Week 15 Our Obedience Matthew 6:19-33

Week 15 Our Obedience Matthew 6:19-33

WEEK 15 - HOOK Our Obedience Matthew 6:19-33 HOOK NOTES Q: What in Schindler s example strikes you most profoundly? Q: How might we strive to serve in a like manner through our own material, vocational, and spiritual gifts? Q: How might our understanding of gifts need to change in order for us to think and act in such a generous manner? Q: Is gambling a sin? Why or why not? Use scripture to back up your claim. MAIN IDEA: We are created to be stewards of all that God has given us. Our stewardship demonstrates our inclusion and participation in God s advancing Kingdom. Stewardship involves using our material resources, vocational abilities, and spiritual gifts for the service of the Lord and His church. HOOK (Choose One) Illustration: In the 1993 film Schindler s List, a successful German business man, moved by compassion and the horror of the violence he observed around him, bends all his talents and resources to serve God s Kingdom purposes. We see in him the themes of love of neighbor, care for the oppressed, generosity to the poor and sanctity of life among many others. Schindler is a stunning display of what it means to steward one s material resources and gifts (i.e. money), as well as to serve with one s vocational abilities (business) and gifts (compassion, justice, acts of service). Discuss as a class the needs you see in the DFW community around you. Note what Prestonwood programs are currently ministering to those needs. Have each person pray out loud for these ministries that they might be bold and effective. Current Event: On March 13 of this year, the Catholic Church received their new Pope, Francis I. Natalie Diblasio of USA Today notes, It s not just the future of the Catholic Church riding on the selection of the next pope. More than 20,000 people have bet hundreds of thousands of dollars on the papal change and international bookmakers expect that dollar figure to rise into the millions. Diblasio refers to various betting styles offered including brackets called the Sweet Sistine and a website, Paddy Power, which offered 33-1 betting odds on Francis I. The Catholic Church condemned betting on the next pope and even in America s gambling capital, Las Vegas, it is illegal to bet on the pope s selection. Diblasio interviewed James Martin, a Jesuit priest in New York and editor at America, the national Catholic magazine about the recent papalwagering. He notes, There is a long history of betting on the pope unofficial betting has probably been going on since as long as there were conclaves. I check Paddy Power every day just to see who is up and who is down. But the Holy Spirit is not checking Paddy Power and it is up to the Holy Spirit not the odds on Paddy Power. 1 Discuss as a class your thoughts on the recent papal-wagering. Ask, Does gambling and betting have any place within the Christian life? Note that many churches including the Catholic Church who condemn gambling often host Bingo nights and raffles. Discuss as a class whether you think gambling is a sin. Ask, How else can we use our money for selfish reasons instead of God s? In what ways do believers often fail to steward the resources God has given them? 1 Natalie DiBlasio, Wagering on a new pope? You bet!, http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/02/27/pope-betting-gambling-benedict/1950903/ 2

WEEK 15 - BOOK Our Obedience Matthew 6:19-33 BOOK NOTES MAIN IDEA: We are created to be stewards of all that God has given us. Our stewardship demonstrates our inclusion and participation in God s advancing Kingdom. Stewardship involves using our material resources, vocational abilities, and spiritual gifts for the service of the Lord and His church. Background: Matthew 6 falls in the middle of the Jesus sermon on what life in God s Kingdom now looks like for His people. Our Obedience comes as we learn to be stewards of all that God has provided us. We demonstrate that we are a part of God s Kingdom in how we use our resources, our vocational abilities, and our spiritual gifts. If we use them to seek our own gain or comfort, then we show that we serve something other than God. Likewise if we use them to serve the Lord s purpose, to be a people who build one another up in Christ (Eph. 4:12-16) and are God s ambassadors to the world (2 Cor. 5:19-20), we demonstrate our inclusion and participation in God s Kingdom. Key to the Passage: How we view and use money is an indicator of if we are men and women who are stewards or slaves. Money is used to bring wealth, security, comfort, and power by those enslaved to it. For those who are stewards money is seen simply as a tool for service to God. Discuss how we demonstrate whether we are slaves to what God has given us or stewards of them. Note for most of us, the litmus test to determine our stewardship can be found in how we view, seek after, and spend money. What is true of money is true for the rest of our material resources, vocational abilities, and spiritual gifts: if we seek after them for what benefit (wealth, security, comfort, power) we receive from them we show ourselves to be slaves to the gifts God has given us rather than stewards of them. Exegesis of Matthew 6:19-33 and ESV Study Bible Notes 6:19-34 The righteousness of the kingdom of heaven works out in the details of one s personal life. Jesus calls his followers to choose their master, either God or wealth (vv.19-24), and to choose their outlook on life, either faith or worry (vv. 25-34). 6:19 moth rust thieves. See note on Luke 12:33-34 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven implies that people often have a choice between activities that lead to greater earthly reward in the present (cf. v. 2, 5, 16) and those that store up greater future reward in heaven. Elsewhere in the Gospels the consequences of making the wrong choice are shown to be eternally disastrous (see Mark 8:36; Luke 12:20-21). 6:21 Throughout Scripture, the heart refers to the center of one s being, involving one s emotions, reason, and will. 3

WEEK 15 Our Obedience Matthew 6:19-33 BOOK NOTES Q: How does the reality that God takes care of and loves the birds and lilies allow us to trust Him with our lives? Q: How does a lack of trust in God for our resources demonstrate a deficiency of faith? 6:22-23 The eye (similar to the heart in Jewish literature) is a lamp that reveals the quality of a person s inner life. A healthy eye (clear vision) suggests loyal devotion to God, while a bad eye (impaired vision) connotes moral corruption. 6:24 Serve (Gk. douleuo) indicates the work of a slave, not an employee. Since a slave is the sole property of one master, he must give the master exclusive service. A disciple s loyalties cannot be divided that is, one is either a slave to God or to money. 6:25 Therefore do not be anxious. If one makes the right choices (see vv. 19-24), there is ( therefore ) no reason that one should be anxious. Jesus gives two a fortori ( how much more ) examples look at the birds (v. 26), consider the lilies (v. 28) to show that, since God cares even for the birds and the lilies, how much more will he care for his own. To be anxious, then, demonstrates a lack of trust in God, who promises that he will graciously care for all these things (v. 33; cf. Rom. 8:37). See also Phil. 4:5-6. 6:26 Human beings are of more value than animals (cf. 10:31; 12:12) because only humans, out of all God s creatures, are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), because God gave the human race dominion over all the earth and all its creatures (Gen. 1:28), and because God loved human beings so much that he gave his only Son to die for our sins (John 3:16). 6:30 Grass was a natural source of fuel for fire and a common biblical metaphor for human frailty (e.g. Ps. 37:2; 102:4). Little faith implies a deficiency rather than an absence of faith (cf. Matt. 8:26). Q: Why does the love of money lead people to wander from the faith? Cross References: 1 Timothy 6:9-10 What is condemned here is the desire to be rich, not material things per se when rightly used for the glory of God. The desire to be rich leads one to fall into temptation. This in turn results in the love of money, which Paul identifies as a root of all kinds of evils (v. 10). The connection between false teaching and the desire to be rich has been a problem from the church s very beginning. wandered away from the faith. The warning is not simply that love of money is harmful but that this has led some to deny the faith, showing themselves to be unbelievers (cf. 1:19). 1 Peter 4:10 All believers have received at least one spiritual gift from God, and they are not to hoard these gifts but use them faithfully as stewards of God s grace (cf. 1 Corinthians 12-14). 4

WEEK 15 Our Obedience Matthew 6:19-33 BOOK NOTES Additional Helps: Thoughts from Timothy Keller 2 The Christian gospel decidedly furnishes us with the resources for more inspired, realistic, satisfying, and faithful work today the gospel provides an alternate store line [reason] for our work; this is vital because all of work is propelled by a worldview or a narrative account of what human life is all about and what will help us thrive the Christian faith gives us a new and rich conception of work as partnering with God in his love and are for the world. This biblical conception helps us appreciate all work So Christians who grasp a biblical theology of work learn not only to value and participate in the work of all people but also see ways to work distinctively as Christians the gospel gives us a particularly sensitive new moral compass, through a host of sound ethical guidelines to help us make decisions, as well as wise counsel about human hearts the gospel radically changes our motives for work and fills us with a new and durable inner power that will be with us through thick and thin. Discuss how your class uses their work for God s purposes. Ask, Since last week s lesson on Our Calling, how have you worked differently this week? Encourage the class to share how they have viewed their vocational abilities up to last week and what has changed since then. Discuss other ways they can use their paycheck, house, investments and spare change for God s glory as well. Q: How do the little things (ordinary) in our lives demonstrate if we are stewards or slaves? Thoughts from Eugene Peterson Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that we have been saved by grace and through grace made for a purpose good works. God s saving grace is continued in our dependent, God-glorifying works the little things done in our everyday lives. Good work and good works are to grace what a pail is to water: a container to get it from the well to the supper table. God s grace is the content. Our work (after the manner of Jesus) is the container It s not what we do; it s what we participate in. 3 Discuss the image of good works being a container of God s grace. Note this grace is to be poured out upon the world and shapes the way in which we live out every little detail of our days. Ask, How does viewing our works as simply a means to sharing God s grace give you a better understanding of your part in His will? 2 Keller, Timothy. Every Good Endeavor (New York, NY, Dunton, 2012), 151. 3 Peterson, Eugene. Practice Resurrection (Grand Rapids, MI, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2010), 95, 103. 5

WEEK 15 Our Obedience Matthew 6:19-33 BOOK NOTES Q: Why is the key to the church s growth every believer using all of their resources, abilities, and talents for ministry? How Have Others Gone Wrong? Often, Christians will use their spiritual gifts and, perhaps, some of their material resources to serve the Lord, but fail to see both as a part of who God has created them to be. In part, this is due to the failure of the church to teach and demonstrate the real ministry of stewardship. However, the responsibility for each believer to use all of their resources, abilities, and talents (and not just a few of them) is the key to church s growth in depth and breadth. Ask the class to write out their different material resources, vocational abilities, and spiritual gifts on a 3x5 index card. Ask them to circle those areas in which they are being good stewards and then ask them to share that with their neighbor. Then ask them to share why not all the areas are circled and ask their neighbor to pray with them that they may become the stewards they were created to be beginning this week. How Does This Point to Jesus? Our Obedience comes from living lives that look like Christ s. Christ gave all of Himself to knowing and serving the Father. In doing so He gave His life in order that we might have the opportunity to be included and participate in the Kingdom of God. Christ modeled for us, His people, that all of our resources, abilities, and gifts are for God because they are from God. Therefore, we give them back to God as stewards and servants. Discuss as a class specific ways Jesus demonstrated a life of stewardship. Note His care for God s temple, His love for the poor, His views on anxiety and worry as well as his parables about money. Ask, What parable speaks to you the most about managing God s creation for His glory? Q: In what power and to whom did Christ live his life? Thoughts from Danny Akin 4 Dr. Akin in the chart below provides a helpful description of the various spiritual gifts God has given to the church. Like material resources and vocational abilities, our spiritual gifts are meant to be used to build up the church to maturity in Christ so that she might be a picture to the world of God s love, mercy, and righteousness. Discuss as a class the Spiritual Gifts listed in the chart. Ask, How have you used your specific gifts to serve God? Which gifts do you know you do not possess? Note that no one person in your class has all the spiritual gifts described in Scripture. Discuss as a class why God did not give each of us all the gifts. Ask, What was He trying to accomplish by making us dependent on each other? Why did He not create us to do everything on our own? 4 Excerpt from Christian Theology: An Overview, by Dr. Daniel Akin, used with permission 6

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WEEK 15 - TOOK Our Obedience Matthew 6:19-33 TOOK Notes Q: Where are you ministering in the church? Why do you serve in that way? Q: If you are not serving, why not? Where do you see opportunity around you in the church? Q: How do you see your vocational and spiritual gifts fitting into opportunities to serve? MAIN IDEA: We are created to be stewards of all that God has given us. Our stewardship demonstrates our inclusion and participation in God s advancing Kingdom. Stewardship involves using our material resources, vocational abilities, and spiritual gifts for the service of the Lord and His church. So What? Applying Doctrine to Our Life Today Every Christian ( to each one ) receives spiritual gifts. A spiritual gift is an ability ( working or power) that comes to you freely ( gift ) for the purpose of ministering to needs ( service ) so as to build up Christian community in size and depth ( the common good ). This doesn t mean gifts only meet needs of Christians. They meet needs in Jesus name, as a witness and sign of the coming kingdom. Ephesians 4:7 12 says that Jesus kingly power which will eventually heal the world physically, socially, and spiritually is now distributed into us. The bottom line is that every Christian is in ministry through the church. No one is merely a consumer of services; everyone is a distributor. 5 TOOK (Use Both) Why Should I Care? How Will This Impact Me? We can discern God s calling when three factors come together for us: Affinity (What human needs do I vibrate to? What interests me? What are my passions?); Ability (What am I good at? What do people say I am effective in?); and Opportunity (What doors for service are open? What needs to be done?). When all three factors come together, you can see God has equipped and called you to do something or to move in a certain direction. 5 Have the class write out on 3x5 index cards their affinities, abilities, and opportunities. Ask them to meet during the week with another class member to discuss and pray over how they are using these areas in obedience to their calling. How Can I Live This Essential Out Tomorrow? This process can be applied to finding a job and making major life decisions, but how do we apply it to service in the church? I propose that in the church you start with the third aspect Opportunity. In other words, find the jobs in the church that need to be done and then do them. Just serve. Don t ask too much about whether it fulfills you. 5 Discuss the idea to whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48). Ask, What strikes you about these words? What have you been given that Christ now requires of you? What are your next steps toward obedience? 5 http://redeemercitytocity.com/content/com.redeemer.digitalcontentarchive.libraryitem/557/discerning_spiritual_gifts.pdf emphasis added. 8