Fulfilling the Christian Calling: Part 6

I think one of the most common concerns as a Christian is we concern ourselves with the issue of how to generate spiritual momentum and keep it. Because generating it is one thing, that's hard enough, but then keeping it, maintaining it, that's also very difficult. As things are always struggling to stay up, to stay up with zeal, enthusiasm, interest, that are struggling to stay in the race. And not just stay in the race, the Christian race, but stay with them in vigor and vitality. To crank up and go again is the daily, everyday affair. And frankly, folks, it is. And the Bible tells us it is. I'll read 2 Corinthians 4, 16. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 16.

Paul speaks to this. He says, For which cause? We faint not, we don't quit, we don't fail. But though our outward men perish, is perishing in the process, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. Well, I renewed myself on Monday, so this is Thursday, and I haven't needed any renewal since Monday. It doesn't quite work like that. We have to be renewed day by day. And, of course, Paul addresses that. But doesn't it seem like the rising and falling of our flesh is ever with us, that our carnality just seems to ebb and flow? Like the tide rolling in and rolling out? And, like, you know, you think about it. That which was ingrained in us, for whatever period of time it was ingrained in us, in our pre-conversion time, that that is ever too present with us. That it pumps its head up ever so often, far too often, that it's never quite far enough away from us. That it never truly dies and leaves us alone in this life. And so, there are patterns that we experience. And one of the patterns that we experience is the pattern of, oh, gaining momentum, gaining ground than losing it. It's almost like a transmission that works part of the time, and part of the time it doesn't. It kind of slips between gears, and you know, boy, I've got to fix this before it just goes out on me completely. But it's just so easy for what we might speak of as our internal clutches to slip. If we go to bed and this will tend to happen with you as you're younger, as you get older, it might not. But ever go to bed and you're so excited about what you're going to be doing the next day, some project or whatever, that you can't go to sleep. The dreamer is running a little too high, so you can't really relax, tone down, go to sleep. You finally do. Maybe you're just exhausted, but you finally do. You wake up the next morning and you think, why was I so excited? What happened to the excitement? Where did it go? It just kind of dissipated into night air, you might say. You don't feel the same incentive. Well, our flesh, our natural makeup, it's a lot like that, isn't it? We all experience that. So just by nature alone, we experience a continuing experience. A continuous rising and falling of the flesh. And again, that pattern, gaining momentum and then losing it. Gaining momentum and then losing it. It's a constant struggle, a daily issue. And so many times, we just have to get up and go again. Get up each morning and crank up and renew and go again. Well, that's natural to our flesh. It's natural to being made of matter. It's natural to being made of a temporary state. It's natural to the way our emotions rise and fall. That's natural. Doesn't it fall asleep? It'd be natural with the spiritual. Now, I realize that when Paul said, renew David Day, he's talking about the spiritual.

We get up each day and renew ourselves physically. We start the renewal by trying to get a good night's rest. And physically, we continue that with breakfast and our coffee or whatever. And, you know, there's physical things that we do in that regard. But so it is with the spiritual, isn't it? Same pattern in one sense. Think about it.

We take two steps forward and we slip back one. We go forward two steps and we slip back one. We find ourselves going forward, but we don't always keep going forward. They're slippage and we slip back one. But notice the guy climbing steps.

He climbs two and he slips back one. He's got a net gain of one. He climbs two more and he slips back one. He's got another net gain of one. And somebody might say, well, he's slipping. Well, yeah, he's slipping back one. Sure. But how many did he go forward to? And he slipped back one, but then he went forward again to slip back one.

Yeah, it's a back-and-forth process in a sense, but he's gaining a step every time. And he is climbing and he is getting higher. And it's the same with our growth and our gain. We do grow. We do gain. There is addition that takes place. And because we keep making the effort, and that effort is blessed and backed by God, because we have a nonstop.

We have an unquit. We have an unstoppable, non-quit, non-give-up attitude.

That's our approach. That's our perspective. But it is a daily struggle. It's a daily struggle. And sadly, sometimes, some people get tired of the struggle. And they just quit. They fade away.

They don't consider it's worth it.

Or they get discouraged because they did step back a step. But they don't notice that they went forward too, and they gained one. So, hey, don't give up. You're gaining ground. As long as you stay in there, keep making the effort. Just because you just left back one. Okay, go forward and take two more. You're going to gain. May not be as much as you want to. May not be what you think you really should have gotten out of the effort you put in. But keep doing it. Keep doing it. Yeah, it's a daily struggle. Dealing at the rising and falling of our flesh and its effect on us spiritually. It's a constant challenge. Cranking up and going again. Capturing momentum and maintaining momentum.

Remember, and I'm a firm believer in this because I've seen it in my personal life and I've seen it in the lives of others.

Make an effort. Give God something to bless. Keep doing. God sees that. He knows we make effort. And He appreciates it. And if I may use the word respect in regards to that, He respects the fact that we're making the effort and He will keep on supporting us and helping us and blessing us with it.

I think as Christians, along with this need, we see the relevance and the value of something that has to be intrinsic in the issue to help us to get momentum and to keep momentum and to keep going forward. And that's vision. That's vision.

We've all seen the caricature of the cartoons or in some of the old movies, the racehorse, and the jockey's got this long pole he's holding out as they're racing. And at the end of the pole, there's a carrot dangling and the horse or an apple and the horse is trying to get to it and he's running faster and faster. And of course, it doesn't close the distance between the apple and his nose or mouth.

But the incentive, he can see what he thinks he's going to get.

Well, vision, we can see not what we think we're going to get, but with vision, we can see what we know we're going to receive someday.

How is it to be able to maintain spiritual momentum without some vision involved? And frankly, it's impossible to have spiritual momentum without some vision involved because vision feeds the incentive. It feeds the incentive that helps make up that momentum. That's why vision is expressed in the Bible as such an important thing because it has a propelling power.

It moves us. The value of seeing sharply in our minds. I know one year at the feast, I had the opening message at Panama City Beach, and I talked about how painting a vision on the canvas of the mind, how the message would paint a vision on the canvas of the mind. What you can see in your mind in vision, and the more you can see it, the more real it is, too.

And the more you attach to it and want that to be able to envision total success someday. Someday, and you and I have a hard time understanding this because it's not part of our current pattern or experience, but to be a spirit being as a son or daughter of God the Father, the younger brother and sister of Jesus Christ, and to never crank down, to always be cranked up, to be filled with vim and vigor and vitality and energy and never have the law, never have the ebbing away. The tide doesn't roll out. It stays in, so to speak. But to stay up, to be able to stay up, that is a reality or an experience that we don't have in this life while we're flesh and blood.

We can get out, but it's very difficult to stay up. It's very difficult to really attain to the zeal and enthusiasm that we want, but on top of that, to stay with that zeal and enthusiasm. But someday, someday, when we are in the kingdom of God, that would just be par for the course.

Anyway, to reach out in our mind's eye, envision, and draw the family of God right up next to us, and picture, to be able to picture, what is there for us in the ultimate success someday, and to hold that clearly and close in our mind's eye, it's undeniable in its relevance and value to capturing and maintaining spiritual momentum.

You know, this Scripture here in Romans 8.18, we've read it many a time, Romans 8.18, when you see something, you cannot unsee it.

You see a picture of the Grand Canyon, or anything else. It's an image that's now printed on the brain.

You cannot unsee it. Paul in vision was given to see the future, he was given to see the third heaven, he was given to see the throne of God, he was given to see the things that were involved in the third heaven.

He could not unsee it.

Talk about powerful.

This is why he said in 1.18, I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. He saw what that glory would be like. There have been, from what we know, a number that could be counted on one hand, those who have been given to see with a vision so sharply as that, to where it was literally planted on the mind because of what the eyes in vision were given to see.

But that vision that Paul speaks of, even though other than such a tiny shoe that we're aware of, that vision is still shared with the rest of us to a certain degree. We don't have the actual sight of it in the same way. It's not printed on our brains exactly the same way. But that vision is shared with the mind that's put next to the mind of God.

And we as Christians are also pragmatic enough, practical enough, realistic enough to know that all of our incentives can't just involve things that are waiting out there in the future somewhere, that we need to have some closer-ended hand. We need to experience some of them now. Some of them now, which is needed to help propel us, to help keep us encouraged. We realize this and so does God. And so, as usual, God is very... is way ahead of us in recognizing and supplying need. So God has set up a... what I call a mainframe or a spiritual framework.

You can use either phrase, either term, kind of one in the same. A mainframe or a spiritual framework in which these things can and will be accomplished. It's a spiritual framework. It's a mainframe that generates and maintains spiritual momentum. It's a framework, spiritual framework, mainframe, that we can arise every morning and begin to set ourselves into.

It delivers. It produces spiritual momentum, spiritual functioning and performing. And again, I call it the spiritual mainframe or the spiritual framework, either one. You know, we... computers have so advanced, obviously, since they first came out. It's unreal how much they've advanced. And now, of course, we're dealing with AI, artificial intelligence. With all of its good possibilities, as well as its very evil possibilities, a man's way is never to have only good with no evil involved.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Evil is always involved, to some degree, and sometimes in an overpowering way. But computers have really advanced. And so many of the things that were once... the way it was done has, and how, moved on to much deeper and more profound technical ways and means, chips and everything. But the computer system that was designed and built around and all tied into the mainframe.

Remember that term? How that term was used? The mainframe of the computer mainframe. All tied into the mainframe. Well, this is the mainframe of Christianity. This is the mainframe of our Christian calling. This is what we've been going through these past few weeks. This is what Matthew 5, 6, and 7 are all about. So, what I'm dealing with today is Part 6. Fulfilling the Christian Calling, Part 6.

Matthew 5, 6, and 7 is a definition of... and it's also because it could be synonymously used, this word could be used, synopsis. It's a synopsis of what is needed for true Christianity. It's the definition of true Christianity. And it's a synopsis, a layout, a logical, actually a very logical, rational, practical orderly layout of what's needed for true Christianity. And here's what's interesting about Matthew 5, 6, and 7. Is it nowhere else in God's Word will you find a definition or a synopsis that is both so specific and yet so thorough in frame-working or main-framing the Christian Calling?

It's not there. Anywhere else. Not like it is in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. So, in coming to a conclusion today with this series that I've been giving, I want to illustrate the mainframe. I want to illustrate this with a synoptic approach through Matthew 5, 6, and 7. Matthew 5, and I will simply read through verses 3 through 9. The very first part, the very first thing, when the disciples, when He went up apart and sat apart from the multitude and His disciples followed Him, and when He was apart and He sat down and they sat down there before Him and opened His mouth and He taught them the very first things He said, verses 3 through 9.

He laid this out, Those seven things mentioned outline or define the converted mind. It's only in the converted mind that true happiness can take place. The truly converted mind is the truly happy mind. And that produces, that projects a witness. Think about it. These seven things, they're listed here, when they are put, and to the degree they are put into practice, into living practice in one's thinking, words, and doings, their life, that produces and projects a witness that falls on the eyes of others.

That's why verses 13 through 16, you are the salt of the earth. You're the salt of the earth. Verse 14, you are the light of the world. You're the salt of the earth. Those seven things make you the salt of the earth. They make you the light. They make you the light of the world. And verse 16, let your life so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Think about it. Those seven produce you as salt and light in the eyes of others. And the basic anchor, the basic underpinning, the basic foundation is the law. As I said, this is not just a definition. There is a synoptic flow, a systematic, orderly flow, rational, logical, orderly flow in this definition. Christ could just have mentioned part of the definition over here. He could have been mentioned part of the definition over there. And he could put some of the definition over here. And he could have laid out the whole definition without putting it in a certain order.

But it's laid out in a certain order. It's synoptic. It's systematic. And we'll see that as we just flow through here. So the seven things produce us as salt and light in the eyes of the world. And what anchors all of that, what underpins it, the basic foundation is the law. Verses 17-20. Think not that I'm come to destroy the law or the prophets.

I'm not come to destroy but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till I'll be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.

But whosoever shall do and teach them the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. The law. Replacement of putting it right here. See, David's thoughts, David's love affair with the law of God would not fit in the Catholic or Protestant world today. Psalm 119, we won't go there, but Psalm 119 expresses how David, a man after God's own heart, felt about the law of God. It was a love affair.

And he speaks of God's law there in Psalm 119. In verse 105, he says, Your word, your law, is a lamp, or a candle, as the margin says, to my feet. It lights the way for me. How to walk, how to do. A light into my path. It's a guide. It's a directing force.

And it provides tangible targets. Think about the law of God. It provides tangible targets and goals. It enhances purpose. It helps that assist, that adds clarity. It has its role. It is not to be destroyed. It's not to be diminished. It's not completeness nor perfection. But it is very basic and very binding and very deep. It has its proper place. It serves a very valid purpose.

Anchored in that, the people who throw away God's law. I don't care how good minded they are, how sincere they are, and they can have some good principles they practice. But there's no chance for their minds to be deeply converted. To come to what God calls conversion, deep conversion, when they reject the law of God. Because Christ's mind was one that accepts the law of God. God the Father promotes His law. And those who reject that law, they're rejecting the mind of God. They don't realize it. Not saying they know what they're doing. I'm just thinking that the deep conversion of God cannot take place in them. So right here with Christ laying out those seven things and about how that would make you a witness of salt and light, you're underpinned by the law of God which anchors you and establishes a way of life. Then we get to what can destroy those seven things that make up the converted mind, what can destroy you as salt, what can destroy you as light, what can make you not care about the law. We get to anger, don't we? In verses 21 through 26 where it's pointed out what you've got to be on guard against here. And what really is hurt and core at the center and bottom line of all of that is anger. And we've gone through. In part 4, I finished up that message with anger, with the issue of anger, the dangers of anger. But then in part 5, I dealt with the whole sermon. It really broke anger down so we could really have a better, deeper understanding of it. Anger. Christ puts it in right here in this synoptic flow because beware what holds the potential to break up your marriage, beware what holds the potential to break up your relationships, to break up your Christianity, to break up your character. Beware what holds the potential to break up the converted mind. And there's a reason again why he puts it in right here. It has the power to strip the flavor from the salt. It has the power to dim or turn out the light to shut down the witness. Beware what holds the potential to burn away care and reason and appeal. Beware of what has the power to trash your vows, your relationships, your marriage, and to set you up on a trail of revenge. That's why anger is set or contexted in here at this point. Notice. Notice the position. It is right after the converted mind. It is right after salt and light. It's right after love. And what does it come before? It comes before adultery, which is in verses 27 through 30. It comes before divorce, which is in verses 31 through 32. It comes before vows, which is in verses 33 through 37. It comes before revenge, which is in verses 38 through 42. You've got it all right there in your Bible. It comes before enemies, verses 43 through 48. And again, think about how Christ is laying this out in the order that He's laying it out in.

This is you positioned after converted mind, salt, light, and law. And before, because not only does it take you out of what you can't afford to be taken out of, but it also can generate these other things. There is extremely valid reason for the placement of it here, because anger, improper anger, will place us on a wrong motivational basis with all of the destructive consequences that come along with it. Improper anger is the great undoer. It's the great destroyer.

Over my lifetime, and obviously due to the nature of my calling, I've obviously had exposure to a lot of people and a lot of situations. I remember one sad situation where a man, he was not in the church, he knew somebody, he was connected to somebody who was in the church, but he himself was not in the church. He was a young man, not in the church. But I remember he contacted me and wanted to talk with me. Okay. And he came to me, all concerned and wanting to know what to do. In his extreme frustration and distress, he confided in me that he and his wife had had a fight, that had a big fight, and how that he then, in anger, had gone out and found an old girlfriend and committed adultery.

And now his conscience was eating him alive.

There are some things like broken eggs you can't put back together. There are some things, the saying, when you ring the bell, you cannot unring it. There are just some things that there's no way to escape the consequences you bring upon yourself. But in anger, he told me, in anger, he went and did that, which now is eating him alive, and I don't know what happened to them down the way. It was years ago. Reason goes out. Care goes out. Appeal goes out. Those are the things that are needed in marriage, aren't they?

Those are the things that are needed in relationships. Reason is needed. Care is needed. To be able to be appealed to is needed. That's what's needed in conversion. God will reason with us through inspiration and through His Word. God wants us to care about what He chose us. God wants to be able to appeal to us. How can conversion truly take place in us and go deeper and deeper?

If we don't care, or we can't be reasoned with, or we can't be appealed to, these are the things that are needed to maintain the things that count, the things that matter, the things that are important, the things of value, the things that really matter. I found it kind of sad that on a certain level, maybe the person was, in their mind, motive, trying to pay me a compliment.

I don't know. But when Angela's troubles here, after we moved to Rome, and she had to have those initial surgeries and all, a member commented to me about how a lot of men would just be out of there. They wouldn't deal with all that. They'd just be gone. Like, it's commendable that you're standing by her. Maybe the person thought they were somehow giving me a compliment. At least I will assume that.

But when it was said to me, I couldn't help but think, just because that's what a lot of men would do, how does that relate to me? Not only do I love her, but my covenant's not just with her. My covenant was with God. If I break my covenant with her, I'm breaking my covenant with God, because I covenanted with God, with her, before God, with Him, and took my vows before Him. It's just interesting. Being able to be reasoned with, being able to care, being able to be appealed to, that is so important for relationships and marriage and conversion, especially conversion.

The things are important. The things are valued. The things that really matter. Again, in Matthew 5 there, verses 27 through 30, it talks about adultery. Verses 31 through 32 talks about divorce. 33 through 37 talks about vows. Again, anger, the issue of anger is that, not just after the converted mind, so to speak, anchored in the law, and you as a witness, but before these things that are very important to think about and not fall prey to, fall into.

I remember a man said to me years ago, and this was a very converted man, very converted man, and a very insightful individual. He said, you know, we're told to love the one we can learn to hate the most. Now, that's an odd statement at first, just on the surface, do you think about it? He said, we're told to love the one we can learn to hate most. And we talked about it, and I thought about it, and I thought, you know, there's truth in that statement, because you think about it.

And this is why he said it, and I probed the reasons why he said it. He was faithful to his wife, he loved his wife, and they had a long marriage. But he realized something about our makeup. How many divorced or former ex-mates become enemies? I mean formidable enemies. Now, not in every case, when two people divorce, go separate ways due to one or the other, both, whatever, it doesn't matter. Some do remain friends. Some remain cordial.

Some do. But how many have we known that couldn't stand to be in the same room with the other one, couldn't stand to look at them. If looks could kill, the other person would be dead, or they'd both be dead, whatever. We know that. We know that some become formidable enemies. He said we're told to love the one we could learn to hate most.

Well, what's behind some of that thinking? Well, maybe something like this. Our mate is the one we live most open with. There's no human being on the planet that you live as open with as you do with your mate. This is the one that we're most exposed to. This is the one that we're most vulnerable with. This is the one human being that we're most likely to go from hero to zero with. Hero to heal with. This is the one human being that we live the closest with. You think about that. You don't live that close with anybody else. The one human being that you live the closest with is your mate. Now, with other human beings, you can kind of live somewhat at a distance, right?

You don't have to go home with them. You don't have to get up with them. You can live at a distance, okay? But you can't do that with your mate.

You go to bed with them, you get up with them, you know them. They know you. That is the most intimate relationship, obviously, and it goes far beyond just sexual. Your insides, your fiber, your real makeup, what you really are, not what you think you are or others think you are, more of what God knows you are, more of that shows to your mate, right?

Right. You're more exposed. And as I said, your mate is your closest brother or sister. Think about that. Like your neighbor is yourself, well, your mate is your closest brother or sister. And that is one reason why marriage, and due to the closeness of the relationship where that's your closest brother or your closest sister, that's why it is so crucial in God's sight. And we could read statements like, okay, 1 John 4.20 says this. In 1 John 4 and verse 20 it says this, If a man say, I love God and hates his brother, he's a liar.

For he that loves not his brother, whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he's not seen? And we think, okay, a man better love his brother. If he says he loves God, he better love his brother. And we just kind of don't, because the way it's worded, we don't stop to think, well, that also really applies to my wife. That really applies to my husband. That applies to me in regards to, if you're a man, that applies in regards to your wife.

Is anything less true towards your mate? A wife toward her husband? No, because they are spiritual. A husband and a wife, especially in the church, for instance. A husband and a wife, especially in the church, they are spiritual brother and sister. Husband and wife, but spiritual brother and sister. And then you take it out a little bit further. If your word is no good, how can God count on you? Remember, they thought they were paying me a compliment, and I think they meant it that way.

But it's like I had an option. And I didn't do like a lot of men and just bail out on the situation. I didn't have an option. I didn't have an option due to love. I didn't have an option due to God. I didn't have an option due to the fact that I'm trying to operate as a converted individual who loves God and loves his wife. And realizing that, although it doesn't say mate in this, if this applies this way that John speaks of here, then it also applies to mates.

It's a matter of integrity. It's a matter of trust. It's a matter of faithfulness. And I think God looks at our actions with others many times to take a fair measure of how our actions will be with Him. And then, again, here in chapter 5, verses 38 through 42, you deal with revenge. And again, these things that are currently being listed that I'm currently going through are things that anger will set you on, that the wrong anger, anger improperly handled, anger of a type and nature that shouldn't be allowed to take root will cause these things.

Put you on the trail of these things. So you have revenge dealt with, verses 38 through 42. And then, Christ lays on the heavy responsibility, verses 43 through 48, Matthew 5, verses 43 through 48. And I'm not going to go through and read all over for sake of time, but I just want to lay out that synoptic flow. Love your enemies. Now, that's tough. Love your enemies. See, revenge is not an act of love. And there's issues related, separate and related, that I'd like to deal with at some future time, God willing.

But revenge is not an act of love. And if it is felt and it's desired, where is it felt and desired? It's felt and desired most strongly toward our enemies. I mean, you don't walk the sidewalk or walk through a store and see people you don't even know and feel any hate or any need for revenge against them. I mean, if you do, you're really weird. You know, they're just strangers. And you could even have feelings of pity for them. You see, many situations that just kind of tug at your heartstrings. But those that do things to kind of show that they want to be your enemy, those that do things that hurt you, and they know it hurts you, and they do it because they want it to hurt you, and they want you to know that they're wanting to hurt you. A category of enemies. For Christ to say, love your enemies. You talk about hitting all natural human impulses in the face, but that does.

But say, well, Christ, isn't it enough that I don't seek revenge? What's interesting is that Christ says, no. Isn't enough that I don't seek revenge? No, that's not good enough. And I'll deal with that more fully in the future time, but you've got to love your enemies. The guy who just, at least it appeared like, he deliberately tried to run you off the road and wreck you, who's now just, on down the way, run off the road and crashed into a tree. You've got a choice. You can go flying by, thumb your nose at the scene, laugh about, he got his, or you can show some outgoing concern. You can stop, get out, see if he's hurt, what you can do to help him, call an ambulance, whatever. But see, loving your enemies is a true test of Christian love. And that's what really proves it. And let me just be frank and say, because I do try to be realistic, most people initially in their conversion are not up to that par. It takes time. It takes growth and realization. And then, of course, you've got Matthew 6, verses 1 through 4 about doing alms. And it really gets into, and it's talking about love or agape type, is what it's talking about. True love, God's love, when you check it out. And what he really is beginning to get into in chapter 6 there is that true love, God's love, is the only kind that truly has the power to override hate, to override hurt, to override revenge. If you just have natural human love, that in and only of itself, good luck in overcoming hurt and harm, hate and revenge. Because humanly, even when some bring themselves not to hate and not to seek revenge, they can't seem to bring themselves to handle the hurt and to go on and to function fully and properly with the one who has hurt them. True Godly love, which is a fiber, deep motivational factor in philosophy, can only be empowered by and through a relationship with God. This is why, synoptically, systematically, you come in verses 5 through 15, chapter 6, verses 5 through 15, and then in chapter 6, verses 16 through 18, you come to prayer and fasting. Because you're not going to be able to fill the bill just on your own power alone, on your human kindness or whatever. It's going to take the love of God to really override the hurts, the harms, to avoid revenge, all of that. So prayer and fasting come into play in what he says here. Because that kind of love, which comes from God through connection with God, as typified and symbolized by prayer and fasting, that's needed in relationship matters. That's needed for strength matters, a matter of strengthening, and it comes through an active relationship with God. And then that leads into what I call the true riches. The true riches, true wealth, verses 19 through 21 deal with riches, verses 19 through 21.

And true riches, true wealth, is pursued through singleness of purpose. And you find the singleness of purpose mentioned in verses 22 through 23. The light of the eye, the singleness, not being sidetracked or blinded by what? Materialism, fear.

Cares of his life. Being single-minded, singleness of purpose, focused on true wealth, true riches, pursuing the true riches, and both allowing and purposely putting the other things in proper arrangement and priority in place, not getting sidetracked by materialism, which in and of itself is a huge subject. Or fear. Or cares of this life. And of course verses 24 through 34, Matthew 6, 24 through 34, talks about possessions, not letting them get in the way.

We're not talking about the issue of applying yourself responsibly to proper priority and all of that, but not letting those things get in the way. Seeking true success through keeping God first. And it's interesting that verse 33, the verse, a verse that we use so often because it is so important to our calling, put right smack here in the flow of things, but seek you first. It's not the only thing to seek that's right and good and proper, but it is the thing that must be first. Seek you first, the kingdom of God, and be seeking first also, say, His righteousness.

And thus, because you keep God first, and His righteousness first, and you seek that first, you're sharing in the things that last, the eternal inheritance, the true treasure, riches that will never end. And then you come to Matthew 7. And Matthew 7 is a series of statements. What it is, it's a series of summation statements given in the form of a warning. He's gone through Chapter 5, Chapter 6, and yes, there are warnings in those two. There's some warnings there, yes. But Matthew 7, a series of summation statements given in the form of a warning, or containing a warning element. And he starts off with, in verses 1 through 6, judging. We're not talking about righteous judgment, righteous judging. The Bible, God admonishes us to learn how to do righteous judging. But what He's talking about here is the self-righteous condemning type judging. As we would say, judgmental and condemning. You have to really be careful not to fall into a self-righteous condemning frame of mind. You've got to stay away from it. Because what does it do? It will negate the love of God. It will negate the love of God. It will change our purpose. It will change our focus. It will change our desire. And then verses 7 through 12, talking about speaking, verses 7 through 12, when it talks about seeking, seeking means to actively pursue. Not passively, but actively. Actively pursue. That section expresses desire and effort, what I call spiritual work ethic. Because God is not going to automatically hand us His family, His kingdom on a silver platter. It wouldn't be good for you or me. God could have just created us as spirit beings in His family from the beginning of our existence. That's how He could have done it. How would that have been any different than creating the angels in His renewal? A third turned against God. So if He just said, I'm going to have a family, I'll just make sons and daughters spirit beings to begin with. How would He know which ones of us would stay faithful to Him and which ones of us wouldn't? He wouldn't have. He did not know when He created the angels that a third would turn against Him. But He did know that's never going to happen again, period. And no one will be entered into eternal life ever again will any being be made eternal. That doesn't carry a sufficient measure of the character of God in them. That's there because of what's been accomplished by God through His Spirit, through Jesus Christ, with time and experience and effort on our part. God's character will be there. What you do not pursue, you will not appreciate. And you will not use properly and fully. And besides, hey, it's going to be a challenge. It's not going to be easy, straight. Notice Matthew 7, verse 13.

Enter you in the straight gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way. It comes easy. That leads to destruction. It's the natural way and it comes easy. You don't even have to work at it. You just fall into it. And many there be which go there in. But see, because straight is the gate and narrow is the way, it's straight, it's narrow, which leads to life. And few there be that find it. Few there be that will walk it. Even if those that God calls at this time, many are called, few are chosen. Many are called. They won't leave the broad way. It's easier. They stay on the broad way. And only few are willing to pay the price to walk the straight and narrow way. There will be difficulty. Again, it's not easy, straight. I saw a movie long, long ago, Kirk Douglas. Some of you probably saw it too. I'm speaking to the old ones in here. Lonely are the brave. And how true that is. The bravery to walk the straight and narrow in the midst of those who are walking the broad way. It can be a lonely walk. As the writer poet said one time, the road least traveled. Most, too many, will not walk the narrow way. And then verses 15 through 20, fruit. Fruit. Fruit is born. Verses 15 through 20, fruit is born. Do it right. Do it right that there's something to show because fruit does show. And it's going to show. And you know them by their fruits. Otherwise, if that's not all properly applied, what do we come down to? Notice verses 21 through 23. Not everyone that says to Me, Lord, Lord, is wrapping up His message to His disciples. Not everyone that says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But He that does the will of My Father, which is in heaven. And people say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not preached? Prophesy preached in Your name, and in Your name have cast out demons. And in Your name done many wonderful works. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew You, depart from Me. You that work in equity. Simply saying, I have no relationship with You. We have no relationship. We have nothing of real value together. I can't think of a more chilling statement to hear from God upon my ears. Speak, only down the right way, the right road, God's way, lies any lasting fruit worth showing. And this is obviously a severe warning. External fruits will mean nothing if there's nothing truly internal, if no substance inside, if nothing truly lasting and remaining has been deeply internalized, it's bad news of the worst kind. Because Christ looks inside and sees nothing. That's a scary thought. And it's meant to be. And this proceeds logically to Matthew 7 here, verses 24-27.

Builders, therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I'll liken him to a wise man which built this house upon a rock. The rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it didn't fall because it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that hears these sayings of mine, these sayings, he just had them. As well as in other places of the Bible too, yes. But in this synoptic layout here, a synopsis, laying out true Christianity. Everyone that hears these things of mine and does them not shall be likened to a foolish man which built this house upon the sand. The rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell. And great was the fall thereof. Builders, two of them, two different types, one wise, one foolish. But both, notice, held accountable. We each have a personal responsibility and accountability with what we have been given and what we're being given, and we have the opportunity to do it right, or not do it right. Whether we're building something or we're building nothing, we each have a choice, and we will, we must, and we will give account. This is the spiritual framework. This is the spiritual mainframe. And it's sealed with the final statement here in verses 28 and 29. And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine. And the people that were astonished at His doctrine, it wasn't just the twelve disciples. He had more disciples than just the twelve. It wasn't the multitude. But the disciples that followed Him up to the place apart where He went instead, I don't know exactly what the number was, but it was His disciples. And it was those who were following Him. And at a later time, some of His very disciples would leave Him. That's recorded in John. So anyway, the twelve, and additional to them, the people, they were astonished at His doctrine. Why? For or because He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Pay attention, He's saying. I know what I'm talking about. I'm the author. I'm in the know. Don't disregard. Listen, heed, and do. This works. This is acceptable. This has the Father's backing in mind. This fails success. So, the spiritual framework, the spiritual mainframe, again, and I emphasize, that there is a logical orderly progression through it. Here is a converted mind projecting a witness that is anchored in the law. But beware, be on guard against the elements, or the elements that can and will destroy the converted mind, and thus our relationship with God and man, and always look to God for strength, and stand ready to apply yourself in spiritual effort, knowing that you're held responsible and will be brought into account for what you have done with what you have been given. And this all has the seal of God's authority. So give it full attention. Don't forget it. Don't neglect it. And I would say, for a period of time, and maybe coming back to every year or so, have her often you want, but really thoroughly get to know and probe the depths and the arrangement of Matthew 5, 6, and 7, because that, again, is the most thorough, synoptic, specific, and yet thorough layout in one place of the Christian calling. Use it, put it to personal use, make full use of it, and you will successfully fill full your Christian calling.