Matthew 6:24-34
Trinity 15
Seeking the Kingdom
September 9, 2018
Zion Lutheran Church + Nampa, ID
“Work, work, work. I have so much work to do today that I must spend the first three hours in prayer.” I was reminded of that quote from Martin Luther a couple of weeks ago when talking to one of the teachers at our school. School has begun. Teachers and students getting into the groove. Sports are back in full swing. Hunting season is here for the next few months. And then there’s the all the normal family stuff. Cooking and cleaning, housework and yardwork. As a husband, I learned a lesson very early on in marriage: the honey do list is never ending. There’s always more to do. Work, work, work.
And how easy it is to let this work, whatever may it may, wear us down, wear us out, worried, and warried. You know what this feels like, I don’t have the explain it in great detail. But it is at these times, which come all too often into the lives of God’s people, that we need to be reminded of our Lord’s words in our Gospel reading for today. What we heard was just a small part of Jesus’ sermon on the mount. In the immediate section, Jesus warned about laying up treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal...” He concludes by saying, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The heart will dwell on what a person treasures the most. And now today, we listen to Jesus’ words to the same effect, that we ought not be anxious, ought not worry, about those very earthly things but that we treasure the kingdom of God and the righteousness of Christ above all things.
And this is nothing new for the people of God. My favorite Psalm, and one of my favorite passages in the Scripture is Psalm 27. The first verse was my Confirmation verse, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” And then I often sign letters or emails with verse 4, “One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek in His temple.”
“One thing” There is a singleness of mind, of heart, of will. It is the best answer to distracting fears: to gaze upon and to seek the Lord. It is a preoccupation with God’s person, with His presence. It is the essence or worship, of discipleship. For if we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, that is, set all this before all other things, and seek other things for the sake of these, we ought not to be anxious when we lack. This is why St. Paul can later say in his first letter to the church in Corinth, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
External choices reveal internal spiritual condition. It is of no good to try to convince the heart is not set a right when attention is focused on earthly things that will rot and fail. Prioritizing anything else above the hearing and studying of God’s Word is sin. The biblical model is that Christ comes first, then family, then everything else. I often hear that people don’t have the time to do devotions, to read the Bible, to come to Church. To be blunt, that is false and you need to repent whenever that becomes your attitude. The Lord has given you the time, 24 hours of each day, to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. The issue isn’t one of having enough time. The real issue is what do you spend your time on? Work, work, work. I have so much work to do today, that I must spend my first three hours in prayer.
Rather than seeking the things of this world, the accumulation of our stuff, devoting our life to health, wealth, and happiness, we should intentionally and deliberately seek the things that are above (Col 3:1), that is, seek the kingdom of God, the saving deeds and righteousness of God which has come down to earth in Jesus. Make use of the Word and Sacraments, the gifts that He has given His people, both where He may be found and where He finds us. It is in the Word and Sacraments that Christ seeks you, that Christ brings His kingdom to you, that Christ delivers His righteous to you. All received by faith in Him. And then entrust your daily life to His care. You are of far more value, far more worth, than the birds of the air or the flowers in the field. The 5th and 6th grade class at our school ought to know this, and know it well, because they see it every day. “God doesn’t love us because of our worth, we are of worth because God loves us.” – Luther
If you ever doubt that, or wonder, or worry if it is true, look here to the cross. Upon the cross, God shows us what love truly is, what it truly looks like, by the death of His Son. It is at the cross that your sins are forgiven. It is at the cross that your life is won. It is at the cross that God shows you your worth. It is at the cross where we see that kingdom of God does not guarantee worldly success. It does not mean that you will never feel anxious, or depressed, or unworthy, or scared, or in want. Each new day brings with it trouble of its own. But it is at the cross where your unrighteousness is atoned for and where the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus is displayed.
The primary response to Jesus’ teaching is to turn and believe again that the heart of the Christian is founded upon Christ, upon the life and the identity that He gives. This is where a believer’s heart is fixed. The goodness of God, the beauty of the cross, the truth of His Word. When the heart is fixed on Christ and His promises and His word, then priorities change and our freedom to choose what really matters, what eternally matters, is evidence of our faith in Jesus.
We love God because God is the highest good, and the love of Him is the greatest good that we can do. We were created for the sake of the God, therefore it is fitting to give Him the best that we have, which is our love. Your love will find all you desire from the Lord God. Do you love riches? God is the richest of all. Do you love power? God is all powerful. Do you love beauty? God is the most beautiful? Do you love pleasure? God is the greatest pleasure. In this One who is Good, everything is good. Our souls will not have rest until we cling to God in love, for Christ is the center our desires, our love, our life.