Sermon on the Mount
Pt 10
Serve God without Worry
Matthew 6:24-34
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. [25] Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? [26] Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more value than they? [27] Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? [28] So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; [29] and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? Or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? [32] For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. [34] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. [NKJV]
OPENING REMARKS
A man came walking down a busy sidewalk wearing a sandwich board which read on the front – I AM A FOOL FOR CHRIST! on the other side it read – WHOSE FOOL ARE YOU?
----- [Jerry Shirley, Who Owns You? (sermon on Mt. 6:19-24), downloaded from www.SermonCentral.com on 25 October 2007 (adapted)] -----
1. Most people understand that Matthew 6:24 – No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. – is concerned with the issue of giving oneself over to either God or money.
2. Ask people what is the root of all evil and they will usually answer: MONEY. -- Is that right? Well according to the Scripture MONEY of itself is not the root of all evil but the LOVE of money.
1 Timothy 6:9-10
[T]hose who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition [ruin and destruction - NASB]. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Prosperity/Godliness
America is a rich country especially when compared to the other countries in the world. In the US an individual’s value status is determined by what they have and how much they are worth. Individuals are taught from their young childhood throughout their whole life that they are not to depend on anyone other than themselves to take care of their lives. THIS IS NORMAL! – Matthew 6:32.
That is the worldview of the lost – make as much as you can, as fast as you can, and hold on to it as
long as you can. God blesses those who help themselves!
Over the Course of Time – things have not changed.
OT – This was the thinking of the OT culture – an example would be that of Job. When God tried Job and took all of his possessions and family away from him, his friends came to visit to tell him just how sinful he must be because he had lost all of his material and most prized possessions.
NT – In the culture of the NT era most considered anyone who had riches to be blessed by God. The rich young ruler – Matthew 19:16-26 – is a good example. When Christ told His disciples that it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, the disciples were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved (?). Why? Because they thought that the rich are blessed of God.
Today – Our culture is no different, especially among many throughout Christianity.
A. Bruce Wilkerson –
1. The Prayer of Jabez, 2000 – the purpose was that Christians might break through to the extravagantly blessed life by following the principles laid down in the prayer of Jabez – cf. 1 Chronicles 4:10.
2. A Life God Rewards: Why Everything You Do Today Matters Forever, 2002 (his next book) –
i. The subject of the book: Jesus is recognized around the world and in every religion as a great teacher. Yet millions of people today, including a majority of His followers, do not seem to have heard what He said about a life God rewards.
ii. The message of this little book: Has the potential to transform what you expect from God and what you will deeply desire to do for Him, starting today.
B. Christianity Today, July 2007 issue – was dedicated to the Health And Wealth In Africa. The magazine’s cover story was: Gospel Riches: Africa’s rapid embrace of prosperity Pentecostalism provokes concern--and hope.
Same old story – Many are being told to send their money and just put their faith in God and He will reward them abundantly with His spiritual gifts and blessings ($$$) due to their faithfulness. However, when the rewards do not come – you have probably already guessed correctly; their faith was not strong enough.
C. TV | Radio Land Ministers- The Prosperity Gospel is found in many circles of Christianity. The American mindset is to prosper. Individuals such as: Rod Parsley, Bennie Hinn, Robert Schuler Sr. and Jr., Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyers, and T.D. Jakes, and many others like them, etc. – all are the supply merchants of this American need as they teach their brand of prosperity gospel – i.e. God will give you health and wealth (riches) by simply being obedient to the promises of His Word and claming them for oneself – thus obligating God to fulfill His promises. It is all there for you to claim if you have enough or the right faith.
NOTE: BUT, are we as Christians to have the same worldview as everyone else? Are we to believe like others that we are to – make as much as you can, as fast as you can, and hold on to it as long as you can. God does bless those who help themselves!
According to the text today: An Emphatic No! – No Way! – Nada! – Absolutely Not! – No!
TEXT
I. Two Masters –
1. No one can serve two masters
A. For either he will hate the one and love the other
B. Or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.
. Master (Gk. kurios) is usually translated as lord and refers to a slave owner.
. Serve (Gk. dulos) A slave owner has total control of the slave. - cf. Matt. 8:5-9; Luke 7:2-8.
2. You cannot serve God and mammon.
. Serve (Gk. same base word – present active infinitive verb) to serve (as a slave).
a. Serving (loyalty) involves focusing: the heart, the eyes, the mind, and one’s every actions.
b. Many have tried to serve both God and wealth (earthly treasures).
c. It is not simply difficult, but absolutely impossible, to serve two masters and fully or faithfully be the obedient slave of each [John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Matthew 1-7, 1985, p. 415].
II. Who Me Worry?
1. Therefore I say to you,
A. Do not worry [be anxious] about your life,
i. Food – What you will eat
ii. Water – What you will drink
B. Do not worry [be anxious] about your body
i. Clothing – What you will put on
2. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
These things [eating, drinking, and clothing] are important. But they are not so important that we must make the taking care of the body an obsession.
Even when we are not starving or thirsty or naked, we still give an inordinate amount of attention to our bodies. We pamper the body, decorate it, exercise it, protect it from disease and pain, build it up, slender it down, drape it with jewelry, keep it warm or keep it cool, train it to work and to play, help it get sleep, and a hundred other things to serve and satisfy our body [John MacArthur, p. 420-421]. All to die at an age when everyone will look in our coffin to just say: Doesn’t he/she look so natural.
NOTE: God is aware of all the things we need to eat, to drink, and to cover ourselves. We need to live in a manner that expresses that we believe that.
EXAMPLES
A. Eating
Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
. Are you not more value than they?
. Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
B. Clothing
So why do you worry about clothing?
. Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
3. Therefore do not worry, saying,
What shall we eat?
What shall we drink?
What shall we wear?
. Do not be anxious!
. Worry is inconsistent with our faith in God. If we can trust Him to save our souls, can we not also trust Him to take care of our needs?
A. For after all these things the Gentiles seek. – Lost man seeks worldly goods | children of God seeks His kingdom.
i. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things – God knows your every need – He will provide.
B. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness – what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and to lose your soul, what will a man give in exchange for his soul? – Matthew 16:26.
i. all these things shall be added to you.
4. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.
Do not be anxious! – cf. James 4:13-17, If the Lord wills we shall live and do this or that.
A. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Each day has its own problems. Do not worry about what the day is going to bring. Remember God is in complete control: Romans 8:28-30 – let us therefore trust Him to take care of us.
CONCLUSION
I began by stating:
A man came walking down a busy sidewalk wearing a sandwich board which read on the front – I AM A FOOL FOR CHRIST! on the other side it read – WHOSE FOOL ARE YOU?
Good question – Whose fool are you?
1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world –
The lust of the flesh
The lust of the eyes
The pride of life
Is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Who or what do you serve today? You cannot serve both God and Money.
INVITIATION
Lost –
If you have never seen your need for Jesus Christ as your savior?
I urge you to recognize that you are a sinner before God and that you must repent of your sinful nature before God looking to the finished work of Jesus Christ for your only hope of eternal life in heavenly places. To fail to do so you will spend eternity separated from God.
Believer/Church –
If you are in Jesus Christ – live in a manner that honors Christ before others.
COME WORSHIP THE LORD
. Our Invitation is open to all:
. Come to Christ
. Come if you need to pray
. Come be a part of us
. Come share with us what the Lord would have you to do
Bruce Allen
Underwood Baptist Church
bea0210@hotmail.com
October 28, 2007
