THE GOSPEL: God and His Kingdom First!

“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. (Matthew 6:19-21)

In order to have the mentality of putting God and His Kingdom first, we have to put the things of this world in their proper place.  Yes, God says if we Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.“ (Psalm 37:4) But, the condition is we have to Delight yourself also in the Lord. We have to be like the believers of Old Testament time, All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners [strangers] and nomads [pilgrims] here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16) And Jesus has fulfilled that promise and promised all of us who believe since then that, In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:2-3)

Yes, this world is nice and God made it for our enjoyment, but He has something so much better than this prepared for us. While we're here, let's not become "blinded" by the things of this dark world.  No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.” (Luke 11:33-36; Matthew 6:22-23) All of us are born into sin, born with a sinful nature, but Jesus died to save us from the penalty of sin, For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23) Once we are exposed to and accept this "light", Christ Jesus, we shouldn't hide Him, but we should share Him with others, so that they may "see" also and desire to have an eternal relationship with Him.

“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. (Matthew 6:24) Mammon, or manna is the food God provided from heaven for the children of Isreal when they were in the wilderness. And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. (Exodus 16:35) They were in the desert for forty years, because of their disobedience to God.  NOTHING grows in the desert, and no way they packed enough food and water when they left Egypt to last them for forty years. But God proves that no matter what, He takes care of His own.  

Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both [of] them. (I Corinthians 6:13) "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? 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?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? (Matthew 6:25-27; Luke 12:22-25) If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? (Luke 12:26) If we are Christians, saved believers, then we have a Heavenly Father who makes sure we have everything we "need".  Wants and desires come also, but He knows when best to give us those things.  Nehemiah praised God in his prayer saying, in Your manifold mercies You did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, To lead them on the road; Nor the pillar of fire by night, To show them light, And the way they should go. You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, And gave them water for their thirst. Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear out And their feet did not swell. (Nehemiah 9:19-21) This is what our Heavenly Father does for us!

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these [I Kings 4:20-34]. 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? (Matthew 6:28-30; Luke 12:27-28) God takes care of our physical needs!  “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the [unbelievers] seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:31-34; Luke 12:29-31) 

Due to the current economic situation in our society, many of us are dealing with some very difficult issues: job loss, depleted retirement and savings accounts, foreclosures, health issues and medical bills, etc. etc. etc.  Eventhough our circumstances may change, God does not. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)  If we're honest, most of us over-extended ourselves.  We thought the "good times" were going to last and things would only get better.  But God warns us through the wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon that To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; (vs.4) A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; (vs.6) What goes up, must come down! 

And so it is with Christ Jesus; Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11) Jesus promised, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself.  Things may not always go the way we want or desire while we're here on this earth, but that's alright.  Because what God has for us on the other side of this life is far better than anything we can imagine having here! Therefore, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:32-34) 

Nothing here is going to last! The Day is coming, and God had the Apostle John to testify, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelations 21:1, 4) Let's start making "deposits" into our "heavenly bank account", where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  Let's give generously, spend wisely and trust God completely, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God! (Ephesians 3:16-19)

The lessons of Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount"! Refer to the previous lessons, to study the entire sermon in context:The "Beattitudes" Lesson!; "Salt & Light" Lesson!; Importance of The Commandments!; "You Shall Not Murder" Lesson!; "You Shall Not Commit Adultery" Lesson!; 'Til Divorce Do Us Part?; Watch Our Mouth, and Responses!; Don't Be A Hypocrite, A Show-off!; God and His Kingdom First!; Don't Judge; Be An Example!; Follow The Leader!; Not Just Hearers, but Doers Also!