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The
Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The
Collect.
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EEP, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy Church with thy perpetual mercy;
and, because the frailty of man without thee cannot but fall, keep us ever by
thy help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our
salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gospel
Matthew 6:24-34
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o 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 mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take
no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet
for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the
body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not,
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth
them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit
unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the
lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That
even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe
the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven,
shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought,
saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be
clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)
for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom
of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for
the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Our Lord, in His Sermon on the Mount, teaches us
a believer cannot be divided in his faith. He cannot travel the righteous path
that is Narrow, and leads up to Heaven, and, at the same time, travel the
wicked path called the Broad Way that leads down to destruction. There remains
before us, just as in the days of Noah’s Ark, an open door. It is an invitation
to salvation. Whosoever will may enter in by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?
There is no place in the Church of God for duplicity. If we so much
desire to retain our old free will, than we shall also retain the consequences
of our sins; but, if we surrender our wills to Christ, and accept His will for
our lives, then shall our lives (thought, word, and deed) be directed from on
high and not from the depths of Hell.
As pointed out in the Prayer of Collect, our righteousness is not our own, but
belongs to Christ. He covers us with His righteousness else we would fall
miserably short of the mark. He sustains us moment by moment in the way that we
should go; yet, He knows our frail frames and, as the Good Samaritan, finds us,
heals us, provides us transport, and lodges us in the fair harbors of His love
as we fail and flounder on the Way. His love and care are a perpetual love and
care; and those things that we overcome by faith are profitable to our
salvation.
Just
prior to the text today from the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus has taught us how
to give alms – how to do, as well, our works of good – in secret so that our
reward will be in heaven and not seen upon earth for self-gratification. If our
gifts are to Heaven, they shall not be seen openly upon the earth; and if they
are made openly to be seen on earth, they shall not grace the walls of Heaven.
Our Lord also, in verses 5-15 of this same chapter, teaches us how to pray. He
also gives us the Lord’s Prayer that is to be prayed in communal worship (i.e. Our Father….),
as well as private moments of devotion. He gives us a rule for fasting so
that we appear to the world not to fast. Our Father in Heaven knows every
secret thing, and He cherishes those acts of righteousness that are performed
for His own glory alone and not that of any man.
So, Jesus begins today by telling us we cannot serve two masters. Since as
masters has full authority over his subject, such a prospect of having two
masters is logically impossible. 24 “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 mammon.” God is not
divided in His sovereignty – He is either the sovereign of our souls, or the
flesh is that sovereign. It cannot be both ways. Our flesh is constantly
warring to gain the ascendancy, but a firm reliance upon the sweet blessings
and leading of the Holy Spirit will give the soul victory in the righteous Way.
If we are obsessed with the false and dimming lights of the world, the greater
and eternal Light of Heaven will be obscured just as it was to the Wise Men who
were blinded to the Star of Bethlehem when they entered the dimly-lit gates of
Jerusalem. Consider the matter logically: is it possible to go UP, and to go
DOWN, at the same time? Is it possible to love God and His great enemy at once?
Can you prize righteousness above all while harboring wicked thoughts in one’s
heart? Let our master be single, and let that Master be the sweet and
loving Teacher of Galilee – the Lord Jesus Christ.
Are we anxious of tomorrow? Who owns tomorrow? Is it not God Almighty? If He is
your Lord, you need not worry of provisions for the day. He has furnished
our abode for our comfort and shelter, He has prepared the Bread of Heaven for
our sustenance, and He has woven a white and silken Robe for our covering. What
profit is in worrying? Will simple worry change any outcome in the slightest?
Our Lord was driven into the Wilderness to suffer the trials and temptations of
the devil. He went without food that we might be fed. He went without drink
that we might have the full cup of His blessings. He vanquished the Devil in
the Wilderness of this world. Why do we linger in longing looks back to that
Wilderness of sin? 25 “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what
ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put
on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” Is
there not bread enough, and to spare, in my Father’s House? (Prodigal Son) We have been invited to a sumptuous dinner at the House of
the King. Shall we bring with us our stale and molding bread of the earth when
He has prepared the finest cuisine of Heaven? Shall we lug along our waters
from the poison fountain when He has provided the pure Water of Life for our
health? Perish the thought!
Jesus invites our attention to the provision God has made in nature for every
creature thereof. Does He not provide for them? What is the source of
nourishment to the young calf, the baby lamb, the frail, newborn pony? He has
provided a means in nature for each of these to prosper in health and
nutrition. It is an unbroken source of plenty. 26 “Behold the
fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into
barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” I often
wonder where the sparrow goes when the clouds burst open in a deluge. They
return in joy to the trees after the rain. Where did they hide from the
tempest? They depended upon the protection and care of God unseen to our eyes.
They do not worry about harvest and sowing, yet they prosper according to God’s
perfect plan. A sparrow is of much less value to God than the crowning
achievement of His Creation – Man. So why do we worry so that the provision
will fail, and we shall perish for want of food, clothing, or shelter?
We are created in the image of God. Why should we mar that image by tattooing
our persons or, more importantly, our souls, with deviant marks and vulgar
signs? Can we make ourselves larger than God has made us? Perhaps so if you
consider immoderate diet and obesity to be growth. But God has made us to be
like unto our Maker. Our only growth can take place when we grow more like Him
by surrendering our free wills and taking upon ourselves the Mind and Will that
is Christ’s. 27 “Which of you by taking thought can add one
cubit unto his stature?” Rather than
enlarge ourselves by effort, we grow smaller. Only when we allow God to grow
our hearts, minds and bodies may we grow in love and grace.
Our world today is filled with stress and anxiety. Men’s hearts fail them for
looking for the things coming upon the earth. Reason teaches us that 95% of
those things that occupy our anxious minds in worry never come to pass. So the
worry was only a ruse of the devil to distract our hearts and to shorten our
lives. 28 “And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of
the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in
all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to
day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you,
O ye of little faith?”
Lilies
are beautiful beyond measure, yet, despite our art, the only lilies we can
create are unloving ones. But God clothes them, not only with beauty, but with
exuberant life! A dead body can be decorated with silken robes to no avail for
it remains dead. But God clothes the Lily better than Solomon was able to
clothe himself, and the life God gave the Lily is an innate characteristic of
His grace to the smallest of creatures. The grass is giving raiment suitable
for its living, yet, it has only a short span to run, and is trodden under
foot, withers, and is blown away by the wind. Do you worry that the same God
who provides for the sparrow, the Lily, and the grass of the fields cannot
provide for you whose value far exceeds all these? The soul of man is eternal
whether destined for Heaven or Hell, whereas sparrows, grass, and lilies exist
only for the present as robes of beauty to cover the earth. Is our faith so
small that we cannot acknowledge the care of God sufficient for our
preservation?
So, what counsel
does our Lord provide for our frailty and doubts? 31 “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall
we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do
the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all
these things.” If the Christian son or daughter goes about
worrying, just as do those who do not know God, of what advantage is there to
being a son or daughter of God. Does a prince or princess concern themselves
for their basic provisions in life? Is our Father, and King of Kings, not able
to supply all things according to His “riches in glory?” Do
we believe that God is unable to see our need? Perhaps we see only our DESIRES,
but God sees our NEED!
We need not concern ourselves with any worldly concerns if we place God first
in all our thoughts, words, and deeds. If our priority in all things is God and
His will, we will have no time left for worry and vain pursuits. Our Lord gives
solution to all our problems with His concluding counsel for today’s text:
33 “But seek ye
first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you. 34 Take therefore no
thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of
itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
To those of you who timidly subordinate your
duties to God to your perceived obligations to the state and society, Jesus
draws a clear line in the sand: We do not seek to please governments or society
in politically correct philosophies, but GOD! His will is paramount over every
earthly power be it the US Government, or any other government. We observe a
hierarchy of government from God above every other government. In America, we
have local, state and Federal laws. Does not the ultimate power predominate in
law? And even in the Federal Government, we have a separation of powers that
must be observed so that not entity has absolute power even at the Federal
head. But God is the ultimate Law-Giver. His law takes precedence above every
law of man. Too many believers today have bought into the lie of a separation
of church and state. What does that mean? Does it mean that religious morality
cannot influence the state, or even be mentioned in reference to it; or that
the state can dictate every detail of religious faith. If the Christian faith
is not the basis of government, then the government will intrude and be the
arbiter of the Christian faith…simple as that! God will provide ALL that we
need as long as we acknowledge Him above and beyond every other consideration.
There is great evil in our present day. We must
address the enemy at hand rather than occupy ourselves with contemplated
enemies that may arise tomorrow. The world is WICKED today. The only day we are
assured in this life is TODAY. Go forth to battle that enemy of our souls that
presents itself at the leading edge of battle and worry not of the enemy’s
reinforcement for tomorrow. If we win the current battle, there will be no
wickedness to reinforce. Fight today, and take in hand the new threat as it
presents itself. God is with the valiant and true servant to fight his battles
for him. Stand with God and no lesser power can approach. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the
morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient
unto the day is the evil thereof.”
What are your priorities for today? Are your
first awakening thoughts devoted to God and in seeking His will for you TODAY?
Or do you give space in your heart to needless worries that steal the space in
your heart that should be reserved to God? Do you seek after righteousness and
let the results fall where they will? If you place your trust in the only One
who can order not only your life, but your soul, you will be in good Hands for
certain. Do not make your intentions of righteousness dependent upon tomorrow’s
events. Do what is right, and God will see to the rest! He is the great Captain
of your soul, not society, not Mammon, and not government. When you approach
the White Throne at the conclusion of all time, will you concern yourself with
rulings of the Supreme Court, or acts of Congress? You may trust me – they
shall not present themselves at that Holy Place.
