The Precious Life

The Precious Life - Leviticus 25:20-21 There were Sabbaths for His people. Sabbaths for them, days they wouldn't have to sow or work. They were not to lose anything, but to gain a great deal. He promised: (Leviticus 25:1819) That they would enjoy security. You will dwell in the earth safely. The word (vocabulary) means, both external and internal security, in confidence of mind (strength, energy to solve, undertake something, experience emotions and understand). They would have in abundance: You will eat your fill (v. 19), That they would not lack the convenient food that year when they were not going to sow or reap. I will send you my blessing in the sixth year, and there will be fruits for three years.

I. For the long run it was to encourage God's people of all ages to trust God totally in the way of duty.

A. (1 Peter 5:7) Casting on Him our anxiety (defense mechanism, alert to situations considered threatening), because He takes care of us.

1. Brother every day we have to see and walk knowing God as close as touching Him.

2. (Matthew 6:25) Jesus attacks our tendency to center our lives around food and clothing, thus losing sight of the true meaning of life.

3. The problem is not so much what we will eat and wear "today", but that we will eat and clothe ten, twenty or thirty years from now.

4. Such a concern about "the future is sin," because it "denies the love," wisdom, and "power of God."

5. It denies God's love by implying (involving or involving someone in an affair) that He does not care for us.

6. It denies His wisdom by implying that He does not know what He is doing.

7. And it denies His power by implying that He is not able to provide for our needs.

8. (Matthew 10:30-31) The same God who takes a vested interest in the tiny sparrow keeps an accurate count of the hair "on the head" of each of His children.

9. A hair is of much less value than a sparrow.

10. This shows that His people are worth more than many sparrows, so why fear?

11. (Matthew 16:26) The second temptation, that of enrichment, is irrational (it is not endowed with reason (faculty of thought); that which has no reason or result contrary to it).

12. "Suppose" Jesus says, that a man would come to have so much success in his business that he could own "the whole world."

13. This crazy undertaking would consume so much of his time and energy that he would miss "the central purpose of life."

14. What good would it do to earn all that money and "then die and leave it all behind and spend eternity empty-handed?

15. Man is here for a much bigger business than getting money.

16. He is called to represent the interests of his King.

17. If he loses this, he loses everything.

18. In the verse Matthew 16:24 Jesus told him how difficult.

19. This is proper to the Christian: he knows the worst from the beginning.

20. Never fail to discover treasures and blessings.

21. Barnhouse: When one has seen what is gloomy (dark, dead, deeply sad) in Scripture, there is nothing left that can catch us suddenly. Every new thing we will ever learn in this life or the life to come will come as a delight.

22. (Luke 9:25) As the Savior spoke with the twelve, He knew that the desire for material riches could be a powerful brake on full surrender.

23. Suppose you could keep all the gold and silver "from all the world, that you could own all the estates and properties, all the capital and bonds, all that has material value, and suppose that in our frantic effort to acquire all this you missed the true purpose of life." What good would it have been for you?

24. You would only enjoy it for a very short time and then leave it forever.

25. It would be a very unfortunate choice to sell this "once-in-a-lifetime for a few earthly toys."