Seeing the Kingdom in a New Light

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

(Joshua 24:15)

“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.”

(Matt 6:24 )

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

(Matt 6:33)

Movement 1: Biblical Foundation - Serving God Requires a Decision

Joshua, being a type of Jesus, led Israel after Moses. In Joshua 24, we see the prophet not merely leading, but rededicating Israel once again. Israel had taken over the Kingdom.

They had succeed…the Reubenites, Gadites, and Manasseh were able to return to their portion of land prior to entering Canaan

They had fulfilled their duties of fighting for Canaan

The same Joshua that led Israel to pass over the Jordon

Providing an Exodus-like miracle by splitting the waters

Was about to ask a very important question to the congregation -

WHOM SHALL YOU CHOOSE TO SERVE TODAY? GOD OR THE DUMB IDOLS OF YOUR ANCESTORS?

Jumping forward into the days of Jesus - we see a very similar situation!

Recall how I said Joshua was a type of Jesus (aka a historical figure that represented someone to come in the future)

Jesus was about to propose the same concept to the multitude at the Mount

Matthew 6 illustrates the sermon on the mount

Best known for the beatitudes in chapter 5

In essence, Jesus proposes that man cannot serve two masters in 6:24. He will either cleave to one and hate the other or hold on to one and despise the other.

Man cannot serve God and money

Mammon means money or material wealth

IDENTIFY THAT THE PHARISEES ACCUMULATED WEALTH

We must understand that Jesus was addressing certain problems within the religious community of that day. He spoke how the pharisees were fake and phony.

They fasted, but desired to make everyone know they were fasting

They prayed oft, but desired to be seen as pious while really being wretched

Now we get to an important subject: that is, money.

“And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.”

(Lk 16:14 )

Luke identifies that the Pharisees were greed…now keep in mind these were preachers. These were people who made their living off the Temple tax and ministered in the Temple.

Jesus was now saying do you choose to be like the Pharisees who’ve turned to their gods of money or will you choose to seek first the Kingdom.

If you seek first the Kingdom, food, drink, and clothing will be provided.

Movement 2: A Change in Our Thinking

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things…shall be added unto you.

To often we are worried about the material things of this world before the spiritual wellbeing of ourselves and our families.

Jesus proposed that this be paradigm of thinking be reversed

Seek first the Kingdom means putting God before everything else in my life

My career

My money

My family

My Car

My Boat

My extra-curriculars like sports, fishing, ect.

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However, some of you may be asking what is the Kingdom? The Kingdom of God is God’s people, but the reality is if you desire to be a part of that Kingdom its in a building process -

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

(2 Peter 3:9)

It is God’s will that no man or woman miss out on the Kingdom of God - how do we enter into the Kingdom? The question we should ask first is what is the promise?

Acts 2:39 says, “for this promise is unto you and all that are afar off” - however, the promise is the plan of salvation laid out in Acts 2:38.

Quote Acts 2:38.

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” (Heb 12:14)

Repentance

Baptism in Jesus name

Receiving the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues

Live a holy life - it starts first in your heart, demeanor, and attitude toward others. As a result, it will bleed into the outward person as you grow further in your relationship with Christ.

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So what Jesus was saying for today is seek out the promise that will get you into the Kingdom and then seek to bring others in. If you make this the number one priority in your life - the things you need will be added unto you.

Movement 3: The Issue of Money

Money in itself is not an evil thing. I don’t want anyone to walk out of the church today and say Brother Berry said money is evil. In fact, I’ll say this - the church needs you to pay tithes and offerings as this is Biblical!

“The love of money is evil” - Jesus

When we place the desire for money or material things over the Kingdom, we have fallen into one of satan’s deadliest traps.

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

(1 Tim 6:10)

While this sounds unpractical to those who are without it: “you could give me all the money in the world, but if it meant missing out on being filled with Jesus you can keep it!”

Many of us are nodding our heads in agreement today saying things like:

Amen

Hallelujah

I agree!

However, let God challenge you in your finances, giving, or faithfulness and what does the church, which is a method to adding unto God’s Kingdom, become? Your last priority.

It’s easy to agree with a principle, but its hard to practice it

Seeking first the Kingdom requires the abandonment of self and the gain of Christ. It, however, brings about a powerful thing that many of us desire but do not have in full - community.

The community is not like the one you have in your neighborhood, but is a community of people that have abandoned their own fleshly desires to seek first the Kingdom of God.

Movement 4: The Shekel

In antiquity the coin used by those who desired to pay the Temple tax was the coin of Tyre.

Such a coin was used all the way to 70 AD, where it was prevalently used in Jesus’ day. It was the coin used to pay the half shekel required yearly for the Temple Tax.

The abuses done by the Jewish leaders of the day had to many, however, let us first look at what was paid to the Temple.

It should be understood that what is accepted in the church will be accepted amongst the congregation.

The coin of Tyre held the face of Melqart - who was identified with the ancient god of Baal.

We must understand that the god of Baal was introduced by Ahab’s wife, Jezebel.

Interesting enough, Baal’s sacrifices were renknown for the swarms of flies that would overtake the meat.

In a consumerist society it is no mystery that the same spirit controls, demands, and dominates peoples lives today.

The reality is that when we are controlled by money and materialistic things, we have become enslaved to the spirit of Baal. Baal has a very well known name - that is Baal-zebub which means “Lord of the Flies.”

Movement 5: Sight in the New Light

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 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!”

(Matt 6:19-23)

During the times of antiquity it should be noted that the vision was seen much different than today.

Today, we understand that vision is a passive reception of light and interpreted within the brain

During the days of Jesus, however, the eye was thought to produce light.

Such a light would reflect off an object and return to the eye; however, what if Jesus was inferring something more than the physical. Maybe and just maybe He was talking of the spiritual.

“After all, he does say that we are the light of the world if we are his disciples.”

If the heart is wrong, your sight will be wrong. You will not see things as God desires you to see and if your heart be full of darkness - your whole entire body will be under control of darkness.

For an eye to be single - means an eye to be healthy. It means that there be no part of darkness within it.

It means we are seeing as God intended us to see.

Today, God is asking his Church once again - Whom this day shall you serve? God or mammon? God or false idols?

Will you allow your body to become a living sacrifice for Jesus or sacrifice consumed by the flies of Baal?

The choice is yours today

ALTAR CALL:

The promise for those who have not yet received it

A single Heart for those who are saved