Sunday, November 3rd, 2019 - AM - Only Two Choices (Mt. 6:19-34)

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

WHO’S YOUR MASTER?

Jesus says we can have only one master. We live in a materialistic society where many people serve money. They spend all their lives collecting and storing it, only to die and leave it behind. Their desire for money and what it can buy far outweighs their commitment to God and spiritual matters. Even Christians spend a great deal of time trying to create heaven on earth. Whatever you store up, you will spend much of your time and energy thinking about. Don’t fall into the materialistic trap, because “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). Does Christ or money occupy more of your thoughts, time, and efforts? Ask yourself, “Have I taken Christ or [mammon] as my master?” [LASB]

Main Thought: Choose you this day whom ye will serve; Who is on the Lord’s side?

Sub-intro:

Context - Having considered the Lord’s Blueprints for a Blessed Life, and how the Disciple Relates to His Community, we continue Jesus’ teachings on how the Disciple relates to God in His Communion, by Almsgiving, by Prayer, and by Fasting, following as Jesus gives His explanations and inferences on how being right from the inside-out leads to unfeigned and faithful service to God, for the furtherance of His Kingdom and will. Let’s consider the following-

Body:

I. Whom Do You Serve? Him or You? (Matt. 6:19-24)

A. Your Passion: Which of Two Treasures? (Mt. 6:19-21)

1. Earthly (Mt. 6:19)

Matthew 6:19 KJV 1900

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

a. Moth & Rust Corrupt

ADEL on Rust

RUST, n . [Sax. rust; D. roest; G. Sw. rost; Dan. rust; W. rhwd; Gr. ερυσιθη; probably from its color, and allied to ruddy, red, as L. rubigo is from rubeo. See Ruddy.]

1. The oxyd of a metal; a substance composed of oxygen combined with a metal, and forming a rough coat on its surface. All metals except gold are liable to rust.

2. Loss of power by inactivity, as metals lose their brightness and smoothness when not used.

3. Any foul matter contracted; as rust on corn or salted meat.

4. Foul extraneous matter; as sacred truths cleared from the rust of human mixtures.

5. A disease in grain, a kind of dust which gathers on the stalks and leaves. Ed. Encyc. [Noah Webster, Noah Webster’s First Edition of An American Dictionary of the English Language. (Anaheim, CA: Foundation for American Christian Education, 2006).]

b. Thieves Steal

Note - “dig through”

2. Heavenly (Mt. 6:20)

Matthew 6:20 KJV 1900

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

a. Incorruptible

b. Un-steal-able

3. The Principle - Heart Determines Treasure (Mt. 6:21)

Matthew 6:21 KJV 1900

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The Jews were very familiar with the phrase treasure in heaven. They identiﬁed such treasure with two things in particular.

(1) They said that the deeds of kindness which people did upon earth became their treasure in heaven.

The Jews had a famous story about a certain King Monobaz of Adiabēne who became a convert to Judaism. ‘Monobaz distributed all his treasures to the poor in the year of famine. His brothers sent to him and said, “Thy fathers gathered treasures, and added to those of their fathers, but thou hast dispersed yours and theirs.” He said to them, “My fathers gathered treasures for below, I have gathered treasures for above; they stored treasures in a place over which the hand of man can rule, but I have stored treasures in a place over which the hand of man cannot rule; my fathers collected treasures which bear no interest, I have gathered treasures which bear interest; my fathers gathered treasures of money, I have gathered treasures in souls; my fathers gathered treasures for others, I have gathered treasures for myself; my fathers gathered treasures in this world, I have gathered treasures for the world to come.” ’

Both Jesus and the Jewish Rabbis were sure that what is selﬁshly hoarded is lost, but that what is generously given away brings treasure in heaven.

That was also the principle of the Christian Church in the days to come. The early Church always lovingly cared for the poor, the sick, the distressed, the helpless and those for whom no one else cared. In the days of the terrible Decian persecution in Rome, the Roman authorities broke into a Christian church. They were out to loot the treasures which they believed the church to possess. The Roman prefect demanded from Laurentius, the deacon: ‘Show me your treasures at once.’ Laurentius pointed at the widows and orphans who were being fed, the sick who were being nursed, the poor whose needs were being supplied. ‘These’, he said, ‘are the treasures of the Church.’

The Church has always believed that ‘what we keep, we lose, and what we spend, we have’.

(2) The Jews always connected the phrase treasure in heaven with character. When Rabbi Yose ben Kisma was asked if he would dwell in a pagan city on condition of receiving very high pay for his services, he replied that he would not dwell anywhere except in a home of the law, ‘for’, he said, ‘in the hour of a man’s departure neither silver, nor gold, nor precious stones accompany him, but only his knowledge of the law, and his good works’. As the grim Spanish proverb has it, ‘There are no pockets in a shroud.’ [William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Third Ed., The New Daily Study Bible (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2001), 278–280.]

B. Your Vision: Which of Two Eyes? (Mt. 6:22-23)

1. The Principle - Eye Determines Light (Mt. 6:22-23a)

a. Good Eye - Plenty of Light (Mt. 6:22)

Matthew 6:22 KJV 1900

The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

Note - “single”

Pure; simple; incorrupt; unbiased; having clear vision of divine truth. Matt. 6. [ADEL]

b. Bad Eye - Full of Darkness (Mt. 6:23a)

Matthew 6:23a KJV 1900

But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Note - Old Proverb: The eye is the window of the soul; rather, how well one can see the purpose and will of God with discernment; e.g. inside-out.

2. The Problem - Darkened Eye Means Great Darkness (Mt. 6:23b)

C. Your Mission: Which of Two Masters - (Mt. 6:24)

Matthew 6:24 KJV 1900

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

1. Two Options

a. Regarding Affection/Love

Hate One, Love Other

b. Regarding Devotion/Loyalty

Devoted to One, Despising the Other

2. The Principle - Cannot Serve God & Mammon

Application: Negatives - Gehazi (2 Ki. 5); Achan (Josh. 7); Positives - Moses (Heb. 11); Paul (Phil. 1:21)

Points to Live By

How can we develop a single-mindedness on heavenly treasures?

Give yourselves first to the Lord

Paul writes to the Corinthian church about giving and commends to them the example of the churches in the region of Macedonia (2 Cor. 8:1). Although they were poor they were nevertheless generous in their giving (v. 2). The main reason for this act was because they “gave themselves first to the Lord” (v. 5). This is the place to start. There must be a surrender of oneself and everything of value to God. Only then will the following practices be possible.

Give money away

Recent statistics have shown that those who earn more money typically give less to their church. It is an illusion to believe that making more money will lead to giving more money. What actually happens is that making more money often leads to hoarding it.

It is also not true that only the rich have problems with materialism. There are those who live for earthly treasures who never gain them. The popularity of the lottery, the gambling casinos, and the millionaire television quiz shows reveal that our population at large wants lots of money without having to earn it or save it.

All the urges to accumulate resources for oneself can be countered by deliberately offering up large portions of these to God. Offerings should reflect trust and gratitude and not angry obligation (2 Cor. 9:7). Giving to the local church, to mission agencies, to relief organizations, or to other charitable causes and effective ministries is an investment in unseen riches. God will supply needs in this life, but He does not reward us as a payback in this life for our giving to Him. He grants us material goods by His gracious mercy. By giving up money to ministry needs, a person holds loosely to the world’s goods. In this way, they can counter falling into the snares of materialism (see 1 John. 2:15–17).

Simplify your lifestyle

Another means of pursuing heavenly treasures is through the simplification of one’s lifestyle. This necessarily means throwing out or selling off material possessions that are not needed. The emphasis here is on the word need. It is good to eliminate “stuff” from one’s life. It is amazing to realize how much can accumulate in the garage, the closet, the attic, or even under the bed! There is a freedom in simplicity. A person may be surprised at how well he can live without half of what he owns.

Learn to be content

The writer of Hebrews encouraged believers to “be content” and to stay free from “the love of money” (Heb. 13:5). The reason is that God Himself would never leave them. If they could not be content with Him they would not be content with anything or anyone. Paul himself had to learn the secret of being content even when he had many material things (Phil. 4:11–13). God had taught him to be content when he had much, as well as when he had little. Each person should ask whether he is truly content with his current financial status. By this, I do not mean that he becomes complacent. Rather, is he able to live without gaining anything more?

Get excited about heavenly treasures

It is easy to get excited about winning thousands of dollars in a contest. It is fun to receive all kinds of material gifts. Yet, how often do believers truly get excited over the prospect of seeing the glory of God? Do the promises about eternal gain drive you to invest time in ministering to another person or in tolerating someone’s antagonistic treatment of you on account of your faith? We are to set our minds on things that are above (Col. 3:1–2). Focusing on heavenly wealth is the best way to emotionally handle earthly wealth. [James Harmeling, “Avoiding the Distraction of Money in Following Christ: A Practical Exposition of Matthew 6:19-24,” Conservative Theological Journal Volume 4 4, no. 13 (2000): 263–265.]

II. Whose Kingdom Will You Advance? His or Yours? (Matt. 6:25-34)

A. Jesus’ Invitation for His Disciples: Don’t Worry About Your Life or Your Body (Mt. 6:25)

Matthew 6:25 KJV 1900

These words reveal that overanxiety is generally due to very normal things in life. One study has suggested that an average person’s anxiety focused on these areas: 40% about things that will never happen, 30% about the past, which can’t be altered; 12% about criticism by others, mostly untrue; 10% about health, which gets worse with stress; 8% about real problems that will be faced (Preaching, November/December 1986, p. 44).

Note - dia touto

“Because of this” (διὰ τοῦτο) refers to vv. 19–24, which commands total allegiance to God. The question that arises is, “How am I to take care of my basic needs if I am always serving God?”3 Jesus’ response is simple—because he is always serving you! [Grant R. Osborne, Matthew, vol. 1, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 249.]

B. Two Illustrations: Birds & Lilies (Mt. 6:26-30)

1. For the Birds - Life & Food (Mt. 6:26-27)

Matthew 6:26–27 KJV 1900

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

a. God Feeds Them (v. 26a)

FOR THE BIRDS

Behold the fowls of the air.... Matthew 6:26.

This morning the wood thrush, putting on an early concert in my backyard, reminded me of how much I owe to my feathered friends who have sung for me through the years free of charge. Since those precious boyhood days in the country long ago, I have been indebted to the birds who have brightened many a day through generation after generation of cardinals, meadowlarks, mockingbirds, vireos, and warblers and many, many more. They have had their troubles, too, and adversity has haunted them as well as me, but they keep singing, not because they have found an answer, but because they have a song. They still sing the same tunes, thank the Lord, and this mad age has added no new beats. God has brought them through and not a sparrow falls without our Father. [Vance Havner, All the Days, Vance Havner Bundle (Baker Publishing Group, 1976).]

b. You’re Worth More; Don’t Worry (vv. 26b-27)

Note - stature - height or time

2. For the Lilies - Body & Raiment (Mt. 6:28-30)

a. They Don’t Labor, Yet Are Beautiful (vv. 28-29)

Matthew 6:28–29 KJV 1900

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

b. God Will Clothe You Too; Don’t Worry (v. 30)

Matthew 6:30 KJV 1900

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Note - Vocative, “O ye of little faith”

C. Two Inferences: For Today & For Tomorrow (Mt. 6:31-34)

1. Don’t Worry About the Needs for Today (Mt. 6:31-33)

Matthew 6:31–33 KJV 1900

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Five times over this phrase occurs in our reading and signifies “Be not overcareful or overanxious.” The late Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones points out that in the original “it is the word used to indicate something which divides, separates or distracts us.” He goes on to say, “If you turn to Luke xii. 29, a corresponding passage to this, you will find that the expression used there is ‘neither be ye of doubtful mind.’ It is a mind which is divided into sections and compartments, which is not functioning as a whole” (Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, vol. 2 [Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1960], p. 110). A Bible expositor once described the picture behind this word. He said it could well be represented by a bulldog terrier tearing a rag doll to shreds. If this is so then it is not difficult to understand the mental distractions and breakdowns that are so alarmingly common today. Like a house that is divided against itself, which cannot stand, the mental structures of our personalities give way and collapse. [Olford, EPO, v. 7]

a. Don’t Be Like the Gentiles; Trust God (vv. 31-32)

b. Seek First God’s Kingdom & Righteousness (v. 33)

2. Don’t Worry About the Troubles of Tomorrow (Mt. 6:34)

Matthew 6:34 KJV 1900

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

The story is told of a man who walked merrily down the street with his head raised high and whistling a happy tune. A friend of his who knew him to be a worrisome fellow stopped him and inquired as to his sudden change in disposition. The man replied that he had just struck a deal with a person who agreed to take on all his cares and concerns. He need not worry anymore because this hired helper would worry for him.

“How much are you paying him?,” his friend inquired.

“Oh, I give him a thousand dollars a week,” the man replied.

“One thousand dollars a week!” The friend was amazed. “Where are you going to come up with that kind of money?” The man replied smugly, “That’s his worry.” [CTJ, v. 7]

Application:

The basic message of the section is obvious—earthly concerns must always be superceded by heavenly priorities. That is the only solution for anxiety. There are four stages: realize you have a heavenly Father who loves you; “casting all your care on him for he careth for you” (1 Pet 5:7); refuse to worry about material needs but leave them with him; put his concerns first in your life and live kingdom priorities. These are all related yet separate issues—a loving Father, a solid trust in him, a deliberate refusal to worry, a life centered on him.

1. God Must Be First in Our Lives

Matthew throughout emphasizes the total commitment demanded by Christ. The shallow believer is rejected as a disciple, for we must leave everything to follow him (4:20–22; 10:37–39; 16:24–25). It is a mistaken assumption to think that God is satisfied with halfhearted commitment. He does not want a “tithe” of our lives; he demands our all! Recall the rich fool of Luke 12:13–21, who was not “rich toward God.” A great example is Phil 1:21; 3:7–11, where Paul values Christ above all things.

2. Our Earthly Needs Placed under His Providential Care

Matthew does not intend a totally passive approach to life. It is trust in the provision of God rather than an absence of working to meet our needs. It is trust in God to guide us and provide for us, not a lazy Christianity, that is in view. The emphasis is on the anxiety that a lack of dependence on God produces. Moreover, this promise that God will give “all these things” to us is no guarantee that hard times will never befall us. Rather, it means that in the hard times God will be guiding our steps and making sure that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Rom 8:28).

3. Anxiety: Not a Sin but a Burden That Can Be Lifted

When John said “Let not your heart be troubled...” (John 14:1), he did not mean a troubled heart was a sin, for Jesus himself had a troubled heart (John 11:33; 12:27; 13:21). Rather, he meant that real trust in God will enable us to overcome such anxiety (14:2). The troubled heart will only become a sin when it is allowed to dominate our lives, so that possessions become our god and constant anxiety is the result. As Paul says, “coveteousness … is idolatry” (Col 3:5; cf. Eph 5:5). [Grant R. Osborne, Matthew, vol. 1, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 254.]

Conclusion:

An anonymous piece of doggerel says:

Worry is a futile thing

It’s something like a rocking chair

It will keep you occupied

But it won’t get you anywhere. [ESO]

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