Brad's Bistro

Text: Matthew 5:33-48(NIV)

¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
²²"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
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 Money.

²⁵"Therefore 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 important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Discussion Questions

-Read vv. 19-21. Jesus’ concern is not with having stuff, but with desiring to accumulate it. Why do think that is such a problem?

-What do you think our “treasures in heaven” are, and how do we accumulate them?

-Read vv. 22,23. Here Jesus is connecting the problem of having divided loyalties to not being able to see clearly. Why would confusion about what it is we “treasure” cause us to not be able to “see the way forward” in regards to our direction in life?

-Verse 24 has to do with who (or what) we are enslaved to. In other words, who (or what) we take orders from. Why would God and material possessions be in conflict in this regard?

-Look at verses 25-27. Why does Jesus connect being enslaved to material things with the problem of worry?

-How do the answers we give to the questions in verses 26 and 27 help with the problem of worry?

-Finish reading verses 28-34. Do you think Jesus is commanding us not to work, or save, or plan for the future?

-Re-read verse 33. How can putting God’s kingdom and his righteousness in first priority give us a healthier attitude toward the material things of our lives?

-Is there any specific aspect of your life that you could apply this lesson to in order to live a more stress-free existence?

Each study on the Sermon on the Mount is based on the fact that God has translated us into the Kingdom of God, with all of the benefits and expectations being things that should currently characterize our “life in the Kingdom.” Each lesson illustrates an important Kingdom principle that, when taken together, will help achieve a “Kingdom worldview,” in order to live healthy and significant lives while we await the complete fulfillment which will attend the second coming of Christ.

Review of Kingdom principles so far:
5:5-12 (Beatitudes): The eternal perspective on our lives which comes from living in the Kingdom should be able to transform our attitude toward life because we have constant access to what is really important.

13-16 (Salt and Light): Good works are not the means to God’s salvation, but are still critical in order to accomplish Kingdom ministry and mission in this world.

17-20 (fulfilling the law): We cannot keep the law of God by trying hard—we keep it by becoming the kind of people who naturally live in accordance with what God desires for us.

21-32 (sex and violence): healthy relationships with others come from dealing with the underlying heart issues of selfishness and pride rather than just managing our outward behaviors.

33-48 (Integrity and Crazy Love): The confidence we have as children of God and citizens of the Kingdom who have a different value system allows us to be in control of situations where other people are trying to control us.

6:1-18 (Impressive Piety): people who live in the kingdom of God are motivated to pursue spiritual disciplines; not out of a sense of ritual or duty or in order to impress other people, but to deepen their relationship with the Father.

The kingdom principle in this passage is that when our value system is aligned with the Kingdom of God, our lives in this world become much healthier.

-Read vv. 19-21. Jesus’ concern is not with having stuff, but with desiring to accumulate it. Why do think that is such a problem?

Jesus clarifies in verse 21 that the issue is what we really value, “where our heart is.” The things that we accumulate are indicators of where our true values are.

-What do you think our “treasures in heaven” are, and how do we accumulate them?

Jesus does not clarify precisely what he means by “treasure in heaven” in this passage, but at the very least here is another opportunity to remind each other that what we do with our lives here has eternal effect. From a broader biblical perspective, some things you may want to mention are:

What we do for others: Command them (the rich) to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Tim. 6:18,29)

Our spiritual formation: Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. ⁸For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Tim. 4:7,8)

What we do to help build the church: If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. ¹⁴If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. (1 Cor. 3:12-14, Paul speaking of continuing the work of building the church in Corinth which he began)
Disciples that we make: Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever (Daniel 12:3)

At first reading, these verses may seem unconnected with the issues Jesus is discussing before and after them. But that isn’t how Scripture works (or Jesus taught). He apparently means to say that if we are valuing the things of this world, we will be “in the dark” in regards to what God really wants for us. Being devoted to the accumulation of the things that don’t really matter could easily cause us to miss what it is that God really wants us to do, or to become. We simply don’t have our eyes open for the things he has to tell us and the ways in which he guides us along the paths he prefers for us.

-Verse 24 has to do with who (or what) we are enslaved to. In other words, who (or what) we take orders from. Why would God and material possessions be in conflict in this regard?

The words Jesus uses here refer to the master/slave relationship. Again, Jesus is not criticizing the basic needs we have in this world, but rather an attitude which allows those things to “call the shots” for us. If our decisions are being made based on what will maximize those things, rather than the things of God, our lives just won’t be what they were designed to be. You simply can’t have it both ways—someone (or something) has to be in charge. God isn’t content to play second fiddle to our stuff, or even be an even partner alongside it.

-Look at verses 25-27. Why does Jesus connect being enslaved to material things with the problem of worry?

The “therefore” in this verse makes a clear connection between being overly devoted with the accumulation of money (or “mammon”: material things in general) and the issue of anxiety. The reason we become worried about it is precisely what he began this passage with: it can rot, be stolen, etc. If that is where our real values lie, then we are forced to live our lives with what we really value constantly at risk. Jesus doesn’t think that’s a very healthy life.

-How do the answers we give to the questions in verses 26 and 27 help with the problem of worry?

Question: “Are you not much more valuable than they?” Answer: you have ultimate value to God (note the adjective, “much”). Worrying too much about stuff has its source in a sense of insecurity about whether God really cares for us. Being firmly rooted in that understanding will go a long way toward solving the problem of anxiety in our lives.

Question: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Answer: stress doesn’t help anything. Not only does it not add anything to your life, the medical community is unanimous that it actually does the reverse. It takes years off your life, and makes you susceptible to a whole host of diseases and a weakened immune system. Jesus knows what he’s talking about when he suggests that saying no to worry is going to make for a healthier life.
Note: this phrase can also be translated, “add a cubit to his height.” Some bibles may have it as that, but the point is the same: worry is a useless exercise as it cannot actually accomplish anything.

-Finish reading verses 28-34. Do you think Jesus is commanding us not to work, or save, or plan for the future?

This is an opportunity to make sure that we don’t misinterpret what Jesus is saying. Birds work plenty hard, and the bible affirms in many places the value of hard work, financial management, and good planning. But people outside the kingdom “run after” these things. It is the sum total of their focus in life, the result of not realizing your status as a child of God in the Kingdom of the one who loves and cares for you. Jesus is painting a picture of people who live frantic, fearful lives consumed by worry about material things.

-Re-read verse 33. How can putting God’s kingdom and his righteousness in first priority give us a healthier attitude toward the material things of our lives?

Here is the bottom line to the whole lesson: it’s all about priorities. Putting God and his kingdom first in our lives gives us a healthier attitude toward everything in this world, which in turn makes us healthier people who aren’t always stressed out. If our first concern is what we do for others, how we are growing in Christ, how we are helping build the church, disciples we are making, etc. then the inevitable ups and down in regards to our worldly fortunes just won’t be as bothersome to us. This passage illustrates and re-affirms the message of the beatitudes that the sermon begins with: life in the Kingdom is better because it comes with a broader, long term perspective.

-Is there any specific aspect of your life that you could apply this lesson to in order to live a more stress-free existence?

A final application question to give people a chance to ponder whether there is something about their own lives that has been causing them stress that isn’t even a real kingdom priority.