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.
