Sermon on the Mount Series - Matthew 6:16-34

Well, while you're standing, I'll just read a couple of verses. We are doing a study on the sermon on the mount, which is probably one of the most important passages of Jesus teaching in all of the Bible because it really explains how he felt about the kingdom, what it meant, what it meant to be a part of it. Um, I was tasked with beginning at verse 19 of Matthew chapter 6, and going through the end of the chapter, which is verse 34. So, I'm not going to read all of that in your hearing. Um, but I do want to read the last two verses, and then we'll get into this lesson. Verse 33, Matthew 6 and 33, very familiar. Most of us could probably quote it. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for tomorrow, for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient under the day is the evil thereof. You can be seated.

As we look at the sermon on the mount, as we've been going through those series, the one thing becomes very apparent, one thing that you can see uh very pointedly, and that is to be a part of God's kingdom, you have to set some right priorities. Um, you can't just live through live the kingdom principles by just coming to church once a week and enjoying the service and then not living it out the rest of your your week and the things that the Bible talks about. The biatitudes emphasize the priority of having a a proper attitude, a right spirit, how we how we ought to be internally, if you will. And he gave us the priority of being the salt and the light of the the world. That we we leave this place and we go out into our world. That we are to to reach others to focus lives on worldly pursuits will dim the light. It will dilute that salt. And so it it kind of focuses how we need to be living when we're not here. And then Jesus looks at the law and he shows us the priority of obedience uh to the spirit of the law, not just the letter. not trying to set, in other words, a legalistic approach to say, well, tell me what I can do and what I can't do, and I'll just walk right on that line and just not go over it. You know, that's no, it's how do I please God? What is my priority in pleasing him? And and then uh the last week was covered about talking about our giving and prayers. It was talking about how we should do that as unto God and not unto for a show of men. uh the portion that I as I mentioned earlier that I was given begins at uh chapter or verse 19 of chapter 6 I'm sorry verse 16 of of chapter 6 16- 18 talks about fasting. I'm not going to cover that portion today because basically it says the same thing it did about prayer and it did about your alms. It said when you do it, don't be as a hypocrite. Don't go out there and and do it for a show, but fast and God will see what you have and what you are doing and appear unto your father in secret, and he will reward you openly.

So, we're going to begin at verse 19. And Jesus today focuses like a laser on the thing that probably most easily subverts our minds from the things of God. because he speaks of the things we value most in our lives and he defines it as our treasure.

Our society, the world that we live in, we might call it materialism. And indeed, we do live in a very materialistic world, particularly here in the United States, our society is marked by what might be called consumerism. It's built on what we purchase. Our whole economy is built on buying things. And although a man has always had a propensity to accumulate things, it's it seems like it's our generation specifically and particularly after World War II that we've just become enamored with things and having more. The rise of China becoming the second greatest economy in the world lies squarely on our backs, doesn't it? You've seen their big cargo ships bringing stuff to the United States so that we can have more. Uh that's what makes them the economic powerhouse they are because Americans just want more. So I think Jesus' words concerning treasure are more applicable than ever before. And so he begins in verse 19 and he says, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal."

Jesus begins his this topic by telling us what not to do. Instead of going right to here's what you need to do, he says here's what you should not do. And he warned us against focusing our lives on accumulation of wealth in this life. Don't lay up your treasures for yourselves for yourselves upon earth. As always, his choice of words are significant.

To lay up literally means to gather up, to lay, to heap up, or to store up. In other words, just just heap it up. Lay it up. Let's just add more upon more upon more. And he said, don't do that. Don't store it up. When our life goal becomes the accumulation of stuff, we're laying up treasures on earth.

I haven't seen it recently, but I used to see a bumper sticker driving up and down the highways, and every once I'd see one on the vehicle, and it said, "He who dies with the most toys wins." Yeah. What do you win? I guess the Pharaohs of Egypt thought they had the most, and so they buried themselves with it. They buried themselves with gold and all kinds of different things and it was ransacked. It was pillaged. It was taken away. It was broken into and they couldn't do a thing about it. Right?

Truly laying up treasure on this earth is a useless pursuit. And Jesus reminds us that treasure stored up on earth is subject to rup corruption. He said where moth and rust doth corrupt where thieves can break through and steal it. And that moth and rust refer maybe not necessarily but to rust but the meaning behind the word is that would just eats away at it. It just seems to disappear the more we try to lay up there. There's there just always something asking for or coming after that treasure and and what was so valued sometimes yesterday seems almost useless today. I think eBay proved that to a lot of people used to collect and I had somebody one time I we've got this collection of things. Can you get on there and see what it's worth? And I get on there and there's thousands of them and it's not worth anything. Well, it sounded good when we bought it, but before eBay came, nobody else knew that everybody else had one, too. And so, we're always looking for the greatest, the latest and greatest, the newest thing, newer and better. That's what Apple thrives on, right? This one's better than the last one. And the things we have to had to have just become meaningless as we strive for something greater. It's this endless cycle which caused the wise man Solomon to say that hell and destruction are never full. But neither are the eyes of man. They're never satisfied.

I'm sure none of you have ever experienced that. You hope and you long and you wish for something and you finally get it and then then something better comes out the next week. You look at it and say, "Wow, I should have just waited."

What is the allure of wealth? Why are we drawn to it? There are there are a couple different reasons and a couple different things that can do that. One is greed and the other is anxiety. Greed is probably the most famous of the two. We we usually think about that, but it has many other names. We could call it lust or desire. We could call it covetousness. But greed by any name is still sin. It has no place in the heart of a child of God. Greed claimed scores of people even in the Bible days. Greed persuaded Eve to eat peri for forbidden fruit. She can have everything else, but I want that one because I was told, "I can't have it." Lot greed overcame him and caused him to say, "Well, I want the well fruited plains." And he set his tent toward Sodom and ended up losing out. And greed wrapped Jacob's arms and neck, if you will, in goat sleeves so that goat skin sleeves and so that he could rob Esau of his blessing. And those are just three examples just in the book of Genesis. But always man looking for something that he should not have or that he does not need.

And in the New Testament, Jesus told the story of a farmer had a bumper crop to end all bumper crops. And he looked around, he said, "What am I going to do with all this stuff? It's more than I need. It's more than I have room for." And that night he thought about it and he said, "I know what I'll do. I've I've got some barns. I'm just going to tear them down. I'm going to build a bigger barn. I'm going to put it all in it. And then I'm going to say to myself, soul, take your ease. Just take it easy. you've got enough to get you all the way through retirement. And God spoke to him that night and said, "Tonight your soul will be required of me." And what will be all those things that you saw for?

Greed is short shortsighted. It's self centered. It doesn't care for others. It climbs ladders. It steps on people, whoever's in the way to make it to the next step. It's it it's sly, if you will. sometimes to persuade us that well what I'm doing is is blessing my family and giving them more things but but are we really stealing from what they really need with time with us and I think if we're not careful it doesn't let go easily but it doesn't have to win right it does not have to win Bible gives us another thing that we can contend with and that is contentment that's not as easy to have is it easy to go the greed route

contentment can stand and say you know what God has blessed me and what he's given me is good enough. It teaches us we don't always have to have the best and the fastest and the bigger and better than everyone else. But be content with what you have.

The Bible said godliness with contentment is great gain. That's a tough one, church. We need to think about it. Jesus is very practical, isn't he? I we'd probably rather be talking about Acts 238 right now, right? Let's get excited about some things. But we already have if we look at it more when we're grateful for what we already have puts us in a much better place.

And what greed can't strip away and trip us up with anxiety also is the other thing. Anxiety seems to be more subtle and maybe less sinful. We don't really think about that as being sinful. I'm just anxious about this. But anxiety convinces us that we need more because uh someday I might not have enough or I might not have this. And and we don't stock up just because we want more. We stock up be because we think, well, you know, is God going to be able to take care of me later? Now, there's nothing wrong, and I will say this right up front, there's nothing wrong with saving for retirement. There's nothing wrong with with working toward things and toward goals. There's nothing wrong with that.

But anxiety answers to worry and fretfulness and fearfulness. What happens if the do you not think God will take care of his people? I'm not saying being foolish with things, but don't make it the priority that I've got to get all this in place or it's not going to work.

Jesus says prescription. He said, 'Look to him. He said there's an antidote to getting caught up in all that thing. And here's what it is. Here's what you need to do. Don't lay it up where moss and rust corrupt. Lay up yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust does not corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal. You know, we look around the world and and and we look at things that sometimes it seems there's no safe place on earth to store our wealth. Interest rates, you know, they go up and down and the stock market goes through cycles of boom. It's been on a really long one, but sometimes it bursts. A lot of you here don't remember those bursts. 2008 we had a really big one and I was talking to people. What'd you do? I I I took all my money out of my stock account. Well, did you take it out after it fell? Yeah. I didn't want to lose anymore. Well, you lost what you had then. I mean, we we look and think, well, it's safe here and then it's not safe the next day.

Well, I'll just stick it under a mattress. And then you go through a period like we had the last couple of years where inflation goes through the roof and it's worth about half what you thought it were, a third of what you thought it was. You can put your treasure that that's something corrupting, something taking away. The implication is here. Here's the thing.

The thing that is really valuable is our time and where we choose to invest it and what things become our priority determine where our treasure is stored. By giving ourselves to the things of God, we lay up treasures in heaven.

Even the poorest can have great treasure in heaven. Paul echoes those words. He said, "If you be then risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, your desires on things above, not not on just getting the next thing, but on the things that are godly and not on things of the earth."

And then Jesus really gets to the heart of the matter, literally to the heart of the matter. He said, 'For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Notice he didn't say it the other way around. He didn't say, "For where your heart is, there will your treasure be." It's a subtle difference, but it is a significant one. To say my heart is toward the things of God, while my focus is on accumulation of things is to portray my motivations. I can say my heart is anywhere, but really you look where my treasure is. That's where your heart is. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. You know, and we like to quote the verse, well, God looks at my heart and then I can justify my actions. Well, he does indeed look at my heart, but he gives us a much more practical way to look. He said, "Look where the man's treasures are and you'll know where he his affections lie."

In fact, you ever pray, "Lord, search my heart." Maybe you should just search your garage or your storage bin or the basement or the attic or the extra room or the driveway. What is my priority? What are we looking for? What are we looking at?

Jesus goes on in verse 22. He said, "The light of the body is the eye." This is the gateway. This is what we look at, right? This is one of those things that James warns us about. All that is in the world. The lust of the f the lust of the eyes. And this has to do with all those affections, those things that we see, those things that we have to have. If therefore your eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thy eye be evil, thy whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness? So after he tells us where to put our treasure, he addresses our priorities by calling it a single eye.

That single eye means we are focused on one thing. It's what we are looking at. Brother Tenny used to use the phrase the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Where is your eye focused? Is it always focused on what I can get next? Is it always focused on my next goal in this life for for something more and something greater?

Our eye is so often and so easily distracted, isn't it? It's it's so easy. You know, you can be in one of the best services and somebody preaching their heart out and the spirit of God moving and somebody gets up and walks out and everybody's head turns. Why? Because your eye caught it. Who's that right there? And lose your train of thought. Lose everything that's going. Why? Because our eye, if we're not careful, it it's so easy. A single eye has one focus and one purpose. It looks toward one goal. And Jesus knew it was time to go to Jerusalem. Uh the Bible tells us knowing that he was going to die. And yet he let nothing deter his vision or his purpose. In fact, Isaiah prophesied about it. He said, "The Lord God will help me. Therefore, I shall not be confounded. I won't be confused. I won't be led off path. Therefore, have I set my face like a flint." I'm looking toward the goal. I know where I'm headed. I know what is important. I know what the priority is for my life.

Our priority is I want to make it to heaven. Amen. I want to be in the presence of Jesus. I want to not get bogged down with the things of this world. But always keep in mind and I know we have to live and we have to work and we have to do the but I've got to make it to heaven. Paul pinned these words in Philippians 3. He said, "But this one thing I do." This is that single lie. This is what I do. I am forgetting the things that are behind the things of this world, the things that that consumed me before, the things that were there before I became a Christian. He said, "And I am reaching forth unto the things that are before." So this one thing I'm focused on, he said, I am pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. What he's saying is this call when he called you to be a Christian, he said that is the mark for the prize, this high calling and I'm pressing toward it. Lord, I'm going to fulfill your will. I am going to fulfill your purpose. I'm going to fulfill what you want me to do in this life. Not only does Jesus refer to a single eye, but he also talks of an evil eye. He calls it. Now, usually you think of that evil eye is one somebody gives you when you're not parents are good at those and you know when that eye comes your direction you're going to pay a price later on.

The word from the Greek though literally means an eye that is full of labors and annoyances and hardships. It's to be pressed and harassed by labors. It's an eye that is so confused and so pressed about by everything else that it can't focus on the one thing it needs to. Instead, it's it's looking over here and it's looking over there and it's an eye only toward the things of this life. That is what an evil eye is. Job said this way, "Man that is born of woman is a few days and full of trouble." There's better a single eye focused on the things of a kingdom than an evil eye that is consumed with the trials of this world and constantly look to those things.

There's a popular phrase we hear we hear it often um probably have used it a few times in your life when you want to know why something is going on. Why did this happen? Why did they do that? The answer is usually well follow the money. You ever hear that? Follow the money. You know, somebody's somebody's got something invested in it and that's why this happens.

So much of what what goes on whether in politics or business, personal lives is attached to that. Obviously, we have to have it to live. But here's the thing. We should not have to live for money. We should make money to live. And there's a huge difference between those things. When we live to make money, money is our master. When we make money to live, money becomes our servant.

And money is a cruel taskmaster. Jesus knew that. And he knows us. And so he issues this very bold warning. He said, "No man can serve two masters, two things that are control your life. You can't serve them both." both. He said, "Because you will hate the one and love the other, or you will hold the one and despise the other." And then he gets real plain. He said, "You cannot serve God and mamm." That word is an old English term for money. Translated mamm in our old King James. Notice that Jesus did not say, isn't this interesting? He didn't say you can't serve God and Satan, although that's obvious. Can't serve God and the devil at the same time. But he brings it home to where we live. And he said, "You can't serve God and money because it is a formidable foe when it comes to a relationship with him." And he knows if we're just caught up in making more money, then our priorities are skewed.

Heard someone talking about a career one time and and said, "Well, you know, I want to do what I want to do and it's really not about the money." And the person talking to said, "Yes, it is. It's all about the money. Jesus knows the heartbreak that comes of an end of a life solely in the pursuit of more money. More money. We've heard of people like that. There's one in Memphis buried in a Cadillac, right? Buried with them. Why? More more money. Jesus drives the point home so forcefully. He doesn't just speak of making money. He said we will end up serving money.

Wealth, the things I have, and they begin to define us if we're not careful.

Told this story to Bible class. So you you can tune out for two seconds. Told it a couple of times. One time I was out somewhere. My car had actually broke down. So I went to a house and I knocked on the door. It's about midnight. Lady didn't want to let me in. I don't blame her. Um, she finally said, "Well, finally, okay, I'll let you use the phone." And she said, nothing was available. So, she said, "I'll call my son." Well, he came in. He'd been down at the local bar and he walks in and said, "Yeah, I'll help you get get it out." And so, we walk through his garage and as we're walking through, he looks over and he points at his motorcycle and he said, "See that? That's me." And he walked a little bit further and he pointed, you know, to another toy. That That's me. He pointed to his van. That's me. He identified himself with the things that he had. This is what I am. This motorcycle, this van, this this boat, this whatever. He served things. And when we serve things, they become our masters. That's who I am. That's what I am. I want to be able to point and say, "See, Jesus, that's what I want to be. That's where I'm heading to be like him."

And here's the thing. And we talked earlier about anxiety being one of the hindrances that binds us to earthly things. And it was with this understanding that Jesus goes on and says this in Matthew 6:25. Therefore, I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what shall you eat, and what you should drink, nor yet for your body, what she put on. Is not the life more than meat and the body more than reignment?

Now, short disclaimer. There's not, that does not mean stop working, stop being good stewards, just wait around, say, "Well, the meal will get here when God provides it and do nothing." Does not mean that. But it does mean we can trust in him.

The book of Proverbs contains many verses regarding a slothful person. One of them is this. The desire of the slothful kleth him because he doesn't want to do anything. And so it kills him for his hands refuse labor. Paul even told the Thessalonians in the New Testament, first even when we were with you, this we commanded that if you would not work, neither should you eat. We command and exhort you by the Lord Jesus Christ that with quietness they work and they eat their own bread. So God, yes, does expect us to work. But here's the thing. He does want us to guard against anxiety and worry. And there will always be plenty of that, won't there? There'll be plenty of that knocking at the door or in the mailbox or in your email. But he said, "Don't be anxious. I'm going to take care of it." He reminded them that life is much more than what you eat or what you wear and those things. In fact, he said, "I I'm the one that breathed life into you and I'm the one that created you. Certainly, I'm able to give you bread and clothes."

And in the second illustration, he reminded the people of the birds of the air. He said, "They don't have to worry about it. I take care of them. Behold the fowls of the air. They sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedth them. Are ye not much better than they?" In a later passage, Matthew wrote this. He said, "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?" back saying basically they're not worth much but yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your father. He sees it. Behold the very hairs of your head are numbered. Fear not. You're of more value than many sparrows. What Jesus was saying is this. Don't be anxious about those stuff. And I know it it's hard for us because we worry when things come due. We worry when this happens and that happens and this breaks down and that quits and and and we worry about those things. But I think what he is saying and what he is getting at is you can trust in God. He will see you through. Do your part. Do what you can, but don't let it become your master.

Jesus didn't die for a sparrow. Think about it. But he did die for you and I. And he knows where the sparrows are and how to care for them. Surely he can care for you. He will take care of you. And in fact he then he asked this question.

The third illustration he said which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature. Now cubits about 18 inches. So I don't think he was really talking about can you grow 18 inches do it by yourself just by thinking about it. But terms of length in the Bible are often implied to life. Facts Psalm said it this way. Lord, make me to know my end in the measure of my days. What it is that I may know how frail I am. Behold, you've made my days as a handbreath. So, I've got this much lifespan. And so, the word here literally translated stature literally means your age or your length of life. Can anyone add by taking thought, can you add anything to your life? Be nice if you could, wouldn't it? I think I'll live another five years. Maybe can any of you out add a single hour particularly by worrying about it by getting anxious about it? Not much you can do about it, right? Jesus was asking if if worrying and anxiety can lengthen your life. Well, from what I read, if anything, it shortens it. More you worry and the more that anxiety comes there, it can steal word, steal things from your wife, from your life.

The final illustration comes from the ground. He said, 'Look at the liies. Look at the flowers of the field. He said, ' They don't work long days and spend their lives spinning thread and dresses and shoot suits and all those things, but yet look at their beauty. In fact, not not even the richest king, not even Solomon was dressed as fine as they. He said, "Consider the liies of the field. They they grow. They don't toil. Neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. In each of these Jesus could have referred to God. He could have said he is Jehovah Gyra. He is the provider. He is the Elshadai. He is the almighty. But instead he said he's the father. He cares for his children. Aren't you thankful to know a God that cares for you? Then why do we worry about so many other things and try to live for this life?

I might get in trouble here, but I'm going to go ahead and say this. I was talking to somebody and they've got so much stockpiled. I said, "Why?" Well, just for the things that are coming. They said, "You don't understand. You don't know what's coming. You don't know what's going on. So, I've got lots stocked up." I said, 'I do know what's coming because the book tells me what's coming. We know what the end times are going to be. But what I read is when you see all these things begin to come to pass, look up for your redemption draws nigh. I'm not saying be frugal or prepared or whatever, but it can't become my focus. If we do go through it, God's going to take care of us. and I can live for me and me and me and make sure I've got my barn big enough that no matter what happens, I'm going to be safe and and miss the point. He's a father that cares for his children. And so the Jesus looks at them and he said, "Therefore take no thought saying, what shall we eat and what shall we drink or where are we going to be clothed and worrying?" In other words, worrying about these things and seeking after these things and how are we going to do this and is there going to be enough and do we have it all in place and have I stockpiled enough and all these things. He said that all the Gentiles are seeking after that and the Gentiles are looking for that and they're focused on the things of this world. He said but your heavenly father knows that you have need of all these things. Just read that verse. pastor's sermon Sunday morning came to me, "Daddy, da da, your heavenly father, can you not trust him?" Or you say, "Well, I don't know if it's going to be enough. I don't know if he's got he's got the cattle, the Bible says, on a thousand hills." He said, "You don't have to worry about he holds it all in his hand." And we get so wrapped up in everything else.

The message of 6:25 is very clear. Don't be greedy. Don't worry. Don't do those things.

And then in the key verse that we read tonight as we open, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. That's that single eye. That's focusing on the one thing that is important. Seek first his kingdom. Seek his righteousness and all these shall be added unto you. In that one sentence, Jesus gives a cure to end greed and to end anxiety. We have to seek first the kingdom of God.

What does that mean? It means we seek to promote the kingdom of God before we seek to promote ourselves. We invest our treasures, our time, our talents. We invest things into the kingdom of God. We put it into the kingdom of God.

The Lord has gifted every believer with talents and skills and abilities. Some to teach, some to preach, some to play musical instruments, some to sing, some to lead choirs, some to lead in worship, some to to do administrative work, some to work with their hands, some to work on a church van, some all different kinds of things that we God has given uh the ability to work with teenagers and called missionaries to go to foreign fields and just all different kinds of things that God has given us. Whatever God has given, whatever he has given us a passion to do, how can I invest that in the kingdom of God, that talent, that treasure into this kingdom of God, or do I just invest it in me?

The parable of the talents probably illustrates better than any other story God's expectation for us. I find that to be such a fascinating and interesting parable that he told. Each has been given something to invest in the kingdom. He talks about the man that gets ready to go on a journey and he calls his servants and he says, "I'll give you five talents of gold." Calls another, he said, "I've given you two talents of gold. I'm going to go on a journey." And he gives another one talent of gold. And then he leaves and he comes back. Notice one thing here. Notice two things. Those who received the talents, he didn't say, "I'm going to give these to you. Just lock them up and put them away and make sure." He didn't tell them what to do with them. He just gave them to them. Here, take care of these. I read a talon of gold's about 180 pounds. That's a lot. Five talents. Big pile of gold sitting there. What am I going to do with this? I better make sure none of it's lost. Lock it up. Spend it on myself. Is he going to miss a little bit here, a little bit there? No. He went out and earned five other talents. Did this master tell him to do that? No. He just gave it to him.

Sometimes we sit around wondering, "What's the will of God for my life? What' God give you? What are you doing with it?" Sometimes it's so hard for us to figure out, God, because we want specifics. God, I don't not only want to know what you want to do. I want to know where. I want to know when. I want to know how. I want you to line it all out. Tell me where I'm going to be in 20 years, how this is going to work. That's and he's saying just take what I gave you and get busy. And he comes back and one had five has five more. And one that has two has two more. And the one that had one said, "Well, you know what I did? I I wasn't sure what you wanted. You gave it to me. So, I locked it up, made sure, and here it is." Find God's will for your life. Invest your talents in the kingdom of God.

Now, that's a convenient word because in the Greek in the in the King James version, the word talents there, it's talking about a weight of gold, and we like to put it toward our talents and our abilities. Let's be honest, he was talking about money there. What God's given you, you can hold on to it and say, "Well, I know." Or you can invest it in the kingdom of God.

Seeking the kingdom of God first wakes us up in the morning saying, "What can I do today, God?" Listening to what God wants. See, the kingdom of first, it's not always easy, but it is always right. It's looking at where I am and where I'm going today and saying, "What am I going to do for the kingdom of God? It's align my priorities with the word of God." This the sermon on the mount that Jesus is preaching and he's talking about the things that we need to do. Are we seeking his righteousness? Are we looking to say, "I want to be more like Jesus. This is my goal. More important than any other thing, being rich, famous, powerful, comfort, we have to be right with God. As the song we sometimes sing says, above all else, I must be saved. At the end of life, nothing else is going to matter. But if we are right with God, we will spend eternity looking in the face of the one who died for us so that we could live for him. If we're not right with God, we'll spend our eternity hiding our faces because we spend it on ourselves. And Jesus promised, "If you seek first my kingdom and my righteousness, I'll take care of the rest of it." Why is it so hard for us to understand to to grasp that? I think it's it's a good day today to take inventory of ourselves. Not not of the shop shelves or the savings account, but of our heart. What do we put first in life? What is most important for us when we wake in the morning? You know, what's the first thing we want to look at? What what's the first thing? Well, I wonder what the stock market's doing. What's what's going on? Are we consumed with with greed and the need to have more just to have more? or we overcome with anxiety and the need to have more because we're afraid that I may not have anything. Why don't you take those to the feet of Jesus? It's time to ask God to forgive my greed and forgive anxiety and and ask Lord, help me to trust you. Help me to trust you. It's time to turn our eyes to Jesus and not be covetous and envious of everything else that comes comes around. It's time to remember we're not living for this life alone. Not saying don't enjoy and not have have some things, but I'm saying is our priorities must be right. You see God and his righteousness first. He will take care of those other. He knows what you need and he is able to meet those needs and he wants to meet our needs. We just need to trust him to do that.

Here's the other thing we must remember. It's all his in the first place. Think about it. The servant got five extra tal got five talents of gold handed to him. He could have said, "I'm well off now. I'm I'm good to go. Here's the interesting thing. When he came back, when the master came back and said, "Now there's a day of reckoning. What did you do with it?" "Well, Lord, here's five more, so I'll give them to you." The Bible doesn't say the master took them back. Here's what it does say. He went to the one that had one and hoarded it. And he said, "Take the one he has and give it to him that had five. So what it sounds to me like is the master took his five and said you keep the five you earned and I'm going to give you this one in addition. Why? Because your focus was not on self but it was on I'm going to do this for my master. You do it for the master. He's going to bless you now and then he's going to bless you some more.

Aren't the teachings of Jesus profound? Don't they get right where we live? Don't they sometimes make us say, "Ouch?" But if we can grasp that concept, you put it in the work of the kingdom, he's going to take care of it. It'll take care of a whole lot of things.

Let's stand. I think we'd be remiss if I just dismissed you. So, just bow your heads for just a minute. Take an inventory if you will. Ask yourself, what are my priorities? Lord, as we let this word sink into our ground of our hearts, let it reach places like that water seeking different levels and going deeper into the soil. Let it reach down into our lives and let it reveal to us where are my priorities? What is the most important thing in my life? What are the things that matter the most? Is my eye single? Is it looking toward you? Is it looking to the things of God? Is that my priority? Is that where I want to live and what I want to be, Jesus? Am I seeking first your kingdom and your righteousness to be like you, Jesus? Because I know if I do, then all this other will be added unto me. Help us, God, in Jesus name. in Jesus name. Hallelujah.

Why don't you thank him for his word? Thank you Lord for the word of God that reaches down to where we are. Yes. That divides the joints and mar, the thoughts and the intents of our heart that gets right into where we live. But Lord, it will help us to live an overcoming and a victorious life. Hallelujah. In your presence and in your love in Jesus name. In Jesus name. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord.