified to the world
When obtaining it is our clear ambition.
The things of this world,
Even simple things like food
Should never been the primary focus of the believer.
Remember this story?
John 4:31-38 “Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. “Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. “For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”
• Remember that was when Jesus had been talking to the woman at the well
and the disciples had gone into town.
• They thought they were there to buy food, but Jesus had actually sent them to
reap the fruit of the kingdom.
• Jesus said, “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored”
Wow! Jesus, in His sovereign prerogative
Had a whole batch of His elect that lived in that Samaritan town.
And He sent His disciples into that town to reap that harvest.
All the disciples had to do was
Share the truth of Christ with them and they were coming.
Instead they focused only on food, and that is all they got.
NOW, THE ELECT WERE STILL SAVED, they left that town and came to Jesus, but the disciples missed the opportunity to be the agents that brought them.
And Jesus scolded them for it.
The point is that the world is focused on physical things,
We are supposedly those who have been crucified to the world
And now live like citizens of heaven.
COMPARISON TO THE WORLD
Is a comparison every believer should emphatically oppose
And work to disprove.
And Jesus even tells us why.
(30b) “but your Father knows that you need these things.”
That is to say,
Don’t disregard the knowledge and goodness of your heavenly Father.
Remember:
Matthew 7:9-11 “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”
• Don’t you realize that your omnipotent father is well aware of the state of
your checking account?
• Don’t you know that your heavenly father is well aware of the state of your
pantry?
• Don’t you realize that He is your father, who has charged Himself with your
care and provision?
So why are you acting like an orphan of the world
When you are a child of the king?
God has adopted you into His family and seated you at His table
And you are acting like someone who has been locked outside.
He is “your Father” and He knows your needs.
Instead, Jesus says, (31) “But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.”
Don’t be like the world preoccupied with the things of the world.
Be a child of God preoccupied with “His kingdom”
THE WORLD IS OUT THERE BUILDING BIGGER BARNS.
YOU SHOULD BE OUT THERE FOCUSING ON GOD’S KINGDOM.
Don’t miss the real treasure.
AND THIS IS SO OBVIOUS.
Think about when you go on vacation.
So you get a rent home on vacation and while you are there you realize that the rent house has a bad foundation.
Which of you is going to call a foundation company to come in and fixe the foundation on a home you don’t own and will only live in for a week?
None of you.
• You’d say, “That’s not my house”
• You’d say, “It’ll be fine. It will last long enough for us”
And yet, where we live now, this is the vacation home.
• This is the temporary home.
• This life is the vapor.
• This is the one we don’t keep.
And yet people continually live like this is the permanent residence.
That’s foolish.
You’ve got a better home, you’ve got a more permanent residence.
FOCUS ON THAT ONE.
Don’t be like the world.
That’s a comparison to oppose.
A Command to Obey – A Consideration to Observe – A Comparison to Oppose
#4 A CONCERN TO OVERCOME
Luke 12:32-34
Jesus has talked about worry from many angles.
But here He addresses the root behind it, and that is FEAR.
It is fear that God won’t come through.
It is fear that if I sacrifice this world for the next, it won’t be worth it.
And Jesus begins with a calling to overcome that fear.
(32) “Do not be afraid”
That is another way of saying “You’ve got nothing to worry about”
And it is even significant to see HOW HE ADDRESSES US.
“Do not be afraid, little flock”
It is an indication that God is well aware of the roles of our relationship.
He is not under some misconception that we are more capable than we actually are.
• He knows we are the “little flock”
• He knows our weakness
• He knows our frailty
• He knows that He is the shepherd
• And He knows the responsibilities that the shepherd holds
And here He says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”
There are a couple of elements here that are important to the discussion.
One is that we see in this statement ABSOLUTE SECURITY.
We are certainly those who believe in the security of the believer,
Or better stated as, the preservation of the saints.
We believe that when God saves whom He chooses to save
That their salvation is permanent and cannot be lost.
John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
Salvation is secure based on the sovereign prerogative
And strength of our Shepherd.
And here is why that is important here.
It is hard to convince a person
To sacrifice this world and to store up treasure in heaven
When they have no assurance that they will ever see it.
That is one of the many horrible consequences
Of those who teach that salvation can be lost.
That sort of theology makes storing up treasure in heaven more of a gamble than wild future’s trading or betting on long-shots at the track.
Because I promise you a crippled horse
Has a better chance of winning the Kentucky Derby
Than you do of maintaining enough goodness to get into heaven.
And so Jesus assures the flock that they are secure.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you kingdom.”
God is going to give you the kingdom, and He isn’t unhappy about it.
He isn’t giving it begrudgingly.
He’s chosen “gladly” to do it.
AND THAT IS A SECOND IMPORTANT ASPECT HERE.
Why wouldn’t God be glad to give you the kingdom?
He already gave you His Son, why do you think He’d suddenly start having second thoughts now?
Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”
Of course He will.
So in order to alleviate the fear of worry Jesus reminds
That every penny you store up in heaven you will receive,
Because God has delightfully promised to give you the kingdom.
So now we approach the theology of the issue.
Let me ask you:
Do you believe what Jesus just said?
Do you believe that “your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom”?
• Do you believe that as a redeemed child of God that you are certainly going to heaven when you die?
• Do you believe that your stay in heaven will be longer than your stay here?
• Do you believe what Paul said, that this body is just a temporary tent and we are looking forward to a permanent building from God?
• Do you believe that?
Then why do we live like this life is all we have?
Instead, Jesus gives you a better way to live
(33) “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.”
Do you hear Jesus telling you to literally put your money where your mouth is?
Do you really believe you’ll go to heaven for eternity?
Then why don’t you invest more there than you do here?
So the believer’s truest ambition…
The believer’s truest act of faith…
Would be to start investing in eternity.
HOW?
The answer here is by giving to charity.
But what if I don’t have anything to give?
Jesus would ask, “Do you have anything to sell?”
“Sell your possessions and give to charity”
Do you see that He is calling for the liquidation of wealth here
That it might be transferred into wealth there?
That’s a hard one to swallow isn’t it?
I think most of the time we end up RATIONALIZING commands like that one away as if to say, “No one does that. That’s not what He actually means”
It might surprise you
That more people do that sort of thing than you think.
I’ve been recently reading a book called “African Friends and Money Matters” written by David Maranz.
• I’m reading it obviously to help learn the distinct differences between American and African cultures as we seek to partner with the churches in Malawi. And I must tell you that the way they view wealth and money is drastically different than the way we view wealth and money.
• And most people would assume that since America is rich and Africa is poor that we do it correctly and they do it wrongly.
I want to read to you just a couple of excerpts
About the general African mindset regarding money.
“The giving, borrowing, and loaning of money and material goods demonstrate solidarity, generosity, and acceptance by society. In this chapter solidarity means “mutual economic and social support, hospitableness, putting group interest ahead of individual interest to the extent of showing a definite bias against individuality, and active participation in society.” In a word, it means interdependence rather than independence. It also means living in community rather than living in social or spatial isolation. These are some of the highest values in African cultures, essential to each person. In contrast, persons who refuse to share, give, and loan of their resources demonstrate a refusal to be integral members of society. Such persons are considered to be selfish, egotistical, and disdainful of friends, relatives, and even of those outside their immediate social circle.
Africans are basically content to be part of this sharing of resources. They consider this way of life to be superior to what they understand to be the Western way: individualistic and independent, with an overdeveloped sense of individual ownership. (Sometimes Africans complain of the burden of the system but end up strongly defending it, overall. They are not happy with those who abuse their generosity, but they put up with them. People are more important than possessions. That is part of being generous.) The African attitude toward things at this level of the economy has much to commend it for the way those who have resources share them with those who do not have them. This often strikingly contrasts with a typical Western attitude that tends to emphasize personal possessions and personal rights above responsibility to others.”
(Maranz, David E. [African Friends and Money Matters, Second Edition; SIL International, Dallas, TX, 2015] pg. 75)
The issue of STORING WEALTH or commodities is also addressed in Africa:
“Even food kept in a refrigerator can be considered surplus. Some African ethnic groups have a pejorative term for Westerners that means “people who put food in a refrigerator.” I have a friend who worked for an [National Government Organization] that provided him with a house furnished with a refrigerator. Once when I was with him we invited several friends in for a meal and ordered it prepared by a neighbor who had a tiny restaurant. We had a large amount of food left after the meal. I noted it would serve my friend for several meals if he put it in his fridge. He was almost scandalized at my suggestion. He said he would never do such a thing. Rather, he would return the food to the restaurant woman, who would have plenty of hungry people who would eat it.”
(ibid. pg. 98-99)
Now, certainly all I read to you there was
The African mindset regarding money.
And just because it is the African mindset DOES NOT MEAN
It is any more acceptable to the Lord than the American mindset.
For all we actually care about is God’s view of it.
BUT I READ THAT TO YOU BECAUSE
Sometimes we read statements from the Lord like
“Sell your possessions and give to charity”
And then we begin to explain why He certainly doesn’t mean what it says.
We sort of put our American spin on our interpretation.
And yet, as you can see, it might simply be an American spin.
An African would have no problem understanding that passage.
In contrast, let me give you the mindset of THE EARLY CHURCH.
Acts 4:32-35 “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.”
Can you see that perhaps it is nothing short of American greed
That has caused our culture to think wrongly about our surplus?
He told us to
• Overcome fear,
• Walk by faith,
• Believe that God will in fact give us the kingdom
• And to “Sell your possessions and give to charity”
I’m not saying it’s not hard.
I’m not even saying I do it well.
I’m just telling you what our Lord said.
But then Jesus goes on to give you more INCENTIVE to do such a thing.
Jesus calls the wealth of heaven “money belts which do not wear out”
That is to say, it’s not temporary or fleeting.
Someone once said, “Money talks; it says good-bye”
That’s often true.
Jesus said imagine if you could put your treasure
Into an account that never empties?
He also calls heavenly treasure “an unfailing treasure”
• Ever work all month, store what you’ve got, then sit down to work on the bills only to find out it wasn’t enough?
• Or ever get all the bills paid and then something out of the blue happens that costs more than you’ve got?
And all of a sudden you realize that your treasure failed to come through.
Heavenly treasure never does that.
It’s always enough. It never fails.
1 Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”
Jesus also says it is a treasure “where not thief comes near nor moth destroys.”
If you read it in Matthew’s gospel, there is a third added:
Matthew 6:20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;”
In Bible times you measured wealth in 3 commodities.
Garments, Grain, and Gold
But each came with their own intrinsic problems.
• Moths would eat your garments
• Rust (mildew) would ruin your grain
• Thieves would steal your gold
But Jesus said in heaven that doesn’t happen.
Wealth there is totally secure wealth.
So in essence, He’s asking you
To take wealth you can’t keep and which is not secure
And transfer it to an account
Where you can keep it and it is secure for all eternity.
And the only thing you’ll need to make that transaction is faith.
You’ll have to overcome your fear and
Believe that God actually will give you the kingdom.
So do you have that faith?
That’s the question.
But as we stated at the beginning,
YOUR TREASURE IS NOT THE ONLY ISSUE HERE.
For someone might say, “Well, if I get to heaven without any treasure, o well, it’ll still be heaven.”
But your treasure is not the only thing hanging in the balance.
(34) “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
As we said at the beginning, the reason this is so important
Is because your treasure leads your heart.
I’ve heard a statement many times before,
But I happened to hear it again this past week.
Someone made the statement, “I want to go heaven, I just don’t want to go right now.”
(Now I understand human joking and kidding and figures of speech and things like that, so I’m not too hard on the person who said it)
But it does depict a backward mentality that is alive and well in America.
How could it be that we have a larger desire to be here
Than we do to be in heaven?
Paul said:
Philippians 1:21-24 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.”
• Paul didn’t say, “I want to go to heaven just not today”
• Paul said, “Heaven would be so much better, but I understand I have fruitful labor to do here first”
Do you see the difference?
Paul’s mindset indicates a man
With way more treasure in heaven than he had on earth.
It’s no wonder his heart was already there.
THE POINT VERY SIMPLY IS THAT
• Not only do we have a command to obey.
• Not only do we have a consideration to observe.
• Not only do we have a comparison to oppose.
But church, we have a concern to overcome.
• We must overcome our fear of earthly suffering.
• We must overcome our fear of not being comfortable here.
• We must overcome our love of this world.
We must be those who leave the worries of the things of this world
And grab hold of the kingdom with both hands.
That is what sets us apart as different.
We must crush the idol of greed that seeks to dwell within our hearts
Because all it will do is cause us to be like that foolish farmer
Who had plenty on earth and nothing in eternity.
Take it from Jesus, you don’t want to be that guy.
• Better to sell your grain and your barns and give it all to the poor than to die rich in this life and bankrupt before God.
Philippians 3:17-21 “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”
