Serve the Lord for riches everlasting.

 

Sermon for Trinity 15, September 25, 2022

Grace to you and abiding peace from God the Father and Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Lord.  Amen.

Matthew 6:24–34  ²⁴“No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and mammon.  ²⁵“For this reason 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 than food and the body more than clothing?  ²⁶Look at the birds of the air.  They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not worth much more than they?  ²⁷“Which of you can add a single moment to his lifespan by worrying?  ²⁸Why do you worry about clothing?  Consider how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin, ²⁹but I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these.  ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will he not clothe you even more, you of little faith?  ³¹“So do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’  ³²For the unbelievers chase after all these things.  Certainly your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  ³⁴So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (EHV)

Serve the Lord for riches everlasting.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            Near the end of his life, Moses told the Israelites, "You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him,” (Deuteronomy 6:13 NKJ) but did you ever consider how many other things you serve?  We like to think we are masters of our domain, but everything we own makes demands on our time.  The more we own, the more enslaved we become.  If you have a house, you are usually forced to work in order to pay the mortgage, insurance, and taxes.  In addition, you soon find it demanding cleaning, repairs, and maintenance.  You buy a car, and you must buy insurance, gas, and tires.  Every car comes a service schedule, so every so many miles, you change the oil, filters, spark plugs, timing belt, and you name it.

Everything you might own is like that.  A piece of land, livestock operations, farm equipment, a business, a job, all of it makes demands on your time.  Even our toys require us to find storage in the off season, maintenance and repairs when we play.  If you get a pet, it is up to you to walk the dog, change the litter box, or clean the bottom of the bird cage.  We like to think we are in charge, but in reality, we are serving the things almost as much as they serve us.

At the same time, we might say the same thing about people.  If you marry, you will serve your spouse in ways wide and varied, and if you don’t do the service to each other, chances are good the marriage won’t last.  If you add children, the service required of you grows exponentially—diapers by the dozen, food, clothing, furniture, perhaps a bigger vehicle or house.  If you aspire to run for the honor of public office, be aware that the demands on your time explode.  Even something as good and honorable as belonging to a church brings a call to serve.

In our day, many aren’t willing to be enslaved by the demands of this world.  Marriage is avoided by many because of the faithful service that love requires.  Numerous children are slaughtered in order for the parents to avoid serving them.  Some demand that the government take care of all these things, but those same folks don’t understand that the government requires ever more service from its citizens, in the form of taxes, as more is demanded of government.

King Solomon looked at the demands of this world and said, "Vanity of vanities,…All is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 12:8 NKJ)  Or, as another translation puts it, "Meaningless!  Meaningless!…Everything is meaningless!" (Ecclesiastes 12:8 NIV)  When one considers life here on earth, he might be tempted to decide that our service isn’t worth the effort, especially if you recognize that one, our time here is short and we can take nothing out of this world, and two, everything about this world is soon going to pass into dust.  On the other hand, if we should decide to serve nothing and no one, we are truly serving only the devil who wants nothing more than to steal and kill and destroy.  Yet Jesus says, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)  He also said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

In our text, Jesus observed how we all look at the things of this world, and He recognized how much anxiety and worry life in a sinful world causes us.  He then tells us not to worry about food, drink, or clothing.  Now, if like me, you have ever told someone not to worry, you likely recognize that telling us not to worry doesn’t change much.  However, Jesus doesn’t just give us the command.  He points us to the source of everything good, and He reminds us that while we sin whenever we worry or stress about the challenges of this world, and the service it requires, God takes care of it all for our good.

Like the people of Jesus’ day, we often find ourselves concerned about many things, but all of our worry is really just fear—fear that we won’t have enough stuff, money, health, or loved ones to keep us alive and happy—fear that God isn’t handling our needs.  However, the Lord promised through the prophet Isaiah, “Do not fear, for I am with you.  Do not be overwhelmed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you.  Yes, I will help you.  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

In answer to our sinful fears, Jesus points us to God’s care for the world around us.  Everything that lives on earth is sustained by the hand of our loving God who created it.  The birds, fish, animals, insects, plants, and trees don’t honor and serve God in any other way than living as He determines to provide for other living things, and ultimately to sustain life in all of us.

Now, Jesus points out that it is common to worry about the things in life.  Yet, His point shows that every worry, or fear, is sin, and sin separates us from God.  Thus, Jesus said, “For the unbelievers chase after all these things.”  The ancients who didn’t have God’s Word were in a constant struggle to deal with their fears about sustaining life in this troubled world.  It led them into all kinds of idolatry, but Jesus assures us, “Certainly your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” 

Now, since we know that God knows we need all these things, isn’t it the height of arrogance to assume that our worries can do more than the God who loves us and provides all things?  God created and sustains the world, but He didn’t give His Son into death for the plants and animals.  Rather, God, the Father, gave His Son for you and me.  St. Paul wrote, “What then will we say about these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also graciously give us all things along with him?” (Romans 8:31-32)

We are coming into the fall harvest season, and having been a farmer, I know the stress we put on ourselves to get every last acre covered as soon as possible and every kernel, bean, and beet in the bin.  All of that can be good husbandry, and we properly serve the Lord when we remember that He gives all the things He blesses us with in expectation that we will be good stewards of those blessings.  At the same time, Jesus encourages us to remember our true Lord whom we are to serve.

Jesus told the people, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  Therefore, the point of this text is that we Serve the Lord for riches everlasting.  In other words, put first things first in your life.

No matter how much land someone runs, no matter how much money we pile up in bank accounts, stock markets, under your mattress, or buried in your back yard, it won’t be enough to buy a place for you in heaven.  Even doing everything right to live a long and healthy life will only keep you going minutes longer in this world.  The end soon comes for everything and everyone, so we need to be prepared.

Dear friends, that is where Jesus came in.  Jesus lived in this world just like you and me, yet He never once worried about anything.  All the while Jesus experienced the hardships of life, attacks of His enemies, hunger, thirst, illness, and the death of friends, His trust was perfectly in His heavenly Father’s care.  A day didn’t pass in which Jesus didn’t look to His Father for everything.  Even when His body was starving in hunger, Jesus was able to rebuke the devil by quoting God’s Word, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” (Luke 4:4)  Living on this earth for you and me, Jesus perfectly pleased His Father in righteousness, and that is the righteousness we are to seek.

As you go about your daily living, and maybe especially, as you go about the harvest season, remember what Jesus and the Father have done for you.  In addition to providing all you need for body and life, Jesus laid down His life on a cross, so that the Father in heaven could count you as holy and perfectly trusting in His amazing care.  Take moments every day to thank God for what He gives you.  Confess to Him your worries and cares.  Then trust that the Father has forgiven all your sins for Jesus’ sake.  Remember that the couple hours you devote to worship with your Lord every week, will be repaid many times over with greater faith in the Savior who sacrificed everything so that you can enjoy the mansions of heaven. 

Come to the Lord, today, to receive the body and blood Jesus sacrificed so that you “may have life, and have it abundantly.”  Then, trusting in Jesus as your Savior, let Him guide you in how to serve those things He gives into your stewardship and the loved ones He gives into your care, so that you, and all the loved ones given to you, may Serve the Lord for riches everlasting.  Amen.

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.  Blessed be his glorious name forever.  May the whole earth be filled with his glory.  Amen.