Seek Ye First The Kingdom

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 6. I'd like to read from verse 19 through the end of the chapter. The question was this, why don't we take literally what Jesus taught in verses 19 through 21, we take the rest of the scripture literally, why don't we take this literally? [00:00:35] And I somehow couldn't quite leave that. verse 19 of Matthew chapter 6 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 the light of the body is the eye [00:01:07] If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 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! 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, or money, material things, I think is what mammon refers to. [00:01:45] Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought, and some translations say by taking anxious thought, [00:02:18] and I think that perhaps gives us a little better idea of what Jesus really had in mind when he said this, can add one cubit unto his stature. And I think some translations say, or any span to your life. And in one of my Bibles, it says it can be translated either way. So that's why they do that. And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. [00:02:52] They toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothed the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. [00:03:26] For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, I'm sorry, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Out of verse, is it 33? But seek, or I just have, seek ye first the kingdom of God. [00:04:01] And I think that is what Jesus is saying to us here. Now, looking at the teaching that Jesus gives, I'm going to be looking at this And I am going to try to bring some other scriptures in to help us to understand the questions that Jesus was addressing here. Jesus said here not to lay up for ourselves treasures upon earth. He said why? [00:04:33] He said where moth corrupts or where moth and rust corrupt. Where thieves break through and steal. If Jesus would have been talking in the 21st century, do you suppose he might have added where banks fail, where the stock market drops, and you can add your own to the list there. Now, I say that, I trust we don't have people that dabble in the stock market, and I say that for a good reason. [00:05:05] I have observed some people who have, and it has not been kind to their faith. And I, maybe I, well, maybe I should just say why I think that. It seems to me that Jesus, if you look at what Jesus is saying here, he said, if we do that kind of thing, what do they look at when they pick up a newspaper? Now, some people have the, what is it called, the DTN machine. [00:05:36] Some of you have it, I believe, because of your business. And it has a number of different things. I think I said that correctly. Did I say it correctly? Thank you for your help. It has a number of very different things, very useful things for some people in business. It has weather, it has the prices of grain, and the prices of the stock market are on there as well. I know that not because I have one, but because some of the businesses that I frequent have them, [00:06:08] and I've noticed that. Very helpful things, but I trust that our focus is not on what the DTN can show us. because if our focus is there, I think Jesus spoke these words to us. I think our focus should be rather on other things. What is he saying, especially in verses 19 through 21? I think that one of the things is, I think verse 21 is key there. [00:06:43] What is it that attracts my attention or attracts my attention the most? Is it the weather? Is it the stock market? Is it the news of banks failing? Is my money safe? Is that what attracts my attention? I think Jesus was saying that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. What's the first thing I think of in the morning when I get up? What is the thing that is most important to me as I go through the day, I think, is what Jesus is saying. [00:07:16] Come back to that in just a little bit more, just a little bit later. Verse 22, Jesus talks about the single eye. And I remember years ago, Brother Andy Mollet had meetings at Hebron. In fact, it was our preordination meetings. He had other meetings the first several days beforehand. And he talked about the single eye. I always appreciated what he had to share. As I was looking at this, I wondered if there was one thing that would help us to understand the single I a little bit better. [00:07:56] And that is if we would just simply say, what is it that where my focus is? Now, I can focus over here, I can focus over here, but I can't simultaneously focus over here and over here. Now, some people tell me that they can look straight ahead and they know what's going on out here. Well, they may, to some degree, but my focus can be only in one place. And pardon me, sisters, you may be able to multitask, but I don't think you can focus in more than one thing. I don't think so. Neither can we, brethren. [00:08:31] I think that we can focus upon one thing at a time. And I think the question is, what is that one most important thing? Now, granted, we are concerned about feeding our families. And we'll look about that just a little bit more. But if my focus is upon God, upon doing His will, upon doing what's right, that is one thing. But if my focus is seeing how much I can accumulate, that is something entirely different. [00:09:06] Now, when we talk about mammon, I would just add some things to that. Anything that money can buy would fall under mammon, I believe. If my heart is on those things, I need to be reminded that those things are going to burn. For this side of the house, maybe it's sports. Not so much the thing that money can buy, but if our focus is there, I'm sorry, that is not a part of the eternal. [00:09:40] On this side of the house, maybe it's the pretty things. Is there anything wrong with playing ball? Is there anything wrong with pretty things? I don't think so. But if our focus, if that's what grabs our attention, beware. We are where we do not want to be. If my focus is on those things, my focus cannot be on God. And so the thing that I am saying is that our focus needs to be on God. [00:10:15] I think all of us know what happens when we cross our eyes. I learned to do that when I was a little lad. My, I think my brothers and sisters taught me how to do that. You can look at your nose and your eyes cross. And I did that just, just because I was thinking about focusing and when your eyes are crossed, they're not focused. And I was amazed at the way that felt and the amount of time it followed me after I did it. I don't very often do that. I don't recommend doing it. [00:10:50] But what are we saying? What is Jesus saying here? Especially in verse 26, where he says, Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Is Jesus saying that we should not worry about canning, freezing, gathering at harvest time? What do you think? And if you need to, I didn't even write this reference down, but if we need any direction, it seems to me going back to Genesis chapter 3 helps us to understand that Jesus was not saying that we should not look out for tomorrow. [00:11:35] But I think what Jesus was saying was don't be worried about the things you cannot control anyway. Don't spend time fretting about those things, I think is what Jesus is saying. Now, I think we can go overboard in our providing. But what did Paul say? Didn't he say that he that provideth not for his own is worse than an infidel? [00:12:06] I think we need to provide for our own. I think it's important that we do. But our focus needs to be on God as we do these things. And we need to let Him give us direction. Proverbs chapter 6, verses 6 through 8. Go to the anthoslugger, consider her ways and be wise, which having no guide or overseer or ruler provideth her meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest. I didn't jot everything down. [00:12:37] I think that is correct. I didn't jot everything down just exactly the way it is. I would like to, as I was considering this, one person told me, one of the things that helps us to keep in perspective the Gospels The epistles is the epistles, the writing of the early Christians and I found that to be true. If you would turn with me to 1st Timothy chapter 6. I found some help for my message in 1st Timothy chapter 6. [00:13:16] There are several places where Timothy writes about rich people, people that I think Jesus was addressing here. 1 Timothy chapter 6, I was going to begin reading at verse 8, but I think verse 6 and 7 help to set the stage. But godliness with contentment is great gain For we brought nothing into this world And it is certain we can carry nothing out [00:13:48] And having food and raiment Let us be there with content But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare And into many foolish and hurtful lusts Which drown men in destruction and perdition Paul was saying here that They that would be rich fall into many foolish and hurtful lusts, is it? Temptations, the desire to be rich, Paul is saying don't desire to be rich [00:14:21] But remember who gives you these things, remember that they are here on this earth And on this earth they will remain until they burn up And it is important that we remember that, I believe Verse 8, Paul writes, food and clothing should be enough. I don't think it would be wrong to just simply be realistic and say that in today's world, could we say that a roof over our heads, transportation are some of the things, at least the way that we live here, that would seem reasonable that that is a reasonable necessity. [00:15:03] that we have. Now I'd like to drop down to the 17th verse of 1 Timothy chapter 6 where Paul writes to Timothy and says charge them that are rich in this world that they get rid of their riches. Is that what your Bible says? Mine says that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate. [00:15:40] What does communicate mean in this case? Does that mean talk together? Share. That's right. That's what the other translations say, to share. To share with those who do not have as much. Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life. But somebody said this about seeking first the kingdom of God, about what we are talking about this. [00:16:10] This is not original with me, but I will just share it for whatever it's worth. Phenomenal or the lukewarm Christian asks, how much time do I need to spend in reading God's word to be pleasing to him? and gauge himself by what he thinks God will be satisfied with. The person who is on fire for the Lord says, I wish I could stay home from work so I could read the scripture all day [00:16:41] and find what God has for us. Well, you could find fault with that. We could find fault with that. But the idea behind that, I think we understand. A person that is on fire for the Lord wants to know what God's will is for us. As we were talking in our Brethren class, I was blessed by something that I haven't tried, but probably I should. We talked about different fasts, and one fast was a music fast, and that is one that I wouldn't have a problem doing. [00:17:15] I probably do it without thinking. But another fast was not reading anything but the Lord's word for a week. Maybe it would be a good idea for us to do that and to see how much this other reading has a hold on us. I understand that some of us enjoy reading more than others and that's why I'm a little bit careful. I would not make people feel guilty that have no reason to feel guilty. [00:17:48] Perhaps some of these people spend more time in communion with God, in communing with God in prayer. And that is important. They are both important. I am just going to say, however, that if you, if I have a vital relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, it's going to show in the way that I live. People are going to see that. People are not going to have to guess. And I don't know if this surprises you or not, but I am just going to say that not only, not the people, well, let me rephrase it. [00:18:27] It is not the people that are most vocal about their faith who always have the clearest testimony. People can be very vociferous about what they believe and why and how others should change. But there are people who have a way of quietly, without a lot of fanfare, just go about the Lord's work and do His will. And it's been a blessing for me to observe in the last six months or a year when people have done that, meeting people's needs physically. [00:19:01] And I'm not going to go about, I'm not going to say a whole lot more about that. But meeting people's needs quietly has its place. Being vocal about our faith has its place as well. But sometimes I think the Lord can work better at just simply a quiet example. I think of a man that I have to deal with. And sometimes I think I do well by confronting this man with the truth. [00:19:33] Sometimes I think it's better if I just simply live it out. And I think what is really important is for me to mind the Holy Spirit. Glenn, it's time to speak up. Or Glenn, it is time to just simply share your testimony by what you do rather than by what you say. and that silence can be gold and it can be yellow and I think you know what I'm saying but I think we do well just simply sharing what the Lord has for us. I remember being at a picnic one time when there was a young lad there that was not a part of the group that was at the picnic [00:20:12] and if you would know the place you would understand why he was there. He had to, being there was not unusual, not considered odd. But I remember something that happened. He was, I don't know how old he was. He wasn't very old. But somehow it came to the attention of the host that he would enjoy sharing some of the food. I don't think I'll ever forget what happened there. [00:20:43] Because the host just shook his head. And I remember some of the mutterings that I heard by some friends of this young lad. And I'm just going to go on record as saying that the host there had compromised his ability to share the gospel to those people. And we need to be careful. I recognize that we can do good deeds without ever knowing the Lord. But being hospitable, sharing with people at the right time can enhance our testimony for the Lord. [00:21:24] Where is my focus? Is it on building God's kingdom? Or is it on my pocketbook? You know, I don't know why the host refused. I suppose some of you have read Simon Schrock's book where he talked about hospitality and how we can reach others through hospitality. As I recall, I didn't look this up again, but as I recall, he was on an egg route delivering eggs to customers. It was getting late in the day. It was supper time and he wasn't home yet. Delivered eggs to this one house and the customer came to the door and as the door opened, the good smell came out. [00:22:02] And the customer was very pointed in letting Simon know, I'm enjoying a good steak sandwich and you're not getting any of it. And Simon has his way of making his point. For those of you who know Simon Schrock, know that that is not the way Simon Schrock would respond. He would have at least divided his sandwich and said, here, have this to tide you over until you get home. But Simon just simply said what I did just a little bit ago. You know, sometimes we compromise our testimony by what we do or don't do, say or don't say. [00:22:43] When I talk about reaching out a hand of hospitality, my mind goes to one of my customers. I have gotten to their place sometimes late in the evening. It's a distance from here. But because they needed some things, I stopped there late in the evening. And more than once, I was a person who benefited from their hospitality. I can remember a time when I got there and I, for some reason, I don't usually go to the house, but this evening I did. And they were seated at the supper table. It was supper time. It was late. It was dark. It was in the wintertime. [00:23:19] And this brother said, you haven't had supper. You sit down and eat with us. And I ended up doing that. Usually I would resist that. On one other occasion they were butchering and the son of the man who invited me in for supper came with a sandwich of fresh pork and excellent flavor. On another occasion they had guests there and they said, you're going in and getting a plate, we're eating over here in the shed, you just go in and get a plate. [00:23:50] Are they building a platform from which to share the good news? Are we when we do that kind of thing? I think we would agree that when somebody reaches out a hand of friendship to us, they have a platform from which to share the good news. All of us do. What does scripture say about hospitality? I'm not going to turn to these, but if you want to, you can look at the qualifications that Paul gives for leadership. and I'm reading, I just started reading a book on hospitality that I didn't get very far [00:24:25] but I was blessed by one thing. They point out that in one case, Paul says that a person should be given to hospitality to be a leader. Then he makes the distinction, he said he isn't asked to be gifted in hospitality, he is asked to be given to hospitality. Now, if it would be a gift, it would just be something for some people. If it's given, if you are given, all of us can be given to hospitality. In another place, I think in Titus, he says he should be a lover of hospitality. [00:25:01] And that can include all of us. And you may say, well, I'm not the best, the world's best cook. Well, that may be beside the point. I remember something that somebody shared with me that I could have found fault with. But the situation was such that you accepted it with gratitude and let me see. I didn't have to pray this prayer, but I think Brother Earl Peaches said, pray that the Lord would keep it down. [00:25:33] Sometimes that may be a part of it, but it was shared out of a heart of love. and that is the most important thing. I remember reading about a man, maybe he was a Mennonite because he was one of the still in Lund. He was not outspoken about his faith, but he worked in a factory. There was a fellow worker just a little bit down from him that had a very foul mouth and one day things did not go well for the other worker and what came out of his mouth was not pleasing to God. [00:26:04] The other man didn't do anything at that point. I suppose his work kept him at his bench. But later, during break, when he had some free time, he went over and just made some suggestions to the other person, see if you would do this or this, and pretty soon they had the problem resolved. Did that man who went over and helped the other person have a platform from which to share the Lord Jesus Christ? Indeed, he did. I trust that you understand what I am saying. [00:26:37] Where is my focus? Is my focus upon things and how much I can accumulate? Or is it on building the kingdom of God? Let the Lord use my things how He desires to. Maybe you would like for me to say, Well, if your bank account is under a certain dollar amount, then you're okay. I don't think that's what Jesus is saying. I think he is saying get your focus off of that and on how you can help other people with that. [00:27:16] Some people have higher bills than others do. And so they need a larger bank account. And I am not going to tell you how much you can have in your bank. I do think that Jesus honors us if we live frugally so that we can share. And let me just have you think of the person that probably got the most commendation from Jesus Christ in the way that she gave was the widow that shared. [00:27:51] Did it hurt? What she had to share? I think she felt it for the next several days. Because maybe it was just for that day. I don't know. But she gave all her living, the Bible says. I think Jesus commands people when they give even beyond their means. Or let me say it this way, when it hurts. When they have to personally sacrifice in order to give. And I think that if our focus is on things, our focus is on the wrong place. [00:28:28] If our focus can be upon pleasing God, upon building His kingdom, upon seeking His kingdom, and seeking ways that we can enhance our testimony to others, I think we are pleasing to God. In order to live frugally, I suppose there are questions that we should ask ourselves. And I'm just going to have to admit to you that we would fail this test many times. [00:29:01] But maybe I should ask myself the question, is this something I can do without? When I'm tempted to buy something rather than how much may I buy and still be in God's good graces or other people's good graces if you want to say it that way. There are other things that I've talked about fasting and I think that is something that I didn't talk about fasting as a lack of food so much today but other kinds of fasts. I think fasts are helpful to remind us where our priorities are. [00:29:39] I think fasting is a good thing to do, not just in food, But in other ways as well, spending time in intercessory prayer is one thing that one way that I can build, one way that each one of you can build God's kingdom. It's a way we can seek God's kingdom and I trust that we do that. But perhaps I have said enough. Perhaps we should stop and just simply let you say what you wish that I would have said. [00:30:14] Maybe we should just pause for a word of prayer and then we'll give you time. Father in heaven, you have given us so much. We thank you, Father, for your word that you have given us. We pray that as we look at your word, you would help us to understand what your will for each one of us is in your word. We pray that you would help us to live with our focus upon the heavenly kingdom. Help us, Father, to recognize that the things you have given us here are just simply to be used in building your kingdom. [00:30:50] Show us how to do that. Give us willing hearts to do that, Father, and help us to have our focus on you and not here. And may that show to the people around us. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.