God's Way or Your Way: Make Your Choice

2001 William R. Cunningham
March 4, 2001

INTRODUCTION

There are two paths that we can take in life and Jesus defined them in the scripture that follows.

Matthew 7:13 through Matthew 7:14 (NKJV) "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

We can take either the broad way that leads to destruction or the narrow way that leads to life. The broad way is characterized by wider bounds in life and denotes doing things however you want (the tendency is for as little restrictions as possible). The narrow way implies defined boundaries, which means that the way is specifically laid out and structured (in principle not rules and regulations). You can't do whatever you want because the narrow way is well defined and consequently has restrictions.

However, the broad way sometimes looks like the "good" way. The broad way many times seem much more appealing then the narrow way even with Christians. The details of the Way of God and the Way of the world are left to other studies. What I will present to you with this study is a question and information that should move you towards the "right" decision. What path are you on? Which life are you living: Godly or worldly?

Don't think that because you go to church every Sunday and tithe that you are living a godly life. Living a godly life means that your mode of operation is consistent with God's Way, His Kingdom. We will see in this study that what appears to be righteous is many time merely religious or a disguise for your own selfish objectives.

We are going to use Matthew Chapter six as the foundation for this study. We will discuss the idea of motive and righteous acts as well as the importance of allegiance to God and His Way instead of the worldly way.

Motive

Jesus teaches us about motive and how it relates to the mode of life or the path that we are on. He uses the illustration of giving, praying, and fasting to make his point. Consider what Jesus said.

(Matthew 6:1 KJV) Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

MOTIVE: Jesus is referring to motive in the things that you do. He uses an illustration of giving to the poor. Don't give to the poor merely to be seen and therefore bring praise to you from others. Your giving should be from your heart as an expression of your care and concern for those to whom you are giving.

CONTRAST: Operating according to God's Way means that you are not concerned about acquiring the praises from people, which in turn leads to your act of giving. Operating according to the Kingdom of God (God's Way) means that your motive is really to help someone, which spawns the act of giving. This is in contrast to the way of the world or your way. There, the motive is for self and not others.

The teaching here can be summarized as: Do not be motivated by self-exaltation (hypocrisy) when we do good deeds.

Now consider the following scripture on prayer and motive.

Matthew 6:5 through Matthew 6:7 (NKJV)"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

The Pharisees would actually pray standing on the street corner in an effort to be seen as pious individuals. Their motive had nothing to do with their relationship with God. Instead, their motive was merely to be seen of men and reap praises of men upon themselves.

Jesus is not opposing public prayer. He is opposing the ill motive of those who pray publicly merely to be seen by people.

The vain repetitions appears to refer to rehearsing a memorized prayer without knowing what you are saying (going through the motions of speaking). It can also mean to add words to lengthen your prayer as though such lengthening will make the prayer more credible to God.

This illustration is more for motive then it is for prayer. Don't pray to be seen by people and to give a fa ade of how pious or religious you are. Your prayers should be sincere regardless if anyone is watching or not. Pray from the heart and not for personal exaltation.

Now consider another illustration of motive using the act of fasting.

Matthew 6:16 through Matthew 6:18 (NKJV)"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

The Pharisees wanted everyone to know they were fasting so they did not wash or trim their hair and sometimes put ashes on their heads. In other words, they fasted not for any personal edification or to hear from God. They fasted merely so that they could reap praises upon themselves and therefore would do certain things to ensure that people knew they were fasting.

Summary of Motive

Why do you do the things that you do? What is the purpose for doing the various things that you do in your church? Are you doing those things so that people can see "how great you are?" Those operating according to God's Way are not motivated by self-exaltation. The reason that you do things is more important than the actual activity being performed. For example, if you are giving to be seen by people to be a "generous person" then you are giving in vain. Your reward will come in the form of praises from the people and not blessings from God.

Be motivated by a pure heart to do what is right and just. Be motivated to obey God. Do not be motivated by pride or self-exaltation. Do not seek to acquire the praises from the people because such is not the Way of God.

Treasures In Heaven: Motive of Life

Now let's shift our attention to the motivation of life. Consider the following scripture.

Matthew 6:19 through Matthew 6:21 (NKJV)
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

A treasure is something that you hold to be of great value and importance.

Earth represents those things that are associated with the planet earth (physical, material, social, etc.). This can be thought of as things that matter the most on earth such as riches, glory, and power.

"Moth and rust destroy," indicates the temporal nature of all things on this earth. Riches, power, and glory on the earth are meaningless when we consider eternal life, especially since we will leave this earth eventually. The same is implied by the illustration of "thieves break in and steal."

Heaven represents those things that pertain to the Kingdom of God. These are eternal things in that they are not associated with the earth and therefore not subject to the same limitations and corruption. Heaven can be thought of as the abode of God or the realm of God.

What is the ultimate driving force of the activities of your life? Are you ultimately motivated to obtain prestige and praises from people? Are you motivated by the Spirit of God to live godly? This leads to the next very important question. What is ultimately important to you?

Are you motivated to obtain the things that this world has to offer or are you motivated to do all that God wants of you? The things that are ultimately important to us are called treasures. These treasures can be earthly or heavenly.

Earthly treasures are those things that the world has to offer us. The world is defined as the operation that is contrary to the Way of God. The world system is more concerned about "looks" then reality. In the world, people deal with appearances instead of the truth. The world desires power, prestige, riches, and glory, which are contrary to the Way of God. The world operates on a principle of self-preservation.

• Therefore, if your treasures are earthly then you will operate in such a way that your whole inner being is directed to obtain the things of this world at the expense of your relationship with God and the things pertaining to his kingdom.
• Also, if your treasures are heavenly then you will operate in such a way that your whole inner being is directed to fulfill God's purpose for you and to live according to His Word at the expense of pursuing what this world has to offer.

The Eye Of The Body: the Truth Inside

What is on the inside is what will really come out. Consider the following scripture.

Matthew 6:22 (NKJV)
"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.

The key word is "single." The word single here comes from the Greek word haplous (hap-looce) and means folded together. This may also refer to the idea of soundness. We may conclude that the context here is singleness of mind (motive, focus) and on the things of God (the Kingdom of heaven).

Having a single eye therefore implies having a focus on heavenly things as opposed to earthly things. It means that you are full with the life of God or the Kingdom of God (in this context). Therefore, if we are focused on the things of God (because His Way is in us) then we will be full of the light according to Jesus. Light also represents those things that are of God or in accordance with His Way.

Our treasures will therefore dictate our focus in life. This focus might be earthly with earthly (temporal) treasures or heavenly with heavenly (eternal) treasures.

Jesus continues by stating that if your eyes are evil (seeking after evil-the ungodly) then you will be full of darkness (that which is not of the light). Note the contrast of singleness (good) with light and bad.

Living according to God's Way implies that the light of God is within you. If you are living according to the world and its ways then the light of God is not in you. Instead, darkness resides inside of your soul and you are counted as the ungodly, even though you may look like a saint on the outside.

Serving Two Masters

Matthew 6:24 (NKJV)
"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.

What is mammon? Mammon does not necessarily mean money. The word mammon is from an Aramaic word denoting "what is stored up" (property). Hence it came to have the meaning of riches or wealth. Etymologically it may refer to anything in which one puts his trust. Therefore, mammon can be thought of as "That which you put your confidence in." We cannot put our confidence in God and at the same time confide in the world.

The message here is plain. You cannot be divided in your focus or allegiance. If your master is the world then you cannot proclaim God to be your master. If your master is God then the world cannot be your master.

One fact is clear. You will serve your master! What is your master and therefore whom do you serve? Basically, I believe that Jesus plainly teaches us that we cannot confide in and serve God and at the same time serve and confide in our wealth. The Bible has much to say about a person who confides in wealth (see Proverbs 11:28 and 27:24). However, that is beyond the topic of this study.

Consequences of Allegiance to God

Matthew 6:25 (NKJV)
"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Note that this verse begins with the word "therefore," which indicates that Jesus' thought continues from verse 24.

Jesus said not to worry about our basic needs and He gives the reason why. The word "therefore" implies a cause and effect relationship. Why shouldn't we worry? Those who serve God do not need to worry because God will give them what they need. Their confidence is in the fact that they are loyal to God in that their treasures are in heaven and their affection is on God and the things of God. They don't have to worry because of their devotion to God above all else. They don't have to worry because they serve God and God alone. That disposition towards the things of God places them under the direct care of God and they will have all that they need. They have placed God first and God will provide for them

Now I would like to highlight a very important point illustrated in the following scripture.

Matthew 6:30 (NKJV)
Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Notice the phrase 'O you of little faith.' This phrase comes from a Greek word that means incredulous or lacking confidence. Therefore, Jesus points out that the person who worries about their clothes and other needs lack confidence in God. Review the following scriptures: Matthew 8:26; 14:31; 16:18.

Jesus illustrates God's provision to those who are single-minded (verses 26-31) and thus those who trust Him. This trust is "somehow" dependant on the fact that we have placed God first in that our treasures are heavenly.

Matthew 6:31 through Matthew 6:32 (NKJV)
"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

Note again these verses begin with the word "therefore." This links the fact that God takes care of the animals with the fact that He will take care of us. Since we mean more to God then the animals and the plants, it would seem reasonable that we shouldn't worry about basic needs. Jesus said that the pagans (Gentiles) seek after their basic needs. After all, they don't turn to God to meet their needs because they don't know God. We therefore, have more than the godless to depend on.

We don't have to depend on our riches or wealth. We can depend on God our heavenly Father to supply our needs.

Seek God's Kingdom and Righteousness

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Notice how this verse starts. The word 'but' implies the converse of what he said previously. He had said don't worry and now he says to seek first the kingdom of God instead. "Don't worry, rather seek God." To seek first implies the proper placement of focus (see my study on Effective Focus). Seeking God first means that God is the motivation and focus of your life. He and His Kingdom is of greatest value and worth to you and to such an extent that you abide by them.

Don't Worry About Tomorrow

Matthew 6:34 (NKJV)
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

We don't need to worry about obtaining what we need tomorrow since God will take care of us day by day. There is enough going on at the present that require our attention and action. Therefore, concern yourself with tomorrow when tomorrow comes. I should also add that Jesus does not mean that we shouldn't plan. We are told not to worry.

The important thing to realize here is that our confidence, which enables us to not worry, is fueled by our allegiance to God. We hold God as first in our lives and He takes care of us. Our disposition is to Him first and that brings about confidence in God to care for us, which leads us into a state of non-worry.

Conclusion

What way will you live? Will you live according to God's Way or your own Way (the way of the world)? Living God's Way is a life of confidence and less worry. Living God's way is a way of liberty knowing that you are held in his hands regardless of what happens to you while living on this earth.

Live God's way and be motivated by His Way. Don't live according to the way of the world because at best the world is meaningless in the entire context of true life. Serve God and not the world. However, the choice to live God's way rather than the world's way belongs to you. So either it's God's Way or your Way. The Choice belongs to you. Amen.

Review questions

1.     What is the basic theme of Jesus' teaching on alms giving, prayer, and fasting?

2.     What are vain repetitions?

3.     How can we lay treasures in heaven as opposed to the earth?

4.     What does an evil eye probably mean?

5.     What reasons does Jesus give for us not to worry?

6.     What are the consequences of proper and improper focus in your life?