“From God and For God”
Matthew 6:24-34
A robin said to a sparrow, “I really don’t know why it is these human beings rush about and worry so much.”
The sparrow to the robin, “I think it must be that they don’t loving God, such as cares for you and me.”
I think sometimes we live as if we don’t have a loving God that cares for us and whom we can trust.
It cuts right to the heart of why so many of us waste so much time worrying, getting stressed out and being miserable.
Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters…
… you cannot serve both God and money.”
The word translated as “money” here is the Aramaic word: Mammon.
When capitalized Mammon kind of sounds like the name of a pagan god.
And while there was no religion in Jesus’ day that formally worshiped a god named “Mammon,” people in every age worship at Mammon’s altar.
Today we might call it affluence or success or promotion or prosperity or the good life.
Many of us use it as a guide or direction for our lives—the goal even.
But Jesus says we can’t be guided by both God and Mammon.
We can’t be disciples of both Jesus and money.
Think about it:
Jesus calls us to walk by faith, Mammon calls us to walk by sight.
Jesus calls us to be humble and Mammon calls us to be proud.
Jesus calls us to set our minds on things above and Mammon on things below.
Jesus beckons us to his light and freedom, Mammon leads us into fear and darkness.
Jesus encourages us to look toward things unseen and eternal and Mammon encourages us to look at things seen and temporary.
Jesus calls us to be generous; Mammon calls us to be greedy.
In verse 21 of Matthew Chapter 6 Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Worry or anxiety as it has to do with material things, with money, with Mammon is what Jesus is really getting at this morning.
The problem is not so much in having Mammon than it is in serving it—giving our heart to it—letting it rule our lives—making it our top priority—letting it stand between us and God.
The Psalmist writes in Psalm 62:10: “If riches increase, do not set your heart on them.”
Wealth can tempt us to selfishness, but it is possible and vitally important to use wealth unselfishly.
God expects those of us who follow God to help the hungry and the homeless. and this does require some financial resources.
Toward the end of Matthew’s Gospel Jesus will warn that, on Judgement Day, God will count as his sheep those who have taken care of the needy and will count as goats those who have not done so when given the opportunity.
While this might seem overwhelming in its scope, Jesus calls us to trust God and not to worry.
And there can be no doubt that worry as it has to do with money is a soul cancer that strikes at the rich, the poor and those in the middle.
A person close to me is worth $250,000,000.
By the world’s standards she has hit the target.
She has won the game!
She can now be content and live a worry-free life.
She told me this summer that the number one thing she worries about most is MONEY!
I guess she’s afraid of losing it?
I don’t know, I didn’t ask.
“Therefore, I tell you,” Jesus says in our Gospel lesson for this morning, “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.”
This may cause us to balk and say: “That is impossible!”
And there is no doubt that worrying is a normal part of our human experience.
But left unchecked, it can get the better of us.
I find that I worry most when I am focusing on the things of this world rather than on God.
When I am focused on God, and service to others my faith is strong and I worry less.
What exactly is worry?
Worry means to give way to anxiety or unease; to allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.
It is distress caused by something we might possibly experience in the future.
The object of our worry can be anything from a presentation we have to give in 30 minutes to developing a serious illness 20 years from now.
Mark Twain wrote: “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them have never happened.”
Have you known a great deal of troubles that never happened?
Excess worry can cause our minds and bodies to go into overdrive as we focus on “what might go wrong.”
It’s difficult to think of others or to serve and love God when we are caught up in the cycle of worry—especially if that worrying has to do with Mammon, wealth, stuff.
And of course, death will sooner or later take it all away no matter what.
A lawyer, who had spent his life accumulating vast amounts of wealth through frivolous lawsuits, was on his deathbed.
He told his wife, “When I die, I am going to take my money with me.”
“How in the world are you going to do that?” asked his wife.
“I have a plan,” replied the lawyer.
“I want you to grab two of the biggest pillowcases you can find, and go down to the bank.
Have them open my account and stuff those pillowcases full with my cash.
Then I want you to go up into the attic and hang those pillowcases to the ceiling.
When I die, I’ll grab them on the way up!”
The man’s wife did what he asked.
Some time after the man had passed away, his wife went up to the attic to clean up a few things.
While in the attic, she saw that those two pillowcases—filled with cash—were still hanging from the ceiling, just as she had left them.
“Snap!” the woman said, “I knew I should have put that money in the basement!”
In the early days of the New Testament Church, we are told the believers took care of one another.
Acts 2:45 says “They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”
What a way to live—with complete trust in God and love for one another.
Can we seek to replicate this?
It’s been said that our Gospel lesson for this morning is one of the most countercultural sermons Jesus ever preached.
Think about it: when the warning is against worrying and is yoked with the idea that the accumulation of money is not the highest goal, we are going against the grain of the way the world teaches us to live and think.
“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.”
These words of Jesus, when taken to heart, offer us freedom and release from that which holds us captive.
They are both an invitation to live in a new way and a criticism about how we live.
“You cannot serve both God and money.”
Clair and I have a monthly budget, and right off the top, at least 10% of what we make goes back to the church.
If we don’t have money to buy extras later in the month, we don’t change what we give to the church—we wait until the next pay period to save or go without.
It is one of the many ways to keep oneself from serving money rather than God.
And take a look at any reputable financial planning or money management curriculum.
Giving money away is almost always at or near the top of the list.
It’s been said that the greatest danger to Western Christianity is not, as it is sometimes alleged, other prevailing ideologies, but rather the all-pervasive materialism of our affluent culture.
“You cannot serve both God and money.”
Whom or what do you love most?
Whom or what do you worry about?
Who or what is your master?
These are important questions for us to ask ourselves as we seek to follow Jesus…
November 23rd is Stewardship Sunday.
It is the day we decide what percent of our income we will return to God.
What will we give to the church in the coming year.
It’s when we make financial commitment to the church and thus God.
In his letter to the Philippians Paul writes: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want.
I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.”
I don’t think it is possible to put a price tag on the secret to contentment Paul found.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism wrote: “Before you entertain any other thought or worry, let it be your concern that our Lord Jesus Christ rules in your heart…
… Let God have complete dominion over you. Permit God to reign without a rival. Allow God to possess all your heart, and rule alone.
Let God be your one desire, your joy, and your love.”
Jesus says to you; Jesus says to me: “You cannot serve both God and money.
Therefore, I tell you not to worry…”
Will you pray with me?
Lord God, we want to experience contentment.
We want to trust you as much as the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields.
Help us to indeed, seek first the Kingdom of God and your righteousness…
…may we not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
And may we worship and serve you, not Mammon
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
