Early 20th Century- medical missionary to China- Dr. Claude Barlow. There was- strange disease- no remedy for- killing many people. He treated hundreds of cases- took voluminous notes from his observations. After watching so many die- took his notes/vial w/germs from the disease- returned to US. Upon arriving he ingested- vial of germs/went immediately to John Hopkins Hospital where he had studied for- medical degree. He became very ill and submitted himself to the professors to study the affects of the disease. Eventually- discovered a cure- Dr. Barlow’s life was saved. Upon getting well he returned to China/saved many lives with the cure for the disease. (Told by Dana Chau)
SOTM-Mtt6-Jesus-saying-3 things-can do w/our life-
waste it
spend it
invest it
we can waste it living for the moment,
spend on activities that make us happy,
invest it helping people/building KofG
Dr. Bartow chose- help people/build God’s Kingdom.
How will we use our lives? (from Brian Moon)
Introduction
Walking- verse by verse- through the SOTM.
Completed- Mtt 6:1-18- now look at 2nd half.
First half- talked about giving, praying, and fasting-
secret life before God/personal history w/Lord
V19- looks beyond our private life- to our public life-
money, possessions, food, drink, clothing, etc.
Some would couch it in terms of the …
inward spiritual life vs. outward secular life.
However, one of the greatest hindrances to spiritual growth is separating the spiritual from the secular.
For a Christian they are one- every activity is spiritual
V19-21
The issue here is the durability of our treasure …
Treasures on earth- corruptible- insecure.
Treasures in heaven- incorruptible- secure.
What is Jesus actually forbidding a believer to do?
He is not saying it is wrong to …
have possessions,
save for the future,
enjoy the good things God has given to us.
What Jesus is forbidding is …
selfish accumulation of possessions,
extravagant living,
insensitivity to the needs of the poor,
seeing our life as the total of our possessions,
Lk 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." NASU
He is not talking against being wise and providing for our future, but warning against being covetous.
Job 1:21 He said, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord ." NASU
How about the current economic crisis?
For some-
lost thousands $ in investments
others lost their retirement
many too poor to have anything to lose, rising costs making life very difficult
Regardless of our situation, where have we put our trust- where is our treasure- is it secure/insecure?
What treasures can we accumulate-
1Co 13:13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. NLT
We can invest in …
faith, hope, and love.
Christ-like character,
practicing a lifestyle of forgiveness,
raising our children to know the Lord,
sharing the Gospel w/others,
using our resources to build God’s Kingdom
Our life should be lived so it has eternal consequences
V 22-23
Contrast- between- blind person/person who can see.
Person w/sight walks in light, blind person- darkness.
The eye can be viewed as synonymous w/heart of man
Psa 119:10 With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. NASU
What are we fixing our eyes- setting our heart on?
If our desire is to serve/honor/glorify God, then our lives will be filled with His light in every area.
If our desire is to serve our natural man- desires of the flesh- then our lives will be filled w/materialism.
V24
The choice between God and wealth, is the choice between the Creator and something He has created.
Think of - in terms of a slave vs. a slave-owner …
a slave cannot be owned by two owners.
We are called to be bond-servants of Christ.
Who is our owner?
We can only call God our owner, if we serve Him with our whole heart, mind, soul, strength.
Isa 42:8 "I am the Lord , that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images. NASU (Isa 48:11)
To serve God with other loyalties in this life, is to practice idolatry.
V25
Death was walking toward a city one morning and a man asked, "What are you going to do?" "I’m going to take 100 people," Death replied. "That’s horrible!" the man said. "That’s the way it is," Death said. "That’s what I do."
The man hurried to warn everyone he could about Death’s plan. As evening fell, he met Death again. "You told me you were going to take 100 people," the man said. "Why did 1,000 die?" "I kept my word," Death responded. "I only took 100 people. Worry took the others." (Pastor Tony Britt)
Consider how many advertisements cause us to focus our attention towards our bodies-
deodorants to make it smell good,
underwear to make it look shapely,
beer to make it feel good.
If we focus more on taking care of our natural life than we should- will produce anxiety, worry.
However, once we have made our choice between …
earthly treasures and heavenly treasures,
light and darkness,
God and wealth,
… only then we can avoid worry/anxiety.
V26-29
God is not forbidding thought or forethought.
He is not saying we should not care for ourselves or plan for our future.
Even birds make provision for the future …
build nests for their young,
migrate to warmer climates,
some birds store food.
Jesus is not forbidding thought or forethought, but He is forbidding anxious thought.
Said the robin to the sparrow:
I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.
Said the sparrow to the robin:
Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no heavenly Father,
Such as cares for you and me.
V30-32
Food, drink, clothing is what the unbeliever (Gentile) is focused on and concerned with.
It is not what the Christian is to be concerned with.
To focus on material comfort-false preoccupation-it is
unproductive- produces worry/anxiety,
unnecessary- God already knows our needs.
V33
Our primary concern- not to be w/our security (food, drink, clothing), rather w/God’s rule/righteousness.
God’s Kingdom exists only where Jesus Christ is consciously acknowledged as Lord.
To seek first His Kingdom is to …
allow Him to rule in every area of our lives-
home, marriage, family, finances.
desire others to come under His rule/know God,
God’s righteousness is larger than His Kingdom.
God desires righteousness in every area of human community, not just in the Christian world.
To seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness is to embrace our evangelistic/social responsibilities.
V34
Every tomorrow has two handles; we can take hold by the handle of anxiety or by the handle of faith. Unknown
Worry is incompatible with the Christian faith.
It means we do not believe God can take care of the practical details of everyday life.
Worry is being upset in the present for some event which may happen in the future.
Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. Unknown
People worry that they will …
fail a test, not find a job,
not get married, lose their health.
These fears- often nothing more than lies.
To allow them to occupy our attention and absorb our energy- not compatible w/faith/confidence in God.
Some conclusions from these verses …
1. Believers are not exempt from working
Faith does not mean we are exempt from working.
Even the birds work to collect their own food.
He does not stretch out His hand w/food, but provides through nature the means for them to find food.
2 Thes 3:10 … if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. NASU
The fact that we must earn our income should not lessen our faith in God as our provider.
Also, our faith in God should not limit using whatever means God provides to accomplish His purposes.
2. Believers are not exempt from helping others
Most hunger in the world is not a lack of supply on God’s part, but inadequate distribution by man.
God has provided ample resources, however men hoard/waste/withhold resources from others.
Jesus calls us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked.
3. Believers are not exempt from experiencing trouble
We are commanded not to be anxious, but it does not promise we shall be immune from problems.
Mtt 10:29 "Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. NASU
His promise was not that they would not fall, but that they would not fall w/o His knowing/allowing it.
Our freedom from anxiety is not due to a guarantee we will not have problems, but due to our
confidence in God’s divine oversight and care.
As believers we are not guaranteed freedom from work, responsibility, or trouble, but from worry.
Conclusion
God wants us to learn how to be spiritual people and trust Him regardless of what life throws our way.
Too often we exalt common-sense above spiritual sense because it does not make sense to the natural sense. Gary Stebbins
We must develop an eternal perspective on life.
Phil 3:8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, NASU
To counter- tendency to worry- must realize- there is nothing God will forget/not notice about our lives.
Our purpose as disciples is to glorify God.
Personal desires are not wrong, as long as they come secondary to our desires for God/His Kingdom.
Even then, our desires should not be an end unto themselves, but for the greater purposes of
advancing God’s Kingdom here on earth.
