Sermon On The Mount Part 10

Well, as I hope you remember, we have been going through the Sermon on the Mount. And we are going to eventually complete it. In fact, probably the next time we get together, we'll finish the Sermon on the Mount. We have taken many weeks. We have covered it in quite a bit of detail, not as much detail as we could have, certainly, because it has a tremendous amount of information. There are many moral principles that Christ brings out in the Sermon on the Mount. And if we just live by the Sermon on the Mount, we would be in really good shape. Everyone would just follow the principles there. It covers many, many principles in the Bible, of course.

And it's a compilation of, no doubt, many messages that Jesus gave over the course of his ministry. As Christians, we do need to take to heart Christ's words that he gave in the Sermon on the Mount. We find instructions in God's Word that are foundational for each and every one of us.

So today we're going to continue that foundational teaching. Today we're going to talk about some important topics, the proper way to fast, and also the power of fasting to some degree.

We're going to talk about storing up treasures in heaven, not here on the earth, and also spiritual sight or spiritual discernment, being able to see God's will, and also serving not riches, but serving Christ and not worrying about the necessity of the Lord.

The food, the clothing, the shelter, but trusting God for all those things.

Now, last time I mentioned that the Jews believed there were three great pillars on which they said the good life was based. One was in giving alms. It was just being generous, giving to others, giving to the poor.

Prayer was the second one, and fasting was the third. Now we talked about alms giving and prayer last time. Today we'll talk about fasting.

And of course, I've given sermons and others have given sermons about fasting. So you've heard a number of messages on fasting, so we're not going to go into a lot of depth.

But let's notice in Matthew 6, verse 16, what Christ says. He says, Moreover, when you fast.

So right away that implies that you should be fasting. When you fast. He's clearly not talking about the day of atonement. He's talking about it other times of the year.

When you fast, be not as the hypocrites of a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast.

And last time we talked about the motives behind why we do what we do. Why do we give alms? Do we give things to others? Do we donate to people so they will think well of us or so other people will hear about it?

And think that we're very generous and that we're great people? Or do we try to do as much as we can anonymously so it doesn't really bring any accolades upon ourselves?

We saw last time that that's actually what God intends for us to give quietly, to give in secret if possible, and not to make a show of it.

Well, the same thing is true about fasting, because there were people who did make a show of fasting. In fact, the Pharisees selected market days to fast.

Now, why would they choose a market day to fast? You would think that would be the last day one would choose to fast when you're out purchasing things, you're in the market.

So why do you think they did? So they could be seen. And so that other people would know, in fact, it was customary that every Monday and Thursday on the market days, they would fast.

And they would go out with forlorn faces so that people would know that they were fasting. They were seen to fast. And that's basically what Christ is talking about here. He says, "...they're hypocrites of a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward." So what is their reward? To be seen of men. That's their reward. That's not much of a reward, really, is it? To just have others see that you're...

And not only that, I'm sure a lot of people could see through that as well. They could see what was going on here, and I doubt whether they really respected them more for that kind of behavior.

Christ says in verse 17 of Matthew 6, "...but you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face, that you appear not unto men to fast, but unto your Father which is in secret. And your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly." So when we do fast, and if we do have to go out among people, if we have to fast on a work day, then for the most part, people shouldn't even know that we're fasting. You know, it shouldn't be apparent that we're fasting. There shouldn't be anything that we're doing that would bring notice upon ourselves in that way.

Of course, the more we can fast when we're alone, when we have more time to devote to God and to worship, those are oftentimes the most effective fasts, not on a busy day when you have to go out and do a lot of other things.

So if we can find those dates, those times when we're not as busy, and we can devote ourselves spiritually to prayer, to fasting, to meditation, those are typically the most effective fasts. But there may be a time when, if you're really busy, you have children, and you haven't fasted in a long time, and you feel like you need to fast.

There are times when you may... I mean, a fast is better than no fast.

You know, fasting, even when it's not convenient or when it's not ideal, is better than not fasting at all.

So when we fast, we should have a much different attitude than the one that Jesus was condemning and calling hypocritical.

The main purpose for fasting is for us to draw near to God, to draw close to Him, to seek His will in our own lives and also in the lives of others, that we might be of benefit to others as well.

It's not to draw attention to ourselves. In fact, it's just the opposite as we put emphasis on humbling ourselves before the Almighty, before the God of the universe.

For the most part, people we come in contact with, again, they shouldn't even know that we're fasting.

Sometimes it may have to come out, you know, if they offer you a big... they keep offering you food throughout the day, and you keep telling them no, and there might be a time when you say, look, I'm not eating today. I'm fasting.

But for the most part, people won't know it when we're fasting. Probably our mate will know it.

I mean, that's okay to let your mate know that you're fasting.

But we should put on a joyful face. We should behave as normally as we would, again, so that we don't draw any attention to ourselves. Certainly, we shouldn't pick the market days to go out when you're going to Sprouts or Walmart or something to do your main shopping.

That's not the day to fast.

So again, they had their reward because they were seen of men.

God says He will reward us openly if we humble ourselves and if we truly seek Him.

And it could be spiritual rewards more than it would be physical ones.

Now, let's go to Luke 18 and review the Pharisee and the tax collector.

Remember the story about the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18?

Because it shows an attitude and an approach.

It actually contrasts two different attitudes, two different approaches.

Luke 18.9.

Also, He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others.

So that was typical for a lot of the Pharisees.

They looked at themselves as better than other people.

They considered themselves close to God, in favor with God.

That they were righteous.

But what did Christ say? That our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees if we're going to enter into God's kingdom.

So He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and they despised others.

Two men went up to the temple to pray.

One a Pharisee and the other a hated tax collector.

It doesn't say hated, but that's basically what they were.

They were not highly honored.

They were hated because they were working for Rome and for the Jewish king that would be trying to extract taxes from people that actually put a real burden on them.

So the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. He said, God, I thank you that I am not like other men.

You know, that's a bad way to start a prayer.

That is not a good way to start a prayer.

God, I thank you I'm not like everyone else.

I thank you I'm not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

This puny tax collector over here.

I fast twice a week on market days.

Oh, it doesn't say that.

I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess, and the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

So, a huge difference in approach.

The Pharisee doesn't really consider himself a sinner.

He's a righteous person.

Now, what does he have to repent of?

Well, Christ called him hypocrites an awful lot.

So, you know they had quite a bit to repent of, but that's not how he saw it.

Verse 14, I tell you, this man, speaking about the tax collector, I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, rather than the Pharisee, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.

And he who humbles himself will be exalted.

So, a lot of it has to do with our attitude, with our approach.

Whenever we pray and whenever we fast, basically, whenever we do anything, we should go before God humbly, and not consider ourselves better than others.

In fact, the Scriptures talk about that, that we should not consider ourselves better than other people. We're not even to compare ourselves with other people. We're not to compare ourselves among ourselves, lest we think more highly of ourselves than we really should.

We should certainly look at Christ's example, and that's the example that we should strive to follow at all times.

So, always remember the parable, the Pharisee, and the tax collector, and what Christ was getting across here.

And it isn't so much how often you pray, because the Pharisee, or how often you pray and how often you fast, because the Pharisees fasted a lot.

I don't know if they were fasting 24 hours a day or not.

I have my doubts. I'm not sure about that. There are fasts where people don't fast really a full 24 hours without food or water. And maybe they were. It's possible to fast every Monday and Thursday. It's possible to do that. I don't think you'd have a bad weight problem. If you did that, you'd probably be healthier. If you would fast, just from a health perspective, it is possible to do that.

Maybe they were full fast. I don't know for sure. If anyone knows an answer definitively on that, please let me know, because I've wondered about that. I suppose they could have. I know that a lot of the Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, and then they gorge themselves after sunset. They're not fasting a full 24 hours, but for Jewish people, it was customary to fast for 24 hours. So that is likely what they were doing. Of course, we are not to seek the praise of men, but we are to seek God's praises.

As we truly please God and live by God's ways and His laws, people will take note, to some degree, there will be a certain amount of respect for most people as they see and acknowledge the good fruits that are being produced in a Christian's life. That's the kind of example that we should try to set. Follow Christ's example, set the same one. No doubt, some will be jealous, but many will acknowledge and give credit, where credit is due.

But we should not seek to bring that attention to ourselves. We should humble ourselves, just go about doing what we know is right. If anyone notices, that's immaterial, really. That should not be what we're looking for. Most people don't highly respect a vain person who is full of pride. Most people, if they're full of braggadocio, it just reeks from them. Most people are just not really deceived. They don't really think they're great people, just because they say they are.

That doesn't usually cut it. So let's talk about fasting. There are many good reasons to fast. Fasting is good for our health. I already mentioned that. When we do fast, it is healthy for the body. The body doesn't have to work so hard that day. It's not having to digest much of anything, maybe just what was left over from the day before. So you're giving your body a break. It seems like some people live to eat. That's kind of how they live their lives.

But that shouldn't be the way we live our lives. We shouldn't just live to eat. Although I love eating. It's enjoyable. I'm glad God made it so. I'm glad also there's a lot of variety when it comes to different foods. We don't have to eat our food. But it shouldn't be that important. Yes, we do have to eat. So fasting is for our health. But that's not the main reason, of course, we fast. We fast because God tells us we should fast. Christ said, they ask Him, Why don't your disciples fast? He said, Well, my disciples will fast when I'm taken from them. And Christ, of course, was crucified and resurrected.

He was taken from them. And it is something that a true Christian ought to be doing is fasting. And there are a lot of scriptures that talk about fasting, the benefit of fasting, the power that comes from fasting. There are many examples in the Bible where people fasted and prayed. And God heard their prayer. God saw their fasting and God intervened. In some cases, He saved the whole army of Israel, or the whole people of Israel, against Sennacherib in one case, and there were other cases in the Bible where God took note of people's fasts when we're in trouble, when we need help.

I mean, that's a good time to fast. God does notice, and it does show a certain amount of desperation on our part, which at least God sees that we're bested, that we would like to see something happen. Another reason why it's also good to fast is that it helps us learn self-control. It helps us learn self-control. It helps us learn the fruits of God's spirit. It is good for self-discipline because we learn to control ourselves. We learn to go by an entire day without fasting or without eating any food or drinking water.

So it makes us stronger in terms of being able to control ourselves, our urges, that sort of thing. That's a side benefit of fasting. Number three, it preserves us from becoming slaves of habit. I think about that one for a moment. It's easy to become a slave of habit to some degree. We do the same thing day in and day out, same routine. Sometimes we eat the same thing for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner, maybe not. I mean, I like variety, so I don't like eating the same things. But I pretty much have coffee and toast every morning, so that's one habit I've got going.

When I fast, I don't get to do that. And actually, I miss that to some degree. It is a bit of a sacrifice. When you enjoy something and you're not doing it, you're sacrificing that, you're giving that up. So it preserves us or keeps us from becoming slaves of habit. We have to give up many things to fast. We give up food and drink, obviously. Some people have to give up alcohol. You know, maybe they're alcoholics, and maybe 24 hours is pretty hard for them not to have any alcohol at all. No wine, no beer, no whiskey, no alcohol. Period. How about desserts? Some of us like desserts.

We like to have desserts every day. In fact, we feel entitled to have desserts. Every day, we feel like we must indulge our sweet tooth. Well, when you fast, you can't do that. No sodas for 24 hours. So we change our lifestyle for a day as we pray, as we study, as we meditate on God's Word. The vast majority of the day, we take the entire day, we sleep some. I do recommend sleeping when you fast. Otherwise, it really drags on if you don't sleep at all. So I do highly recommend some sleeping. Plus, you need rest anyway. So it preserves us from becoming slaves of habit. 4. It teaches us to be able to do without things. It helps us to be less selfish in our approach to life. We learn to sacrifice more. We show that we can do without things. 5. It helps us learn humility as we see how clearly we rely upon God for the food and the drink that He has created for us and continues to give us.

So it is somewhat humbling to know that we really do rely upon God for these things. And without them, we would perish. 6. It helps us be more thankful and more appreciative of the blessings that God is giving us daily. There are daily things that He gives us when we don't indulge in any of that on a day of fasting.

We appreciate those things a little bit more. We appreciate our coffee a little bit more. 7. It strengthens our relationship with God and Christ. It strengthens our relationship with God and Jesus Christ. So fasting is good for many reasons. There are others.

But let's be sure to fast, and to fast properly and fast often. Regularly. You have to decide how often that is and how regular that is. But I've never regretted fasting. Whenever I've done it, I've never regretted it.

In fact, I was always glad that I fasted. I've never had a bad fast day. I've always had good days because in comparison, they're just better days. You have your priorities right. You're striving to put God first in your life.

Fasting is a good thing, and oftentimes we just need to schedule a fast. Get the calendar out, put it on the calendar. Otherwise, it may not happen. So you may want to get in the habit of New Year coming up, even though we don't pay that much attention to pagan years.

But you can start right now. That way, it won't be anything pagan. It's not a New Year's resolution. It's December 23rd or whatever it is. That's the resolution. Just to schedule that and start making it happen more often.

With that encouragement to fast, I thought I'd share with you something that William Barclay wrote on page 236 of his commentary on the book of Matthew. Just to give us a little balance, I don't think most of us probably fast too often. It's not likely. I doubt too many of us are guilty of fasting way too much.

But this was kind of an interesting story about...

There was a traveler in the Rocky Mountains who fell in with an old Roman Catholic priest.

He was amazed to find so aged a man struggling amidst the rocks and the precipices and the steep passes. The traveler asked the priest, What are you doing out here?

The old man answered, But said the traveler, He was quite old. So the old man told his story. He had spent nearly all his life in a monastery.

He had never been further outside it than the cloisters.

He fell seriously ill and in his illness he had a vision.

He saw an angel stand beside his bed. What have you come for? He asked the angel.

To leave you home, the angel said.

And is it a very beautiful world to which I am going?

Ask the old man.

It is a very beautiful world you are leaving, said the angel.

And then, said the old man, I remember that I had seen nothing of it except the fields and the trees around the monastery.

So he said to the angel, But I have seen very little of the world which I am leaving.

Then, said the angel, I fear you will see very little beauty in the world to which you are going.

I was in trouble, said the old man, and I begged that I might stay for just two more years.

My prayer was granted and I am spending all my little hoard of gold in all the time I have in exploring the world's loveliness, and I find it very wonderful.

I guess the moral of that story is, we should always strive to have a proper balance in our lives.

We should see the beauty that is today.

God has given us a beautiful world in many respects.

When I was driving in here, I said, Barb, look how beautiful those Wichita Mountains are.

I mean, we were a long way off.

It wasn't like they were that impressive.

But I was trying.

I was trying to see the beauty in all things.

So, let's not let life pass us by.

Let's live life to the fullest, which means we should enjoy the nature that God has given us here on earth today. Get out, see the world as much as you can, within reason, but find some time to fast as well. Don't just cloister yourself up and have no time for the beauty of this life today, because we can find beauty in this life.

We should strive to do that, but also realize that there's much more beauty in the next life.

So, the more we dedicate ourselves in a godly balance, fasting on occasion, doing those sort of things, the much better off we'll be.

So, let's move on to verse 19 of Matthew 6.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Now, I've actually given a sermon on this very topic. I don't know how long it's been since I've given it here. It's been probably maybe quite a while. But, you know, moths are known to destroy fabric. In fact, mothballs, isn't that what they're for? To keep the moths away so they don't eat holes in your sweaters?

The word for rust here in these verses is the word brosis, which actually means an eating away. In this context, it's likely talking more about an eating away of food stores by vermin, such as mice, rats, worms, that would eat the grain that was stored away. It probably applies better than the idea of rusting.

It may also be speaking of mold that might eat away or rot away at stored grain. These would literally dig through the baked clay walls of some homes to steal and to rob one's treasures.

God wants us to choose our priorities in life carefully. He wants us to spend our time, our energy, our resources, our wealth, and our entire being in pursuing first God's kingdom and His righteousness.

He doesn't want us to focus on this earth and its material wealth nearly as much as He does the kingdom of God and our spiritual wealth and our spiritual growth. Again, a godly balance is something that we should seek. Some good and godly hobbies are fine, as long as they never become our greatest pursuits in life by godly hobbies. Fishing? That's a godly hobby. Come on!

You're supposed to catch the fish. That's why God put them on the earth. So that we could eat them and enjoy them. And so that there would be a proper balance. You have to take some out, like hunting. So it's okay to have certain hobbies as long as you don't let them dictate your life. Some guys are like that. They want to fish all the time. They want to fish every morning, certainly on the Sabbath. That's the big day to go out and fish.

You've got all day to take the bass boat out on Saturdays. And that's what a lot of guys will do. But obviously that's not the approach that a Christian should have. We should seek to have a godly balance in all that we do. God looks on the heart. He sees what really motivates us. He sees what we truly treasure. He sees the choices that we make daily, which really do reveal our heart's desires.

If we get up in the morning and we pray and we study the Bible, don't you think that says something to God? Or if we just rush off to work without praying or without reading the Bible at all. And then we come home and plop down in front of a TV set. And we vegetate for a few hours. Then we go to bed and we do it all over again the next day.

Doesn't that show God some of our priorities? What's really important to us? So we should have a purpose-driven life. There's a book written about that some time ago about a purpose-driven life. We should have purpose for our lives. It should be to seek first the kingdom of God and God's righteousness. So we have to schedule things into our lives. We have to make decisions. We have to discipline ourselves. If we don't discipline ourselves, then it's real easy to just let life pass by without prioritizing what's truly important in our lives.

And that's how we lay up treasures in heaven. By making good-sound decisions. God sees our heart. He sees our choices. Since the human heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, it stands to reason that we should continually analyze our heart and its true motivations. If we are yielded to God, it will be reflected in the daily choices and pursuits that we make. If we are yielded to Satan and his ways, it will also be reflected in our daily choices and pursuits.

We are told to be single-minded in our approach and pursuits, not wavering between two minds and two opinions. We are told to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. And yet, we all realize that there are times when we walk in the flesh. We choose not to walk in the Spirit. We choose to walk in the flesh. According to William Barclay, the Jews always connected the phrase, treasure in heaven with character.

Quoting Barclay, he says, the only thing which a man can take out of this world, into the world beyond, is himself. I mean, it's talking about the character that one has built. And the finer the self he brings, the greater his treasure in heaven will be. So the more character that we develop—and Mr. Armstrong used to talk about that, about how God is interested in developing perfect, righteous character in his people. He wants us to develop character. So what are your treasures? Are they the things of God and his eternal kingdom? Or are they the things of man and of his temporary earth? What's more important to you, God's eternal kingdom, are the temporary pleasures that Moses said he was willing to walk away from.

Moses gave up all the riches of Egypt. He was in Pharaoh's house, and he could have continued in Pharaoh's house, and could have been a very honored ruler there. But instead, he chose the Jewish people. He chose his people, the Israelites, to be a part of, because they're God's people, and God was calling him out of that, and he listened to the call.

So we have to be careful that we don't choose the pleasures of sin that are temporary, that they only last a short season, but we should choose those things that will last in eternity. Now going on to verse 22, The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness? So the lamp of the body, it says, is the eye.

A lamp brings clarity to one's environment. There's lights here that bring clarity to what's... If the lights were all off, then we wouldn't be able to see very well in here. It would be dark. We would miss a lot of things. The eye brings clarity also to one's environment. It allows a person to see clearly, just like a lamp allows us to see clearly. If your eyes are good, they will allow you to see accurately.

If you can see well, if you have good vision, you can see things accurately. From a purely physical perspective, if your eyes are weak and feeble, you're not going to see clearly. I mean, if you're almost blind, then it's going to be very difficult to make the best decisions. Because you can't see well enough to make good decisions. You'll be bumping into things, you'll be falling down. You'll miss some very important aspects of your environment if you can't see them.

You'll not be able to make proper judgments and decisions. And the same thing is true spiritually if you're physically blind or mostly blind or partially blind. From a spiritual standpoint, if you don't see spiritually, if your eyes are bad, from a spiritual perspective, then that will affect, again, the choices that you make. And you will suffer for those choices. If you don't see clearly spiritually, if you're not able to discern God's will, and you can't make the best choices that God would want you to make for yourself, then you'll pay a price for that. Scripture is very clear that there is a law in effect. It's called, we reap what we sow.

When you sow bad seed, that's what comes up. Seed that's full of tares, full of weeds. If you sow good seed, then you reap a good harvest. So spiritually, the same thing is true. When we make good-sound, godly, spiritual decisions, then they will keep us in good stead. If we choose to sin against God, then we'll pay a price. Scripture says, be sure your sins will find you out. There are consequences for sin. They're automatic. They're built in. Some are more automatic than others. Some happen more quickly. Some follow later. Sometimes God is very merciful, and we don't have to suffer the full extent of some of our bad spiritual choices.

God is merciful, and that isn't always the case. But sometimes we really do suffer greatly because of the I being bad. But God can change us. God can heal us. God can work with us. If we've made a lot of bad decisions in the past, that doesn't mean we have to continue to do that. We pray for healing. We pray for help. And then we get serious about how we live our lives on a daily basis. And every day is important. And every time we compromise, it gets easier to compromise. If we choose to do good for three days in a row, but then we decide, oh, I've been really good for the last three days, then we choose to do something that's not so great. Then it makes it that much easier to get back into those bad habits. So when you're on a roll, stay on a roll. Don't compromise. I think that's what happens oftentimes in our lives. We repent to a certain degree. We see that we've been going down the wrong path. So we repent, and we're good for a while. And then, do we... I don't know if we become weary and well-doing, or we just start leaning to the flesh, and we let down. We're not as diligent. We're not as vigilant. And then we backslide, and that's the story of our lives. You know, we backslide, we repent, we get it together for a while, then we backslide again. Let's strive to be more consistent in how we live our lives. Remember, we're going to be rewarded according to our works. So the more... even though we may make it into God's kingdom, we're still going to be rewarded for how well we do. And it's better to do well, and to be rewarded because the more we're rewarded, the more we're able to serve, the better we're going to be for eternity, I guess. You know, we're going to be in a better place. So it is important that we do see things clearly, that we're able to have good depth perception. I remember when my mom got older, she had high blood pressure, and she actually had a stroke in one of her eyes, and she lost eyesight in that one eye, not complete, not complete and total loss of eyesight, but she lost a good bit of it.

She had to stop driving because she would run into things. Her depth perception was off. So after a couple fender benders, we had to pull the plug. She was wise enough herself to realize she shouldn't be driving. Not everyone is. They'll continue to drive until they really do something stupid.

She never had any serious accidents, but she had to stop driving because her depth perception was off.

Spiritually, we need to make sure our depth perception is on and that we're seeing clearly.

Many things in life might distort one's spiritual vision. For example, the works of the flesh, all of them will distort our spiritual vision.

If we are jealous and envious, that will distort our spiritual vision. If we are lustful, that will distort our vision. If we're full of pride and selfishness, whatever it is, if we're prejudiced toward others, if we show partiality, if we're a respecter of persons, then we're obviously going to distort our spiritual vision. We're not going to see as clearly. We're going to make some bad decisions.

The closer we are to God, the better we see ourselves, the more likely we are to walk in the Spirit.

Some believe that there's also a meaning of generosity and also of being miserly in these verses that we've just read about the eye. If we are generous, if we're generous giving people, we will see more clearly.

But if we're stingy and miserly, we will be blinded to our duty to help the poor and needy. That is a very good possibility. It affects us in a lot of different ways.

In verse 24, it says, No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and he will love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and he will despise the other.

You cannot serve God and Mammon.

Mammon is of Chaldean origin. It is speaking of wealth primarily. We cannot serve God properly if money is too important to us. God must be first in our lives, not our wealth. We are to use the wealth that God blesses us with in a godly manner and in godly pursuits, such as pursuing the crown of life.

That is a very good pursuit to pursue the crown of life.

It is impossible to fully pursue this earth's wealth and God at the same time.

Let me say that again. It is impossible to fully pursue this earth's wealth and God at the same time. You cannot do both. It is impossible. You have to choose who you are going to serve first and foremost.

God in his ways must be pursued fully and any pursuit of wealth must be a distant...

It must be down the line. I don't know that it should even be second. It should probably be third or fourth or fifth, somewhere down the line, but not that high on our list. Physical wealth is not nearly as important as many other things.

One who pursues physical wealth fully is impossible of pursuing God in his ways fully because it is incompatible.

You cannot serve God and Mammon. You cannot serve riches and wealth and then serve God.

God is the one that gives us our riches and he blesses us according to his will, but God has to come first.

A slave in the ancient world had no time of his own and he had no rights of his own. His master could do with him exactly as he chose.

He was more a thing, more a possession than a person. His master could beat him, could sell him, or even kill him without impunity.

He wouldn't be punished to kill his slave because it was just a slave. It was a possession to him.

Now that wasn't true in all cultures, but back in the ancient world around this time, it was something that was extant.

Of course, God is merciful and loving, but in a very real sense, he does own us, so we owe everything to him.

I'd like to read from Barclay on page 249 on the subject of Mammon.

Jesus goes on to say, you cannot serve God and Mammon. The correct spelling is with one m. M-a-m-o-n was a Hebrew word for material possessions. Originally, it was not a bad word at all. The rabbis, for instance, had a saying, Let the Mammon of your neighbor be as dear to you as your own.

That is to say, a man should regard his neighbor's material possessions as being as sank or as sank as his own. In other words, take care of it. If he loans you something, then you should take good care of it as though it were your own. Give it back without any damage to it. The word Mammon had a most curious and revealing history. It comes from a root which means to entrust. Mammon was that which a man entrusted to a banker or to a safe deposit of some kind. Mammon was a wealth which a man entrusted to someone to keep safe for him. So you'd take it to a banker. You'd entrust it to them.

But as the years went on, Mammon came to mean not that which was entrusted, but that which a man puts his trust in. So it wasn't something that you would entrust to someone else to keep safe. It became known as something that you would put your trust in. The end of the process was that Mammon came to be spelled with a capital M and came to be regarded as nothing less than a god.

So Mammon would become one's god. I mean, that's how Barclay says the word developed and was used. The history of that word shows vividly how material possessions can usurp a place in life which they were never meant to have. Originally, a man's material possessions were the things which he entrusted to someone else for safekeeping. In the end, they came to be the things in which a man puts his trust. Surely there is no better description of a man's god than to say that his god is the power in whom he trusts.

And when a man puts his trust in material things, then the material things have become not his support, but his god. So if wealth is too important to us, if riches are too important, they become our god. So we can't serve God and Mammon. God always comes first. Now in verse 25 of chapter 6, are you not much better than they?

We should depend upon God to provide our needs as he has promised to do so. We should place our faith and trust in him and not worry or be anxious. God is fully capable of providing food and clothing, as well as shelter. For just as he provides food and clothing for all the birds of the field, he will more than provide for us. Birds seem to be pretty sufficient. They are self-sufficient. They are out there in the cold weather and they seem to be happy flying around.

They are not hurting. God closed them. They don't have a little... The only house they have is a little hole in a tree or something. They find places to get out of the wind. God takes care of them. Verse 27 says, Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature?

Have you ever tried that? Any of you kids out there tried to get taller by thinking about it? Well, it doesn't work. I used to try that, but I'd be at least 6'3", if it worked. But that doesn't work. Wishful thinking does not work when it comes to growing taller. Verse 28, Why take you thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Flowers are among the most beautiful creations. They are absolutely beautiful. The masterpiece that God has created in all these different beautiful flowers.

Just amazing. God is quite an artist. Verse 30, Wherefore, if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, though you of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. God knows exactly what we need, just like he knows what the birds need and he provides for them.

Your heavenly Father knows what you have need of. It says, Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. You don't have to worry about food or clothing. You don't have to worry about shelter, because all that will be provided if you put God first. If you seek first God and his righteousness, then all these other things will be added. So, we really shouldn't spend much time worrying about those needs, because God says you'll provide those. Not even Solomon and all his riches and glory look so good as the flowers and the things that God has created and continues to maintain.

So, if God so clothes his lesser creations, how much more shall he clothe and take care of those of us he has made in his image, who are among his very children? The Gentiles are known for their superstitions. They seek after assurances from the false gods they've created, and they look to the creation. That's what this season is all about.

The superstitious pagans were concerned that they might freeze. In the colder climates, in the middle of winter, they began to worship the sun. They wanted that sun to be stronger. Come back! Save us! So, they began to worship the creation. Mithra was the sun god. December 25th, that was the big day. I think it started out considered the shortest day of the year, then it was moved to December 21st, I think.

But anyway, we've gone into a lot of the details and other sermons in regard to the origins of the Christmas season. But the Gentiles were known for their superstitions. They did worship the sun, the moon, the stars, different animals and different plants, even. They even had a vegetation god that they worshipped. There were lots of different gods. We are not to learn the way of the heathen. We are not to be superstitious idolaters, which is what was happening in how these days developed in the first place.

Your heavenly Father knows what you need, so you need not worry as He loves you and is going to provide for you. Today, we've covered some very important spiritual principles that we are to live by. We talked about the proper way to fast, about our motive behind fasting, why we should fast. We talked about the power of fasting, the benefits of fasting. We talked about storing up treasures in heaven, not here on the earth, and also about spiritual discernment, spiritual eyesight, serving God, not serving riches, not worrying about the necessities of life, about food and clothing and shelter, but placing our faith in God and knowing that God will care for us and provide for us as He does all His creation.

If you want to build your spiritual house on the rock, then you should be living by the words that we've been talking about for the last 10 sermons. We have one more. We will finish the sermon on the Mount next time. So there's one more sermon, and then I expect you to live every single word of the sermon on the Mount.