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“All these things will be added to you.”
᛭ INI ᛭
((5. Oops!: Our eyes are on so many other things instead of birds and flowers.))
The Lord spoke true and faithfully! Don’t you believe Him? “These things will be added to you.” “Really?” Yes, really! Want some proof? “Look at the birds of the heavens! Because they don’t sow nor harvest nor gather into brand, and your Heavenly Father feeds them.” Or “let your mind dwell on the wild lilies—how they grow! They don’t labor, neither do they sew, yet, I tell you, that neither was Solomon, in all his glory, arrayed like one of these.”
Yet, as it stands, our eyes aren’t on the birds. We don’t even think about the wildflowers! Our eyes and minds are on so many other things! (Even right now!)
((4. Ugh!: Our hearts are set on worry and anxiety.))
We do this because we have a heart problem! Heart, soul, mind, and strength are set on worry and anxiety. Our hearts turn away from the LORD—endless anxiety! We have a preoccupation with many things that the birds and wildflowers don’t. We’re preoccupied with the rain, the sowing, the harvesting, the gathering. We’re concerned about toiling and the sewing. We’re preoccupied with money—how little we have, how much we don’t have. All our worry about rain and yields and prices (from grain to gas, from feed to our own food)—it’s all really just worry about money. “You cannot serve God and money.”
All that I said a few weeks ago about offerings and giving could get repeated here. Run the numbers. Though not required in the New Testament a tithe is a good number, but maybe it’s more, maybe it’s less. “The Lord loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor 9) Crunch some numbers so that you can “give as each as determined.” (2 Cor 9) “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce.” (Prov 3) For a little bit more go check out my sermon for Trinity 9 (August 6).
But our problem isn’t just a head problem, a math problem. It’s a heart problem. it’s why our thinking on this gets all wonky and crazy. It’s why even the conversation about some of these things can make us upset or antsy or anxious! With heart set on mammon, on money, there is endless anxiety. For money can’t actually save and give lasting peace. Because it doesn’t we worry about what we’ll eat or what we’ll drink or what we’ll wear. Or we worry about losing a great many other things that aren’t food or clothing. For, “for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” (1 Tim 6)
We look at others and think the Lord doesn’t care for us. We envy others. We covet what they have. Hearts turned away from the Lord! “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness.” Not only because “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Lk 12) But because “covetousness is idolatry.” (Col 3) The false god of money, success, affluence, wealth.
The corruption of our heart runs deep. We even run the Lord’s promises in the way of the Law, which means we turn them into works in order to get what we want, and when we don’t get what we want, we turn around and blame the Lord for not giving us what we want! “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” We end up only seeking Him and His righteousness as means to an end, proof He’s not actually first. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Ex 20)
((3. Aha!: THE LORD’S ADDED YOU TO HIS KINGDOM AND WILL ADD MUCH MORE BESIDES!))
The Lord’s words are true: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” But Jesus tells us many wonderful things about this Kingdom. “The Kingdom of heaven is within arm’s reach!” (Mt 4) “The Kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Mt 12) “The Kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed.” (Mt 13) “The Kingdom of heaven is like a net that is thrown in to the sea and gather fish of every kind.” (Mt 13)
With all that in mind, you can see that when it comes to His Kingdom and His righteousness that
THE LORD’S ADDED YOU TO HIS KINGDOM AND WILL ADD MUCH MORE BESIDES!
((2. Whee!: He tells us to seek a kingdom and righteousness He’s already given!))
It’s true that THE LORD’S ADDED YOU TO HIS KINGDOM AND WILL ADD MUCH MORE BESIDES! Which means that when He tells you to seek the Kingdom and Righteousness, He’s telling you to seek out something He’s already given and continues to give! He’s not leaving it to chance. He’s not leaving you to chance. He plops it all right into your lap!
The Lord brings His Kingdom and His righteousness to bear for you, even before you were in His Kingdom and possessed His righteousness. “At the right time, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal 3), “for while were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom 5) “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5)
Jesus is King of the Cross, not only at Calvary, but when He brought His cross and death to us in Holy Baptism. Holy Baptism is where Christ first begins His reign over your life, first bringing you into His Kingdom. “Let the little children come to Me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Mt 18) For there “God brought us out of the domain of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption the forgiveness of sins.” (Col 1)
He also gives you His righteousness. “He is the Lord your righteousness.” (Jer 23) In Holy Baptism you have “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph 4) You are in Christ through Holy Baptism and by faith in Him alone, and “anyone who is in Christ is a new creation.” (2 Cor 5) For “because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Cor 1) Now that you are in Christ, you have “become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor 5)
From His cross to His Baptism, you see that Christ has brought you into His kingdom and give you His own righteousness. So, when He tells us to seek a kingdom and righteousness, He’s already given you those very things!
((1. He will add daily bread to you.))
Following their false gods, the nations seek after a great many things. Things that do not last. Having received Jesus, believing He died for us, being baptized into His kingdom and righteousness, we rejoice in the true things and are generous with the gifts of life we’ve received—even with our money!
“Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce.” (Prov 3) Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it. Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways. (Proverbs 15:16, 16:8, 28:6)
**“There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mk 10)**
The Lord has added you to His Kingdom, the Kingdom He tells you to seek, and He WILL ADD MUCH MORE BESIDES! He adds daily bread to you, “all that you need to support this body and life.” (SC) “Your heavenly Father knows that you need all the things the unbelievers spend their lives seeking after.” “You are much more value than sparrows.” God’s blood your price. “If God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” What’s physical clothes compared to eternal righteousness? “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8)
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