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A Vision Beyond
Matthew 6:24-34
August 19, 2007
Pastor Matt Hilgaertner
Today’s sermon text is a part of the Sermon on the Mount. In this passage, Jesus was speaking to ordinary people like you and me, and was aiming the message primarily at believers. But he was also expecting non-believers to “overhear” his message. This is a familiar passage to many of us here today, but I would encourage everyone to listen with fresh ears to the Word of God…
Matthew 6:24-34 (TNIV)
24 [Jesus said,] "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Passages like this remind us of how relevant the Bible still is, even 2000 years after it was written. The same human concerns for life, food, clothing… Worries then (during biblical times) and worries now are the same. There’s nothing new under the sun when it comes to human nature, and Jesus knew that. So he breaks into the lives of his followers with this passage and says, “Don’t be anxious!” He knew what his listeners needed to understand then, and he knows the challenges we face today. He knows the worries in your heart right now. He also knows those who have given their hearts to him and those who haven’t, and why. Christian or not, we all have challenges, worries, and unrealized dreams we long to see fulfilled. One of the great Church fathers, St. Augustine, said our hearts will be restless until we find our rest in God.
We were created by God in such a way so that only He can truly satisfy. And the deeper our relationship with God, the deeper the intimacy – the deeper the sense of purpose we have. Within every follower of Jesus there’s a longing in our hearts that cries out for fulfillment. What Jesus knows and wants us to understand is that when our hearts are aligned towards God, we find we want to serve Him, to please Him, to be used by Him… In Christ, God is calling us to Himself, drawing us into relationship with Him, choosing to use us for His service. Nothing else in this world gives us the same need for deep satisfaction as this longing. As we grow closer to God through Christ, we begin to see things and people as God does, and to see ourselves as God does, and grow deeper in our understanding and appreciation of His of compassion and grace and loving-kindness. What a great and awesome God we have!
Christian Vocation
So what did you want to be when you grew up? When I was younger I wanted to be an astronaut, and a fireman, and a teacher, and a doctor, then a teacher again.... What did you want to do when you got older, or got to a certain point in life? Travel around the world…? Play guitar in Billy Joel’s band..? Become the Wimbledon champion? (Wait, that’s me.) We’ve had many dreams through our lives, and career goals. Some we’ve realized, some we’re just beginning to formulate. We’re all in process – and these things take a long time.
Think for a minute about the difference between occupation and vocation… Your occupation is your job, what you do for an income, or something you create, like your career. But your vocation is something for which God created you – it’s your calling, a summons, a dream God planted deep within your heart, something you are compelled to discover. Occupation is something you choose, something you train for in order to make a living. But vocation is something God chooses for you – based on the gifts He’s given you and the way He’s wired you. Vocation is something you’d choose to pursue every day without expecting any kind of payment because it’s your passion. It’s also something that leads you to your ultimate contribution, and eventually to your ultimate satisfaction in Christ.
Now hear this, in case you haven’t heard it before…. God has something in mind for you. In Jesus Christ, God has a plan and a purpose for your life. Rick Warren teaches about this in his popular book on this subject, The Purpose Driven Life. There’s a quote on your bulletin cover from another book on the subject, in case you want to do more exploring [see note below]. But let me reiterate: You have a unique and ultimate contribution to this world, and by discovering and using it for God’s purposes will bring fulfillment. If you are in Jesus Christ, you are a part of the family of God, called to play a role, to serve a purpose, and gifted by the Holy Spirit to glorify God and to further His Kingdom.
A Vision Beyond
In general, your occupation can’t provide that same kind of joy and peace – unless it’s somehow integrated into your vocation, which many are blessed to have happen. For some of us, this may be in the process of happening now. But for many of us, it’s not. If you don’t know what vocation, what calling, God has given to you, ask yourself, Why not? What’s in the way? Something practical? Something emotional? Perhaps we haven’t taken the time to discover our vocation, our calling. Maybe God hasn’t revealed it yet, because He’s waiting for you to seek Him. God wants all of us to seek first the His Kingdom and righteousness – with a humble posture, ready to hear and receive and be blessed with a vision beyond ourselves, beyond our kingdoms, even beyond our congregations.
The Bible gives us a general plan for all believers, written in the pages of Scripture. But discovering God’s specific plan is written on our hearts. And to discover it requires much prayer, time, discernment, and yes, work. Do you know God’s plan for your life – generally speaking, and also specifically? I don’t know what it is for each one of you, but I can tell you what it’s not. God’s plan is not for your personal happiness, fulfillment, security, comfort… God’s plan is for God. God’s glory. God’s purposes. The building of God’s Kingdom – and not our own. He has a role for you in it. That’s what will please him, and bring ultimate satisfaction to us as well. Sometimes this job for you is in your career and sometimes your calling is outside from it. Eric Liddell experienced that pull in both directions.
In the 1984 movie Chariots of Fire, an Olympic Runner in 1924 named Eric Liddell talks to his sister about his calling, the way God has wired him and how God wants to uniquely use him to bring about God’s glory. Eric and his sister were to travel together to continue their work as missionaries. But Eric senses a pull to train for the Olympics, frustrating his sister. But as he explains things, her heart begins to soften. Eric said, “I believe that God made me for a purpose [to be a missionary in China], but He also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure. To give that up would be to hold God in contempt… It’s not just fun. To win is to honor Him.” There’s a great scene in the movie when Liddlell runs down the beach, and his face shows the pleasure of God he feels as he runs.
There is freedom in pleasing God, because it’s what we are created and called to do and be. We were created to be a God-pleaser. We are called to please God with our whole being. The more we pursue and fulfill our calling, the more we want to keep going, the more passionate and effective we become, and people take notice. This may inspire and liberate them to pursue the same for themselves.
Making God’s Invisible Kingdom Visible
In our summer Women’s Bible study called “Believing God,” written by Beth Moore, there’s a phrase she emphasizes: “You are who God says you are” – beloved children of the Heavenly Father. If we believe God, and if we believe God’s Word is true, then we must believe we are who God says we are! In Christ, we are called into God’s service, and have gifts of the Spirit given to us. Why? Because God is busy building the Church of Jesus Christ! And God needs you, He chose you, He created you for good works which He prepared ahead of time to be your way of life – whatever you do, and wherever you are! (Eph. 2:10) The role of the Church, the people of God, is to expand and advance the Kingdom of God, to literally make God’s invisible Kingdom visible. And we each have a role, a contribution, a project, a calling – a vocation!
Our vocation is discovered in large part by trial-and-error, over time. It takes a lot of work, and a long time. God shapes disciples over a lifetime. Discovering our call – our vocation – involves our spiritual gifts, as well as our natural talents and learned skills. It’s really the intersection of all three, which is the “sweet spot” – the zone! And it’s exciting when we discover and operate out of our sweet spots. It’s when we’re most effective and energized! Everyone who places faith and trust in Jesus Christ is promised to have at least one, if not several spiritual gifts. If you haven’t discovered yours yet, you can find resources on-line, or check out our library books, or talk to one of our pastors or program staff people. We’ll help!
Having Kingdom vision opens us up to new realities, new desires, new goals, new perspectives… It’s like those Claritin commercials, where you think you see things clearly – until they pull pack the film, and your vision opens up and then things really become clear… colors richer, bolder, truer, more beautiful. Claritin clear – Kingdom clear! That’s how it is with the Kingdom of God. Again, making God’s invisible Kingdom becomes visible. We’ve heard the phrase, “Seeing is believing.” Well Kingdom vision turns this around and says, “Believing is seeing.” Having Kingdom vision means seeing how God wants to use you now and down the road, trusting what God is faithful to provide what you need to accomplish it.
In your Christian walk, do you find yourself pursuing the grace of God – or are you pursuing the God of grace? There’s an important difference. We have the tendency to want the benefits of God, but not God. Our hearts are naturally rebellious toward God, and we do everything we can to fill our hearts and our lives with anything but God. And Jesus knew this, and he knew the effect it would have on us – worry, anxiety, fear… Seeking God’s Kingdom first helps to free us by putting our focus on the One who gives us strength and purpose.
Sharpening Our Vision
One way to obtain and sustain Kingdom vision is to ask some important questions: What is God doing in the world, and why? Where is it happening, and when? And how is it happening? These are some of the best questions we can ask ourselves as we seek God’s will for our lives – both as individuals, and as a church. In many ways, we already are! But we still have a long way to go – and it’s not just us, it’s churches all around the world. Discovering and rediscovering what God is calling us to do and be for His glory. God is waiting to pour out even more blessings, if we would only seek Him first.
All too often we get sidetracked by building our own little kingdoms. We get tripped up in life by asking, “What’s in it for me?” or “How does that benefit my life?” But as we grow deeper in our relationship with Jesus Christ, a transformation occurs. We notice we start moving from being a consumer to becoming a provider. We being asking instead, “Where is God going? What’s God up to? Let’s get on board!” And as our Kingdom vision sharpens, we notice God is already way ahead of us – and we have a lot of catching up to do! God is actively seeking to redeem and restore a fallen creation, and God is using the Church of Jesus Christ to get that work done – again, to make His invisible Kingdom visible. So are we allowing God to use us? Are we allowing Christ to change us? Are we allowing the Spirit to move us?
Here’s a scenario… At the end of WW2, the USS Missouri steams in Tokyo Harbor at the so the documents of formal surrender may be signed. The admiral of the Japanese Imperial Navy pulls his ship alongside the USS Missouri. The admiral and his entourage walk across the gangplank between the two massive ships and steps onto the deck of the Missouri. Before him at full attention is Gen. Douglas MacArthur representing the U.S. and our allies for the signing of these documents. Admiral steps toward MacArthur and reaches forth his arm to shake hands with MacArthur. MacArthur remains at attention. Arms firmly to his side and refuses the gesture of the Admiral. Instead he replies, “Admiral, your sword first.”
Military men understood the symbolism of that moment. As long as the Admiral wore a sword at his side, any surrender was incomplete. Removing his sword the Admiral then laid it on the deck of the ship. Only then did MacArthur step forward to shake his hand.
In a similar way, we often want to embrace of Christ without having paid the price of full surrender to him. Jesus is not only the Savior, he is Lord. He’s not only the Redeemer, he’s King. In fact, we have a generation of Christians that believe in Jesus but refuse to follow him. But this is God’s invitation to us, friends: Swords first. To surrender those swords means to surrender rival kingdoms that stand in hostility to God’s complete rule and reign in our lives. So what is your sword? Maybe you have more than one. What is it Jesus is calling you to surrender, to enable you to seek first God’s Kingdom, and God’s righteousness?
When we give up our swords, we signal we are ready to hear the victor’s terms. And when we surrender, God tells us His plan for us to use our gifts for His glory and purposes, to please God, to satisfy our deepest longings, to feel God’s pleasure! Seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness today, and let God take care of tomorrow. Invest in God’s future for us, and for the Church. Don’t bury your treasure, your God-given gifts and talents. Invest them into God’s Kingdom. True freedom comes from the reign of Christ in our hearts. Are we willing to surrender our lives to him? Are we praying for Kingdom vision?
Applying the Gospel
This all seems pretty huge, I know. And I don’t want this sermon to be one of those “to do” lists in order to gain God’s favor. That’s not it at all. We were saved by grace through faith, and not by works, as Ephesians tells us (2:8-9). But we are also created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. We do so in response to God’s love, in response to God’s grace, in response to God’s mercy! It’s a way of showing our thanks to God for loving us and accepting us as we are, where we are, and for His willingness to use us as He sees fit. Obedience doesn’t cause us to be loved any more by God, and disobedience doesn’t cause us to be loved any less. The punishment for disobedience was put on the cross, and the writer of Hebrews teaches us that Christ died once, for all of our sins, past, present, future. So don’t beat yourselves up!
This is not meant to be a guilt trip. Rather, this is Jesus coming in with compassion and saying, “There’s a lot more to this life than you’re experiencing right now. Come and see, come and taste it, come and experience it!” And he is very patient and loving. Jesus Christ is Lord! He’s the One who seeks us even when we’re not able to seek the Kingdom. He’s the foundation of our faith – he will give us the power and strength to do anything God calls us to do, with whatever we have to offer. Even when we’re weak… No, especially when we’re weak! All throughout the Scriptures God is constantly using weak, sinful, and outcast people to do His work. These are people who say, like we do sometimes, “I can’t do this and I don’t want to do this… I don’t know how!” And God is continually using them, in part because their humility allows God’s glory and power to be shown.
God is a jealous God, and He’s not interested in helping us rule our own kingdoms. God wants us to surrender to Christ – to make him Lord, to make him Savior, to allow God’s Kingdom to come. That’s what we pray in our Lord’s Prayer. So friends, believe the good news, look to the cross, rely upon God’s strength and not your own. Be God-pleasers and receive God’s pleasure. The closer we get to God through Christ, the less we care about the “things” and the “stuff” of this earth that worry us, that makes us so anxious. Because we have hope and faith and trust that in Christ, God will provide, and God will continue to be active and present in the lives of His children, and His Church.
A Modern Perspective
In closing, I want to read for you the same passage from Matthew 6 using Eugene Peterson’s translation of the Bible called The Message…
24 [Jesus said,] “You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both. 25 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. 26 Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. 27 Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? 28 “All this time and money wasted on fashion – do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, 29 but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. 30 "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers – most of which are never even seen – don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? 31 What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. 32 People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. 33 Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. 34 Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God! Amen.
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