Jesus' Sermon
Matthew 6: 24-34
“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. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for 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 bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today."
In Matthew 6: 24–34, Jesus talked about striving first for the kingdom of God. This passage is part of the Sermon on the Mount that begins in Matthew 5: 1–2a, “When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to speak and taught them . . .”
Thus, what he was teaching about at that point was intended for those who were his closest followers, the ones who had made a commitment to him and his way of life. The message was for those who were willing to sink themselves more deeply into God, to realize that this kingdom is here now, and that this kingdom isn’t a place but a deeper relationship with of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, when Jesus told them to not worry about tomorrow and to strive first for the kingdom, he was speaking to those who would become his life-long disciples. This message applies to us today; we have to trust and follow the Lord Jesus Christ before we can attempt to live according to this challenging passage. If you want to have a deeper relationship with Jesus but may not know the steps to make that happen please let me know. My books and presentations will outline how becoming a disciple in today’s world involves striving first for the kingdom of God in our daily spiritual pilgrimage.
Copyright © 2024 Vernon T. Jones
“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. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for 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 bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today."
In Matthew 6: 24–34, Jesus talked about striving first for the kingdom of God. This passage is part of the Sermon on the Mount that begins in Matthew 5: 1–2a, “When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to speak and taught them . . .”
Thus, what he was teaching about at that point was intended for those who were his closest followers, the ones who had made a commitment to him and his way of life. The message was for those who were willing to sink themselves more deeply into God, to realize that this kingdom is here now, and that this kingdom isn’t a place but a deeper relationship with of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, when Jesus told them to not worry about tomorrow and to strive first for the kingdom, he was speaking to those who would become his life-long disciples. This message applies to us today; we have to trust and follow the Lord Jesus Christ before we can attempt to live according to this challenging passage. If you want to have a deeper relationship with Jesus but may not know the steps to make that happen please let me know. My books and presentations will outline how becoming a disciple in today’s world involves striving first for the kingdom of God in our daily spiritual pilgrimage.
Copyright © 2024 Vernon T. Jones
