The Father Knows
Notes
Transcript
Doxology:
This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart, that I might not sin against God. Amen!
Good morning, church! I want to welcome all of our visitors today, those here in person as well as those tuning in online. We are so glad that you chose to worship with us today!
Scripture Reference: Matthew 6:19-34
Context
Context
This text that is before us today is a very interesting text…It is a very powerful text. On the surface, it would seem as if the entirety of this section should be broken down into four separate and distinct categories.
Verses 19-21 deal with laying up treasures.
Verses 22-23 deal with the eye as the lamp of the body.
Verse 24 speaks about not being able to serve two different masters.
Verses 25-34 deal with worrying about things that we don’t have the power to change.
Again, on the surface, it would seem as if these four different sections are separate and distinct from one another. And to be fair, we could preach an entire sermon, or maybe even a series of sermons, on each one of these topics. Each are equally important and each are significant to the Christian life.
With that being said, when these four seemingly distinct topics are viewed as one, they amplify one another’s meaning and teach us a great deal about trusting in God.
The Father knows how much we struggle in this life. The Father knows how difficult it is for us to be surrounded by sin each and every day while attempting to put our best foot forward. The Father knows our limitations and our weaknesses. He is not oblivious to these things.
And because He knows this, He spends a little time here explaining the schemes of Satan, and the importance of keeping our hearts turned towards Heaven.
That is what we are going to spend a few moments talking about today: The Father Knows!
Content
Content
Our Pursuit
Our Pursuit
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
This section of Jesus’s teaching begins with the pursuit. The phrase “lay up” means “to store; to save”.
The storing and saving is meant for ourselves, “lay up for yourselves”. This desire to store up is driven by who we are, for the things in which we store is for us.
Those things in which we store are considered “treasures”. This means that to us at least, they are highly valuable items. We are not going to store up things that mean nothing to us, but rather those things that mean a great deal to us. We consider them to be treasures, things of great importance.
We store these treasures because we feel that we may need them at some point in the future. That is the very context of the phrase, “lay up for yourselves”.
We all pursue something, and our pursuit is determined by what we value. Therefore, the text defines our treasure as that which we spend so much time and effort accumulating in this life.
I point out all of these facts, because we as humans have become really good a spinning a tale. In fact, we have become so good at lying, that we even lie to ourselves in such a way that we will believe it. Let me show you what I mean:
Jesus here plainly tells us that to store up earthly treasures is to store up things of significantly lesser value than that of heavenly treasures. He actually goes as far as to say, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth … But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
Now if I were to ask you today, “What is the treasure of your heart?” Many of us would say that we treasure the heavenly things. Our religiousness would almost demand that we say that.
But if I were to then ask you, “How much time and effort do you spend accumulating heavenly treasures vs accumulating earthly treasures?”, what would you then say … if you were being honest?
See the text does not allow for the separation of our “laying up”, which is the time and effort spent seeking out this treasure, and the “treasure” itself. As I previously pointed out, the text actually defines the treasure as that which you have spent time and effort “laying up”.
To say it plainly, we cannot say that we value spiritual things the most when we spend the majority of our time seeking worldly things. According to Jesus, this is a contradiction. This is a lie.
He sums it up by saying this in Matthew 6.21
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus does not leave this issue up for debate. He closes the door, locks it, and throws away the key. If you spend the majority of your time and effort accumulating treasure on earth, then your heart is set on the world. If you spend the majority of your time and effort accumulating treasures in heaven, then your heart is set on eternity. You can’t have a heart set on heaven while your hands are working for the world. The two are inseparable.
Jesus goes on to say in these verses why it is so important to choose where you will lay up your treasures wisely:
If you lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, they will be destroyed, they will decay, or they will be stolen. You will waste your entire life laying up these treasures just to be empty handed when its all said and done. The treasures of this earth can not stand the test of time. It is pointless to value such weak, exhaustible things.
If you lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, they will be safe from decay, from destruction, and from theft. These treasures can stand the test of time. These treasures will be guarded from on high. These treasures should be highly valued because these are the treasures that God highly values.
What is it that you pursue?
In this next section, Jesus explains that our pursuit is heavily determined by our perception.
Our Perception
Our Perception
22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
A lamp is an illuminating object. It is something that puts off light. The eye, is the only means a person has to perceive, or receive light. Light is always a reference to good and darkness is always a reference to evil.
The word here used for good, “If … your eye is good”, can be literally rendered “clear or single”. In the KJV, it reads this way:
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
The idea that is put forth here is that if the eye is undivided, or single, it will be focused on only one thing. If the eye is unobstructed, or clear, then it will receive the fullness of the light.
We must remember the context from verses 19-21 here. Jesus was speaking about the condition of the heart. He said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The eye here represents the heart.
Remember that Jesus taught in parabolic language. He would use physical illustrations to teach spiritual lessons. The eye can perceive physical light, but obviously Jesus is teaching a spiritual lesson here. It is our hearts that perceive the spiritual light of God.
So Jesus is continuing the thought from the previous verses by saying that a single heart, one that is not divided between the flesh and the spirit, will be solely focused on the light of God. One that has a heart that is divided, or unclear, will not be focused on the light of God and therefore the whole heart will be focused on the worldly things of this life.
See, we can’t be focused on God and the world at the same time because these two things do not mix. There is nothing worldly about God and there is nothing Godly about the world.
Jesus is trying to warn His hearers that to focus on the worldly things of this life will pull their hearts away from Him. The focus of the heart tells the true story of the condition of the heart. If the heart is set on worldly things, then it is not set on God, and the if the heart is set on God, then it will not be focused on worldly things.
The condition of our heart will determine our perception of things. If your heart is set on worldly things, then you will perceive things from a worldly perspective. If your heart is set on Heavenly things, then you will perceive things from a Godly perspective.
But it is imperative that you choose one or the other, because your heart cannot be fully focused on God and the world at the same time. Furthermore, Jesus teaches us here that whatever has our heart is really the master of our lives:
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.
Jesus says, “It can not be done. You cannot serve me and you. You cannot serve me and money. You cannot serve me and the world. You can’t. It can not be done. You have to pick.”
Who is your master? If Jesus is your master, than your heart will be set on things above and if the things of this world is your master, then your heart will be set on things below. But your heart cannot serve both. You can only serve one. Not only is this the case because we are simply incapable of doing both, but more importantly, because Jesus is unwilling to share His throne.
To become a child of God is to also become a slave of God. That is the terminology being used here. A master is someone who is in charge of other individuals. Jesus is painting the picture that we are all slaves of something. You can either be a slave unto this world or a slave unto Christ, but your heart cannot be owned by two different masters.
In essence, it is if Jesus is saying to us:
“I am the Almighty God of Creation. I am absolutely Holy, undefiled, and perfect in every way. I am above and beyond the things of this world, but because of my love for you I came to die in your place on Calvary’s cross so that you might be saved and sealed by the Holy Spirit. It is because of what I accomplished at Calvary that you can have joy and peace in this life, as well as a hope in a future where there is no more sin, no more pain, no more suffering, no more crying, and no more death.
I know the struggles you face. You desire to be fully devoted to my Father in heaven, but the cares of this world continuously push against you. The world wants nothing but to separate you from me. It wants to distract you and keep your heart focused on anything but me. It wants to force you into living a double life, a life that is torn between the things of eternity and the things of this world. But you cannot keep this up forever… you are incapable of doing so. Naturally, you will grow to love one and despise the other. You can’t love both. The world will leave you broken, empty, and alone, but I will love you forever!”
So with that, Jesus then continues His teaching by explaining what life looks like in Him. It is our promise:
Our Promise
Our Promise
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 of 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.
Jesus tells us that there are two treasures, two hearts, and two masters. But there is only one promise, and it is for those who choose Jesus.
When Jesus is my master, I don’t have to worry about food or clothing. He makes it very clear that those essential elements for life are provided for even the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, and that I am worth so much more to Him than they are. “Are you not of more value than they?”, He said.
In other words, these tendencies to lose focus of God so that we might worry about the things of this life are nothing more than schemes of Satan to separate us from the love of our lives. These worries that creep into our minds are built on nothing but lies. God’s promise is that we will always be clothed and fed. If God has promised that unto us as His children, then we have no reason to doubt it. He has never lied to us before. He has never broken another promise before.
Furthermore, He adds another layer to this teaching: “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” In other words, is life not much more than just food and clothes? Of Course it is. When our heart is focused solely upon Jesus, we understand fully that this life is but a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow. This life, and the physical things of it, should not be the focus of our heart when eternity lasts forever. That should be the real focus of our heart, eternity, Heaven.
When our hearts are set on heavenly things, worldly things such as these seem to lose their importance. He just finished speaking on fasting right before this teaching, which is a time we set aside food and water so that we might draw near to Him. See in our hearts, we know that God will take care of us with the needs of this life, but then we allow these things, through certain circumstances in life, to draw our hearts away from Him. Jesus is exposing these things for what they are. They are acts of Satan performed against us for the sole purpose of drawing our hearts away from Him. Don’t get lost in them. Stay grounded in the promises of God.
25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his seed begging bread.
God takes care of his own. He will supply the needs of this life so that you may stay focused on Him. You might not have the biggest and best, but you will have what you need. So cast your cares upon Him and trust that He’s got this.
He then goes on and adds another level to this teaching: “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” In other words, why are you worrying about things that you have absolutely no control over. If it is outside of your power to change, then why do you worry about it. This type of worrying is pointless. It changes nothing, except that it draws your heart away from Him.
We are told by Paul:
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Jesus says, “When you have need of something, pray. And when you pray, trust that God will meet your needs.” In other words, you should not be praying and worrying at the same time. These things don’t go together. If you are going to pray about it, then quit worrying about it. You have spoken to the master of the universe. This master loves you unconditionally and has promised to take care of the needs of your life. So when you pray, trust that God will do what He has promised to do and move on.
Jesus sums it up like this:
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
When we decide that God is going to have our whole heart, when our heart is single, clear, and undivided, this means that we are seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. When we do that, God says that He will take care of the rest. Isn’t that a wonderful promise to hold onto?
He may not always work things out the way we want Him to, but He will always work them out in a way that brings glory to His name and blessing to us, even if we fail to see it.
Praise God for His amazing Grace and how He takes care of us!!!
Commitment
Commitment
As we come to a close, I want us to hone in one phrase in vs. 32:
32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
“Your Heavenly Father knows”. He knows. He knows your struggles. He knows the weight that you bear. He knows your weaknesses. He knows what you need.
The Father knows everything about you, but He has promised to care for the needs of your life.
Will you trust Him?
