Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, Okay, turn back to Matthew 6
now. Matthew chapter 6. Let's read
the 24th verse. 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. You cannot serve God
and mammoth. It's an extremely difficult portion
of Scripture to deal with. I would very gladly turn this
over to anyone who would thinks that they could deal with
it. Extremely difficult because it's
very convicting. But I have found that things
that convict me most certainly convict you. And rather than
run from them and try to explain them away, we need to deal with
them head on. This is convicting, but it's very needful and vital. how our Lord started out this
Sermon on the Mount. Let me refresh your memory a
little bit. He started out in chapter 5 by exposing hypocrisy,
religious hypocrisy. He talked about religion for
show, religion for show, doing your alms, praying, fasting,
to be seen of men, how that that is hypocrisy, hypocrisy. He talked about laying up treasures
in chapter six. He said, anytime you hoard or
lay up for yourselves, lay up for yourselves treasures on the
earth, how that it reveals hypocrisy, hypocrisy, because if you, like
John said, if any man say, He loves the brethren. See, his
brother in need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion.
How does the love of God dwell in that man? It doesn't. He's
a hypocrite. Say what he may. You say you
love the kingdom of God and you love your brethren, yet devote
all of your time, energy, and efforts and money to the world.
That's hypocrisy. Absolute hypocrisy. And then
he talked about the single eye. You remember that message, the
single eye? the eyes to be set only upon
Christ, Christ alone, not other things. And if it is, if you
have an eye, a double mind or a double eye, that it reveals
hypocrisy. We're to have faith and trust
in Christ alone and an eye to him alone. If not, that's hypocrisy. And now, in these verses, He
deals with anxious care and anxiety and undue concern and worry and
frivolous care and commitment and being taken up with things
of this world, how that that reveals hypocrisy. Hypocrisy. We say we love, believe, trust,
and depend upon God. Yet we are overly attached to
and committed to the world. We say we're taken up with God,
we have our affections set on things above, and yet we're overly
attached to and committed to this world. That's hypocrisy.
We say that we believe and trust and depend upon a sovereign God
to meet our needs, yet we become overly concerned about and anxious
about the future. That's hypocrisy. That's hypocrisy. Where's your faith? Where's our
faith? And our Lord begins this new
thought in verse 24 with this short proverb. He says, You cannot
serve two masters. Either you will hate the one
and love the other, or else you will hold to the one and despise
the other. You cannot serve God and mammoth. And then he goes
on in his next several verses to show why you cannot serve
God and mammoth. And the first thing we need to
understand is what he means by serve. what he means by that. Now I want you to look over to
Romans chapter six with me. Romans chapter six. What does
it mean to serve something or someone? To serve. The word goes
much deeper than the surface there. Romans six verse sixteen
clearly illustrates this. Romans six sixteen. Know ye not
but to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey." Willingly
submit to and yield to be servants to obey. His servants you are
to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience
unto righteousness. Now, the word serve here means
be enslaved to it. OK? Be enslaved to, be in service
to, be enslaved, render enslaved obedience, yield to the dictates
of a master. Now go on, let's go on reading
here in Romans 6, verse 17. But God be thanked, because it's
His Word, God be thanked, that you were the servants or enslaved
to sin. But you have obeyed from the
hearts that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you,
being then made free from sin, free from bondage to sin, dominion
of it. You became the servants of righteousness,
for the Lord our righteousness. Now verse 19, look at this. This
is enlightening here. I speak up to the manner of men
because of the infirmity of your flesh. I know the spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak." Verse 19, "...as you have yielded your
members, servants, to uncleanness." You used to just yield yourselves
totally. "...and to iniquity unto iniquity.
Even so, now yield your members, servants, to righteousness unto
holiness." That could be translated, servants of Christ, unto Christlikeness,
or a way of life. through Christianity. He said,
once you are enslaved to, or under the dominion of, under
the controlling influence of sin. Right? Some of you. I was. Some may still be there. Under the dominion of sin, under
the controlling influence of it, you served it, or you do
serve it now. And it is served up to you, and
you relish and enjoy it, or used to. And in what our Lord is saying,
the same holds true for the world. The same holds true for the world. You can be under the dominion
of it, under the control and influence of it, in service to
it, and it gets served up to you, and you have your full enjoyment
in it. But our Lord says in our text, you cannot. It's impossible. It's impossible. You cannot be
enslaved to God and the world. You cannot be enslaved to God
and the world both. We're called in the Scripture
bond slaves, willing servants, submit to the Lord, the Lord
Jesus Christ. You can't be both. You cannot
serve God and man. Why? Do you remember, I didn't
bring my bulletin with me, do you remember that article by
William Jay? He said some people, does anybody have that bulletin
on them? In your Bible? Do you remember how he said that
some people pretend to do that? It's a very convicting article. Did you read it? He said there's a possibility of
serving the one in pretense of the other. How many call Jehovah
Lord and yet in reality worship the world? How many professors
of Christianity, but their hearts are thoroughly worldly and completely
secular, or that is, bound to the world in all their affections
and desires and plans and pursuits? And even their religion is worldly.
His health and wealth gospel is proof of that. Men may suppose him to be religious,
but even men are generally not deceived. But God is certainly
not deceived, and he'll not suffer himself to be mocked with impunity
or rejection. Why can you not serve God in
the world? Christ says it's impossible. Because they're diametrically
opposed to one another. Diametrically opposed. They're
opposites. The reason being is that you'll
hold to the one and love the one and despise the other and
reject the other because they're different principles, completely
different principles in the world and in following after Christ. Listen to these. This is written
by William Jay. I said that was William Jay.
That wasn't. That was John Brown. This is by William Jay. This
was quoted by several different writers. This one paragraph. He says their orders, the orders
of these two masters are diametrically opposed. One, now we're going
to talk about God and then the world. One commands you to walk
by faith, depend upon Him, trust Him, get all your strength and
sustenance and well-being and everything, happiness in Him.
The other says, walk by sight. Walk by faith or walk by sight.
He can't do both. We've tried on one. Now, half
faith is not faith at all. The one says to be humble. The
world says, be proud. Only the strong survive. Christ
says, the meek will inherit the earth. The one says, set your
affection on things above. The other says, set your affection
on things below. The one says look at things that
are unseen, they're eternal. The other says look at things
that are seen, they are, that's the only thing they're even.
The one says to have our conversation in heaven, our life, our everything
invested in heaven. The other says cleave to the
dust, you've only got one life to live, so go for it. The one says, be careful for
nothing or overly anxious for nothing. The other says, be full
of anxiety. If you're going to make something
yourself, you're going to have to do it. The one says, be content
with such things as you have. The other one says, get what
you can. Get up, grab all the gusto you can. The one says, be ready to distribute.
The other one says, you better save up a nest egg for a rainy
day. You see, they're diametrically
opposed. The one says, look at the things of others. The other
one says, you better look out for yourself. The one says, seek
happiness in the Creator. The other one says, seek happiness
in the creation. You see, they're diametric. You
can't do both. You cannot. It's plain here, he says, that
you can't. There's no serving two masters. They have different
principles. You'll either love the one and
hate the other, or you'll Plead to the one and despise the other.
You can't serve God and mammon. Listen to this now. To serve
mammon, and we talk about mammon, we talk about the world and everything
in it. The riches and the pleasures of this world that we just sang
about. To serve mammon is to lay up treasures on earth and
to make these sensible, worldly things a great subject of our
thoughts and objects of our affections. To serve God is to lay up treasures
in heaven to make things divine and heavenly the great subject
of our thoughts and the great objects of our affections. The
two things are incompatible. Scripture says a covetous man
is an idolater. Christ said, Whosoever will be
the friend of the world must be an enemy of God. They're diametrically
opposed, aren't they? It's impossible. Impossible. Now, let me lay a little groundwork
here. When he talks about service,
what I'm trying to say is being enslaved to and under the total
influence of and just being in bondage to it so that you serve
it, either Christ or the world. All right? We serve in the place
we work. We serve our families. You ladies
are willing bond slaves, some of you literally, to ungrateful,
some ungrateful husband. But you're bond slaves out of
love you serve with all of your person. That's right, it's commitment,
it's right in the Lord, it's what you should do. Be submissive
to your husband, do the things that he tells you. This is biblical. You men, you serve your wife.
Christ said, love your wives as he loved the church. Do it.
Seek to make them happy. Seek to give them things they
need and your children. We do serve, okay? We're not in absolute total bondage
to the exclusion of our soul and their soul. We're talking
about being in bondage to. Everything is influenced by. You don't first, Joe, you don't
first look at things as how they will affect Nancy or how Nancy
will think about it. You first look at things as what
does God say about it? How am I to do this in my relationship
with Christ and God? And how is it going to affect
my relationship with my wife and my family and so forth? You
see, He comes first. He comes first. Now, listen to
this. We cannot set up standards of
living. All right? That people must meet
in order to be unworldly or godly. This is what the Quakers do.
This is what the Amish do. And this is what the German Baptists
in our area do. They set up standards of living,
modes of dress and this and that and the other that you must be
in strict observance of in order to make yourself appear to be
unworldly or godly. Our Lord said in chapter seven,
verse one, judge not. Didn't. Judge not. Another place the Lord says he
doesn't look, he doesn't, God has no respect for persons or
outward personages. Looks on the heart. Doesn't see
his man, see. One man, let me give you an illustration
here, as far as the outward countenance and look You see, one man may
be rich and increased with goods and be a great supporter of the
church and the gospel, while another man may live very meagerly,
very simply, and pride himself in it, and yet give very little. It can be. You can't tell by that. Now,
there's some obvious people that live in absolute lavishness and
opulence. and Hollywood-style lifestyles
and so forth that lavish everything upon themselves while people
are starving out in the world and they can't get enough of
their millions. That's obvious. But the Lord makes us rich and
He makes us poor. You cannot judge, judge not,
okay, unless you're giving everything of yourself, unless you've sold
all your worldly goods and given to the poor, then you can rightly
judge somebody, right? You and I do not know people's
hearts. God alone does. We do not set standards. And
you know, even God didn't set standards of dress and so forth
in his Word, except moderation. He talked about the women being
clothed with shamefacedness and sobriety. The women wearing that
was pertained to a woman and a man. A man's supposed to look
like a man, a woman like a woman. and were to be humble and meek
and not showy and this and that and the other. But as far as
rigid standards say, you must wear your beard this way, you
must wear this color clothing, you must this, must that. The
scriptures don't do that. The Levites, over in Leviticus
now, the Lord had strict observances for the Levites, didn't he? That
they were not to trim the corners of their beards, right? but, and different things. But the Lord does not set up
standards like that, so neither should we. Neither should we. All right, now turn over to 1
Timothy chapter 6. I thought it necessary to lay
that groundwork, because we're so self-righteous in our judgment
of people and so forth, because we look this way, somebody else
ought to. We do this, somebody else ought
to. We don't have this, they ought not to. and so forth. You know, the Lord, like I said,
the Lord, I quoted, the Lord make us rich, He make us poor.
The Lord generally doesn't give His people abundance of riches
because He knows us. He knows us. He knows what's
in man. He knows who can handle it and
who can't. And He knows where a need is. And you know, a need
is generally met through the abundance that we have, not God generally blesses us over
in abundance so that we'll give enough to meet a need. Right? If it depended upon our
substance, the need would be met. So God blesses over in abundance
where we give a little bit of surplus and the need gets met.
God knows us. He knows us. And so every now
and then He'll bless us, but not too much. That's what he
said over in Proverbs. Don't give me too many riches,
I'll forget you. Don't give me poverty either,
I'll steal and blaspheme your name. 1 Timothy 6, service begins
with the heart. Our Lord says, whatever you treasure,
that's what's in your heart. 1 Timothy 6, look at verse 6,
beginning of verse 6. Brother Terry read this in a
study last week, or this week. He says, Godliness with contentment
is great gain. We brought nothing into this
world, it's certain we can carry nothing out. Having food and
raiment, let us be there with content. But now, listen to the,
listen to the spirit of what he's saying here. They that will
be rich, doesn't say those that are rich,
right? There are woes pronounced upon
the rich in this world. They are. Woe unto you, rich
men, weep and howl. The rust of your gold and silver
shall rise up in the judgment. The canker of the rust of your
gold and silver shall rise up in the judgment against you.
And then you remember when the Lord said, How hardly shall they
that have riches enter the kingdom of heaven? And the disciples
got all upset. Well, you and I was talking about
that effort. You see, John and James had a
family business going. They were fishermen. They'd been
handed down the family business. They had their own boats, their
own nets, their own dock. They weren't so bad off. They
had James and John, Sons of Zebedee Fishing Company. They weren't
poor. Were they? They weren't poor.
Luke was a physician. He had a thriving practice practice.
Physicians have always been fairly well off. Right? Matthew was
a tax collector. He had him a nest egg set aside. We tend to think of the apostles,
Peter was a fisherman. We tend to think of them as being
poor down and out when the Lord found them. No, they weren't.
They were thriving businessmen and they were doing well. That's the reason, Terry, they
got upset when the Lord said, how hardly shall they have riches
in the kingdom of heaven? They said, well, who's going
to be saving them? He said, how hardly shall they then? Somebody
repeat it. What enriches? Trust enriches. Trust enriches. All right. And this is what Paul is telling
Timothy. They that will be rich, they've
got to have it. Right? Fall into temptation and
a snare. You want to be rich? God may
let you. You may be poor toward God. What
is that proverb? I'll not take the time to look
it up, but it says, There is he that maketh himself rich who
has nothing, but there is he that maketh himself poor who
is very rich. All right, read on. You fall
into temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts.
In order to get rich, you're going to have to go for it. It
grounds men in destruction and perdition. Look at verse 10.
Here's the key. Does it say, Money is the root
of all evil? No. The love of money. The love of money. It's called
filthy lucre because it changes, it goes through men's filthy
hands. There's nothing dirty or evil about money. Right? It's the people who handle it
and what all goes on in the obtaining of it. Blood is spilled over
it. Prostitution and drugs and this
and that and the other goes through to Obtain this money. The love
of money is the root of all evil, which some have coveted after.
Here's the key. Have erred from the faith, been
seduced from the faith, pierced themselves through with many
sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things. Flee these
things. Flee them. Down to verse seventeen.
Charge them that are rich in this world, that you'll never
get to heaven. No. It doesn't say that. Charge them that are rich in
this world that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches,
but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy."
All things to enjoy. Everybody in here has a pretty
nice house to live in. It's a palace by Mexican standards.
They live on dirt floors and grass huts down there. And the
most meager home in here, trailer, is a palace. fit for a king to
one of those Mexican people. You know, Walter Gruber said
that there's been many times he's been tempted to bring some
people back up in the states with him, and he said he won't
do it. He said it would ruin them. He said they couldn't go
back home. They couldn't go back home. They'd ruin them. They'd
see all this. They'd see the average man living
in an average home, and they'd think, This is the greatest thing
of all. This is living. And then have
to go home to a dirt floor and grass hut and all that. All right, he says, Charge them
that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded,
nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who give
us, he does give us richly all things to enjoy. I was thinking
the other day how much more blessed it truly is to give than to receive.
There's nothing that makes me more happy. Nothing makes me
happier than to do things for my wife. I love to lavish her
with things. Doesn't Christ do the same thing
for us? Sure He does. Unspeakable riches He lavishes
us with. My daughter, nothing makes me more happy than to give
her things and see her happy. That's love. Love seeks to bestow
the best He has on the object of His affection. Nothing makes
me more happy. And God gives us richly all things
to enjoy. But verse 18, this is what he
said, But charge them that they do good, that they be rich in
good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying
up in store for themselves mammon, no, a good foundation against
the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. All right? Okay? All right, now back to the text.
And our Lord is saying, Same thing here, setting off your
heart to increase riches. Whatever the Lord gives you,
thank Him for it. Realize where it comes from,
enjoy it. Enjoy it. Thank Him for it. But
don't be covetous and keep going after Him. Can't get enough.
Can't get enough. Got to have more. Don't set your
heart to increase riches. You cannot grow in grace and
knowledge and grow rich at the same time. Can't do it. Both require allegiance, discipline,
devotion, and service. That's what the Lord's talking
about. You've got to be a servant to this world to make it big.
Now you do. You're going to get ahead, John.
You're going to have to start living on four-hour sleep, buddy.
Working two jobs, three jobs. You're going to have to be recounting
your pennies. Picking up, if you smoke, you
have to smoke cigarette butts. Not buy anything. I know a man. If you want to be rich, you've
got to give yourself to the job, to the world, to yourself. To
yourself. If you want to be rich toward
God, you've got to give yourself to God. Listen to this. There's
188 hours in the week. 188 hours in the week. If you give 186, Eating, drinking, sleeping, working,
recreating, and so forth. You'll have a nice home, you'll
have a nice car, you'll have a salary, you'll have worldly
pleasures, but you may not have God. 188 hours in a week. You give 186, that's what you
call serving mammon, isn't it? Look at verse 25 now. He says,
therefore, I say unto you, and he connects
things they don't seem to have any connection to, but they do. He says, therefore, I say unto
you, take no thoughts for your life, what you shall eat or what
you shall drink, nor yet for your body, what you shall put
on, take no thoughts. The word thought there means
anxious care, sleepless nights. I told you about the man who
ran into some money and had trouble sleeping. for about three days
running, three nights running. Thought means constant concern,
plotting, scheming, planning, talking about, thinking about,
hoping for, wishing, working for. Thought. Give your thoughts
to. Take no anxious thought, like
for your life, for this life. He says, for eating and drinking,
for what you shall eat, what you shall drink, nor yet for
your body, what you shall put on, for clothing, be constantly
thinking about and concerned about and taken up with these
things. He says, verse twenty-five, is not life, is not the life
more than meat and the body than rainwater? Is that all life is all about? Now, our Lord is not prohibiting. He is not prohibiting us from
taking any thoughts. He's not doing that at all. You
know, a lazy housewife who doesn't like to cook sure would like
to use that verse, wouldn't you? Well, it says, take no thought
of what you leave, so here's a can of tuna. That's not what he's saying there.
Or a man who's a lazy bum won't go out and get a job, you know,
and that'd be a good excuse for him, you know. But that'd take
no thought, you know. No, Scripture says, and Scripture
only knows one kind of welfare, and that is if a man won't work,
don't let him eat. That'd be a good excuse. We could
try to use these verses, try to justify ourselves. That's
not what the Lord is saying. It'd take no thought at all.
Don't think about the dog. He's talking about constant care,
these things dominating your thoughts, your energy, your efforts
and your pursuits. You know what he's saying? You've
got to take thought about what you're going to put on tomorrow,
don't you? If you work a certain job, if
you work in a bank, you're not going to go down there in rags,
Debra. They won't permit it. They won't permit it. You've
got to wash your clothes, you've got to take care of them. Right? There's some thoughts and preparation
involved. What you're going to eat, you
ladies have to look up in the cookbook and prepare your meals
and so forth. You have to plan ahead. If you
have eight kids, you sure got to plan ahead. What you're going
to fix, you know, you just can't wing it. You got to go to the
grocery store with a list. That just makes good sense. He's not talking about not having
any thought whatsoever. Anxious, constant care, constantly
thinking about these things, dominating your thoughts. Oh,
I don't have anything to wear. Oh, this outfit won't do, you
know. You women have a real problem with that, don't you? I've only
got 24 pairs of shoes. And Mel DeMarco's, you know.
Oh, I wore that red dress last month. Some are like that. I'm not saying
any of you all are, really. But women do have a problem with
clothing. It seems to really take up your
thoughts and so forth. But he says that those things,
dominating your thoughts, your energy, your efforts, your working
toward them, your pursuits and so forth, don't do it. And he's
also talking about here anxious and worried thoughts. And that's
the reason he carries this thought on through here like he does. Beginning with verses 26 and
27, look at it. He said, Behold the fowls of
the air. They don't sow. They don't plant a garden. He's
not prohibiting us from planting a garden. He told Adam to go
out of the garden and plant a garden. It just makes sense, doesn't
it? But he's saying, you know, plant it and don't sit up at
night worrying about it. But he says, Behold, think about
the fowls of the air. They don't plant a garden. Neither
do they reap. They don't harvest it. They don't
gather in the barns. Yet your heavenly Father feedeth
them. Are you not much better than they? Not much, but little. A little. We are creating an
image of God. We lost most of that. Verse 27, Which of you
then might take in thought, one anxious thought, and add one
cubit unto his stature? Believe me, folks, if it could
be done, I'd have done it. Right, Rick? I remember when I was growing
up, I was always small and short, and I couldn't gain weight. And
I sent off for everything. weight gain pills. You know,
a puller had about a million calories in one pill, you know,
pounding those things left and right. I remember one time I
bought—I ought not to say this—I bought a key I sent off for a
kit to make me grow taller. You know what it was? It was a bar you hang between
your door, and you hang from it in the morning. You stretch
your spine. That was last year. No, I was
just a young boy, but if it could be done, what about growing hair?
Huh, Stan? Can't grow one, can you, but
grit your teeth all you will. That'll make them fall out. Can't
do it. He says, if you can't do the
simplest of things, if you can't grow an inch by anxious thought
or care, matter of fact, it does the exact opposite. It brings
about the exact opposite. Worrying about your life creates
stress, and it'll shorten your life. Worry, care, or anxiety won't
help in the least. It hurts. It hurts. It makes
you more miserable than you would have been if you hadn't. Right? And that's what our Lord is saying
here, verse twenty-eight. Why do you take thought for raiment?
Why do you take part for rain? Consider the lilies of the field,
how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin. Yet I say
unto you that even Solomon, in all his glory, in all his riches,
in all his glorious perils, was not raised like one of these
little flowers out in the field. Wherefore, men, if God so clothed
the grass of the field, which today he is, and tomorrow he
is casting the oven, it will burn up. Shall he not much more
clothe you, O ye of little faith, ye of little faith? Verse 31,
don't take any anxious thought like that. What shall we eat?
What shall we drink? Oh, what are we going to wear? What are
we going to wear? Take no anxious thought, worries
or cares or continual thoughts and devote all your energy and
make those your pursuits and so forth. Verse 32, after all
these things do the Gentiles seek. That is unregenerate, unbelieving,
heathen world out there is taken up with it. Turn your TV on.
be set, we're just bombarded with passion and worldliness
and, you know, pleasure and this and that. The world is just consumed
with it. Consumed with it. Don't you be.
Don't you be. That's what the heathen world,
unbelieving world is taken up with. Unbelievers think that
their life is in their own hands, too, so they worry about it.
In Psalm 10, verse 4, it says, God's not in all their thoughts.
In other words, all the thoughts that men think down to the day,
in the course of a 24-hour day, all the thoughts that they think
God doesn't come into at one time. God's not in all their
thoughts and all their plotting and scheming and seeking. I'm
going to do this. I'm going to do that. The Lord
willing, you may do this. You may do that. But don't let
it be so of you, believer. You're a son of God. Look at
it. You're a son of God. Verse 32, you're a heavenly father. You've got a heavenly Father,
that is, if you're in Christ, by faith. He knows what you have
need of all these things. He knows you have need of all
these things. Your heavenly Father knows. He knows what things you
have need of even before you ask. But He still tells you to ask.
Give us this day our daily bread. Verse 33, now here's the meat
of it. Seek ye first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness. What is
that? Most certain. Most certain. Christ is the kingdom of God.
Remember when he stood before the Pharisees that day and he
said, the kingdom of heaven doesn't come by observation. Or you say,
well, here it is. There it is. That's what the
Russellites, the so-called Jehovah's Witnesses do. That's what so
many others do. They think that Christ is going
to usher in an earthly kingdom and it's right now and we're
to be taken up with this world and politics and this and that
and the other. No, not so. Christ said, My kingdom is not
of this world. If it were, My servants would fight for every
inch of this earth. But it's not. God's going to
burn this. So His is a spiritual kingdom, a heavenly kingdom. And the kingdom of God, Christ
said, You think the kingdom of God comes by observation? Here
it is, there it is, this is it, health, wealth, this, that, in
the earth. No. He said the kingdom of God is
standing right in front of you. The king's dominion. Kingdom,
king's dominion. Who has dominion? Who is the
king that has dominion? Yeah, it's Christ. He is the
king who exercises His dominion in the hearts and lives. He gives
it to whomsoever He will. Christ is the king, and He has
dominion. It's not talking about some earthly
little paradise or carnal utopia in heaven. No. Christ. Seek ye
first Christ and His righteousness. his righteousness, to be clothed
in his righteousness. You're not going to get in heaven
unless you have a wedding garment. John, there's not one out of
a thousand understand what that's talking about is a wedding garment. What they think, Henry, is that
means morality. You've got to be a good Christian.
You've got to clean up your act, clean up your life, quit your
smoking and chewing and so forth. Then you'll be white and clean
and God will accept you. No. No way. It's an imputed robe. It's a robe that somebody else
made for you and puts on you. That's the life that Christ lived
while he was on this earth. The king is all glorious in his
apparel, and he brought out this robe and worked out this coat
of many colors for you, Joseph, and put it on to his sons, his
favorites, his elect, and puts this robe on you that you may
enter heaven. Seek ye first Christ and his righteousness. to be
clothed in his righteousness, washed in his blood, you'll not
get into heaven unless you have the blood of Christ applied to
your sinful soul. Wash away your sin. Seek ye first
the kingdom of God, or Christ, and forgiveness of sins. Faith
in Christ, an interest in him, assurance of your standing in
him. Grow in grace in the knowledge
of him. And he says here, and here's a promise, all these things
will be added to you. All these things will be added
to you. What things? Well, Cadillacs, Mercedes. Now, he'd just been
talking about food and drink and clothing. Now, if he gives
you more, fine, enjoy that. But don't take it up with him.
Like I said Sunday night, The stomach is sooner full than the
eyes, much sooner. All these things will be added
to you. He said, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things will be added unto you. All that will
be just gravy. Like that woman said, All this and Christ too. It would sound better if she
said, Have Christ and all this too. If Christ is your bread, if he's
your main course, then everything else is purely gravy. Right? I can eat bread without
gravy, biscuits without gravy. Can't you? Yeah, I like bread. Christ is your bread, your main
stay, your main course, everything else. Besides, that's just gravy.
And you'll eat it and you'll enjoy it. Food and rain, but
be content. If riches increase, What does
the scripture say? Somebody repeat it? Set not your heart upon. If they
increase, set not your heart upon. Now, here's the good word,
and I'll quit. Seek eternal life and seek a job later. Somebody said to a man, what
do you do for a living? They said, I'm a, Christ is my
life. I'm a plumber to make me expenses. You see the difference? There's
the difference in one little short phrase. What do you do
for a living? Well, Christ is my life, but
I'm a, I worked out J.P. Stevens to make me expenses. Me expenses. Seek eternal life
and get a job later. Seek a job later. Seek a heavenly
home, a dwelling place in heaven. Seek your house later. Seek to be married to Christ and find you a godly wife later.
Okay? If you do the opposite, if you
do the latter, there's no promise of the former. But Christ said
if you do the former, there is promise of the latter. All right,
verse 34, and I'll quit. Take, therefore, no thought for
the morrow, no anxious, careful, concerned, worrisome thoughts
and cares for the morrow. Don't set your affection, your
heart, and your plans, your energy for the morrow, for the morrow.
For the morrow shall take thought for the things of its sake. Sufficient
of the day is evil thereof. I started to say, we've got enough
problems today to worry about. That's the old saying, isn't
it? No, we really don't have that
many problems. But whatever problems we have,
the Lord sent them for us for our patience to try us. But live now, today. Live for the day. And let tomorrow,
let the Lord handle tomorrow. Don't worry about it. Don't give
your mind, your heart, your body, your time, your energy, your
efforts, Your thoughts, your cares, your pursuits, hold it
to the world in service to it and to yourself. You cannot,
our Lord says, you cannot serve God and man. You can't do it.
You can't do it. Scripture says the, I love this
scripture, thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is
stayed on thee, on thee. Thou wilt keep him in perfect
peace, whose mind is stayed on thee." And I add this one word. It's in keeping with what our
Lord just said. And the Lord will keep you in
food and clothing too. Thou wilt keep him in perfect
peace. You see, like we said Sunday night, the only thing
constant about this world is disappointment. Disappointment. Christ is constant. Thou wilt
keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, and the
Lord will keep you in food and clothing to thee." You're not
going to lose your house. You're not going to do it. If so, you've
got something better in mind. All right, stand with me and
I'll dismiss this and pray. Dear Lord, may you occupy
our thoughts in our minds, our hearts, our soul. May You fill
us with Yourself. Fill us with joy and peace in
believing and knowing Thee. Give us that perfect peace by
keeping our minds stayed upon Thee, thinking about Thee. You
have undertaken to meet our every need. no good thing shall you
withhold from them that seek thee. And we take you up on that
promise. Give us those things that are
needful, and do not give us those things that will take us from
you. In Christ's blessed name we pray
and amen together. Amen. Thank you.