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The 15th Sunday in Trinity
We Cannot Serve Two Masters
September 20, 2009

TEXT:  (Matthew 6:24-34 NKJ) "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. 25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27  "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 "and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 "Therefore do not worry, saying,`What shall we eat?' or`What shall we drink?' or`What shall we wear?' 32 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
 
As we consider these words of the Sermon on the Mount—we should remember that God distinguishes between “hearers” and “doers” of the Word—listen as Paul explains
 
(Romans 2:12-14 NKJ) For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,…
 
Even Satan hears the Word—even Satan memorizes parts of the Word—but only a true Christian hears and does the deeds of the Word—the Word gives them power—the Word has power—the Word serves the purpose of God
 
(Isaiah 55:11 NKJ) So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
 
Doers of the Word receive comfort from their knowledge of God—but our Lord tells us that not all will have the endurance to stay in the love of God until the end of life’s journey
 
(Matthew 24:12-14 NKJ) "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
 
Since the Lord warns of the lawlessness in this world, we need to understand how to apply that warning to the application of our lesson—man cannot serve two masters—God does not want our divided service—our service is a fruit of our love for God—divided service represents divided love—our Jealous God wants all of our love—not what is left over
 
In this text Jesus says most of the world hates God and loves mammon—our relationship to our fellow man represents our relationship with God—love God—love your neighbor—let’s think about this in a different way—let’s ask ourselves these questions
 
Who clings to God and not to worldly wealth?—What kind of person worries about the world stealing a dollar from them—yet they have no problem letting the devil steal their soul—they don’t see a problem going a year without hearing the Gospel—too many people have the Scriptures but assign no value to them
 
 
 
[Luther]  If we were Christians, we would despise riches and be concerned about the Gospel that we some day might live in it and prove it by our deeds.  We see few such Christians; therefore we must hear the judgment that we are despisers of God and hate God for the sake of riches and worldly possessions.
 
MAMMON is defined as riches regarded as an object of worship and greedy pursuit—it is riches above what we need—treasures that we hold as a treasure—this treasure would serve as an “idol”—and that idol will become a distraction from our focus on the things of God—and it will keep us out of heaven
 
(Ephesians 5:5 NKJ) For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
 
(Colossians 3:4-14 NKJ) When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. 12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
 
Notice the list of sins—but only covetous behavior is linked with idolatry—placing your trust in money or goods is to worship a false god—and to worship an idol
 
Accumulating riches in this world does no one any good—the richest man in the world cannot buy one minute more of life—earthly treasures are a shameful, loathsome, powerless god, that cannot cure a sore—it cannot keep and take care of itself, there it lies in a chest--whoever has this god must watch day and night lest thieves steal it—this helpless god can aid no one
 
Furthermore, our earthly sins give us a little pleasure for a little while—money, sex, drunkenness—a little pleasure for a little while
 
[Luther]  “I have nothing, yet I eat and drink as heartily as any one who has a large supply of mammon.  When he dies he takes just as much along with him as I do.”
 
King Solomon concluded in his gift to the Church—the Book of Ecclesiastes
 
(Ecclesiastes 12:13 NKJ) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.
 
Making treasures our god will not serve our neighbor—man ends up serving his treasures—notice it does not say we should not have treasures on earth—it says we shall not serve those treasures—there are several Scriptural examples of men with great wealth—and God’s blessings—Abraham, Lot, David, Solomon, and Job—they did not serve their treasures as a god—they lorded over their treasures and served their neighbor with them
 
(Job 31:24-28 NKJ) "If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold,`You are my confidence'; 25 If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much; 26 If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness, 27 So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand; 28 This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above.
 
And consider these words of Jesus
 
(Luke 6:38 NKJ) "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
 
(Luke 12:15 NKJ) And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."
 
Our Christian character consists of two parts—faith which cannot be seen except by God—and love which is visible to the world—by our good deeds to our neighbors—which are the product of our faith in the True God—we show the world that we are Christians
 
It works the same way for preachers—what the preacher receives from God as a gift of the Holy Spirit—he is duty-bound to pass on to his congregation—I am to study and pray to God—this is the work He desires me to do—and when it is His pleasure He will give to me so I can give to you
 
TEXT:  (Matthew 6:31-34 NKJ) "Therefore do not worry, saying,`What shall we eat?' or`What shall we drink?' or`What shall we wear?' 32 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
 
And now for the summary of the lesson—Jesus teaches us that to worry is to lack faith—and to lack faith is to act as a heathen who does not know or love God—and if we keep our focus on obeying and pleasing God—and we let tomorrow worry about its own things—tomorrow will never come—because on this earth all we can expect is today—tomorrow never comes—and Christians should never worry—all things are in God’s hands—take life one day at a time—wake up praising the Lord that you have been given another day—sing like the birds—adorn yourselves as the flowers—and labor in love for God—and in love for your neighbor—that’s the lesson Jesus is teaching
 
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!