2014년 1월 19일 주일 영어예배 설교
마태복음 6:25-33

(Matthew 6:25~33)

In today’s text, Jesus clarifies what the main thing is and what the side issues are, and the purpose and the means in Christian lives. This is because his disciples not only confused them but also were even anxious about the means or incidentals in their lives. So Jesus told them don’t worry about the necessaries of life but rather seek your main job and all the necessaries of life will be provided to them. Today, we are going to appreciate why we don’t have to be anxious about food, clothing and shelter and what the main thing is for believers.

Living itself is not the purpose or end of the lives of God’s people. Today’s passage begins with “Therefore”. It means that Jesus told something right before this statement. Jesus preached very important concepts to his disciples right before this statement of today’s passage. Above all, to appreciate today’s teaching we need to briefly look into the two concepts he taught in the previous passage. The first is that he said in verse 19, “do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth”. This teaching doesn’t mean that believers don’t have to or must not save money. This instruction from Jesus indicates that Christian people must not place an ultimate value on treasures on earth and must not rely on that. That is, Christian people also save money and make use of it, but the purpose of doing that is totally different from non-Christians. In the same verse, then, Jesus suggests the reason why he instructed “do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” with very practical reasons such as moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. In other words, with these common and easy reasons, Jesus emphasizes that fact that treasures on earth as a method of live are imperfect, limited, temporary, and unreliable. Now, Jesus suggests a new instruction to Christian people, in verse 20, “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”. Then, in the same verse, Jesus instructed that heaven is where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. That is to say, heaven or our final destination, that is eternal, perfect, and credible.

     Then, how can we lay up our treasures on heaven? What does it mean? Jesus, first of all, gives very important instructions to us before suggesting what we have to do for laying up our treasures in heaven. In verse 25, “I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.” What do these expressions symbolized by ‘what you will eat, what you will drink, what you will put on’ indicate? It describes people’s concerns about living on earth. Jesus commands, “do not be anxious about your life” Then, Jesus explains the appropriateness of his command to us taking animals and plants for example, ““Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them”, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?””. Jesus asserts that even animals and plants, which reflects God or their creator’s glory as creatures, but not involved in salvation and heaven unlike human believers, are in the care of God, their creator. Then, Jesus questions with divine authority “will I not much more care of you, my people?” And our Lord Jesus Christ instructs us again, in verse 31, “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’” I means that Jesus Christ says this, “I know that of course, there have been a lot of people who are anxious about these things, but they are all unbelievers or not my people” In verse 32, “the Gentiles seek after all these things” Here, ‘Gentile’ which means ‘stranger or alien’ is ‘Ethnos’ in Greek. This word does not mean a gentile in the blood, but a spiritual gentile. That is, it means that being anxious about these things is unbelievers or non-Christians’ attitudes. Jesus Christ gives us the crucial reason why we must stop being anxious about these things. In verse 32, “your heavenly Father knows that you need them all”. It is really practical and we should be thankful for this.

     Then, what do we do about these needs of ours? Jesus instructed the core of Christian life. In verse 33, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” This is one of the crucial philosophies of Christianity, and actually so many of our forefathers of the faith experienced in history. Here, ‘first’ which is ‘proton’ in Greek doesn’t means first in order, but mean ‘absolute’. So this verse doesn’t mean that Christian people have to first do things related to church or Christian affairs and then can do their private affairs or values afterwards. This verse means that believers must do everything from the view point of ‘kingdom of God and his righteousness’. What are the kingdom of God and his righteousness? Actually, I intended to explain these two concepts today, but these are not simple concepts and we need more time to explain them. Therefore, I will discuss the contents ‘the kingdom of God and his righteousness’ to you next time. So God promised that if we first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, he will add all these things, what we shall eat, what we shall drink, what we shall wear. This is the way to live in this world for Christians, or those who follow Jesus Christ.

     Please, seek first his kingdom and righteousness in whatever you do, wherever you are, whenever you are. The matter of what we shall eat, drink, and wear is not our business, but unbelievers’. These are just methods for us to live out our faiths here on earth or our journey to heaven. And when we first seek his kingdom and righteousness during our lives, our Lord, our Creator will add all them to us. This is God’s promise and also Christian people’s privileges. Please, don’t be quite anxious about those matters of lives and your futures like Gentiles, or unbelievers. Our Lord Jesus Christ asserts “the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Instead of being anxious about those earthly matters of lives, please contemplate your identity and question yourself, “Am I a real Christian or just one of the people who have Christianity as their religions?”, “Do I believe the Bible as the absolute God’s word for His people or just consider it, the Bible, as kind of a reliever, comforter, and counselor of my own life?”, “How do I live and what do I do for the rest of my life as a Christian?” We always need to think about how you can seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness in your office, home, school, gym, and date places and so on. Don’t forget the fact that you are God’s people; you are Christians who have totally different identities, purpose, and way to live from non-Christians. Don’t forget the fact that for God, you are much more precious than birds and lilies in the care of God.

     Therefore, please, study hard in your school as a Christian seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness, work hard in your field as a Christian seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness, be nice to your family in your home as a Christian seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness, be diligent and honest as a Christian seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness, and then God will add give these things to you. In other words, God will open your way using people, circumstances, and all factors for you according to His divine promise. This is because you are living only for His Kingdom and righteousness and you will have to do the same in the future. God has no choice but to bless you due to His covenant or promise as long as you keep seeking His kingdom and righteousness. Listen carefully Jesus’ sigh for your little faith in verse 30, “O you of little faith”. Believe Jesus Christ’s declaration. Trust in God’s promise for His own people. Listen carefully the confession of King David who fully experienced the fulfillment of God’s promise in Psalm 37:5, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act”

     I really want you to become competent people in your field in this world. I really want you to become able leaders in your field in this world. I really want you to make a lot of money as much as possible. I want you to become Christians who make it clear that you have different purpose and values as God’s people in this world, have a good influence on this world as Christians people, able to use money on contributing to good causes as Christians. I’m sure that God certainly help you to do that as long as you seek his Kingdom and righteousness because the kingdom and the righteousness are the reason God runs this world and history.