You might be tired of me bringing this up, but the message of the Sermon on the Mount is specifically for those who want to live by the rules of God’s kingdom. The kingdom of God exists wherever His power reaches. When He touches our lives, He makes it clear that He must be the only King—no one else can share that throne.
“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:24)
A few years ago, Richard Foster wrote a book titled Money, Sex & Power, in which he discusses three major idols in American society. Jesus tackles one of these exact idols in this passage, warning us that God will not share His throne with our lust and desire for wealth.
Whether you have excessive wealth or live in poverty, the desire for money can occupy far too much space in your mind. The wealthy often want more and find new ways to display what they already have. Meanwhile, the poor frequently focus on money out of necessity, worrying about what they lack and how they are going to survive.
As members of God’s kingdom, we recognize that God is King—not money, sex, or power. We commit to serving King Jesus and refuse to succumb to the temptation of giving our loyalty to lesser gods.
Danger Zone
You may recall the Parable of the Sower. Three of the four types of soil did not produce a crop. One of those soils started out well but was eventually overcome by thorns; a focus on wealth and possessions caused the budding crop to fail in the end.
“As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.” (Matthew 13:22)
Think about the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). He found himself starving in a hog pen and decided to return home simply to be a servant to his father. Instead, his father welcomed him and received him as someone who had been brought back from the dead.
But what if the Prodigal Son had quickly forgotten the hunger he felt in that hog pen? What if he had responded to his father’s kindness with ingratitude? What if, once he got back on his feet, he turned away from his father and began serving his own self-interests again?
The Parable of the Prodigal Son doesn’t end the way I just described, but I know many people who could identify with that twist. They met Jesus at rock bottom, but as their lives improved, the lure of wealth gradually drew them away from the Savior.
The fact that you take the time to read blogs like mine means you likely aren’t in that “Prodigal Son” category. However, that doesn’t mean money and possessions aren’t still trying to draw your devotion away from the Lord.
Try This
I recently listened to a sermon by William Sangster, a famous minister from the last century. His message was all about surrender.
He noted that one thing he had to be very careful about in his prayers of surrender was the use of a “parenthesis.” He was often tempted to pray, “God, You can have all of me,” but then mentally add in parentheses, “(except for _).”
As people who recognize that God’s kingdom has come to our world, let’s tell God He can have all of us. Let’s not put a parenthesis around money, sex, power, or any other modern idol.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 