Untitled Sermon

Matthew 6:19-34

Should we wear masks? Should we close restaurant, bars, gyms, schools, churches and other gathering places? Which vaccine is best? Why can’t I or my family member get a vaccine? Are we being told the truth about COVID-19? Are public health and government officials trying to gain control over us? Why do people think Bill Gates inserted a microchip into the vaccines? How afraid should we be?

Before you dismiss these words by assuming that the first audience lived in a much simpler day and time with very little to concern themselves with consider the following:

- Infant mortality (i.e. the # of children born who died before reaching puberty) was at about 30% (30 children out of 100 would die before they reached puberty) (https://faculty.biu.ac.il/~barilm/articles/to_check/infant.html)

-most of those to whom Jesus spoke were living in what we would call extreme poverty – meaning that in today’s scale they lived on less than $1.90 per day (http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0259-94222016000400046; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_poverty)

- the Romans were a cruel and relentless overlord – taxation was extreme, enslavement of children and even adults was commonplace;

- The Jewish ruling class by and large despised people living in places outside of Jerusalem (see John 1:46)

. Remember as well that Jesus has already declared that “… unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20, HCSB).

the key to understanding Jesus in this passage is summarized in vs 22: ““The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.” (Matthew 6:22, HCSB)

The Greek word translated ‘good’ in the HCSB is unfortunate. According to one authority, “the word-group is most used to express such positive values as “free from inner discord,” “innocent,” “upright,” “pure.””[1]

[1] Bauernfeind, O. (1964–). ἀπλοῦς, ἀπλότης. G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 1, p. 386). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Read vs 22 now this way: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is ‘free from inner discord’ your whole body will be full of light.” Some would suggest the word ‘single-minded’ as an alternative.

…God’s own ‘kingdom,’ or ‘rule,’ is the range of his effective will, where what he wants done is done. The person of God himself and the action of his will are the organizing principles of his kingdom…”[1]

[1] Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering our Hidden Life in God (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1998), 25.

Jesus assumed, rightly, that His listeners were hungry for the kingdom of God, that those listening to His words that day – and this day – were seriously seeking to live in the kingdom of God.

They were looking for stable supply of food, families that were healthy, and peace – life without fear of Roman intervention. Looking for the land of milk and honey God had promised their ancestors they expected Jesus to open the gates of heaven and bring God’s kingdom in their midst.

A). Single-Minded = nurturing kingdom allegiance (vs 19-24)

One writer offers this helpful sentence:

As the lamp is an image for the eye, so the eye in turn is an image for the human capacity to absorb from what is available externally.[1]

[1] Nolland, J. (2005). The Gospel of Matthew: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 301). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.

The US is not the same as the kingdom of God. In fact, an allegiance to the kingdom of God – His presence, His will being done on earth as it is in heaven – may require us to let go any allegiance to a system of government – including the one under which we live.

Nik Ripken shares an illustration:

After he arrived in a desert area separating two central Asian countries “he expected to be met by a European doctor. Imagine my surprise…I was ‘accosted’ by five men dressed in conservative Muslim clothing…I felt certain I had walked into a trap…Just before I entered the small terminal building, one of the men whispered to me, “We are followers of Jesus.” The men led me to small hotel room. After serving tea and exchanging pleasantries, they said to me, “We know how to be Muslims in a Muslim country….What we do not know is how to be followers of Jesus in a Muslim country…[God] has sent you teach us …how to follow Jesus in a place like pours that seems to be controlled by evil.[1]

[1] Nik Ripken, The Insanity of Obediene: Walking With Jesus In Tough Places (Nashville, TN.: B&H Publishing Group, 2014), xxvi – xxvii.

A single-minded heart, an eye which is ‘healthy’ or free from inner discord, is one that sees only God’s kingdom, His goals, His will, His power, His presence. Is that what fills our eyes? Is that what fills our vision?

B). Single-minded = experiencing kingdom provision ( vs 25-32)

Don’t Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin

According to a new public opinion poll released today by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), 62% of Americans feel more anxious than they did at this time last year. That marks a sizable increase over APA polls of the past three years, in which the number has ranged between 32% and 39%.

When asked what made them extremely or somewhat anxious, Americans said the top issues were: keeping themselves and their family safe (80%), COVID-19 (75%), their health (73%), gun violence (73%)….[1]

[1] https://www.psychiatry.org/newsroom/news-releases/anxiety-poll-2020, accessed on 3/5/21.

1). Since God’s kingdom is where He reigns and rules, those who are entering into the kingdom can trust God to provide all that they need.

The army of Pharaoh appeared to have God’s people trapped. They began to panic. God’s instructions: “But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation He will provide for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet.”” (Exodus 14:13–14, HCSB).

2). Living in God’s kingdom requires a change of values. The very person of Jesus was a threat to the ways Jewish leaders understood their world.

Rather the kingdom of God is a multi-ethnic, multi-national, multi-language experience not just in heaven but now – in this world.

c). Single-Minded = a kingdom focus (vs 33-34)

““The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!”” (Mark 1:15, HCSB)

The kingdom is here and now as well as future. We are being called by Jesus to live in the kingdom of God now – not just in some future realm.

. It seems with every passing day I have more questions and fewer and fewer answers. The more I learn about the world in which we live, the less I understand. For many this leads to uncertainty – which often exhibits itself as fear and anxiety.

The presence and power of God’s kingdom means that we can live and experience God’s kingdom– even in the midst of serious evil.

We can live and experience God’s kingdom even in the midst of uncertainty and confusion.

We can live and experience God’s kingdom even when the future seems impossible to bear.

We can live and experience God’s kingdom BECAUSE JESUS LIVES!

Because of His unshakeable trust in God, and His unwavering understanding of kingdom living – in His past, in His present, and in His future – He lives in unchallenged confidence. And because He lives so do we…

Trusting in Him as Savior and Lord

-not just in word, but letting go the worry and anxiety that threaten to overwhelm

-by spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer – reminding ourselves that what God has done in the past He is doing in the here and now!

- going about our daily lives with the full assurance that He is in control…that the future is His and we can and will experience His presence and the power of His kingdom.