Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
“MATTHEW 6:19-34 -- SERMON ON THE MOUNT”
A Treatise on Worry and Needs
E. 6:19-34 A TREATISE ON WORRY AND NEEDS
a. 6:19 THE THREE-FOLD THREAT TO EARTHLY TREASURE
Me the-sauRIze-te [2343] huMIN thesauROUS [2344] ePI tes ges,
Treasure not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
HOpou ses kai BROsis [1035] a-phaNIzei [853],
where moth consumes and rust,
kai HOpou KLEPtai [2812] di-oRUSsou-sin ]1358] kai KLEPtou-sin [2813].
and where thieves dig through and steal.
b. 6:20-21 A SURE WAY TO SET YOUR HEART ON HEAVEN
the-sauRIze-te [2343] de huMIN the-sauROUS [2344] en ou-raNO,
But treasure up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
HOpou OUte ses OUte BROsis a-phaNIzei,
where neither moth nor rust consumes,
kai HOpou KLEPtai ou di-oRUSsou-sin ouDE KLEPtou-sin:
and where thieves do not dig through nor steal:
HOpou gar es-tin ho the-sauROS [2344] sou,
21 for where your :treasure is,
eKEI EStai kai he karDIa [2588] sou.
there will your :heart be also.
c. 6:22 THE ADVANTAGE OF A ONE-TRACK MIND FOR GOD
ho LUCHnos [3088] tou SOmaTOS [3788] es-tin ho oph-thalMOS [3788]:
The lamp of the body is the eye:
eAN oun he ho oph-thalMOS sou hapLOUS,
if therefore your :eye be single,
HOlon to SO-MA sou pho-tiNON [5460] EStai.
your whole :body shall be of light.
d. 6:23a THE PENALTY FOR A HEART SET ON EVIL
eAN de ho oph-thalMOS sou po-neROS [4190] e,
But if your :eye be evil,
HOlon to SO-MA sou sko-tiNON [4652] EStai.
your whole :body shall be of darkness.
e. 6:23b THE WAY TO ITENSIFY DARKNESS
ei oun to phos ]5457] to en soi SKOtos [4655] esTIN,
If therefore the light :in you is darkness,
to SKOtos POson!
how great the darkness!
f. 6:24a THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF A DUAL ALLEGIANCE!
ouDEIS DUna-tai [1410] duSI kuRIois douLEUein [1398]:
No one can serve two lords:
e gar ton HEna miSEsei [3404], kai ton HEte-ron a-gaPEsei [25];
for either he will hate the one, and love the other;
e heNOS anTHExe-tai [472], kai tou heTErou ka-ta-phroNEsei [2706].
or he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
g. 6:24b SERVICE TO GOD AND WORLD IS MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
ou DUnas-the TheO douLEUein [1398] kai ma-moNA [3126].
You cannot serve God and mammon.
h. 6:25a THE ABOVE: AN ARGUMENT TO SET ASIDE EARTHLY WORRIES
diA TOUto LEgo huMIN, me me-rimNAte [3309] te psuCHE [5590] huMON,
Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your :soul,
ti PHAge-te [5315], e ti PIie-te [4095];
what you shall eat, or what you shall drink;
meDE to SOma-ti huMON, ti enDUses-the [1746].
nor yet for your :body, what you shall put on.
i. 6:25b GOD’S PRIORITIES
ouCHI he psuCHE PLEI-ON es-ti tes troPHES [5160],
Is not the soul more than the food,
kai to SOma tou enDUma-tos [1742]?
and the body than the raiment?
j. 6:26a AN ARGUMENT FROM THE BIRDS
emBLEpsa-te [1689] eis ta pe-teiNA [4071] tou ou-raNOU, HOti ou SPEIrou-sin [4687],
Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not,
ouDE theRIzou-sin [2325], ouDE suNAgou-sin [4863] eis a-poTHEkas [596];
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns;
kai ho paTER huMON ho ouRAni-os TREphei [5142] auTA.
and your :heavenly :Father feeds them.
k. 6:26b AN ARGUMENT ON THE BASIS OF RELATIVE VALUE
ouch huMEIS MALlon di-aPHEre-te [1308] auTON?
Are not you of much more value that they?
l. 6:27 WORRY CANNOT INCREASE OUR AGE
tis de ex huMON me-rimNON [3309] DUna-tai prosTHEInai [4369]
And which of you by being anxious can add
ePI ten he-liKIan [2244] auTOU PEchun HEna?
one cubit unto his :age?
m. 6:28a THERFORE WORRY CANNOT MEET MATERIAL NEEDS
kai peRI enDUma-tos [1742] ti me-rimNAte [3309]?
And why are you anxious concerning raiment?
n. 6:28b-29 A LESSON: GOD’S PROVISION FOR LILIES
ka-taMAthe-te [2648] ta KRIna [2918] tou agROU, pos auXAnou-sin [837[;
Learn from the lilies of he field, how they grow;
ou ko-piOsin [2872], ouDE NEthousin [3514]:
they toil not, neither do they spin:
LEgo de huMIN, HOti ouDE So-loMON en PAse te DOxe [1391] auTOU
29 yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his :glory
pe-ri-eBAle-to [4016] hos hen TOUton.
was not arrayed like one of these.
o. 6:30 APPLICATION: GOD WILL CLOTHE US!
ei de ton CHORton [5528] tou agROU, SEme-ron [4594] ONta,
But if :God does so clothe the grass of the field,
kai AUri-on eis KLIba-non [2823] balLOme-non [906],
which today is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven,
ho TheOS HOUtos am-phiENnu-sin [294], ou polLO MAlon huMAS,
shall he not much more clothe you,
o-liGOpis-toi [3640]?
O you of little faith?
p. 6:31 APPLICATION: WE ARE NOT TO FRET OVER MATERIAL NEEDS!
me oun me-rimNEsete [3309], LEgon-tes, Ti PHAgomen [5315]?
Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat?
e, Ti PIo-men [4095]? e, Ti pe-ri-baLOme-tha [4016]?
or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewith shall we be clothed?
q. 6:32 DISCIPLES: FOLLOW NOT WORLDLY ATTITUDES OF NATIONS
PANta gar TAUta ta ETHne [1484] e-pi-zeTOUsin [1934];
For after all these do the nations seek;
OIden [1492] gar ho paTER huMON ho ouRAni-os
for your :heavenly :Father knows
HOti CHREze-te [5535] TOUton haPANton.
that you need all these.
r. 6:33 TWO CONDITIONS FOR HAVING MATERIAL NEEDS MET
zeTEI-te [2212] de PROton ten ba-siLEIan [932], kai ten di-kai-oSUnen [1343] auTOU;
But seek you first his :kingdom, and :righteousness;
kai TAUta PANta pros-teTHEse-tai [4369] huMIN.
and all these things shall be added to you.
s. 6:34a DISCIPLES: NOT TO WORRY OVER NEXT DAY’S NEEDS
me oun me-rimNEse-te [3309] eis ten AUri-on [839];:
Be not therefore anxious for the morrow:
he gar AUri-on me-rimNEsei [3309] hauTES.
for the morrow will be anxious for itself.
t. 6:34b LIVE WITH CARES OF ONE DAY AT A TIME
ar-keTON [713] te heMEra [2250] he kaKIa [2548] auTES.
Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof.
NOTE: People of the world are caught up in worrying about future food, drink, clothing, shelter, etc. Unfortunately many professing believers move in this same pattern.
But believers, who are discipled into intimacy with Jesus, are 180 degrees different from the above. Like Oswald Chambers, they enter into “personal, passionate devotion to Jesus.” As Norman Vincent Peale puts it, they experience the “expulsive power of a new affection.” As Maria Woodworth-Etter testifies, old things have passed away – all things have become NEW. Such converts have experienced a “Bright Conversion.”
When one considers the life of Rees Howells, Intercessor – of J. Hudson Taylor of the China Inland Mission, of Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur, of George Muller of Bristol and his 10,000 orphans – THEN we can tangibly understand the reality of which Jesus alludes here. “Worry” becomes a term of a previous life. Trust in our Heavenly Father takes over.
People wonder when reaching this portion of the Sermon on the Mount if such a life is possible. Certainly not on the human plane. But for the countless thousands who have moved from mere conversion to joyful and full discipleship – YES – this is the NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE for all such. Watchman Nee of China was another who experienced this.
Again – this portion of the Sermon on the Mount as well as all of it – is a picture of the NORMAL Christian who enters the “Halls of Highest Human Happiness.” This is what Peter Marshall called marriage. With deference to Peter, I also wish to apply it to the believer who has experienced Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live – YET NOT I – but CHRIST lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD – who loved me and gave Himself for me!”
This is NOT ONLY the testimony of the apostle Paul – but of ALL THOSE who have learned the secret of being grafted in as a branch into Christ the TRUE VINE (See John 15:1-16).
Were Jesus’ early disciples like this from the beginning? No – a thousand times No! Judas never did enter in. But after Pentecost the remaining 11 with the 120 ALL entered in. And WHAT a transformation! The Sermon on the Mount then became the life and testimony for them all, as Christ by the Holy Spirit lived out His marvelous divine life through them.
But the promise was not only to them, but to their children, their children’s children, and as many afar off as the Lord our God should call.
Brothers and sisters! WE are of that latter number. DON’T settle for an Outer Court life and ministry. Press on into the Holy Place, and then right on into the Holy of Holies! We are a KINGDOM OF PRIESTS! Press in. Don’t be satisfied by anything less! God is waiting for us to believe – press in – and appropriate the FULL potential and possibility of ALL of the Sermon on the Mount!