MATTHEW LESSON 14

     We will began this lesson with Matthew 6:22 "The light of the
body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be full of light."  Matthew 6:23  "But if thine eye be evil, thy
whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is
in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness!"

     I have always believed that you can look into a person's eyes and
see what is in his soul. When we are filled with the Light of Jesus
Christ, this Light shows in our eyes.

     Luke 11:34 "The light of the body is the eye: therefore when
thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when
[thine eye] is evil, thy body also [is] full of darkness." Luke 11:35
"Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness."
Luke 11:36 "If thy whole body therefore [be] full of light, having no
part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright
shining of a candle doth give thee light."

     The eyes tell so much about a person. If a person cannot look at
you when he is talking to you, he is, probably, not perfectly
honest.

     When a person has heavily blood-shot eyes, he is sick, or has
lost a great deal of sleep. You see, the eyes reveal a great deal
about us. Jesus is the Light of the world. If Jesus lives within us,
His Light should be evident in our eyes.

     Matthew 6:24 "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."

     This Scripture tells us that we cannot be worldly and serve God.
We cannot follow God and Satan at the same time. God has been showing
me, in recent weeks, that Jesus wants 100 per cent of our loyalty.
Christianity is a 24 hour a day job, 365 days a year. The Scriptures
say, that if we are lukewarm Christians, God will spew us out of His
mouth like lukewarm water.

     God will not compromise. If you drink, curse, run around, smoke
pot, cheat on your neighbors, fuss, fight, lie, steal, or take God
causally; it is time to repent. God will not allow worldly things to
be a part of our lives and still belong to him. When we are truly
saved, we do not have the desire in our hearts to do the things
anymore. We are new creatures ("old things are passed away: behold all
things are become new") (Second Corinthians 5:17)

     My pet peeve is listening to Satan's music, which promotes every
sin. If we are caught up in Satan's music, I seriously doubt that we
are truly God's children. We cannot serve God and serve man. Only one
can be our God. Decide which side of the fence you are on.

     Matthew 6:25 "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?" Matthew 6:26 "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?"
Matthew 6:27 "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto
his stature?" Matthew 6:28 "And why take ye thought for raiment?  Consider
the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they
spin:" Matthew 6:29 "And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all
his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Matthew 6:30 "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?" Matthew 6:31 "Therefore take no thought, saying,
What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we
be clothed?"

     In these verses above, Jesus was trying to tell us that we should
not be concerned about material things. Fear is lack of faith.

     When God told Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go to a
land He had never seen, Abraham did not question how he would make a
living. He knew if God told him to go, that God would provide for him.

     When a person is called to the ministry, it seem the first thing
that happens is you are out of money. God wants us to realize that He
is our source.

     All the care and planning that we do, can be wiped out with one
market crash. We have to finally depend on God, anyway. Why not just
start out that way and save time.

     In Psalms 37, God said He will take care of the righteous. Psalms
37:25 "I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the
righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." Psalms 37:26 "[He is]
ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed [is] blessed."  Psalms 37:28
"For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are
preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off."
Psalms 37:29 "The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein
for ever."

     Be sure to read all of chapter 38 of Psalms all the way through several
times. It is a real encouragement to believers. God's plan has always
been to bless the believers not just spiritually, but financially, as
well.  We just need to trust God completely. Work diligently and
expect miracles. The main word in this is TRUST. It goes beyond faith.
The Scriptures, in Matthew above, are positive statements letting us
know that God cares about our needs.

     In Luke 12:31, we see what we must do to have our needs met.
Luke 12:31 "But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these
things shall be added unto you." Luke 12:32 "Fear not, little flock;
for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

     Matthew 6:32 "(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)
for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these
things."

     When it speaks of "Gentiles", it is speaking of worldly people.
The people of the world are seeking wealth and fame in this life, and
take no thought for the hereafter. The Word of God says, that God knows
the desires of our hearts even before we pray. God knows our needs; and
if we put God first, and work, and do our very best, and not worry or
fret, God will see that our needs our met. In St. John we read "Let
not your heart be troubled". (John 14:1). It is an act of faith not to
worry or be troubled. Throughout the Bible, God had blessed his
people. Noah, Abraham, David, and Solomon. Lot, after he passed
through tribulation was blessed abundantly. God takes care of His own.

     Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew
6:34 "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."

     One story in the Bible stands out to me so vividly in this. In Luke
chapter 12, we read about a rich man who had an abundant crop. So
much, he had no place to store his food. He pulled his small barns
down and built bigger barns. He said to his soul, take it easy, I have
much stored for the future; just eat, drink, and be merry. He was rich
to himself, and not to God. He died that very night. You see, we do not
know whether we will have tomorrow. Prepare for heaven, and earth will
take care of itself.

     Next lesson, read chapter 7 three times.






















                    Matthew Questions 14

1.  What is the light of the body?
2.  What makes your body full of light
3.  If your eye is evil, what is your body full of?
4.  What is my belief about looking into the eyes? What can you see?
5.  What chapter in Luke verifies what we have learned here in verses
    22 and 23?
6.  Matthew 6:24 tells us, no man can serve whom? (2)
7.  Jesus is coming back for what kind of church?
8.  In verse 25, we are told 3 things to take no thought for. what are
    they?
9.  What are a few sins God will not allow in our lives?
10. What are two things God told us to compare and see how foolish it
    is to worry?
11. What is fear?
12. Who is our source?
13. In the 37th chapter of Psalms, what does God say about His own?
14. Why did I tell you to read Psalms 37?
15. What is the main word in this?
16. If ye seek the kingdom of God first, what happens?
17. What is meant by "Gentiles" ?
18. Name at least four people God blessed?
19. Should we plot and plan for the future here on earth?
20. What kind of a man is described in Luke 12?
21. When he had all the extra food, did he give the access to the
    poor?
22. What did he say to his soul?
23. What happened to him?
24. What should we prepare for?
25. What will take care of itself?