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CONNIE: Is it better to live for today--or for pie in the sky by- and-by? Our topic today on Voice of Prophecy is "How Important Is the Kingdom?" Join us as we explore the teachings of Jesus.

Giving God’s trumpet a Certain Sound for more than 70 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I’m Connie Jeffery,

LONNIE: and I’m Lonnie Melashenko. Now Connie, your question--at least the way you phrased it--is a bit troubling to me. I mean, I hate to think that we'd accuse Christians who are living for the Lord as people whose lives are focused on the "by and by" so much that they've lost touch with the world we live in today.

CONNIE: Well, I guess we've all heard of or met some people who are so heavenly minded that they're of no earthly good.

LONNIE: That's another standard line that's often used in criticizing Christians. But I don't think that that's the way Jesus intended us to be. He was a very practical Man--very concerned with the needs of people living in the "real world." But He did call us to lift our sights a bit higher--to live for the kingdom of heaven, not just for this world.

CONNIE: And as we continue our study of Jesus' words found in the Sermon on the Mount, today we come to an amazing passage--one where Jesus really challenges us to take our journey to heaven seriously.

LONNIE: Ken Wade has a story that fits well with our theme. Share with us, Ken.

I first noticed the stranger on my way out of church. I'd never seen him at our worship services before, and since I had grown up in that congregation, that meant he must be a visitor.

He had apparently come into church late, and had sat somewhere near the back. As we were being ushered out, I watched. The fellow seemed a little different. I guess you could say he was dressed a bit eccentrically--not like a hippie or anything (this was in the late 60s), but his clothes were different from what most people wore to come to our church. And he wore a patch over one of his eyes.

As I watched, the man quietly made his way out onto the steps at the front of the church and then down to the sidewalk. He was still standing there a few minutes later when I finished talking with some friends. The crowd was dispersing, but the man with the patch just continued standing there.

I hadn't seen anyone speak to him. Even the deacons and greeters who usually made a point of welcoming anyone new who might darken the door of the church had all busied themselves elsewhere.

As a teenager I knew what it felt like to be on the outside looking in, and I didn't want this man who had come to church, apparently hoping for fellowship, to feel that way. So I quickly found my mom and asked if she thought it would be OK if we had company for lunch.

"Who were you thinking of?" she asked.

"I saw this man--a visitor," I said. "You know, the one with the patch on his eye."

"Well, I guess it would be OK," she said--without a whole lot of enthusiasm, but probably not wanting to dampen my caring impulse.

And so I went back to the stairs, spoke to the man, found out his name was Bob, and invited him home to lunch. He didn't have a car there, so he rode with us.

My dad spent most of his life as a salesman and could strike up a conversation with almost anyone--which was a handy talent. We had soon learned a lot about Bob, including the fact that he lived not far from the church.

But the most interesting part of the afternoon--at least to me--was when someone finally got up the courage to ask why he wore a patch over his eye.

He lifted the patch for just a second, revealing that there was no eyeball in the socket, and that he didn't have a glass eye to fill the void. "I plucked it out so it wouldn't cause me to sin," he said.

The announcement shocked us enough that we didn't ask him to go into any further detail. I guess we kind of filled in the blanks ourselves, knowing the text in Matthew about "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out."

I don't remember anything else about the afternoon spent with Bob as our guest. But that part made a deep impression. We soon figured out that Bob wasn't particularly emotionally stable. In fact he lived in a special home for the emotionally disturbed.

But the story has always stuck with me. Here was a man who apparently really wanted very badly to be a part of the kingdom of God. Perhaps he took the words of Jesus more literally than even Jesus would have intended.

But I'll always remember that Bob's first priority was getting to heaven. I've met other people along life's way that had similar devotion to living for the kingdom. People who've sacrificed wealth, home, comfort, and many other things. And I appreciate their example. It helps me get my eyes focused in the right direction.

CONNIE: Thanks, Ken. Keeping our eyes looking the right way is essential for anyone who wants to be a part of the kingdom of heaven. Let's listen now to Christian Edition, as they sing "Bound for the Kingdom.

CONNIE: Bound for the kingdom of the free! What a great place to be going!

LONNIE: Amen!

CONNIE: We speak of our country, the United States as the "Land of the Free," and it's true that we do experience a lot of freedom in this land, but the place Christian Edition was singing about will have even more freedom.

LONNIE: Freedom from fear, for example, freedom from illness--these are the kinds of things that can't be guaranteed by any earthly government.

CONNIE: The kingdom of the free is a kingdom founded solidly on the grace of God, and today we'd like to offer you a book that will help to make that grace real in your life, even while you're living on this earth. It's called Outrageous Grace. And it's our free offer if you'll contact us today. Our toll-free number is 1-800-872-0055, and we'll give that again along with our mailing address a bit later, but right now, let's listen to Lonnie's message for today, "How Important Is the Kingdom?"

How Important Is the Kingdom?
Just how important is it to get into the kingdom of God?
I mean, if you live a fairly decent and prosperous life here on earth, is it really all that important to prepare for another life? Isn't one life enough?
Well, before you answer that question, let me ask you--have you ever had an experience like this: A friend was telling me about when his children were young--8 or 10 years old. The kids seemed to like home better than just about any other place on the planet. After all, staying home is a lot easier than going somewhere else. But every once in a while, Dad and Mom would try to motivate the kids to go someplace special--a park or picnic spot they'd discovered. "Come on--let's go," Dad would say. "You'll really like it when we get there."

But the kids would usually drag their feet and complain about the long ride, or say they'd just rather stay home.

Finally, after Mom and Dad had prevailed, and the family had gotten to its destination, and the kids had had a great time, and all the way home they'd be talking about what a neat idea it was to go there, and "Can we go again?"

You'd think they would have learned--the best way to find out whether a place is worth going to, is to go there yourself--or else to ask someone who's already been there. You'd think they would have learned to trust the recommendations of Mom and Dad who had been there before. But it seemed like they always had to experience it for themselves before they could appreciate it.

And you see, that's the problem with the kingdom of heaven. We can't just go there at will and check out the accommodations and decide whether we want to spend eternity there.

It leaves us only one option. We need to ask the opinion of someone who's already been there and can make some recommendations.

And that would be Jesus, of course. He's the One who said "I have come down from heaven" (John 6:38). He's the only one who's ever lived on earth who's qualified to write a guidebook to the kingdom of heaven and make recommendations about whether it's worth the trip to get there.

And that's the context in which I'd like to look at our Scripture passage for today. It's easy to get bogged down in the details of what Jesus is saying, and miss the point He's trying to make.

Our text today is Matthew 5:27-30. In it, Jesus first addresses the issue of adultery and tells us that the commandment about not committing adultery needs to be taken in its true spirit, rather than just as the letter of the law reads.

" 'You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not commit adultery." But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart' " (Matthew 5:27-28, NKJV).

Those are strong, challenging words. They come in the midst of a series of teachings by Jesus in which He explains what it means to truly obey God. In Matthew 5, He first announces that He has not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (verse 17), and then He goes on to tell the people that they must keep the law even more diligently than the ultra-legalistic scribes and pharisees.

But He isn't referring just to the letter of the law, which the scribes and pharisees so carefully kept. He goes on from there to delve into the spirit of the law and challenge us to be converted in our inmost beings so that we are living according to God's will from the heart, not just at the skin level.

When Jesus considers the seventh commandment, which says "Thou shalt not commit adultery," He challenges His followers to understand the spiritual purpose of the commandment. It's not just to keep men and women from sneaking off into the bushes and engaging illicit physical relationships. At its heart, the commandment's purpose is to help us keep our focus on what's most important. To keep our eyes focused on the right things.

Later in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus again addressed the importance of the eyes in determining who or what we really serve: " 'The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. . . . 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.' " (Matthew 6:22-24, NKJV).

Have you noticed how good your eyes are at finding subject matter that interests them? If you're sitting, feeling bored, waiting for a doctor's appointment or an airline departure, where do you eyes go? Most people pick up a magazine or bring a book along to read. If you're caught without either of these, you'll probably find yourself gazing idly about, searching for something interesting to look at.

Jesus says, if you use that time to look around for a beautiful or handsome member of the opposite sex to think impure thoughts about, well, you don't have to slip away into an unlocked linen closet with the object of your desire to find yourself trapped on sin's unhallowed ground. Or, if the magazine or book you choose to look at is of a certain type--well, it's not going to improve your chances of being a part of God's kingdom.

Jesus' point is that the fundamental issue isn't whether or not you actually touch the person you're thinking about. The fundamental issue is: What is most important to you--the things of the kingdom, or the things of the world?

Addiction to pornography, and to cheap romance novels that titillate the imagination, is rampant in our society. And those who are addicted testify that these things have totally taken over their lives. When your life is focused on the flesh, there's little room left for the things of the Spirit. The life that should be devoted to God and to His kingdom becomes totally enslaved to a very different kingdom.

Jesus is right. You can't serve two masters.

So, in the Sermon on the Mount, He digs right down into our very hearts and souls and warns us: Don't even start down the path toward sin! Keep your heart pure! Keep your thoughts pure! Keep your eyes focused on the things of the Kingdom, not on the enticing things of this world.

Then, to make His point. To drive it home. To make sure we understand just how important this is, He puts His teaching in drastic form: " 'If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell' " (Matthew 5:29-30, NKJV).

Jesus wants us in His kingdom. He doesn't want any of us to end up in that other place.

He's the One who's been in the kingdom of heaven, and He knows it's worth any sacrifice to be there.

But isn't what He says a bit extreme?

I mean, in our world today, where we are bombarded with sexually-laden images and messages on a constant basis, on television, on billboards, in newspapers, magazines--literally everywhere--what chance does any normal human being have of going through life without having even one lustful thought inspired by something their eyes have seen?

If every one of us obeyed Jesus' injunction to tear out our right eye if it ever made us sin, how many two-eyed people would there be on our planet? I mean, literally--wouldn't almost all of us be walking around with only our left eyes?

And what if we cut off one of our hands the first time it got us into trouble? Would there be many two-handed people around?

Here's what I mean by this: I want you to see the message that Jesus intends to convey here, and not be put off by the drastic way He expresses it. Remember, Jesus is speaking of heart principles here. He's speaking of bringing ourselves into harmony with the spirit of the law of God, not just the letter of the law.

I honestly don't think that He intended that every one of us who has ever idly looked at something we shouldn't have, or has used our right hand to commit a sin, ought to rid ourselves of those body parts in order to protect ourselves from future sins.

No, He's just making His point very clear: It's so important to avoid hell, and to be a part of the kingdom, that no sacrifice is too great. You need to get things straightened out in your heart, so that your eyes, hands, feet, or any other body parts, aren't giving first priority to the things of the world--aren't becoming enslaved by the things of the world.

Because if any part of your body is enslaved to the world, your whole body is enslaved, and can't be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven.

And Jesus, having come from heaven, knows that it's well worth the trip--well worth any sacrifice--to be there. So, He phrases His urge for us to be there in no uncertain terms. Do whatever it takes to be there!

Now, may I lay a challenge before you? I know it challenges me. The things of the world can be very attractive, and can easily side-track us from the things of the kingdom. How can we get rid of the lusts and desires that so easily pull us off course?

Well, we're almost out of time today, and that question is worthy of another three or four sermons. But in closing, let me just point you to another teaching of Jesus that will help you--if you're struggling with sins that you fear may keep you from the kingdom.

It's found in the Gospel of John, chapter 15, verses 1-5. Here Jesus tells us that if we'll cling closely to Him--as a branch clings to the vine--He'll nourish us, give us strength, and also, His Father will prune us. That means He'll cut out of our lives those things that need to be cut off and thrown away.

Oh, friend, that's a wonderful promise. And I think it ought to be read right alongside our text for today. In fact, let's read parts of the two passages together right now, as we close:

" 'If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; . . . And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you;' "

" 'I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch . . . that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit' " (Matthew 5:29, 30; John 15:1-2, NKJV).

What a wonderful promise! Abide in Christ. Stick close to Him. And God will take away the parts that need to be cut off so we can be in the kingdom with Him--it probably won't be an eye or a hand. . . . But it may be a part of your heart that's easily led astray!

The promise is for you. Give yourself to Him. Let Him prune and groom you, preparing you to be in His kingdom. He'll do it for you. Because loves you. And wants you in His kingdom!