REVIEW
FLIP CHART: SOM’S KEY VERSE, GOAL, MOTTO
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness ….” (Mt. 6:33a).
The law sends us to Christ for justification; Christ sends us back to the law for sanctification.
FLIP CHART: Show new “Perfect Righteousness” chart explaining steps to coming to Christ (As a worm, mourning, meek, spiritual hunger/thirst with the result of legal righteousness). Explain: moral righteousness, immediate moral change at conversion, gradual change through life’s challenges and speeding up moral change via CCRC (Concentration, Choice, Reflection and Confession/Thanksgiving). Key verse, “By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb. 10:14).
FLIP CHART: Johan Stott’s outline of SOM.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
INTRODUCTION
Theme of 6:18-34 is “A Christian’s Ambition.” Here Jesus warns us to renounce materialism, the value system of the pagan.
Vss. 32-33: The pagans focus on material wealth, we are to focus on God’s Kingdom and righteousness.
FLIP-CHART – Vs. 33: But seek (zeteo) ye first the kingdom of God …. The same root word. So we could translate Mt. 6:33 as follows: We should have our thoughts dominated by and diligently, eagerly seek the extension of God’s Kingdom and His righteousness
REVIEW:
(1) The Bible supports Private Property
(2) Our Private Property is Not Our Own
(3) We can discern the true state of our heart by discovering our treasure. Where our treasure is, there is our heart.
FLIP CHART: Five questions that help us track our treasures and discover the state of our heart.
a. What are my idle thoughts, day dreams?
b. What do I worry about most?
c. What would I most dread losing?
d. What do I measure others by? Clothing? Education? Home? Athleticism? Business success?
e. What can’t I be happy without?
(4) We are not to be materialists treasuring up treasure on earth.
Flip Chart: [Materialism is the theory or attitude that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and the highest value in life.]
(5) Wealth is insignificant in the light of eternity.
(6) We are to store up material wealth (money) in heaven.
(7) Our Father wants us to be generous.
(8) We reject materialism as our worldview.
The big question for us: Do I have an unhealthy pre-occupation with things? Am I focused on laying up treasures on earth? Do I own a generous or a stingy eye? I have a worldview. Is it materialistic? Partially materialistic? Am I more American than I am Christian?
Materialism – A Worldview: Money is the most important thing in the world. It represents health, strength, honor, generosity and beauty as conspicuously as the want of it represents illness, weakness, disgrace, meanness and ugliness. . . . I am a Millionaire. That is my religion. Author: George Bernard Shaw
No matter how rich you become, how famous or powerful, when you die the size of your funeral will still pretty much depend on the weather. Author: Michael Pritchard
OUTLINE FOR TODAY:
1. Causing Pain in the Heart of God
2. Master and Slave
3. Mammon’s Slave
4. God’s Slave
5. God and Mammon in Conflict
A MATTER OF TWO MASTERS
I. CAUSING PAIN IN THE HEART OF GOD
Why can’t we serve two masters? I can work for two different people at the same time. I can hold down two jobs. I can work for my immediate supervisor and also for the owner of the company. Is the statement Jesus made, “You cannot serve both God and Money” true?
To help us understand the possibility/impossibility of serving God and Money (Mammon) I want us to start by looking at a unique verse in Genesis 6:6: The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.
QUESTION: Emotional pain varies. What emotional pain might God be feeling? What words can be used to describe the type of emotional pain God might be experiencing?
Loneliness, sadness, anger, frustration, rejection, hatred, despair, discouragement, jealousy, hopelessness, dejection . . .
GOD IS A JEALOUS GOD
Charles Spurgeon Preached a sermon titled “A Jealous God” on Sunday morning, March 29th, 1863 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.
He used for his text, “For the LORD, whose name is jealous, is a jealous God.” (Ex. 34:14)
The Hebrew term/name for “A jealous God” is El-Kanno. It just means that God will bear no rival.
Jealousy, like anger, can not be evil in itself, if it is ascribed to God. Of course human jealousy can be wrong if its foundation is self-love and this is the usual foundation of human jealousy.
God’s jealousy for us is because He wants for us the best, the highest, the most glorious life, a life of loving Him.
It is interesting that in the description of love in I Corinthians 13, an absence of jealousy is not listed as a pre-requisite although envy is listed.
In II Corinthians 11:2 Paul had a godly jealousy: “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy.”
QUESTION: What makes God jealous?
You shall not make to yourself an idol … for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God ….” (Exodus 20:4)
Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous god. (Exodus 34:14)
Do not make for yourselves an idol in the form or anything the LORD your God has forbidden. For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God (Deut. 4:23-24).
. . . in the inner court of the temple the entrance to the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood. .. . . . I saw this idol of jealousy. (Ezekiel 8:3, 5)
WHY LOVING AN IDOL PROVOKES GOD TO JEALOUSY
We only need think of the love of God, what he gave to save us, what he left to find us, what he bore to free us, what price He paid to redeem us. The infinite sacrifice of and infinite God for “such a worm as I” and then to raise us to the position of sons/daughters, make us the bride of Christ, the apple of His eye. We can only understand God’s jealousy for us if we contemplate His love and sacrifice for us.
God basically said, “I would sooner die that that you should perish.”
7. IN TENDERNESS HE SOUGHT ME
In tenderness He sought me,
Weary, and sick with sin,
And on His shoulders brought me
Back to His fold again;
While angels in His presence sang
Until the courts of heaven rang.
Oh, the love that sought me!
Oh, the blood that bought me!
Oh, the grace that brought me to the fold,
Wondrous grace that brought me to the fold.
He washed the bleeding sin wounds,
And poured in oil and wine;
He whispered to assure me,
“I’ve found thee, thou art mine.”
I never heard a sweeter voice;
It made my aching heart rejoice!
He pointed to the nail-prints,
For me His blood was shed;
A mocking crown, so thorny,
Was placed upon His head:
I wonder what He saw in me
To suffer such deep agony.
I’m sitting in His presence
The sunshine of His face,
While with adoring wonder
His blessings I retrace.
It seems as if eternal days
Are far too short to sound His praise.
So while the hours are passing,
All now is perfect rest;
I’m waiting for the morning,
The brightest and the best,
When He will call us to His side,
To be with Him, His spotless bride.
HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND TO GOD’S JEALOUSY?
No man or woman would be willing to marry if one of them promised only 70% or 80% or 90% of their love. We expect, in fact demand 100% of our mates love. Our literature and movies are overwhelmed with stories about less than 100% commitment. No one in our culture considers 100% love and commitment unreasonable.
When Jesus was asked to state the greatest commandment in the law he responded, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Mt. 22:37-38)
II. MASTER AND SLAVE
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
The word “Master” here is kurios. This is the word also used for Lord. He to whom which a person or thing belongs. He who has the power of deciding. An owner, one who has control of a person.
The word for “slave” is doulos. In the ancient world slaves were living tools. In the eyes of the law he was not a person but a thing. He had absolutely no rights of his own and no time that be called his own.
So the phrase could be translated, No man can be a slave to two owners.
No two masters are identical. One is always better than the other, more lenient than the other, kinder than the other etc.
With God and Mammon as your Masters you will always tend to prefer one over the other.
Masters make total demands.
“For a slave there is no such thing as partial or part-time obligation to his master. He owes full-time service to a full-time master. He is owned and totally controlled by and obligated to his master. He has nothing left for anyone else. To give anything to anyone else would make his master less than master. It is not simply difficult, but absolutely impossible, to serve two masters and fully or faithfully be the obedient slave of each.” (MacArthur, 415)
III. MAMMON’S / MONEY’S SLAVE
Mammon is a Syriac word which denotes riches, the good things of the world. Here the word is used as a personification and it is capitalized as Money.
Originally mammon meant wealth that was entrusted to another and eventually came to mean that in which a person trusts.
Money can be made into a god …. Col. 3:5 speaks of “greed which is idolatry.” Ephesians 5:5 says that a greedy person is an idolater and has no place in the Kingdom of God.
To be engrossed in living for money, for wealth, for material comforts is a false and terrible pre-occupation.
FLIP CHART: Draw a line down the middle. Write on the left side: Mammon’s Gifts and on the right side at the top, God’s gifts. Then ask the question: What does Mammon give us? and write answers in the left panel.
IV. LIVING AS GOD’S SLAVE
Romans 6:16-22 states that we are “slaves to God.”
Being a Christian is a full-time job. This verse, as much as any other in the Bible, emphasizes the exclusive service which God demands.
God demands whole-hearted service, brooks no rivals, is a jealous God.
Masters make total demands. We are to love God with all our hearts.
“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (and with all our strength). This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Mt. 22:37-38; Mark 12:30)
Loving God with all our hearts, serving him as a slave does not mean an occasional act of obedience.
When we serve God it must be totally, wholly.
FLIP-CHART: Go back to the previous chart and ask the question: What are God’s gifts? What are the benefits of serving God? List those in the right panel.
V. GOD AND MAMMON IN CONFLICT
We had two visions …. light and darkness, now we are given the choice of two masters.
You cannot serve two masters that are hostile to each other. In a church you may be able to follow the leadership department leader and also of the pastor. But Mammon and God are diametrically opposed.
You cannot mix absolutes. God demands our full allegiance and Mammon wants our full allegiance. Mammon might be satisfied with partial allegiance but God is satisfied with nothing less than full allegiance.
READING: “Their orders are diametrically opposed. God commands you to walk by faith, Mammon to walk by sight; God to be humble, Mammon to be proud; God to set your affections on things above, Mammon to set them on the things that are on the earth; God to look at the things unseen and eternal, Mammon to look at the things seen and temporal; God to have your conversation in heaven, Mammon to cleave to the dust; God to be careful for nothing, Mammon to be all anxiety; God to be content with such things as ye have, Mammon to enlarge your desires as hell; God to be ready to distribute, Mammon to withhold; God to look at the things of others, Mammon to look only at one’s own things; God to seek happiness in the Creator, Mammon to seek happiness in the creature. Is it not plain there is no serving two such masters? If you love the one, you must hate the other; if you cleave to the one, you must despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Jay).
READING: There is something about God and money that makes them tend to mastery. Either you are mastered by money and therefore ignore God or make him a bellhop for your business, or you are mastered by God and make money a servant of the kingdom. But if either tries to master you while you are mastered by the other you will hate and despise it. This is why Jesus said it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Much money makes a cruel master. (Piper)
John Calvin wrote, “Where riches hold the dominion of the heart, God has lost His authority.” (MacArthur, 415)
“You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s Table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? …” (I Cor. 10:21-22)
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – – comes not from the Father but from the world.” (I John 2:15-16)
Remember, God’s prohibition against idolatry was based on His jealousy over his people.
“Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous is a jealous God.” (Exodus 34:12-14)
He wants us to trust him, love him and him only. Thus Jesus tells us that we can’t serve both God and Mammon. Such an arrangement is not acceptable to God.
Are we a slave to Mammon? A couple of helpful questions that might help us sort this out.
1. Have I ever taken any money out of savings in order to give it away?
2. Have I ever sold anything of value in order to give money for the promotion of the kingdom?
3. Have I every put off a purchase of a desired item so that I could give money to a ministry?
SO WHAT???
1. God’s name is El-Kanno, the Jealous God and he will brook no rivals.
2. God in Christ choose to die in order to keep us from perishing.
3. Although we are Christ’s bride and God’s children we are also pictured as his slaves.
4. God will not accept a split allegiance with Mammon. Giving partial allegiance to God and partial allegiance to Mammon is unworkable and unacceptable.