The Good News of the Kingdom (Part 4) I. Introduction A. The Good News of the Kingdom 1. The kingdom of God is the dynamic reign of God, brought about through the presence of the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is God s rule, of God s people, in God s place. The kingdom is present wherever the Father is the ultimate reality, the Son is the true King, and the Spirit is regenerating. 2. Five questions we will ask the sermon a) What is the nature of a true kingdom citizen? b) What is the kingdom citizens relationship to the Law of God? c) How does the kingdom citizen relate to God? d) What and whom does the kingdom citizen trust? e) How does one become a kingdom citizen? B. So Far 1. Redefined Blessing (Matthew 5:1-17 Beatitudes) 2. Redefined True Righteousness (5:18-48) a) Given righteousness, not an earned righteousness. Operates from the inside out, not the outside in. 3. Redefined Sincere Devotion (6:1-18)w a) Addresses acts of devotion such as giving, fasting, prayer. God is not against effort, but He is opposed to earning. So how does the kingdom citizen relate to God? Answer: the kingdom citizen relates to God in authenticity for the sake of His glory not in hypocrisy for selfish gain. II. What and whom does the kingdom citizen treasure and trust? A. What do we treasure? (Redefines Success) (6:19-24) 1. Worldly possessions/materialism can create a false sense of security. All to often we are tempted to place our trust in temporary possessions. We pursue material things to give us security, personal worth, power, independence, and pleasure. John Stott tells us that succumbing to materialism tethers our hearts to this earth. Jesus address the importance we place on having and acquiring worldly possessions. Therefore his words, speak to both the well-off 1
and those with less. He challenges the value we place on temporary possessions at a fundamental level. 2. Materialism Enslaves the Heart Intuition (vs. 19-21) a) Do not lay up= no hoarding (hoarding is an attitude and lifestyle which says nothing is ever enough and in order to have real security I must supply it myself its not that I have to have everything, I just have to have everything I see. (1) The accumulation of wealth for its own sake is deceptive, because one can find in material treasure a false sense of security or an inaccurate assessment of one s spirituality. 1 (2) It is not simply that material possessions are intrinsically evil, we all work, we all buy stuff to live. What Jesus is objecting to is the worldlymindedness, he is objecting to to a life which focusing on material possession to the neglect of all else. b) In reality all of these things are subject to destruction: moths, rust, thieves. The way the treasure is lost, is of unimportant. The issue is at is misplaced value on a particular thing. c) Rather as kingdom citizens we are to store up treasure in heaven. Kingdom citizens are called to live life in light of eternity. Jesus is saying that his followers must have a right sense of values and not see earthly success, however that be understood, as the aim of all labor. 2 d) The place we chose to put our treasure tells us something about ourselves. Our hearts follow our investments. Too often we believe that where my heart goes, that where my investment goes whatever I feel goo about or what makes me feel good, that s where I ll invest. Jesus says place your treasure where it truly matters, and your heart will follow. We say all the time, I want my heart to be there, the question I have for you 1 Michael Wilkins, Matthew, The Niv Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2004), 293. 2 Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992), 152. 2
is are you investing there, placing your time, resources, or money there. Many of us here this morning have come to the belief that this life is not all there is, yet all to often we live our lives as if this life is the only thing that matters. 3. Materialism Enslaves the Mind Cognition (vs. 22-23) a) Your mind has windows, your eyes when the eye focuses on something of value, it becomes the conduit that fills the heart with what has been focused upon. If the eye is good, it is the conduit that allows the heart to be filled with the light of God s treasure. 3 4. Materialism Enslaves the Will Volition (vs. 24) a) Mamon=God of Money the word serve is Greek word douleuo, and is used to indicate the work of a slave, not an employee. You may be able to work for two employees, but you cannot be a slave to two masters. b) If you are a slave to Mammon, you cannot moonlight for God, when push comes to shove you will do what Mammon tells you to do. You can be enslaved to God, and make a living, but again when push comes to shove your loyalties will be shown Rick Booye. c) The Scriptures depict loyalty to one s master as very extreme. The text uses the language of love and hate. As the great musician Bob Dylan said, You ve got to serve somebody. B. Who do we trust? (Redefines security) (6:25-34) 1. A World of Worry a) To worry is to be full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune. b) There are 16 different medications doctors often prescribe to deal with anxiety or worry. (1) Anxieties point to priorities like a compass points north. Rick Booye 2. Jesus instruction is to not be anxious 3. Because of the following reasons 3 Wilkins, 295. 3
a) Life is more important than physical needs. (1) It is not that our physical needs don t matter, it is that they are less important. b) Worrying is worse than what we worry about. (1) D.A. Carson All the worry in the world produces little in the way of achievement. (2) Worry is like a rocking chair; it will give you something to do, but it won t get you anywhere. c) God s providence is better than the planning we do. d) God s kingdom is greater than our other priorities. III. Closing Thoughts (What and whom does the kingdom citizen treasure and trust? A. A kingdom citizen is one whose heart is loyal to kingdom values. 1. God s kingdom demands exclusive loyalty. The world is always trying to shape our love. The world has a liturgy which shapes our love. (Recommend Your Are What You Love, by James K. Smith). Jesus does not prohibit things, but the love of things. The things we treasure [love] actually govern our lives. What we value tugs at our minds and emotions; it consumes our time with planning, day-dreaming, and effort to achieve we think about our treasures, we are drawn toward our treasures, we fret about our treasures, we measure other things (and other people) by our treasures. 4 2. Love God and use stuff, don t use God and love stuff (He s not a vending machine or a genie). We tend to move toward the object we fix our gaze on. 5 Following Jesus means that we are allowing him to shape what, whom, and how we love. B. A kingdom citizen is one who places an uncompromising trust in the Father. 1. The Father cares for us. 4 D.A. Carson, Jesus Sermon on the Mount: And His Confrontation with the World (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1987), 83. 5 Ibid. 4
a) 1 Peter 5:6-7, Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. b) Hebrews 13:5, Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. 5