TREASURY OF SERMONS
Priorities in Life
By Rev (Dr) Jeffrey Khoo
(Preached at Life BPC, 10.30 am service, 12 Dec 1999)
Text: Matt 6:19-34, John
14:1-6
Introduction
The year 1999 will end in a few days’ time. We
are about to enter a new millennium. I think this is a good time for
us to reflect on how we have lived our life.
How have we lived our life this year? Have we
lived for self or for Christ? Are we living for this world, or for
the Lord? Have we been faithfully keeping our personal devotions
with the Lord? Have we been praying to Him before making important
decisions whether at home or at work? Have we been actively involved
in the church or is church for us just a Sunday pastime?
The question I want all of us to think about
today is: What do we live for? What should we be living for? But
before we can answer this practical question, we must first ask this
fundamental question: Whom do we live for?
1. Whom Do I Live For? (Matt
6:24, John 14:1)
Matt 6:24 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
mammon." John 14:1, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in
God, believe also in me."
What do we live for is dependent on whom we live
for. Do we live for self, or for Christ? Jesus said, "No man can
serve two masters." Are you your own master, or is the Lord your
Master? Do you love yourself, or do you love the Lord? No one can
serve Christ and money at the same time. The word "mammon" here
means "money." Actually the word "mammon" is used here figuratively
to refer to the sinful self, the greedy and covetous heart. Money is
not evil. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil.
Jesus wants complete allegiance from us or none
at all. Consider the story of the rich young ruler in Matt 19:26-36.
This rich young towkay went to Jesus and asked Him what he must do
to obtain eternal life. Jesus told him to sell all his goods, give
the money to the poor and then follow Him. This rich young ruler
though devout was unwilling to part with his riches to be a poor
preacher like Jesus. He was unwilling to forsake his position as a
CEO to be a lowly carpenter like Jesus. He was not willing to give
up being a rich ruler to become a poor preacher.
Now is Jesus trying to say that we ought to live
in poverty, that we should only choose low-paying jobs, and live in
an attap house. Of course not. The point is this: Are we willing to
give up all those things, yes, even our life for the Lord Jesus
Christ if He calls us to? If we are not willing, then we do not love
Jesus; we love this world. If we love this world, we will not love
God. If we love God you will not love this world. It is as simple as
that. Test your love for Christ. Ask yourself: If the Lord were to
call me into full-time service, to be a pastor, or missionary; am I
willing to say Yes!??
One person in the OT who demonstrated true love
for God was Job. He was truly tested. He was a very rich man, had
good health, and a nice family. But everything was taken away from
him—Everything! Health, wealth, family, friends. His wife even told
him—"Curse God and die." But what did Job say? "Though He slay me,
yet will I trust in Him." Are you like Job?
Dear friends, do you know Jesus Christ? Do you
believe in Him? Do you trust Him a hundred percent? If you believe
in God, believe also in Christ. Some of you may say, "I don’t
believe in Christ, I believe only in myself." "I will do things my
way." "I am bright and intelligent." "I am a good citizen in
Singapore," "I am sure I am good enough for heaven." But you are
wrong. No matter how good we think we are, we are all not good
enough. In the eyes of man, we may be good. But in the eyes of God,
we are all full of filth. We fall far short of God’s standard. "For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Jesus said
there is only one way. He and He alone is the way, the truth, and
the life. No man can enter heaven except through Him.
Unless we first believe in God and trust in
Christ completely, it is useless to talk about what to live for in
life. If Christ is not in our heart, life will be full of darkness.
Christ is the light of the world. If we do not have Christ, we live
in darkness. We live our lives without meaning and purpose. We live
our lives just like the animals. We live just to survive. We live
simply to gratify our carnal desires. So we work our tails off just
to get more and more money. We become enslaved to money. What a
miserable life! It is a life that brings death! Dear friends, you
don’t want this kind of a life.
All of us need Christ in our lives. When we
believe and trust in Christ, life becomes truly lively! That is
because Jesus saves! Jesus gives life. He came that we might have
life, and have it more abundantly. In Christ, we know where we come
from, why we are here, and where we will be at the end.
God did not make us to live like animals. God
did not create us like the animals. He made us very special. He made
us in His image. He made us to have a fellowship with Him. The
animals cannot commune with God. We can! So what is man’s purpose on
earth? It is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. The primary
goal of our life should be to live for God—to glorify Him. In
everything that we do, our central thought should be: Will this
glorify God? It is when we seek to glorify that we enjoy Him. When
we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.
Once we know whom we are living for, then what
we should live for comes naturally.
2. What Do I Live For (Matt
6:19-21, John 14:1-3)
Matt 6:19-21 tells us, "Let not up for
yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal: For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
What is our philosophy of life. If it is to live
for Christ then we would not want to live for the treasures of this
earth but for treasures of heaven. What do we live for? A person may
accumulate millions or billions of dollars in his lifetime, but when
he dies, the money will not go with him. Is it therefore not foolish
to live for the things of this world? To work so hard for things
that are temporary and transient? The material things of this world
are easily destroyed or lost whether it be by fire, flood, moth,
worms, termites, or thieves. You must have read in the papers a few
days ago about a man who took out his life savings from the bank for
safekeeping in his home. He was afraid the Y2K bug eat up all his
money. But then there was another danger—thieves. He lost all his
money. This is the kind of world we live in. It is not worth working
for the treasures of this earth. They are easily lost, stolen, or
destroyed.
Work instead for the treasures in heaven. Your
treasures in heaven are safe in God’s hands. Moreover, your
treasures there will last forever. Nothing can destroy your
treasures in heaven, and nobody can take them away from you. What
are these treasures in heaven? The treasures in heaven are eternal
rewards God gives to those who live for Him and who serve Him
faithfully. Please note that the treasures in heaven are not earned
in heaven but on earth. The only opportunity for us to be rich in
heaven is here and now while we still have breath. The chance ends
when we die or when Christ returns.
There will be two judgments in the future: the
judgment of the Great White Throne for unbelievers, and the judgment
seat of Christ for believers. At the judgment of the Great White
Throne, all unbelievers will be judge for their sins and cast into
the lake of fire. You do not want to be in this judgment. The only
way to escape from it is to believe in Christ who will forgive you
of all your sins. The other judgment—the Bema or judgment seat of
Christ—is a judgment for believers. Christ will judge them not
according to their sins, but service.
Paul tells us that we are all in a spiritual
marathon. In 1 Cor 9:24-25, he says, "Know ye not that they which
run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye
may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate
in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we
an incorruptible." An incorruptible crown. A crown that will not
rust away. What are these crowns? It has been called a (1) crown of
righteousness for all those who love the Lord’s return (2 Tim 4:8),
(2) crown of life to those who endure temptations, trials, and
troubles (Jas 1:12, Rev 2:10), and (3) crown of glory to those who
serve Him faithfully (1 Pet 5:4). These will be presented at the
Bema of Christ. If you have build upon the foundation of Christ
gold, silver, and precious stones, you will receive a reward, but if
your works are wood, hay and stubble, they will all be burned up and
you will suffer loss. So don’t think that every one in heaven will
be equal. There will those who will have more rewards. There will be
those who have less rewards. And there will be those who have no
rewards.
How to get rewards? Not how much you serve the
Lord, but how well you serve Him. Note: it is not how much but how
well. Not the quantity of service but the quality of service. Please
do not think that it is full-time workers, missionaries, and pastors
who will get the most rewards. It all depends on how we serve Him.
If we serve Him with selfish motives, we will lose our reward. An
ordinary member of the church may get more rewards than the
full-time worker if he serves the Lord sincerely, faithfully,
cheerfully, lovingly. It all boils down to our motives and
attitudes.
When we concentrate on serving the Lord, He will
pay attention to our physical needs. Look at vv31-33, "Therefore
take no thought saying, What shall we eat? Or What shall we drink?
Or Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do
the Gentiles seekJ for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have
need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and
his righteousness; and all the things shall be added unto you." What
a wonderful promise, and a comforting thought. I have a Father in
heaven who takes care of me. The problem with some of us is that we
doubt this promise. So we don’t put God first in our lives. My
career is first. We don’t make our work fit into God’s plan. We make
God fit into our career plans. God is my assistant to help me get
what I want in my career—promotion, success, better pay. It should
be the other way round. My career must fit into God’s plan. What can
I do for the Lord and for His kingdom in the area of my occupation?
The question is not what God can do for me, but what I can do for
God. And it is when we honour the Lord, that the Lord honours us.
Put God first, and then He will put you first.
When we put God first in our lives, He will
bless us with a happy life. "Godliness with contentment is great
gain." Happiness in life is to be free from worries and anxieties,
isn’t it. The Lord here tells us not to worry. He knows that we
worry too much. We worry unnecessarily. So to drive the point home,
He tells us not to worry three times (vv25, 31, 24). Do not worry,
do not worry, do not worry, O ye of little faith. The Lord knows
what you need, and He will provide it. The Lord knows us better than
we know ourselves. Do you know exactly the number of hairs on your
head? Some of us may know because we have none. But do you know
exactly the time each strand fell off? No we don’t and we can’t. God
knows. Every single strand is numbered. Not one single hair drops
without Him knowing. If God takes note of all these little things
about us, will He not take note of all the important things that we
need, like food and clothing. "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?" You are
much more important than the grass that God takes care of. Why do
you doubt the Lord by pursuing after mammon and not after God?
The Lord has provided for all my needs in life.
I am very happy with what I have. Some people need to wear designer
clothes to be happy in life. They need all those expensive things to
boost their self-esteem. They are told that if they have a high
level of self-esteem, they will be happy. My shirts cost no more
than $20 each. In fact many of them are hand me downs. I am happy to
accept them. This coat I am wearing is bought from a Salvation Army
thrift store for $5.00. I am contented. I am happy. Why worry about
food and clothes. There are more important things in life to worry
about. I want to concentrate on serving the Lord—seeking first His
kingdom, and His righteousness. It is not self-esteem, but
Christ-esteem that will bring happiness to our lives. What is
Christ-esteem? It is this: Not I but Christ. Paul says, "I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Conclusion
For whom should we live? For self or for Christ?
We should live for Christ. For what shall I live? For wealth, power,
material goods, earthly pleasures, or for treasures in heaven by
serving the Lord faithfully wherever we are? We should serve the
Lord faithfully, and let our chief aim in life be to glorify Him,
and enjoy Him forever.
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