This sermon about material things talks about the basic guidelines on how a person should deal with material troubles. We experience material troubles from time to time. Poor or rich, we do experience that. But what does the Bible says about it? What did Jesus says about how we deal with it?
Text: Luke 12:22-31
A. Do not worry (v.22) “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.”
B. Seek his kingdom (v.31) “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
C. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out (v.33) “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”
Challenge:
It’s amazing how the Lord Jesus showed how this works in verse 34 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
How is your heart brethren? Is it still set on material things? Or it is set on things in heaven? Start thinking on how you can bless others. Start storing treasures in heaven.
The Manuscript of this Sermon
The Lord Jesus continues to cover the most common troubles in life. And this time he covers the material troubles that we sometimes experience.
So what does the Lord Jesus says about material troubles? What should we do about it? How is God’s economy differs from the worldly economy?
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[s2If current_user_is(s2member_level1) OR current_user_is(s2member_level2)]Do not worry (v.22) “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.”
The Lord Jesus after telling the parable of the rich people followed up on his teaching emphasizing on how we should see treat material possessions. As you recall when Jesus talks about the heart of the rich man when it comes to material possessions, everything points to himself. He has a lot of surplus, yet all he thinks is how can he save those excess for his future use.
Now herein 22, he start talking about not worrying about what to eat or what to wear which is the most common things that people are worrying about. God sees our needs and it is God who provides it. He even made a comparison here with the ravens who do not sow yet it is God who feeds them. To flowers that even Solomon with all its splendor was not dressed like that.
With this Covid19 pandemic that we are experiencing right now I am pretty sure that there are lots of people who became worried about what to eat, about finances, about the future. The first two weeks of community quarantine was already hard. And it became harder as it lengthens the time.
How many of us are experiencing financial and material difficulties right now? For some of us perhaps it not yet that critical while for some it is already in a critical state. But how are we responding with that? How are we dealing with our needs right now? Do we worry?
You know the Bible is not telling us here to not to work or to completely not to do anything about it. But what Jesus is teaching us is to trust God instead of worrying. Do what needs to be done, but trust God in everything. Now here’s something that God really wants us to do which is the second thing that he said:
Seek his kingdom (v.31) “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
The Lord Jesus is now telling us what to do, to seek his kingdom. In a similar teaching in Matthew 6:33, the phrase was stated even better. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” So if there’s anything that we need to do first, that is seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness.
So what does seeking God’s kingdom first means? It is about seeing beyond our needs. It is seeing that there are more important things to be settled first, our motives, our ways, the solutions our problem. Is God a part of that solution? Is God a part of your plan? Now you see, what we usually do is to just go on our own way for the solution. And this is also the reason why we usually make mistakes in our decision makings.
We know that our decisions are always flawed and sometimes we make big time mistakes in our lives. The only decision makings that we can do that will make sense is when we start letting God direct our ways.
“…and these things will be given to you as well.” So why all the hassle of worrying? Start turning to God, start focusing on him. That’s the only better way that you can do. So where do we start from here? The Lord also gave us wisdom on this.
Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out (v.33) “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”
There is a need for us to understand God’s economy. Why would the Lord say “sell your possessions and give it to the poor” in the first place? Yes there are some religious leaders that takes advantage of this teachings because of greediness, but we are not like that. Let’s understand here what the Lord is saying. Stop thinking about yourselves, and start thinking what is ahead. Bless the poor, help the needy this is one of the best ways to express holiness. And in fact, this time of pandemic is one of the best times where we can practice such.
But for some reasons, many of us are still thinking of ourselves. Many of us are still thinking on what we can get from those people who are helping, from the government, from philanthropists. But here’s the thing, start thinking on how you can bless other people.
Stop thinking on having surplus for yourselves. Start thinking on how you and your talents can be used for God’s kingdom. The real treasures are those things that no one can still and moth cannot destroy. It’s not on gold nor silver nor in money.It is who you are in the eyes of the Lord.
Challenge:
It’s amazing how the Lord Jesus showed how this works in verse 34 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
How is your heart brethren? Is it still set on material things? Or it is set on things in heaven? Start thinking on how you can bless others. Start storing treasures in heaven.
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