Serve God, Not Wealth (How to Build Your Life on the Rock, Part 4)
How to Build Your Life on the Rock: Sermon on the Mount Series • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Intro
Intro
Series - How to Buld Your Life on the Rock
Part 4 - Serve God, Not Wealth
Text - Matthew 6.22-25
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then, if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing?
33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.
Main Idea
Main Idea
Life was not designed to be alone on our own. God designed life to serve Him and His purpose.
Unfortunately, it is not easy when you have so many attractions and concerns that you encounter everyday.
Jesus knew this. In this part of His sermon, Jesus addressed this thing and gave us valuable lessons so that we can serve God completely.
Have a healthy outlook in life.
Devote yourself to only one master
Stop worying about your needs and start prioritizing the kingdom of God
Lesson no 1 - Have a healthy outlook in life
Lesson no 1 - Have a healthy outlook in life
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then, if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
“good eye” and “bad eye” - are idioms or expressions signifying either “generosity” or “miserliness”.
grk. haplous - generosity, singlness or undivided - Romans 12.8
8 or the one who exhorts, in the work of exhortation; the one who gives, with generosity; the one who is in leadership, with diligence; the one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
(bad) evil eye = miser; stingy with money Proverbs 23.6
6 Do not eat the bread of a miser, Nor desire his delicacies;
7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.
a miser is stingy because he wants to be rich
22 A person with an evil eye hurries after wealth And does not know that poverty will come upon him.
the eye is a metaphor for outlook, perpective
to have a good eye is to have a good or right perspective in life
to have an evil eye is to have a wrong perspective in life
a right perspective gives light to one’s life
and a wrong perspective darkens life
What was Jesus saying here?
Have a healthy perspective in life concerning money and material things!
Have a healthy perspective in life concerning money and material things!
Examples
1.) Give more than you receive - “it is more blessed to give than to receive” - Acts 20.35
35 In everything I showed you that by working hard in this way you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
2.) Make your giving an investment in heaven - Matthew 6.20
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
3.) Make your giving an act of service to God - Matthew 6.3-4
3 But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
4.) Do not let material things hinder your commitment to follow the Lord - Matthew 19.21-24
21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.
23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
Note - even the poor may find it hard to follow Christ!
Lesson no 2 - Devote yourself to only one master
Lesson no 2 - Devote yourself to only one master
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
serve - grk. doulos, servanthood; a servant who is a slave
A slave is basically a property of his master.
Slaves become attached to their masters.
depending on how he/she is treated, the slave may come to love or hate his/her master
Slave service requires physicall presence before a master - hence it is impossible to be present before two masters at the same time
a slave follows his master around
a slave makes himself ready anytime the master calls
What was Jesus telling us here?
Devote your life to the service of one Master - God!
Devote your life to the service of one Master - God!
Joshua’s instruction and example - Joshua 24.14-15
14 “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and do away with the gods which your fathers served beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
15 But if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, which were beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Solomon’s advice to his people - 1 Kings 8.61
61 Your hearts therefore shall be wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”
Being devoted to God means -
you will refuse to be attracted to serve another master
you will not use your time for God for other purposes or masters
you will fulfill your duties for the good or glory of your master
Lesson no 3 - Stop worrying about your needs and start prioritizing the kingdom of God
Lesson no 3 - Stop worrying about your needs and start prioritizing the kingdom of God
25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing?
therefore - means, “because of what is mentioned above…”
“do not be worried…” - implies action, something one must do
stop worrying; cease from worrying about your needs
when we worry about something, we focus our attention and actions towards that thing
the statement is not complete until you arrive at verse 33 - Matt 6.33
33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.
What was Jesus saying here?
Stop worrying about your needs and start prioritizing the kingdom of God and His righteousness!
Stop worrying about your needs and start prioritizing the kingdom of God and His righteousness!
When we pursue earthly things, we make ourselves servants/slaves of those things!
Paul laid out this principle in Romans 6.16
16 Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
worry becomes priority
We cannot prioritize the kingdom of God when we worry about our needs.
in the kingdom of God, human needs are not a primary concern they are already provided - as in the garden of Eden!
Jesus came to reset our priorities!
When we prioritize God’s kingdom first, we openly declare that God is our Master!
we refuse to be mastered by earthly needs!
When we prioritize God’s kingdom first, we intentionally devote our life to the things of God!
Examples
Abraham learned to prioritize God’s purpose over his needs
whenever he moved based on his needs, he fumbled!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Choose to Serve God…
Choose to Serve God…
Elijah advised Israel on mount Carmel - 1 Kings 18.21
21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to struggle with the two choices? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him so much as a word.
The truth is - there is only One True God and He rules supreme over all His creation!
When we choose to serve God, we putting our life on the side of right and true!
Choose to Serve God and your house will be established!
Choose to Serve God and your house will be established!
When you prioritize the kingdom of God, you build your life on the Rock!
Song - I’d rather have Jesus
