2. KINGDOM PURPOSE VS QUEST FOR THINGS Text: Matthew 6:24 Mat 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

3. Despite what we’ve have or learned, transformation doesn’t happen overnight, right? Even if we have learnt that the Lord bless those who give generously, we still have thousands of reasons not to give. Even if we have heard God’s command to seek His Kingdom first, the reality is WE ARE NOT. Last week, we studied that once God sees what we do with our seeds, He will multiply it.

4. AIM: FOR US TO HAVE A CHANGE OF MIND AND CHANGE OF PURSUIT. FOR US TO UNDERSTAND THAT ONCE GOD SEES WE ARE NOT IN PURSUIT OF THINGS, HE CAN ENTRUST US MORE WITH GREATER THINGS. I. MOVING FROM A WORLDLY VIEW TO A KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE Many of the things of the world values most are regarded as worthless in the Kingdom of Heaven.

5. Standards for evaluating greatness are very different between the world and the Kingdom. Money, power, & influence vs humility and Service. Illustration: Psalm 73 Truly God [is] good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart.-v 1 Psalm 73:2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. Psalm 73:3For I [was] envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

6. Psalm 73:4For [there are] no pangs in their death, But their strength [is] firm. Psalm 73:5 They [are] not in trouble [as other] men, Nor are they plagued like [other] men. Psalm 73:6 Therefore pride serves as their necklace; Violence covers them [like] a garment. Psalm 73:7 Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish.

7. Psalm 73:16When I thought [how] to understand this, It [was] too painful for me-- Psalm 73:17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; [Then] I understood their end. Psalm 73:18 Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Psalm 73:23Nevertheless I [am] continually with You; You hold [me] by my right hand.

8. Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven [but You]? And [there is] none upon earth [that] I desire besides You. Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart fail; [But] God [is] the strength of my heart and my portion forever. In the end, what makes us understand is our views or perspective. It’s a matter of what or who do we desire. If we keep on desiring things, the Lord will not give it to us abundantly.

9. The fact that we pursue it signifies we cannot handle it. II. THE LURE OF THINGS Humankind is motivated, driven, & pre-occupied with the pursuit of things. People’s greed is one of the strongest of all motivators of human behaviour. This even applies to family members who are fighting each other for a piece of land or inheritance. Top reason for being unable to attend church is WORK.

10. Everything we do in life, we do in order to get more things. We work to maintain our ability to buy things. Even our prayers are mainly focus on things. We have this shopping list for God. God, I want this; Lord, I need that, God, will you please give me this… We have a materialistic prayer and a materialistic faith. Lots of us follow Christ because of the things we could get from Him.

11. Believing in God’s provision is right but we should not make things the object of our faith but Christ. Most of us believe for a new car, new job, new house, name it. But not all of us pursue the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Religions are build on the promise of things: good harvest, the favour of gods, victory over enemies, good health, great wealth…. Christians are the same except that we rely on Jesus to provide what we want.

12. Instead of looking on Christ and His kingdom as the desired end or goal of our faith, we use Him as merely a means to our real end-THINGS. Ex. A pastor who said, “If you want to be rich, then be a pastor.” III. DESPITE OUR WISHES TO BE HAPPY, FULIFILLED, OR SATISFIED, WE ARE HAVING THE OTHER WAY AROUND. WHY? We are seeking them in the wrong place.

13. We thought life would be happy, fulfilled, or satisfied when we have money/things. Luke 12:15And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.“ Things are the source of the world’s problem. This is where satan’s culture prevailed through envy, jealousy, covetousness, crime, stress, strife, etc.

14. 1Ti 6:9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all [kinds of] evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1Ti 6:8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

15. Why do thief steal? Why do politicians accepts bribe? Why do prostitutes sell their flesh? Why do people sell drugs? Why is it that so many Christians cannot give TITHES to the Lord despite it is a clear robbery from God? We still don’t get it TO SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD & HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Pro 10:22 The blessing of the LORD makes [one] rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.

16. Wealth without trouble Treasure without trouble Prosperity without pressure. As long as we pursue the Kingdom & His righteousness, we have access to all these things. This is the cure for the dangerously seductive power of things. IV. THE RIGHT PURSUIT Why is our human drive for things so strong? Because we believe that things will satisfy all our basic needs.

17. It is only in the Kingdom of God we can experience satisfaction because all these things shall be added. Mat 5:6 Blessed [are] those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Everything we are looking for could be found in the Kingdom. The kingdom of God is the tree and the fruit are the needs of the people. If you want the fruit, you go to the tree. Food, water, clothing, things are fruit.

18. Why worry for the fruit if you can have the tree? Go for the Supplier rather than the supplies. Provider not the provision. Source not the resources. Illustration: Petrol price is directly affected against the demand. We don’t need things to have life, we need life to have things. Many people obsess over things because they derive their sense of personal worth and value from their possessions. VII. THE LORD PRESERVES THEM-V 28 Psalm 37:28For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. Psalm 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever. Pro 10:30The righteous will never be removed, But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.

19. They need a nice car to feel important. They must wear branded clothes to enhance their self image. They must buy the latest stuff to feel fulfilled in life. Our value and self-worth derive from who we are not from what we have. We are more valuable than birds as we are created in God’s image and likeness. God does not give us things to make us important but because we are important.

20. There’s nothing wrong when we desire things, it becomes wrong when we pursue them at the expense of our relationship with Him. What is ungodly is pursuing things as god. He knows that there are things we need and want but He does not want the desire for things to control our lives.

21. V. KINGDOM PURPOSE Be fruitful Multiply Replenish the earth Subdue and rule over the earth Vision: To turn the hearts of many back to God-I Kings 18:37 To be a part of the fulfilment of God’s desire that all men will be saved and know the truth. Illustration: Disney land

22. There are seedless grapes or orange. Endangered species Joshua was a great warrior but a failure. Although he led the people of God to the promised land, he was seedless. The generation that followed him didn’t know the Lord. Judges 2: 10And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

23. Judges 2:11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: As Christians we should sow seeds to replenish the earth. We might not be up to great things but God’s plan is different from ours. Ex. Saul was just looking for the lost donkeys David was just bringing food for his brothers on the day he fought Goliath. It is because God’s purpose will prevail over ours.

28. All He need is a heart which is teachable. He wanted us to be equipped His Word so as be thoroughly furnished with every good works. II Tim 3:17 CHALLENGE: If you are serving for money, you are living for enemy’s purpose. If you are serving God, you should live for His Kingdom purpose Who are you living for? To whom is your loyalty?

29. CONCLUSION: Mat 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.