Tday we reach the last f Jesus fur examples f hw we shuld practice ur righteusness befre men Jesus gave us these examples t expse the hypcrisy f the Pharisees and t encurage us t live differently His first example was giving t the pr, and Jesus said dn t give t be nticed by thers but instead give in secret His secnd example was praying, and Jesus said dn t pray using repetitius mantra, but instead engage in meaning cnversatin with Gd Because when we give t be nticed r pray using meaningless repetitin, we re hypcrites because we pretend t be serving Gd when in reality we re serving ur wn interests And last week we lked at Jesus third example f fasting Jesus said that when we fast, if we exaggerate ur suffering s that thers witness ur self-denial and admire us fr it, then we re being hypcrites again That kind f hypcritical piety will gain us n reward apart frm thse earthly admirers, Jesus says Instead, Jesus cmmanded us t fast in secret, s that nly ur Father in Heaven may knw f ur sacrifice and reward us Last week we als lked at Jesus instructins n frgiveness He said cnfess ur sin t the Father seeking His frgiveness, He will be faithful and just t frgive us in an earthly, tempral sense He is prepared t spare us frm sme r all f the earthly cnsequences f ur mistakes And He may withhld His discipline frm us as well Furthermre, He will frgive us in this way t the degree we are willing t frgive thers arund us As I taught n this principle last week, I quted frm a passage in the Gspel f Luke 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
2! f! 15 And in this well-knwn passage, Jesus says that that Gd s willingness t extend us frgiveness is verflwing Luke 6:36 Be merciful, just as yur Father is merciful. Luke 6:37 D nt judge, and yu will nt be judged; and d nt cndemn, and yu will nt be cndemned; pardn, and yu will be pardned. Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given t yu. They will pur int yur lap a gd measure pressed dwn, shaken tgether, and running ver. Fr by yur standard f measure it will be measured t yu in return. Jesus says dn t judge thers (that is, dn t hld thers sins against them) pardn them fr their mistakes And if we are willing t pardn thers, then the Father will be willing t pardn us fr ur mistakes here and nw In fact, Jesus says in v.38 that they will pur it int yur lap until it is running ver, s t speak The it in that statement refers t the pardning Jesus mentined in v.37 S the Lrd prmises t deliver us frgiveness and recnciliatin with ur adversaries if we wuld frgive them He uses ur standard f frgiveness in prviding pardn t us fr the earthly, tempral cnsequences f ur sins When I mentined this passage, I als cmmented that there are vices in the church tday deceiving believers cncerning the true meaning f this passage A gd number f pastrs and teachers claim that in this passage the it Jesus was talking abut was mney They claim Jesus was prmising that if we give mney, Gd will respnd by giving us an abundance f wealth But as we ve seen, Jesus wasn t talking abut mney at all S in rder t cme t their cnclusin, these false teachers must ignre the riginal cntext f Jesus wrds They pluck these verses ut f the cntext f Luke 6 s we wn t ntice that Jesus riginal tpic was frgiveness, nt mney 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
3! f! 15 And if we dn t return t the cntext and check fr urselves, we get fled Sme teachers have taught this errr simply because they t have been fled r are nt skilled at dividing the wrd rightly themselves But thers prpagate this lie because they are false teachers preccupied with btaining mney fr themselves S they willingly manipulate Scripture t make themselves and their churches wealthy As Paul warned wuld happen 1Tim. 6:9 But thse wh want t get rich fall int temptatin and a snare and many flish and harmful desires which plunge men int ruin and destructin. 1Tim. 6:10 Fr the lve f mney is a rt f all srts f evil, and sme by lnging fr it have wandered away frm the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. This leads us directly int Jesus final example in this chapter f living ut righteusness: wealth (r we might say the accumulatin f treasure) Nw perhaps yu ve never cnsidered that the way yu accumulate treasure is a spiritual issue similar t praying r fasting But this is a central teaching in the New Testament In fact, there is n tpic mre frequently mentined in all the New Testament than the subject f accumulating treasure Yu might be surprised t knw that the Bible encurages believers t seek after treasure BUT, f curse, what Bible means when it tells us t stre up treasure is vastly different than what the wrld means And it s als very different than what we hear in certain crners tday, as men preach that Gd wants t makes us rich That s far frm the truth it s just evidence f hw the church has adpted Pharisaic thinking rather than biblical thinking S let s lk at what Jesus actually says abut accumulating wealth 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
4! f! 15 Matt. 6:19 D nt stre up fr yurselves treasures n earth, where mth and rust destry, and where thieves break in and steal. Matt. 6:20 But stre up fr yurselves treasures in heaven, where neither mth nr rust destrys, and where thieves d nt break in r steal; Matt. 6:21 fr where yur treasure is, there yur heart will be als. Matt. 6:22 The eye is the lamp f the bdy; s then if yur eye is clear, yur whle bdy will be full f light. Matt. 6:23 But if yur eye is bad, yur whle bdy will be full f darkness. If then the light that is in yu is darkness, hw great is the darkness! Like his previus examples, Jesus says there is a hypcritical way t accumulate treasure and a gdly way In this example, Jesus says the hypcritical manner is t stre up treasure n earth Instead He says we shuld stre up treasure in heaven And His reasning is bvius enugh Things n earth dn t last smehw, sner r later, anything we accumulate here will be taken frm us Either smething will destry it (like mth r rust) Or smene else will deny us use f it by stealing it r breaking it Or at the very least, when we die we leave it t smene else But regardless f the cause, sner r later we will be withut it But ur treasure in heaven is prtected frm such harm Neither mth nr rust nr thieves can destry a treasure reserved fr us in heaven N ne can steal it, and it wn t break r run ut f batteries It s ut f reach f earthly dangers And it s waiting fr us in a future, perfect wrld Which leads us t the secnd majr advantage f heaven treasure it s urs frever 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
5! f! 15 Unlike earthly treasure, we wn t leave ur heavenly treasure behind when we die We get t keep it, t enjy it int eternity Nw at this pint it wuld be helpful t clarify what Jesus means when He describes ur treasure in heaven starting with the cncert f heaven itself First, the Bible says that the spirits f thse wh put their trust in Jesus will be welcmed int the heavenly realm after ur bdy dies Paul says in 2Cr 5:8 that t be absent the bdy (meaning t have died) is t be at hme with the Lrd (meaning in His presence) In ther wrds, when we die, ur spirit is ushered int the presence f the Lrd, Wh is seated at the right hand f the Father in Gd s heavenly thrne rm That will be heaven fr us but nly fr a shrt time, because Gd s thrne rm is nt ur permanent heavenly hme Gd created human beings t live in a physical bdy, n a physical earth, and s that s where we eventually return again In 1Crinthians 15 Paul tells us that believers will ne day be resurrected int a new glrified, physical bdy intended fr life n a physical earth Revelatin 19 tells us all believers return t this earth with Jesus Christ at His Secnd Cming t live and reign in His kingdm When that happens, heaven mves with Jesus frm Gd s thrne rm t the Kingdm n earth In a sense, we can say heaven is wherever Jesus is That s why Jesus tld the thief n the crss that tday yu will shall be with Me in Paradise The thief wuld be in paradise (heaven) because he was ging where Jesus was ging When we cme int the Kingdm with Jesus, the Bible says the wrld will be a unimaginably better place than the ne we knw nw It will be a wrld f peace and jy, withut war r cnflict, Isaiah says 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
6! f! 15 Revelatin says ur new physical bdy will never suffer pain r illness r death We will finally enjy the wrld in the way Adam enjyed the Garden But this kingdm is a real place with real life Every mrning we rise t spend ur day wrking, playing, eating, wrshipping, and generally enjy all that Gd has made fr us Which means we will need a place t live, a hme and prvisin in that wrld The Bible calls the prvisin we receive in that cming Kingdm ur heavenly reward Thrughut this chapter Jesus has made mentin f reward (a ttal f seven times) He s said repeatedly that we ught nt seek fr ur reward here and nw but rather wait fr ur Father in heaven t reward us That reward is ur future alltment in the Kingdm Paul says that ur alltment in the Kingdm will be awarded t us by Christ at a mment called the Judgment seat f Christ 2Cr. 5:8 we are f gd curage, I say, and prefer rather t be absent frm the bdy and t be at hme with the Lrd. 2Cr. 5:9 Therefre we als have as ur ambitin, whether at hme r absent, t be pleasing t Him. 2Cr. 5:10 Fr we must all appear befre the judgment seat f Christ, s that each ne may be recmpensed fr his deeds in the bdy, accrding t what he has dne, whether gd r bad. Paul says every Christian wuld rather be absent the bdy and at hme with the Lrd in Heaven than t remain here a day lnger But since we knw we will ne day be called hme t be with the Lrd, we must have as ur ambitin nw pleasing Christ We must seek t please Christ because we knw we must face Him sner r later fr a judgment When we die, we will be held t accunt by Christ fr hw hw we served Him 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
7! f! 15 Paul calls that mment the judgment seat f Christ, and in that judgment each ne f us will be recmpensed r paid by Christ fr the deeds we did in this bdy, whether gd r bad This judgment desn t cnsider ur sin at all, and it desn t invlve punishment either Our sin debt was cancelled n the crss and Jesus bre all ur punishment Rather this judgment is an examinatin f ur deeds dne in this bdy in service t Christ S the questin Jesus asks in at that judgment is what deeds did we d in service t Christ? Did we spend ut time serving urselves r serving Him? Fr example, did we give t pr s that we culd receive praise frm ur friends, r did we give t serve Gd s interests? Did we pray just t hear ur wn vice r t impress thers, r did we engage in a meaningful cnversatin with ur Father? Did we fast t be admired by thers r t discipline ur flesh s we might becme a mre bedient disciple f Jesus? And nw the questin fr tnight, d we stre up ur treasure here where it burns up in the end, r d we live with eyes fr eternity waiting fr ur reward in the Kingdm? String up earthly treasure means being hypcrites Because it s hypcritical t claim we re lking frward t the kingdm yet live as if this wrld is all that matters t us That s what the Pharisees did they pretended t live austere lives, frsaking the wrld fr the prmise f the Kingdm And yet they secretly lved mney, the Bible says, and schemed t becme rich by abusing their psitins It s the same thing we see happening tday with prsperity preachers They claim t be helping yu receive great riches frm Gd And then they tell yu t send yur mney t them s that Gd may reward yu 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
8! f! 15 Nw I ask yu wh gets rich in that kind f scheme? And what des that tell yu abut their true heart? In v.21jesus says that kind hypcrisy is easy t spt just fllw the mney He says that we can knw a persn s heart by nting where they stre up their treasure Because where yur treasure is, there yur heart is als And what d we ntice abut the false prsperity preachers? They dress in $5,000 suits, wear $25,000 watches, live in millin dllar hmes and fly arund the wrld in $50M private jets That s their treasure s where is their heart? Jesus says we shuld be wise and see them fr wh they truly are And in v.22 Jesus uses a metaphr t make His pint He says the eye is the lamp f the bdy, s if the eye is clear, then the bdy is full f light Cnversely, if the eye is bad, the whle bdy is full f darkness This is where I get ne f my favrite sayings, living with eyes fr eternity, because essentially that s what Jesus is saying here Yur eye, which is t say yur fcus in life, dictates where yur bdy ges, that is where yur life will lead yu If yu are fcused n the right things, n eternal things, then yur entire life will be full f light reflecting the glry f Gd Yu will direct yur life in ways that maximize yur eternal reward, nt yur earthly gain Every decisin yu make, every pririty in yur life will turn what pleases Christ the mst But if yur eye is dark, if yur fcus is n this wrld and what it ffers, yur life will be full f darkness Yu squander yur time and energy pursuing passing things Over time we becme weighed dwn by varius impulses, lusts, distractins and wasted pursuits 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
9! f! 15 Jesus asks if the light in yu is darkness, hw great is that darkness! He s saying that if the brn again child f Gd, the ne wh has cme t knw the glry f Christ If the ne Gd appinted t be light t this dying wrld chses t seek after the darkness f the wrld, hw great is that darkness! Hw great is their shame, hw great is their lss, hw great is that tragedy! They f all peple shuld knw better Our salvatin is never at risk, which is why we re suppsed t fcus ur attentin n prtecting ur testimny And the gdly disciple f Christ prtects their testimny by recgnizing there is an pprtunity cst fr pursuing the wrng things The Lrd gives us nly s much time t live n this earth And we have nly s much energy, nly s many resurces When it s spent, it s gne Furthermre, the gdly disciple recgnizes that his r her place in the Kingdm is riding n hw they spend the time Gd has given them S they seek t spend it wisely, living with eyes fr eternity They rganize the pursuits f their life t maximize their eternal reward, nt their earthly treasure Of curse, we still have t earn a living, we still need mney, we still save t save fr retirement And we still have t buy what we need including huses and cars and the like But the gdly disciple isn t fcused n accumulating these things In fact, he r she will readily set these things aside, if Christ requires, s they might serve Him better Paul expresses it this way 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
10! f! 15 1Tim. 6:17 Instruct thse wh are rich in this present wrld nt t be cnceited r t fix their hpe n the uncertainty f riches, but n Gd, wh richly supplies us with all things t enjy. 1Tim. 6:18 Instruct them t d gd, t be rich in gd wrks, t be generus and ready t share, 1Tim. 6:19 string up fr themselves the treasure f a gd fundatin fr the future, s that they may take hld f that which is life indeed. Ntice Paul didn t tell Timthy that the rich shuld give their wealth away r even that it s a sin t be rich But what des Paul say? That thse wh are rich must nt place their hpe, their cnfidence fr the future, in their earthly riches If yu pssess wealth t any degree, dn t let yur wealth interfere with string up true riches in the Kingdm Paul says be rich in gd wrks, sharing yur earthly wealth generusly s as t ensure a strng fundatin in the Kingdm In the end ur chice is between serving tw master: Christ r wealth The Greek wrd fr wealth is the wrd mammn, which literally means prperty But the rt wrd means the thing we place ur cnfidence in S in the matter f wealth, where have yu placed yur trust fr yur future security? Are yu trusting in the wealth f this wrld t prvide yu with security? If s, what happens after yu die? What will be yur security then? Or are yu living with eyes fr eternity, placing yur trust in the reward Gd may grant yu in the Kingdm? In v.24 Jesus says these tw are like tw slave wners, and yu can nly serve ne S yu must chse it s literally impssible t trust in bth But sme f us sure try t find a way t have bth, dn t we? We say we lk frward t the kingdm and that we want t please Christ and receive a gd reward 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
11! f 15! But yet we still set ur eyes, ur fcus, n btaining that shiny bject that distracts us frm serving Christ In that mment yu re trading ne master fr the ther, and Jesus says dn t d it it s a bad trade Nw perhaps at this pint yu re feeling a little cnvictin ver this issue f wealth (hey, jin the club) Perhaps the Spirit is speaking t yur heart asking yu t make sme changes in yur life Maybe He s telling yu t wrk fewer hurs s yu can spend mre time ministering t yur family r in the church bdy Maybe He s telling yu it s time t get ut f debt, t stp spending beynd yur means s that yu wn t be enslaved by these things Maybe that means selling a car yu can t affrd r a huse yu can t affrd, a ending hbby that cnsumes t much time Whatever yu re cnsidering, as yu cntemplate these things, the enemy is ging t be at wrk t stp this prcess He knws hw imprtant yur bedience is, and he s determined t prevent it S he may whisper t yu that if yu cut back yur hurs at wrk, the bss might be upset r yu may lse yur psitin Or if yu liquidate yur savings t pay ff thse lans, what happens t yur safety net? Of if yu sell yur expensive huse t live within a budget, hw will yur kids get int the right schl district? And what will yur friends think when yu drp ut f the cuntry club r what will yur kids think when yu have t cut back n the number f activities in the family life? Jesus knew these cncerns might leads us t hesitate t bey, s He ends the chapter reassuring us that yur Father in heaven has yur back 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
12! f! 15 Matt. 6:25 Fr this reasn I say t yu, d nt be wrried abut yur life, as t what yu will eat r what yu will drink; nr fr yur bdy, as t what yu will put n. Is nt life mre than fd, and the bdy mre than clthing? Matt. 6:26 Lk at the birds f the air, that they d nt sw, nr reap nr gather int barns, and yet yur heavenly Father feeds them. Are yu nt wrth much mre than they? Matt. 6:27 And wh f yu by being wrried can add a single hur t his life? Matt. 6:28 And why are yu wrried abut clthing? Observe hw the lilies f the field grw; they d nt til nr d they spin, Matt. 6:29 yet I say t yu that nt even Slmn in all his glry clthed himself like ne f these. Matt. 6:30 But if Gd s clthes the grass f the field, which is alive tday and tmrrw is thrwn int the furnace, will He nt much mre clthe yu? Yu f little faith! Matt. 6:31 D nt wrry then, saying, What will we eat? r What will we drink? r What will we wear fr clthing? Matt. 6:32 Fr the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; fr yur heavenly Father knws that yu need all these things. Matt. 6:33 But seek first His kingdm and His righteusness, and all these things will be added t yu. Matt. 6:34 S d nt wrry abut tmrrw; fr tmrrw will care fr itself. Each day has enugh truble f its wn. This is a lnger passage, but the central thught is simple yet prfund Jesus cmmands us nt t give in t ur fears and wrries as we transitin t pursuing His agenda in ur ur life If yu set yur mind n serving Christ and beying Him, then yu need nt wrry abut nt having enugh fd r clthes r a hme Yu can bey cnfident that yur Father, wh knws yu needs these things, will prvide them in the curse f yur wrk Nw He may nt prvide them t the same extent yu might prefer in yur flesh Yur address might nt be as fancy, yur car nt as new, yur clthes as fashinable But they will d the jb, and as Jesus says, life is mre than fd and the bdy is fr mre than simply shwing ff clthes 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
13! f! 15 In ther wrds, we dn t want t mistake f thinking that the purpse f ur life is fund in the accumulatin f these things Luke 12:15 Then He said t them, Beware, and be n yur guard against every frm f greed; fr nt even when ne has an abundance des his life cnsist f his pssessins. Wrry ver what we need in this life is the enemy s greatest weapn in keeping us frm living with eyes fr eternity The irny is that even when yu were wrking s hard t btain all these things, it was still the Lrd prviding fr yu in the end In ther wrds, yur security was never fund in a jb r a savings accunt r retirement fund Thse thing are merely the appearance f security Gd has always been yur prvider And He can remve them frm yu just as surely as He gave them t yu (just as Jb) And therefre, the key is remembering hw much the Father in Heaven lves and prtects His children as they bey Him And t prve His pint, Jesus reminds us f hw effrtless the wrld arund us finds what it needs day after day The Father ensures that birds find fd and that even the flwers are dressed in beauty And yet these things cunt far less t Gd than yu d S what d we cnclude abut Gd? Will Gd prvide less fr His mst imprtant creatin than He is willing t d fr the trivial things f Creatin? Yu knw the answer t that questin, yet at times we still live as if we dn t get it and Jesus says that s living with little faith It s perating ut f an assumptin if we dn t d all we can t secure ur future nw, we may find destitute in the future That s a lack f faith in Gd, because it suggests we dubt His gdness and His faithfulness t prvide Jesus says this is anther example f living like unbelievers 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
14! f! 15 In v.32 He says the Gentiles (meaning unbelievers) live with these wrries, asking what will we eat r what will we drink, etc. And that makes sense, f curse, because unbelievers dn t have a relatinship with the Father S naturally they have n reasn t trust in His prvisin, therefre they fcus their life n btaining what the wrld ffers But when a believer spends his r her time wrrying abut future security, we ruin the days yu have nw We re needlessly distracted by future cncerns, which get in the way f serving Christ tday It s the pprtunity cst thing again s ask yurself this: What pprtunities fr future eternal reward are being frfeited as yu spend time pursuing things that will burn up in the end? That s why Jesus says fcus n tday keep yur eyes fixed n serving Christ tday, and dn t get distracted by the what-if s f tmrrw I want t leave yu tnight fcused n what Jesus says in v.33 Seek first His Kingdm and His righteusness and these ther things will be added t yu This is yur Christian pririty fr life First, seek fr Jesus Kingdm That means seeking t serve the interests f the Kingdm, which is recruiting new citizens thrugh evangelism Putting yur eternal reward ahead f anything this wrld ffers And secndly, seek His righteusness That means prving yurself wrthy f Christ s trust by demnstrating as much gdliness as pssible Pursue sanctificatin s that yu might be placed in a higher psitin f hnr in Christ s kingdm gvernment 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
15! f! 15 Nw bth thse gals take a lt f time and fcus, and if yu pursue them earnestly, yu wn t have as much time t spend n building up yur balance sheet Yu prbably wn t have as much mney r live in the best zip cde r even have a great retirement savings But Jesus says if yu are fcused n serving the Lrd in this way, He has yur back The things yu didn t pursue will be added t yu Ntice the wrk add there It s imprtant because it tells us tw things First, it reminds us that these things are given t us by Gd He adds them we dn t btain them r earn them whatever we pssess in this life is smething Gd assigns t us S that even when we dn t wrk fr them, Gd may still prvide them And secndly, and mre imprtantly, these pssessins Gd knws we need will be added t ur kingdm fcus and ur pursuit f righteusness S that we will have bth eternal reward and the necessities f life nw We will be given bth a prvisin nw and a greater reward in the Kingdm These things will be added On the ther hand, the ppsite is als true if we pursue the treasure f this wrld at the expense f serving Christ, we will ultimately have neither We will lse what we gained here because in the end we leave it all behind ne way r anther And when we stand befre Christ, ur reward in the Kingdm may be diminished Which ne des the wise Christian seek? D nt seek yur fr reward here wait fr the Father s reward in Heaven 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.