The Sermon On The Mount
Adult Class-Spring 2004
Lesson 8
As Jesus continues to teach the assembled crowds how to live in the kingdom of God, He focuses on proper actions. First, we looked at religious actions motivated by the kingdom heart: right giving, right prayer and right fasting. But there is far more to living in the kingdom of God than our religious service. In fact, those whose interaction with God is found only in religious service can hardly be considered part of God's kingdom!
But that brings up the subject of the kind of life we ought to lead. What will a life in the kingdom of God look like to the outsider? How can we hope to order our lives correctly so that we will continue to follow the Lord?
Matthew 6:19-24-Choose your master and serve Him
The subject of money was dear to Jesus' heart. There is more teaching in the New Testament on stewardship than there is on baptism or the Lord's Supper. Money was important to Him because we've made it important to us. One of the most difficult areas of life to balance is the need for security in this life and the need for security in the next life. Whether we have more money than we need or not, we must never fall into the trap of serving the cause of "more." Some of the most common failings in this are:
One reason this is so disappointing is that there is no permanent security on earth. Wealth can be lost through theft, spoilage or natural circumstances. The actual investments of our time, effort and energy must be focused on the riches that are ours in Christ Jesus.
No matter what we might say when asked, what we devote our effort to shows what we treasure in life. We may be able to give all the right answers to questions, but what we do shows the real desires of the heart. Since the reformation of the heart is the absolute interest of the kingdom of God, our treasure must be in heaven.
The person who treasures the things of the kingdom of God sees everything in its right perspective. Material goods are fine, but not important. Character development is crucial and not a nice option. We see things as they really are and our hearts are full of the light. On the other hand, if we fail to develop in the kingdom, we see things wrongly and we are filled with darkness. If we really think we're living the good life while locked in darkness, we're utterly lost.
It all boils down to choosing the direction of our lives. We can't serve the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world. We only have one lifetime, so we must decide how to use it. We must choose our Master and serve Him (Romans 6:16). One of the hardest lessons of modern life is to learn that we can't have it all, that all options aren't ours, and that to say "Yes" to one choice is to say "No" to another. The choice must be to follow God or not. It can't be both.
Matthew 6:25-34-Then everything falls into place
Those who devote themselves to chasing money will inevitably worry over it. The command "do not worry" can only be obeyed by those in the kingdom of God, who have turned over their security to Him. Both "anxious" and "worry" have the idea of being choked or strangled. And those who trust to this world will find that they are in conflict over it, with all the joy and light of life choked out of them. Life in the kingdom of God is to be lived now, not just somewhere in the distant, resurrection day. There is far, far more to life than our material goods.
Jesus points to nature to teach some pointed lessons. The birds do what they're supposed to do and everything turns out fine for them. He doesn't mean to say that the birds are lazy-they work hard all day every day for the food and water they get. But they don't worry about their food and water. They accept what comes from the hand of God in response to their effort. The point is clear: if we work hard and do what we're supposed to do, we'll enjoy what we accept from the hand of God without being consumed by worry. God considers us more valuable than birds, so His promise is sure. No amount of worrying by us will change any significant issue of life.
Again, Jesus points to nature as He discusses the futility of worry. The lilies of the field are more glorious than the most spectacular finery of mankind. But we are far more valuable than the wild grasses, so if God takes care of them, He will certainly take care of us! Worry is a crisis of faith in God. Those who trust Him will work hard and plan carefully, but they also sleep deeply because they know success or failure is ultimately in the hand of the Lord and He will do what is best.
So, there is no point to any citizen of the kingdom of God spending time worrying and dithering just like pagans who know nothing about God and His provision for us. He knows what we need and He has supplied our needs in the past. Our responsibility is merely to be what we are supposed to be, just like the birds, and do what we're supposed to do, like the lilies, and everything will work out fine. When we make the kingdom of God the focus of our time, energy, effort and commitment, all the other time demands of life will fall into their proper places.
Jesus ends this section with an outstanding piece of practical advice for the daily grind: deal with today's problems today and wait until tomorrow to deal with tomorrow's problems. One day at a time is all we have from God. If we were to try to deal with all life's troubles at once, we would be crushed. All we can do is submit ourselves to God and work with the day He's given us. And there's never any need to worry about that.
Discussion Questions: