Christian Living

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TITLE: JOB ONE

READ: Matt. 6:21,24, & 33

At Ford, "Quality is job one!" In Christianity "Quality is also JOB ONE!"

JOB ONE IN THREE AREAS

WE NEED A QUALITY BANKER

WE NEED A QUALITY MASTER

WE NEED A QUALITY DESIRE

I. YOUR BANKER

When I think of treasure, I naturally think of my favorite comic book hero. When I was four and five, I had a long sickness that caused me to be in bed for an extended period of time. Many of my folk’s friends wanted to do something for me so many of them would bring me comic books.

The one's that I really liked and identified with were the Donald Duck comics. Not so much for Donald but more for Uncle Scrooge than anything!

Uncle Scrooge was "IT" for me. We were poor and I really could identify with Scrooge's desire for money.

I can remember him having a diving board installed in one of his safes so that he could dive into and swim in his money.

I can remember him washing his money in large laundry machines.

I can remember him leading caravans of dump trucks full of money up to his large buildings built in the form of safes.

I can remember Uncle Scrooge opening one of his safe buildings and all of the money running out all over the ground.

I can remember Scrooge having to build new and better and bigger buildings to store his money in.

We have modern day counterparts to Scrooge today in our society.

I have read articles about the rich in our world today that tell of the warehouses that they build to house all of the articles that they no longer use. Jackie Onasis was supposed to have had a warehouse in Europe for just the clothing that she no longer used.

God says, (Matt. 6:21) "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

He isn't saying that if you have a bank account that your heart is in the bank - No, he is talking about our temporal values and allegiances.

If we are laying up treasures in heaven then our concentration will be in the heavenlies.

If we are laying up treasures here on earth then our concentration and priorities will also be here on earth.

Let's face it, if I were Uncle Scrooge I think I would be just as the comics portrayed him - swimming in money and constantly worried about someone making off with a truckload of it!

A friend in graduate school shared a story with me. He was in a business administration class. An alumnus had been asked to share of his great financial success. He came to the class and introduced his success by telling of the roll of money he carried with him. Indeed, he took it out and showed it - then passed it around. He explained that it was all $100 bills, and that money meant very little to him.

My friend said, however, that the man's eyes never left the roll of money as it went from student to student around the room.

Let's turn to Col. 3:1-4 for a moment or two.

"If ye, then, be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory."

Some items to notice:

1. THE FACTS: "If ye" is a Greek construction that has the idea in our language of "If and assumed so". If you are risen with Christ, and I assume that you are, then seek things which are above.

2. THE LOGIC: Seek things above! Why? That is where Christ our reason for existence resides!

3. THE POSITIVE: "Set your affection" above. If you really like something then be sure it is above. Your heart's desire should be above not here below.

4. THE NEGATIVE: Not here on earth.

5. THE REASON: You are dead!

Our life exists only in Christ. We have no existence here on earth. It is done and our residence is in heaven with God.

This is the Bible basis for the phrase - "you can't take it with you". My wife had an uncle that said that he was going to take it with him - he had an asbestos coffin!

6. THE REWARD: We will appear with Christ in glory.

a. TURN TO AND READ Rev. 19:11-16

b. In eternity we will reside with Him.

7. THE PREPARATION: "...Christ, who is our life...." We are to consider Christ as our entire life. We are to be so committed to Him that we are always seeking to be more like Him and to be seeking to please Him.

II. YOUR MASTER

Now as I remember old Uncle Scrooge was in a real quandary at times with the safety of his money. He was constantly building new and better safes for his money.

He was constantly worrying about the thieves that were always trying to steal a truckload or two.

His total concentration was on the safety of that money.

God says, "No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and money." Matt 6:24

We see the significance of the term "MASTER" don't we. God says that you cannot serve money and God, and He keynotes the principle with the fact that you will love one and HATE the other!

NOW

LET'S THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT IN RELATIONSHIP TO OUR LIVES TODAY IN AMERICA!

IF WE LOVE GOD, WE WILL HATE MONEY!

IF WE LOVE MONEY, WE WILL HATE GOD!

hate = 3404 = miseo = "to hate" - used of "malicious and unjustifiable feelings towards others" (Vine)

This term is used in Jo. 15:18 where Jesus mentions, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you." This is a real dislike to say the least!

If we were to grasp that concept and really love God we would have a very different lifestyle in Christianity in this day in America!

The idea of the construction of the text is that we cannot, of our own accord, serve both God and money. There is a built in impossibility in the idea. THE ONE EXCLUDES THE OTHER!

Application: Don't try for you cannot do it!

III. YOUR DESIRE

Now back to Uncle Scrooge. His entire being was keyed to his money. Even his gifts to Huey, Duey and Louie were money! He had no other desire in life. He wanted money, money and more money!

Now we can't in all honesty say that this is our desire as believers. Our consuming desire isn't usually to have and gain and hold money, HOWEVER at times in practical application and outward appearance it may well seem to the unsaved world around us that we are serving our desire for money.

We add unto our earthly possessions at a far greater rate than unto our heavenly rewards! DON'T WE!

Think about your thought life. How much time do you spend thinking of ways of using your money for the Lord's work as compared to how you are going to use your money for your own enjoyment.

Notice in Matt 6:33 that there are two things that we are to be seeking.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

a. The kingdom of God. This is a reference to the Millennial kingdom that Christ wanted to set up for the Jews. We are to be seeking after that kingdom. For the church age believer the kingdom means that they are with the Lord already!

Our desire should be for His coming!

b. His righteousness.

Now just how do we interpret that phrase in present day America?

May I read parts of an article from Moody Monthly to show you how some Christians interpret this thought?

From Moody Monthly; July/August 1988

FOR STARTERS by Jerry B. Jenkins

SHINE ON

Item: A young man employed by a service company decided he'd rather watch the Chicago White Sox play than spend the rest of the day working.

He drove the company truck to the ball park then called his office and told his supervisor hat his early afternoon service call would take the rest of the day

Fact: The young man told me that story.

Item: A young reporter interviewed a famous personality at a downtown hotel. As the reporter was preparing to leave, the celebrity noticed his parking stub. "Let me have that stamped for you, he said. Not understanding what he meant, the reporter followed him to the front desk, where the celebrity told the clerk, "I'm parked in the hotel lot. Can you validate this for free parking?"

"You're a guest here?" the clerk asked.

The man nodded and showed his mom key to prove it. The ticket was stamped. The reporter could have parked free. But he chose to pay instead.

Fact: The reporter told me that story

Item: A woman enjoyed lunch with an older lady and split the bill.

"Here," the older one said, "you can have the receipt for your income taxes."

"what do you mean?"

"List this as a business lunch that you paid for. You've got the receipt."

Fact: The young woman told me that story

item: A middle-aged man had recently moved to a big city He parked at an expired meter, reasoning, "Even if I get a ticket, I'm changing my license plates soon. They'll never track me down.',

Fact The man told me that story

Item: A businessman was upset that this competition was underselling him by mail. When he received the competition's catalog, he mailed in every pre-paid business reply card and envelope they provided, but he ordered nothing. "They had to pay all that postage," he says with a smile.

Fact: The businessman himself told me that story

Item: A couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary Their son, a salesman, called in sick so he could attend the party

Fact: The couple told me that story clearly amused at their sons resourcefulness.

Item: A young woman working as a telephone installer frequently absconded phones left by customers who had moved.

She reported to her employer that the customers had taken the phones with them. She kept some of the phones, gave others to friends, and sold the rest.

Fact: She herself told me that story

The saddest facts of all:

The white Sox fan is - and was at the time of his lie. - an active, church-going Christian who is involved in training youth.

The famous personality is - and was at the time of his lie - involved in full-time evangelism.

The older lady is - and was at the time of her recommended deception of the IRS - on the full-time staff of an evangelical church.

The middle-aged man is - and was at the time he parked illegally - a pastor.

The anniversary couple is - and was at the time that they took delight in their son's lie - active in Christian work.

The telephone installer is - and was at the time of her theft a professing Christian, active in her church.

"Therefore, my dear friends... become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe" (Phil. 2:12,15).

It seems that the Christian world is in a bit of a tizzy as to how they are to live before the lost!

We are to live as Christ lived! He is our example to go by!

His righteousness or righteous living is that which we are to seek in our own lives!

If we do this then He will add "all these things" to us.

WHAT A PROMISE! IF WE SEEK HIS COMING AND HIS WAY OF LIFE HE WILL GIVE US EVERYTHING WE WANT!

NO!

There are a negative and a positive side to this promise.

Negative: It is not stereos, clothes, cars, houses, horses, bank accounts etc.

Positive: It is the needs of life that we view in the context of the passage verse 25-32.

God does not promise the world but he promises to get us through the world!

YES, THAT PUN WAS INTENDED! HE DOES NOT PROMISE THE WORLD -- HE WANTS US TO SHUN THE THINGS OF THE WORLD NOT SEEK AFTER THEM!

CONCLUSION:

I am not asking that anyone change their attitude toward money. Just think about what we have talked about in this study and consider the things that God's Word has to say to you today. Let the Holy Spirit work in your mind and help you REALLY evaluate your priorities and commitments.

THEN CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDES TOWARD MONEY, TOWARD CHRIST, AND TOWARD LIFESTYLE - BECAUSE GOD CAUSED YOU TO HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART AND NOT BECAUSE I CAUSED YOU TO CHANGE YOUR MIND!

Let's turn to a familiar passage in I Jo. 2:15-17.

This is the Christian life in the negative nutshell. If we avoid these things then we will be on the right track to serving God.

The lust of the flesh.

The lust of the eye.

Pride of life.

Wrapped up in these three are all of the wrongs that man can get himself into.

As Dr. Stowell mentioned in one of his editorials, if the morals don't get you materialism will. I might add if these two don't get you your pride of life may well be winner!

As you enter into a certain situation or consideration and try to decide what to do run the situation or consideration through this frame of reference and see if the Lord doesn't give you some insight!

Some have said that we can be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.

The more I study the Word and see what God's desire is for us the more I think that this statement is false.

God wants us heavenly minded. Indeed, that is what will motivate us to do the witnessing and preaching and counseling that we need to be doing.

Those that say that we can be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good are using the phrase to say that if we dwell on the heavenly we won't do the ministry. I think that this is incorrect. If we are concentrating on the heavenly then we will naturally do the ministry.

Those that are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good are probably the phony believers - those that put on a facade of heavenliness and never get around to living out that heavenly attitude.

As we go out into the world may we keep the world at an arms length as far as its influence upon us.

MAY OUR BANKER BE GOD!

MAY OUR MASTER BE GOD!

MAY OUR DESIRE BE GOD!

MAY "QUALITY BE JOB ONE" IN OUR LIVES!!

Just some side thoughts to the above:

To the poor these principles can be a blessing, because they have to live this way to a point, yet to some it is a curse because they rebel against God's position for them.

To the rich these principles can be a blessing because they may choose to live according to this life, yet if they want to live unto themselves it would be a curse to them.

SO, to each and every one of us no matter our financial statement, it is the attitude with which we approach things that will determine our joy or lack of peace in relation to living these principles.