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October 18, 2021 2:00 am
The Sermon on the Mount—Jesus' most well-known sermon—instructs us on kingdom living. In the message "Seek Ye First," Skip shares from this sermon about a way of life that God calls you to.
This teaching is from the series Topical Teachings.
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Paul and Peter often described our relationships as pilgrims as strangers in a strange land as ambassadors for Christ. The word ambassador for Christ as being someone who is sent by a king into a country that is not a zone on a mission passing through swiftly come back to the surrender to Jesus.
He invites us into a new life with today on connect with Skip Heitzigs, Skip shares his top teaching from the 80s explaining a higher and better way of living that God calls you to before we begin want to tell you about an opportunity you have to see the Bible come alive right before your eyes tried to imagine the places in the Bible study the Scriptures, where all took place when you join the fray's upcoming trip to Israel in 2022 lifetime memories in your faith as you see the Bible come alive before your eyes. Find out more@inspirationchristus.com/CAD Q now speaking of Israel and the Middle East. Here's a resource that introduces you to the key players in that region and shares why their decisions are significant, New York Times best-selling author Joel Rosenberg is now based in Jerusalem and he's releasing the new nonfiction book enemies and allies I traveled with Joel to middle cities to meet with Kings Crown Prince. We sat together on the east lawn of the White House for the signing of the historic Abraham accordance and I previewed his new book enemies and allies. I can tell you it contains never before published quotes from behind closed door meetings with some of the most powerful and mysterious leaders in the Middle East. You will want to read enemies and allies by Joel Rosenberg includes insights and analysis. The authors conversation.
She meet how language means company, the most cost leaders enemies and allies by Joel Rosenberg includes insights and analysis of the authors conversations with some of the most controversial leaders in the world will send you a hardcover copy of enemies and allies. Thanks for your gift of $35 or more to give. Visit connectwithskip.com or call 800-922-1888, Matthew chapter 6 today as we get into the teachers would Skip Heitzigs of Jesus in speaking up for different types of heart. The parable says that the seed which is the word of God was sewn into soil but have thorns and briars and thorns grew and showed the word or choke that seed and became unfruitful. And Jesus expounded on his parable.
He said that he was speaking of a person who hears the word of God, but the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful now. This type of message is not popular in the United States of America. We don't like to hear a lot of the time and again I want to make very clear money is not able possessions are not wrong. The Bible never says money is the root of all evil. Bible says the agape, the love, the lust in the complete domination wanting money wanting possession is the root of all evil because it breeds greed and therefore sent possessions inherently are not wrong himself. Jesus talked about the disciplines original wire which is deceitful welcome accumulating me to see both deceitful because a lot of times those people accumulate the well and they begin to trust in what they've accumulated more than the Lord by way I got resources and so they're looking to their own resources in the Lord all the time so that I have faith is not on the lot anymore. It's on themselves because I accumulated and I can buy my way out of no problem about power and so IFA gets off the Lord and onto ourselves and our capabilities and therefore Jesus calling the deceitfulness of riches, they can very be very very deceiving and all the time of Paul and Peter talk about riches that is not wrong to possess them. He always give a warning to the people that had a lot because they could be turned in their heart attitude from the Lord, to themselves and so what is the result oftentimes the deceitfulness of riches, the result is that the word gets choke that person becomes choked out and becomes unfruitful. You don't seem really is a dynamic witness to the Lord and so can be deceitful and you know what Satan wants Avenue wanted to be in unfruitful Christian see if he can get to the place of stagnation and no unnecessary backsliding alive at this statement in the Lord.
That's a very effective place to be satisfied on the cushion I got on fine and you will be witnessing this out of all the people you know are safe you will be going up to other Christians and consult in them and exhorting and encouraging the Lord if he can make you unfruitful. So God would have us that we be fruitful and storing up treasures for ourselves in heaven. David in the Psalms declared.
If you're riches increase in their life. Don't set your heart upon. Here's an interesting point because as Christians that we work in our jobs and whatever we do for diligent like we should be were deported, devoted and loyal. The inevitable Catholic went to that riches will increase because we might get a raise because a single faithful might raise us up in a position, and being diligent with business oriented things are going to make you more rich and there's no problem with that is the problem is when our heart set upon those things and that's why Jesus said in verse 21 he said where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. So we need to guard our hearts. Now onto the turn out to Luke chapter 12 because in Luke chapter 12 Jesus is covering basically the same area of not being worried about food and raiment and possessions, but recovered in a little different area and he has. Luke covers it from a different angle. He says in verse 15 he says take heed and beware of covetousness for man's life does not consist in the abundance of things which he possesses very interesting statement and he spoke a parable unto them, saying, the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully and he thought within himself, saying, well, what shall I do, because I have no room for the bestow my fruits and he said this what I will do. I will pull down my barns, I will build greater and there will I bestow all my fruits and all my goods and I will save my soul soul balance much goods self assess all that is much goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink and be merry enough I can trust my riches now. But God said to him, thou fool, this night by soul shall be required of the then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided another would you commit accumulated all is well tonight to kick the bucket Univision assembly has been suspended for all those years that you labored that somebody else in spend all your well.
Verse 21, so is he that lays out treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. So what should our attitude be for material simply this. Have a light touch with the world.
If you can maintain it have a light touch with things of the world. Paul and Peter often described our relationships as pilgrims as strangers in a strange land as ambassadors for Christ. The word ambassador for Christ is meeting someone who is sent by a king into a foreign country that is not his own on a mission that is passing through swiftly come back to his own place so we need to see ourselves as pilgrims in this place that this place is not really our home to be rooted down or to be really married to it but to realize that we have a home, a city that Abraham said not made with hands, eternal in the heavens looking for that kind of the city possessions are fine, but keep a light touch with you. There's a story about the guy who went to national Park in the summer two week vacation and you are struggling Lord and cement and he was out there later foundation built the building.
We started building himself a large house was neighbor came by and Sonia was on vacation to Harry what you doing and all in the house. I want to be comfortable yet I know that you're only been here for two weeks on application at stupid budget just to spend the time in a hotel while knowing I mean I want to now have the best technology comfortable those kind of silly analogies.
Sometimes a mirror for a lot of people because a lot of times were just so concerned about here, here and now in the comforts of your noun creature comforts lay not up for ourselves treasures in heaven, so the warning treasure in heaven, but lay up the habit be constantly treasuring up treasures before the Lord and had a remarkable rest cannot corrupt you know the emphasis of the problem is that we live in a very materialistic world, and they influence us everything. The people who influence us. We watch TV, we find out that we will be a complete person.
Once we have this product and so are we gotta go and get we gotta find that quick so that we can the outward appearance is so important to us. The flash is very interesting is very important to people very very important so we spent a lot of time this on the hour and we listen to a lot of the lies of Hollywood. We need this and we need that we should accumulate this and so the problem is that we live in the sky and the world. And so we have to be separate our standard as part of stanza concern before the Lord says in verse 22.
The light of the body is the eye. Therefore your eye be single by whole body shall be full of light. But if your eye be able my whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you, be darkness, how great is that darkness now. I was considered as the windowpane of the body.
Now the condition of the window determines a light that enters a room with the windows all dingy and full of dirt that is can be very model like Windows clean and clear and will be perfect. Beautiful illumination light up everything in the whole room and so your eye is if your eye be single. Jesus said, your whole body shall be full of light. But if your eye be evil are divided literally double focused.
Then there will be full of darkness and how great is that darkness, in other words, Jesus saying have a single focus on the Lord one time in one eye on the treasures of the world.
Hawaiian heaven will expect to be on the side of the flesh reap heaven.
And so Jesus, I have a single focus on the Lord don't have a double vision ground double vision, a double minded man is unstable in all his ways and so speaking in the same context and he says in verse 24 no man can serve two masters for either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will hold to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and man. He says no man can serve two masters. Literally no man can be a slave to two masters. The Bible often calls Christians slaves are servants of God.
Paul said, Paul, a slave, literally a bondslave of Jesus Christ Peter a bondslave of Jesus Christ and although Jesus came up to his disciples and said, from this day forward I will call you slaves I call you friends. There was something about the term slave that they love to apply them so they learn to call themselves slaves for Jesus Christ is nothing to be his slaves to be king Bob Dylan wrote a song you gotta serve somebody to be the devil or Kabila chapter serve somebody that's so true there's only two ways. If you're not serving the Lord is your serving the enemy so no man can be a slave to two masters and the two masters oftentimes are our old man and our new man with two people: as you know, yes, Lord, I want you yes world.
I want you being double-blind, we can't serve two masters unit will hate the other. You hold 100 and despise the other.
Many Christians are in this position I think today of wanting the best of both worlds. One. 1 foot in the ditch and 1 foot on the road.
I want to serve the Lord. But gosh I all those beautiful things.This is important to me in the world and that kind of person has to ultimately make a decision to come down to eventually where he's in a thereafter serve the Lord and follow the Lord or divorce himself from the Lord and follow his own flesh, and is, unless and if you're in that state today of loving the world loving the Lord. That's a backslidden state if he was a Christian are not more turned on for Jesus Christ and bring more fruit than you are when you first knew the Lord in your excited about if something is wrong.
We talked about it before young Christians get all excited to explain the Lord look so good in that it focuses ago you Christian you know he'll get out of one of these days he'll see this is not that that's tragic because we should be excited about the Lord. And if you're not then something is wrong and I'd suggest that you are in a backslidden state the bodices to return to your first love.
And that's what we need to do so. We can't serve two masters. Notice in verse 20.
Going back to verse 20 says lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven and then in verse 21, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. You can always tell the person that is so easy to tell a person is out with the Lord just by what he treasures what his priorities are what he lays up what's important to him and wherever is important to you, you find yourself giving your time to that specific thing whether it be the Lord whether Bureau desires wherever you treasure your heart will be also in the heart. As we discovered before is so important. The Bible says to guard your heart with all diligence, because out of your heart to see the issues of life and we need to be guarding our hearts and the thing is is that God is indeed our all.
We always say going Lord your my all my everything we sing it every Sunday morning if the Lord is indeed your all.
Then you will always be satisfied if he is your all and contentment is a very interesting thing is, the Bible says that we should be always giving thanks for all things we should be content in the Lord.
That's a good question this morning how content are you are you content this morning. If you have much work you have little Francis Schaeffer in his book true spirituality says something briefly about contentment. He says when I lack proper contentment either. I have forgotten that God is God, or I have ceased to be submissive to him.
In other words, if I not content in the Lord either. I forgot God is the Lord and the sovereign's ruling my life or I've ceased to do what he wants to do in my life I've ceased to submit myself to him since God is made us with proper desires, but if there is not a proper contentment on my part to this extent.
I am in revolt against God, and of course the revolt is the whole central problem of sin when I lack proper contentment either. I've forgotten that he is God again why ceased to be submissive to a quiet disposition and a heart giving thanks at any moment is the real test. To the extent of which we love God that moment, so it's a good test. Ask yourself at any given moment. How content in mind my happy my content in the Lord is my driving my pleasure in the Lord is the source of my joy is where your treasure is a real heart be also. Then Jesus goes on. He says in verse 25 therefore I seen you, take no thought for your life, what you shall eat what you shall drink, and yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat in the body than raiment. Behold the bowels of the year.
They don't sell me the date rape, are they not much better than you. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature and then he says in verse 20 and why do you take thought for raiment consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not need the delay spent in NSA Solomon in all his glory was not even close to arrayed like one of these.
So now is getting a little work to the not so rich just to the people who have and worry about basic necessities in life and a lot of us fit in that category we would pay the rent now we have enough money to buy dog food next month and that which you know just the basic things in life. Now people who do not have as much as rich people have have the same temptation as rich people because they might covet what other people have and then my lust after those things not because they want more because they don't have anyone they want and they want and the desire to get very bitter. So the Lord says take no anxious thought and he's speaking here of anxiety in verse 25. Don't be anxious. Don't be overly concerned about your basic needs for a few reasons.
When your father knows you have need of them to provide examples of the birds asked some doctors about this about anxiety I so what can anxiety one can be anxious and worried due to a person physically biological.
He said it can create stress make a person tense, very irritable, it can cause shortness of breath, heart pain, nausea, diarrhea, sweating, dizziness, all sorts of physical manifestations and is awfully hard to be around people who worry a lot you know and Jesus in verse 27 says which of you by taking thought can add one cubit 18 inches to his stature and SMU were not too short, he's giving these kind of humorous examples which one of you by worrying can add another 18 inches to his height. What good has worrying everything for you people all the time or the on just I feel too young and too young to worry that always. Do you honestly want to dress up in the older and a few years later they unto all the makeup onto the face way back like this so that they look you always worried about who they are like the little guy worry that a short and he can add another 18 inches to his stature, always worried about who they are to Jesus. Don't be anxious don't have anxiety, and in your heart for the things be very carefree.
Anxiety can destroy you as a Christian and Jesus is saying here that worry is sin unnecessary unnecessary worry is sin. Anxiety won't do a thing for you.
I believe that Jesus Christ wants us as Christians to live very carefree lives, not by confessing things positively and everywhere claiming that I claim that by just trusting in the Lord Jesus is a very humorous example.
Here's a look at the birds of the field is they don't spoil or spin not certify you see the birds and upon the little hats everything that the lunches and got to work. Got to the granaries and start working.
You just don't see that because your heavenly father knows they have need of those things and help provide for them. In Deuteronomy chapter 8 when God took Israel to the wilderness, God told Israel that he was testing them for 40 years in the wilderness to prove them. He said to show them that man doesn't live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. God was trying to let Israel know that he could provide for them on a day-to-day basis in the Lord and want to prove you that God can provide for you on a day-to-day basis, but we talked about last week.
So often we pray Lord give us this month our monthly bread to give us this year are your direct provide for us in advance enough to worry about know one day at a time, take no thought legitimate which you can drink what you can put on. I think a lot of Christians again fall in this category. Worrying about things I see people at times I just happens worried and they got a right to be in in in the natural realm behavior fathers specializes in miracle limits his baguettes is deal. It's no big deal for God to provide for you know so easy for us to lay hands on something that has a cold, lonely predator.
Hiller called to come to some it is cancer all Lord I want to bother you on a busy 081. Lord, I need $150. I need $10,000 we can trust the Lord to provide for assignment five box pony comes maybe 10,000 we regards. Turn to Proverbs with me. Chapter 3 is if you fall under this category. Today this scripture will give you great comfort in Proverbs chapter 3 we find the cure for worry.
That's the prescription doctor since founding Proverbs chapter 3 in verse five trust in the Lord with how much all your heart, maybe 50% know 90% know all of your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. It says be not wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and depart from evil and notice this, it shall be healthy to thy navel door neighbor means nerves in other words, if you are trusting the Lord on the day by day basis.
You cannot have a nervous breakdown. It will be healthy to do your trusting the Lord, you know that God will provide. The Bible says perfect love casts out all fear was that me is like the position of my life.
I realize that God loves me so much that he will never fail me that God's perfect level casts all fear I will never fear again once I realize how much God loves me and that's we want to bring home the God loves you and your father and the pressures in the basket with a message from the series sermon on the mount right now we want to let you know about a unique opportunity you have, to pursue biblical studies in a way that works with your schedule. Speculation about the end times is at an all-time high in Christianity is the only faith nearly 1/3 of Scripture for future events about the future from the authority of the Bible you take a study of the end times calorie college with evening classes on This all online you can get an education in biblical studies that will impact your spiritual life for the rest of your life this spring term starts January 10 shall apply today@calvarychurchcollege.com the worldwide outreach connect with Painting was possible because of listeners like you. Your generous support keeps the Bible teachings you live on the air. Please consider partnering with this ministry today with your gift to take God's word to even more people around the world today@connectescape.com/donate.connectwithskip.com/donate or you can call 800 9218 8819 to 18 coming up tomorrow Skip Heitzigs of shares his top teaching from the 90s explained just how powerful your words are and how you can use them for good words are powerful, they have to wait words get inside of us. They affect our motion.
Not only did they affect our emotions affect our relation the way we feel about other people's affect the way you feel about Skip presentation of connection communication through ever-changing time