Jun 25
22
Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 10:12–22
“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.” (Deuteronomy 10:12–22, ESV)
New Testament Reading: Luke 21:34-38
“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man. And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.” (Luke 21:34–38, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.
Sermon
As you can see, Luke 21:5-38 has sucked me in like a vortex. At first, I devoted one sermon to Luke 21:5-38. That was a very large portion of Scripture to consider all at once, but it is a unit. After that, I devoted a sermon to a smaller passage within the larger one. In Luke 21:34-36, Jesus Christ exhorts us to watch ourselves lest our hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon us suddenly like a trap. Instead, we are to stay awake at all times, praying that we may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man (see Luke 21:34–36).
What an important and precious exhortation this is for the Christ follower! Dear friends, we must watch ourselves. In particular, we must keep a vigilant watch over our hearts to be sure they are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the cares of this life. It is vitally important for disciples of Jesus to keep their hearts free from these things, because it is from the heart that the life of a man flows.
Indeed, the heart of a person may be compared to a spring, bubbling up from the ground. If the spring is pure, then the river that flows from it will be pure. But if the spring is polluted, then the river that flows from it will be polluted.
And what is the river that flows from the heart of a man except his very life? The thoughts of a man spring from his heart. The words that a man speaks are spoken from the mind and the heart. And the same may be said of his actions—a man does what he does from the mind and heart.
To be clear, when we speak of the heart in this way, we are not talking about the physical organ that we call the heart—that muscle that beats in your chest and pumps lifeblood through your body. No, we are talking about the heart of the soul. We are considering an immaterial, invisible, soulish thing. The heart that we are here speaking of is that part of your soul wherein your love and affections reside. The thoughts of your mind flow immediately from the heart—you think most about what you love most! So too, your words and deeds flow from the heart.
Here is something interesting to consider. Though we are not currently speaking about the physical heart, the physical heart does illustrate the spiritual heart. Just as the physical heart is at the center of a man’s body, so too the spiritual heart is the center of his soul. And just as the lifeblood of the body flows from the physical heart, so too our spiritual life does flow from the heart of the soul. And just as a diseased or weakened physical heart will sap one’s physical strength and lead, perhaps, even to physical death, so too a diseased spiritual heart will corrupt the whole course of a man’s life and will result in spiritual death, unless Christ, the great physicial of the soul, intervenes. It is no wonder, therefore, that the physical heart is used in Scripture to illustrate this invisible, spiritual, soulish part of us, for the two things share much in common.
Dear brothers and sisters, if you suspected that something was wrong with your physical heart, I bet you would do something about it. You’d act very quickly, wouldn’t you, because you know how vital the heart is to your physical life. But I am sure of this—your spiritual heart is even more vital, for its condition will impact your whole being—your physical, spiritual, and eternal life. Why then would you neglect the heart of your soul? Why would you forget to keep it pure in Christ Jesus?
“But watch yourselves”, Christ commanded, “lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life.” It is this little phrase, found in Luke 21:34, that I wish to focus on today. In particular, I wish to explore the question, What are the ‘cares of this life’ that Christ warns of? What are these desires, cares, and concerns that threaten to render the spiritual heart of man intoxicated and heavy? If your Dr. walked into the room and said, The tests are in. You have endocarditis, myocarditis, or pericarditis (all of these things have to do with inflammation of the physical heart), I bet you’d work really hard to discover the cause and the remedy. May I exhort you, dear brothers and sisters, to be even more eager to know the causes and the remedies of the overly burdened, inflamed, and heavy heart of your soul. What exactly will cause the spiritual heart of a disciple of Jesus Christ to be ‘weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life’? That is the question.
There is actually a passage found earlier in Luke’s Gospel that will help us to understand. Do you remember the parable of the sower, or the parable of the soils, that Jesus told, as recorded in Luke 8? The parable goes like this: “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold” (Luke 8:4–8, ESV). It is in Luke 8:9-15 that we find Jesus’ explanation of the parable. In brief, the seed represents the Word of God. The sower represents a preacher. And the four soils represent the different conditions of the hearts of men. Some have hard hearts. These do not receive the Word of God at all when they hear it. Some have rocky hearts. These might appear to receive the Word of God for a moment, but the trials and tribulations of life show that their faith is not true. They soon wither away, because the Word of God did not take root in them. Some, by the grace of God, have soft hearts. These receive the seed of the Word of God truly. The seed of God’s Word then germinates, sprouts, grows, and produces fruit. But it is the third soil type mentioned in this parable that is of interest to us this morning, namely, the thorny or weedy soil. Listen carefully to how Christ explains the symbolism of the thorney or weedy soil: “And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature” (Luke 8:14, ESV).
Jesus is addressing the same concern here in the passage that is open before us today. The imagery is different, but the heart condition being described is the same. Over time, it is possible for the heart of a Christian to be overrun with weeds and thorns so that the spiritual vitality and fruitfulness produced by the Word of God in them is choked out. What do thorns and weeds represent? They represent the “cares and riches and pleasures of life“. Or, to use the imagery of our text, over time, it is possible for the heart of a believer to be weighed down and overly burdened. Overly burdened with what? Christ says, with “dissipation and drunkenness and [the] cares of this life” (Luke 21:34). I do believe that Christ is speaking of the same things in both these passages. He is describing the effect that the riches, pleasures, and cares of this world can have on the heart of a person if allowed to grow up like weeds unchecked, or if excessively consumed and carried.
In essence, I do believe the thing Christ is warning against in both of these passages is worldly-mindedness. When a Christian begins to set their heart and mind on worldly riches, when they begin to live for worldly pleasure, when they begin to absorb and carry the cares of this life in their soul to the degree the cares of this life consume them, the heart of their soul becomes like garden overrun with thorney weeds. Instead of being alert and filled with spiritual vitality and fruitfulness, these grow heavy in heart, leading to a spiritual state comparable to one who is drunk on wine. They are not alert, but drowsy. They are not sharp, but cloudy. They are not sure-footed, but staggering. This is what worldly-mindedness will do to the heart and soul of a Christian, and Christ warns about it here.
This past week, I came across a little book written a long time ago by one of my favorite authors, an Independent, Puritan preacher, named Jeremiah Burroughs (1599-1646). The book is entitled A Treatise of Earthly-Mindedness. It’s a wonderful little book. I’d highly recommend it to you. Chapter two of this book has this title: Earthly-Mindedness Discovered in Nine Particulars. There, Burroughs presents his readers with nine signs that a person is earthy or worldly-minded. I’d like to briefly present seven of his nine points to you this morning. I do believe these seven points will help us to understand what it means to be earthly-minded and how this will, indeed, weigh the heart down with “dissipation and drunkenness and [the] cares of this life.” So here are seven signs a person is worldly or earthly-minded:
Firstly, “when a man looks upon earthly things [that is to say, created things] as the greatest things of all, when he has a high esteem of earthly things as the things. As if it were thus, ‘Oh, if I had such and such things as others have, oh how happy I would be. How happy are such and such men that do enjoy such earthly things at their will, in their dwellings, their furniture, their comings in; oh, these are the excellent things, these are the delightful things. These are the things in which felicity [that is to say, joy] and happiness [are found].“ Dear brothers and sisters, does this describe you? When you look out upon the created world and upon created things—money, possessions, relationships with people—do you highly esteem them and think that these will be the things that will bring true happiness to you if you were to have them? This is earthly-mindedness. Christ warns that this love for the “riches and pleasures of life” will be like thorny weeds to the heart of your soul. This love for the world will intoxicate your soul—it will steal away your clarity and alertness and leave you staggering.
Secondly, Burroughs says, “when the creamy, choice thoughts of men and women are busied about earthly things, they mind earthly things in a sinful manner.” I do appreciate the way that Burroughs states this. When he mentions “the creamy, choice thoughts of men and women,” he clarifies that he is not talking about the focused thoughts required when we are working, or learning, or engaged in some business. No, when the machinist is at work, he should be thinking about the machinery he is working on. When the doctor is at work, he should be thinking of his patient. When the student is at school, she should be focused on the subject matter. Thinking about earthly things in situations like these does not mean that a person is earthly-minded—it means they are responsible! When Burroughs talks about the “creamy, choice thoughts of men and women”, he is referring to the thoughts that rise to the top of the mind when they wake up in the morning, when it is quiet, when they have time to think and to dream freely. By this, he may also refer to the thoughts that rise naturally to the top of our minds even as we go about our daily tasks. He is referring to our predominant thoughts—that is to say, the thoughts that are often in our minds.
He goes on to say, “You may know what kind of hearts you have by your thoughts about anything. The thoughts are the immediate… risings up of the heart, that is, the bubbles that come from the heart immediately.” Brothers and sisters, do you wish to know the condition of your heart, whether it is worldly or not? Then consider the thoughts that occupy your mind when you are at liberty to think freely. Consider the thoughts that rise quite naturally to the top of your mind throughout the day. Yes, the things you do and the things you say reveal the condition of your heart. But your thoughts reveal the condition of your heart more clearly, for your thoughts spring immediately from the heart. The simple truth is this: you think about what you truly love; you think about what you treasure.
Do not forget what the Apostle has written: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:2 ESV). Does this mean that we must never think of earthly things? Are we forbidden from thinking about our wives and children, work and money, health and the care of our physical bodies? Of course not. But our minds must not be set on these things. And even when we think about these things, our thoughts should rise above them to God. When a spiritually-minded man thinks about how much he loves and enjoys his wife, it will not be long before this thought rises to the top of his head: Oh Lord, I thank you for this lovely wife that you have given to me. Help me to love her and to lead her well. I cherish her truly, but I cherish you supremely, for you are God, the giver of every good and perfect gift. When the spiritually minded woman thinks about the concern that she has for her children, it will not be long before this thought rises to the top of her head: Oh Lord, I thank you for these children that you have entrusted to me. Please save them. Please bless them, Lord. Please provide for them. Please strengthen me to raise them. But I entrust them to you, you are God, and they are yours. These will be the “creamy, choice thoughts’ of those who are heavenly-minded. But those who are earthly-minded will only have thoughts about the riches, pleasures, and cares of this world. These will be the thoughts that rise to the top of their heads and consume them continuously.
Thirdly, Burroughs says that “an earthly-minded man is one whose heart cleaves to the earth…” Dear brothers and sisters, it is not sinful to enjoy the things of this earth. God gives us many good gifts to enjoy in this life—family and friends, food and drink, sunshine and rain— to enjoy these things as gifts from God and to the glory of God is not sinful, but good and right! In fact, it would be sinful not to enjoy them to the glory of God. As the Apostle says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV). And in another place he says, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,” (1 Timothy 4:4, ESV). But it is one thing to enjoy the good things of this life as gifts from God and to his glory, honor, and praise—it is another thing when the heart of a man cleaves or clings to the things of this earth because he loves them supremely. This is idolatry. Cleaving to the riches, pleasures, and cares of this world will weigh the heart down and will be like thorny weeds to the soul.
Fourthly, Burroughs says, “an earthly-minded man is one whose heart is filled with distracting cares about the earth, what he shall eat and drink, and what he shall put on, how he shall provide for himself and his family, and what shall become of him. Though he is well now, what may become of him afterwards? When the heart is filled with distracting cares about the things of the earth, as far as the heart has these prevailing over it, so far such a man may be judged to be earthly.”
This fourth point is very important, for it will help to understand what Jesus means by the “cares of this life” (in Luke 8:14 & 21:34). What are these cares that threaten to make the heart of the Christian heavy and to choke out the Word of God in us, rendering us fruitless and ineffective? They must be the cares that are common to all who live on this earth. How will I make money? How will I feed and clothe myself and those who are under my care? What does the future hold for me and for those I love? I have my health today, but will I have it tomorrow? My children are safe today, but will they be safe tomorrow? I have money in the bank today, but will it be there tomorrow?
When Christ warns us about the terrible effects that the cares of this life can have upon our hearts, does he mean that we must have no concern at all for these things? That cannot be. Think of it, friends, these cares are called “the cares of this life” for a reason. They are the cares that are common to this life. They are common concerns—everyone has them! The question is, how will you carry them? When Christ warns us about the terrible effects that the cares of this life can have upon our hearts, he is warning us not to allow these common cares and concerns to consume us. They must not drive us or distract us from God, Christ, and the furtherance of his kingdom.
The language that Burroughs uses is helpful. He says, “an earthly-minded man is one whose heart is filled with distracting cares about the earth.” Later, he says, “When the heart is filled with distracting cares about the things of the earth, as far as the heart has these prevailing over it, so far such a man may be judged to be earthly.” The adjectives are very helpful, aren’t they? To have cares and concerns about life in this world is unavoidable. But Christ followers must not allow the “cares of this life” to fill their hearts, to distract them from the love of God, the love of neighbor, and the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom, or to prevail over their hearts.
Dear friends, a garden will never be without weeds. A good gardener will remove the weeds before they begin to prevail or fill the garden, for once the garden is full of weeds, it is then distracted or diverted from its design and purpose. And so it is with the heart of your soul as iit pertains to the cares of this life.
Perhaps you are beginning to notice how easy and common it is to be worldly-minded. I would imagine that many Christians think of worldly-minded people as those whose hearts and minds are filled with greed, selfish ambition, and a love for vile pleasures. Indeed, this is worldly-mindedness. But worldly-mindedness can creep into the believer in much more subtle ways. And so Christ warns even his most devout disciples, “watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap” (Luke 21:34, ESV).
Burroughs’ fifth point is very good. He says that “an earthly-minded man or woman is one whose great business of his heart, and endeavors of his life, are about the things of the earth. He makes it his great business, and the strong endeavors of his spirit are exercised in the things of the earth. He eagerly and greedily works with the strongest intention about these things…” In other words, he goes all out for the world and the things of this world. The world, Borroughs says, “is the adequate object of his soul.” When Burroughs speaks of the “adequate object of the soul”, he means “that which is sufficient to take up the whole strength of the soul to lay it out fully.”
Brothers and sisters, what is the great business of your heart? What are the endeavors of your life? What is it that energizes and motivates you? What drives you? What is it that you live for? Is it worldly things only? Do you rise in the morning and go to work merely to earn more money so that you might have it in the bank and spend it on your pleasures? Is the purpose of your day merely to experience as much pleasure here on earth as you can? You know, you do not have to be a vile hedonist to do this. Respectable Christians do this too when they make this the highest purpose of their life: to have a pleasent and peaceful day. This is how the worldly-minded person lives. But those who are spiritual or heavenly-minded will live in this world for the glory of God and the good of others. They will use the time, treasures, and talents that have been entrusted to them in this life to store up “treasure in the heavens” (Luke 12:33, ESV), for that is where their heart truly is—not here on earth, cleaving to the things of earth—but in heaven, cleaving to God and Christ and the eternal reward that he has earned for us.
Boroughs’ sixth point pertains to this: “Suppose a man does not seem to be so strongly inclined to layout his whole strength and heart about earthly things. Yet when any man or woman shall seek any earthly thing for itself, and not in subordination to some higher good, this is an earthly-minded man…” He cites 2 Corinthians 4:18 and puts the meaning in his own words, saying, “While we look upon temporal and earthly things that are seen, we do not make them our end. We seek them in subordination. There is something else that we look at as higher in all these things.”
This is a wonderful point. Burroughs then illustrates. I will quote him now at length. “For instance, a man who is godly [goes about] his business as other men do, but what is it that he would have? It is this: I show my obedience to God, and I would provide those things that may be helpful to me to serve God in my generation; that’s my [goal]. I can appeal to God in this, that even in following my business and all outward things, it is so that I might follow God in the use of means for the providing of such things as may enable me to serve him the more in my generation. This is my [aim] in what I do.” Do you understand what he is saying about the godly? Those who are heavenly and spiritually-minded will work just as others do. They will earn money, save some, and use some for food, clothing, and shelter. They will even make investments and seek to improve their outward condition. But why? What motivates them? It is their love for God. They wish to obey God, to serve God, and, God willing, their work is blessed and their situation improves, they will serve God all the more! This is their aim.
But what about the earthly-minded man. “But now on the other side”, Borroughs says, an earthly-minded man… [has this objective] to follow his business and look about the business of his calling that he might gain. He would get [so] that he might get; he would have more [so] that he might have more, and that he and his children might be somebody in the world. It may be that he might have enough to have his will and lusts, and therefore he follows his business very intently, merely that he may get to satisfy the flesh. Yes, indeed, all the good things that he does, he brings them in subordination to earthly things.” In other words, he makes the obtainment of worldly riches and pleasures the supreme objective of his life.
“You may take it thusly, a spiritual man does not seek earthly things for himself, but an earthly man does. Or more fully, an earthly man is earthly in all that he does do, both in earthly and spiritual things, and a spiritually-minded man is spiritual in all he does, both in spiritual and in earthly things. When an earthly man is in earthly things he is altogether earthly, he does not look at obedience to God in what he does. A spiritual man says, ‘I’ll follow my calling because God has required it,’ but an earthly man thinks, ‘I’ll follow it because I see gain coming from it.’ This is earthly… Now a spiritual man is spiritual in earthly things. One of a spiritual mind is more heavenly and spiritual when he is about his calling, though it be the lowest, like cutting hedges, digging ditches, pulling ropes or lines, or using his axe or hammer. He is more spiritual at these than is an earthly man when he is praying or hearing, or receiving Sacraments. Certainly it is so, and it will be found to be so at the great day of judgment, when all the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed.”
Our seventh point is Boroughs’ eighth, and this will be the last one we consider, before moving this sermon to a conclusion. “The eighth thing wherein we may find an earthly-minded man is this, that he passes through many and great difficulties in matters of the earth, and they are very little to him. Though he toils a great deal in matters of the earth he is never weary because he is in his proper element. Therefore, let there be what difficulties there will be, which to another man would be very great, he makes them as nothing and, though there is much toil and labor, yet he is not weary. Why? Because he is in his own element. The fish is not weary with swimming, but a man is quickly weary. It is because the fish is in his element and the man is not. Observe this, when a man’s spirit is [worldly]…, let him be busied about earthly things, wherein earthly advantage comes in, no difficulties will hinder him, no wind or weather. He will rise in cold mornings and go abroad, do anything in the world. Oh! What difficulties will men endure in storms at sea, and hazards there and troubles at land, and sit up late, and rise early, and toil themselves, and complain of no weariness or difficulties. But, let them come to spiritual things, to soul business that concerns God and their spiritual estates. Every little difficulty puts them aside and discourages them. Every mole hill is a mountain in their way. I would do so and so, but it’s so hard, and ’tis tedious to rise in a morning, especially in cold winters. It is very hard and difficult to read and pray. And so he complains of the difficulty of these things. To watch over the heart is a very difficult thing. To an earthly man, any spiritual thing is difficult and the difficulties discourage him. In spiritual things, oh how weary are they! In Malachi 1:13, they cry out, What a weariness is it! But they can follow the business of the world from morning to night and never get tired. They can work like a horse and never be out of breath! I wish you would try once to spend one Sabbath [carefully and entirely] and see what a weariness that would be to you. Resolve just one Sabbath to rise early in the morning, and to have your thoughts spiritual and heavenly as much as you can. Then get up and pray alone in your closet. Then read, and hear, and meditate, and mark what you hear. And when you go home, think of it and confer about it. And when you come again to attend on the Word, and so spend the whole day in hearing, reading, meditating, and conferencing about good things, calling your family to account, and praying again. See how tiresome this will be to your hearts if they are carnal. However, a spiritual heart will call the Sabbath a delight…”
Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters, this was an unusual sermon, wasn’t it? I don’t think I have ever quoted another man so much in a sermon before—not even close. But after deciding to hone in on the warning of Christ, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life”, and after stumbling across Borrough, it seemed good to me to share these thoughts with you.
So what should we do about the earthly-mindedness within us?
First, repent. Let us confess the sins of our hearts and minds to God and look to Christ Jesus the Lord for the forgiveness of our sins. Christ Jesus lived in this world, but never was he of this world. He lived not for worldly riches and pleasures, but for the glory of the Father and to obey his will. Though he was burdened with many cares and sorrows, he kept his heart pure—those earthly cares did not fill his heart or prevail within his heart to distract him from his purpose. And so he went to the cross, sinnless, to die in the place of sinners like you and me. You must turn from your sins and trust in him to be forgiven. That is the first thing we must do about the earthly-mindedness within us.
Secondly, we must pray to God and ask him to purify our hearts and minds further. Lord, have mercy on us. By your grace, drive these remaining corruptions out of our hearts. Kill these sinful weeds, oh Lord. Remove these sinful desires and cares. Give us more love for you, O God. Take our hearts off of the things of this world and cause us to cleave to you. Enable us to enjoy the good gifts that you have given to us in this life, but keep us from idolatry. Brothers and sisters, we must pray and ask the Lord to purify our hearts by his Word and Spirit.
Thirdly, and finally, in prayer we must also do the hard work of keeping our hearts and minds pure before the Lord. This is a work that God must do in us, but it is also a work that we must do. This is clearly seen in the command that Christ has given to us: “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed…” Watch yourselves, brothers and sisters. Watch yourselves, in prayer. Watch yourselves, throughout the day. Watch yourselves from Sabbath day to Sabbath day.
As the Apostle says, “If… you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:1–10, ESV)
