Intro If a father loves fishing, he teaches his son how to fish. If a mother loves quilting, she teaches her daughter how to quilt. What you love, you talk about and do. That’s just obvious. What you love, you pass on to your children, because you love them. You want them to love what you love. Again, that’s just obvious.
What you love the most, you will seek out and make the center of your life. What you love the most, you will see as the most-precious and valuable possession you have. So, if you love God more than any other, that will show in what you say and do. And what you love the most, you will teach your children to love. That simply happens by how you live your life. Main Body That’s why God tells us in His Ten Commandments: “Do not bow down to [your idols] or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a passionate God” (Exodus 20:5). And Jesus does the same, warning us against idolatry when He tells us not to worry. For at the root of worry is idolatry. It’s trusting something more than you trust in God. Always, it’s a choice between the creation and the Creator. Will we love something in creation more than the Creator? Whom or what will we love more, God or mammon, God or wealth? So, when you love something that God gives you more than you love God Himself, that’s when you become an idolater. And here’s where it gets even rougher: You can’t worship the false god of creation and the true God, the Creator. That’s incompatible, like oil and water. You can’t serve two masters. You will either hate the one and love the other, or serve the one and despise the other. Why is God this intolerant? Today, we just want life to go easy for us. Can’t we just get along? Can’t we just agree to disagree? Such thinking in matters eternal doesn’t help you. God knows that sin clouds your fallen mind. That’s why you and I don’t even know what will make us happy in eternity. Often, we don’t even know what will make us happy here! Yet, God knows that even the birds of the air, in many ways, have more sense than we do. At least they don’t worry about what they can’t change! God also knows that when you are bowing down to the god of creation, you are, in truth, bowing down to Satan! That’s why you can’t serve God and mammon. That’s why you can’t serve God and the possessions you have here. To do so is to serve both God and Satan, which is impossible to do. That’s why God is intolerant. But it goes even deeper than that. God is intolerant because He also wants you to be like Him. He wants you to perfect, holy, and righteous, without sin ruining everything, without sin killing you even into eternity. That’s why God sent His Son, Jesus, to be your sin, so you could become His righteousness. Can you now see how God knows what you need, even when you don’t? When Jesus tells you first to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, what is He saying? He’s saying the spiritual treasures God gives you are more valuable than the material possessions He gives you. It’s that simple. But again, it’s more than that. How will you believe that God will take care of your daily needs, when so often you’re not sure? First, you must believe that He cares for your eternal needs, for faith in God leads you to believe the others truths of God. Without faith, how will you ever believe that God will take care of you? So, how does God create this confidence in you, so you know--not just feel--that He will provide for your daily needs? He does this first by bringing you to see that He has taken care of your eternal needs. And if God has done that, and He has, do you then think He’s going to throw that all away by not taking care of you here? The Holy Spirit gives us confidence to know that God will provide for every need of life. The Holy Spirit does this by bringing us to see God the Father working His will through His Son, Jesus Christ. When we realize that, Jesus on the cross becomes more simply a death; it becomes a life-giving act of God. Jesus in His Word, then, becomes more than just information; it becomes that which creates spiritual life within us. Jesus in His Sacraments, then, become more than something we’re supposed to do, they become channels of forgiveness, life, and grace. When this happens, when the Holy Spirit moves you to understand how God meets all of your eternal needs in Christ Jesus, then you treasure every single word of God as more precious than anything ever created! Then, you will be set free from the idolatry of your own sinful heart! Jesus teaches us that He will provide for every need by having us learn from the greater to the lesser. If the greater is true, then the lesser is also true. And what’s the greater truth? It’s that God provides for all creation, the birds of the air, and the lilies of the field. And if God can do that, He can provide for you. But there’s a greater truth for you, as well. It’s not that God just takes care of all creation; He also takes care of your eternity. It’s that Jesus earned eternal life for you by His perfect life, death, and resurrection. So then, what’s the lesser truth if God has taken care of your greatest need? It’s that God will take care of you here--all so you may live with Him in eternity. God has given you the greater gift: His one-and-only Son. So, He will also give you the lesser gift, of meeting your daily, earthly needs. When you value the treasures of God’s kingdom more than your money, your job, your home, and all your stuff, God will make sure that you are eternally rich. For God’s riches are so plentiful that even when you give them away, you still have them. Indeed, God guarantees the riches in His kingdom, so don’t worry about losing them. Let God do the worrying! Worry is rooted in doubt. Doubt is unbelief. It’s idolatry. But God has a cure for such false faith. He replaces it with true faith. That’s why Jesus calls you to seek the righteousness of God’s kingdom that is yours by faith. And where do you receive God’s righteousness? Here, in the Divine Service. That’s why you come to the Divine Service--not just when it’s convenient--but whenever you possibly can! You need God’s Word in your life. For, from it, faith ever springs and lives anew. And wherever faith breathes deeply, worry withers and recedes. So why worry? There’s no point. Your heavenly Father knows what you need, and He loves you. Don’t you know by now? You are worth more far more than sparrows or lilies. He loves you fully, so much that He even counts the hairs on your head. Unlike the people around you, you never tire, frustrate, or bore Him. He is ever faithful, true, merciful, and kind. He is the Lord who provides. Did you notice how Jesus described how God’s people involve themselves in His kingdom? He said, “First, seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” This isn’t complicated. Jesus doesn’t say to seek your own righteousness, does He? Jesus tells you to seek God’s righteousness, not your own. And God’s righteousness isn’t the righteous deeds that you do; no, it’s the righteous deeds that Jesus did--and does--for you. Conclusion So, to seek out God’s righteousness is to be to where Jesus gives you the fruits of His innocent life, death, and resurrection. It’s to discard all reliance on your own goodness. It’s to put on Christ, as you first did when you were baptized. It’s to find yourself vested in Christ’s royal robe of righteousness, with a beauty that covers all of your sin and makes you a precious saint of God! So, come now and receive this righteousness robe. Come and receive Jesus Himself, in His Supper, for the forgiveness of your sins. Eat the true Bread of Life and be joined to heaven. And that will be sufficient for the day. Amen. -- Rich Futrell, Pastor Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Kimberling City, MO http://sothl.com Where we receive and confess the faith of the Church (in and with the Augsburg Confession): The faith once delivered to the saints, the faith of Christ Jesus, His Word of the Gospel, His full forgiveness of sins, His flesh and blood given and poured out for us, and His gracious gift of life for body, soul, and spirit. _______________________________________________ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
