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 (Matthew)
Lesson 9

Lesson 9

I.       Observation

A.     Outline

Storing up Treasure (6:19-24)

Earthly versus heavenly treasures (19-20)

Serving God or money (21-24)

Do Not Worry (6:25-34)

Do not worry about food or clothing (25-30)

Be worry-free but seek God’s kingdom and righteousness (31-34)

Do Not Judge (7:1-6)

We will be judged if we judge (1-2)

Judge ourselves first (3-5)

Be discerning (6)

Ask, Seek, Knock (7:7-11)

The promise (7-8)

The heavenly Father compared to the earthly father (9-11)

Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them (12)

B.     Key Words/Phrases

Treasures, heart, eyes, lamp, serve, do not worry, much more, seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, judge, ask, seek, knock, good gifts.

II.    General Analysis

1a. The treasures in heaven are secure and incorruptible. Our heart is where our treasure is. If we store up treasures in heaven, our hearts will always be on the things of God rather than on earthly things.

1b. If God takes care of the birds and the lilies, how much more will He take care of us? Worrying cannot sustain our lives. It is the unbelievers who worry. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

1c. We will be judged in the same way that we judge others. We often have worse shortcomings than the people we judge.

1d. God answers our asking, seeking, and knocking. If our earthly father gives us good things, the heavenly Father will all the more give us good gifts if we ask, seek, and knock.

2. Treasures on earth and treasures in heaven; light and darkness; God and mammon; life and food; body and clothes; birds and human beings; lilies and human beings; speck and plank; dogs and sacred things; swine and pearls; bread and stone; fish and serpent; earthly father and heavenly Father.

III. Segment Analysis

1a. Loving and serving mammon means laying up treasures on earth so as to “take life easy, eat, drink, and be merry” (Lk 12:13-21). It means having our minds on earthly things and serving our fleshly desires (Phil 3:18,19).

1b. Just as a slave can only serve one master, we can only serve either God or mammon. Either master demands total loyalty. It is not possible to love both because they are conflicting. The materialistic pursuits of this life that comes from our lusts are contrary to the spiritual growth that God has called us to (Gal 5:17). We cannot love one without giving up the other (Rom 8:5-8; Jas 4:2-5).

1c. We need to remove the love of money from our hearts and acknowledge God as the owner of our possessions. Not only so, we should not set our minds on how to gratify the desires of the flesh (Rom 13:13,14). We need to lead simple lives and not let the material things become our masters.

1d. Believe and hold firmly to the gospel, since it is our “treasure” and “pearl” (Mt 13:44-46). Be fruitful in our spiritual lives (2Pet 1:10,11). Be rich in good deeds (1Tim 6:17-19).

2. The eye is an analogy of the inclination of the heart (see Ps 119:36,37). If our hearts are set on the material possessions of this world, we are spiritually blind and lose our direction in life. Our values and goals in life determine whether we are walking in the way that God desires.

3. This command is related to the teaching of storing up treasures in heaven. To seek God’s kingdom means making every effort to enter into God’s kingdom, live by its principles, and spread the good news of the kingdom so that God’s kingdom may come and His will be done on earth. Seeking God’s righteousness involves eagerly obeying God’s will in our lives.

4. Although we ought not judge others, we are to make right judgments about all things (Jn 7:24, 1Cor 2:15). Such spiritual discernment is necessary for the spiritually mature (Heb 5:14). The judgment that the Lord warns against is one that arises out of a hypocritical attitude of condemning others when we are worse than the one we are condemning (Rom 2:17-29).

5. In the Bible, pigs and dogs are unclean animals. They are used figuratively to represent the evil doers and the morally filthy (Prov 26:11; Phil 3:2; Rev 22:15; 2Pet 2:22). The sacred thing and the pearl represent the gospel (13:45,46). The Lord is not teaching us to discriminate against any group of people when we preach, but that we should turn away from those who show contempt for the gospel (10:14; Prov 9:8; Tit 3:10,11).

6a. Humbly and sincerely acknowledging our need and God’s sovereignty.

6b. Persistently and wholeheartedly searching for God’s will.

6c. Earnestly and diligently pleading until we receive God’s favor.

7. We need to ask, seek, and knock so that God’s kingdom and righteousness can be fulfilled in our lives.

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