Follow With Purity

Text: Matthew 6:16-23

Introduction

Have you ever developed a wrong motive?

Have you ever learned to think you can fully commited to multiple people?

This kind of development and thinking creeps in to you life as a child of God. As these to perspectives do bring disappointment and hurt toward others, so does it wound the lives of others and the heart of God when we adopt them into our daily living as Christians.

The challenge before us today is a command to choose: God or Man?

Illustration: The world is covered by flattened squirrels who could no make a decision.

Choosing man will always leave you with things that man can rob from you. Choosing God will always provide things that are out of man’s reach.

To follow God PURLEY is to follow God EXCLUSIVELY! So, who are you choosing over who?

1) Follow With Pure Motives (vv16-18)

Question: Do you know what the greatest secret of spiritual prosperity is?.......SINGLENESS OF PURPOSE

Question: What is the main purpose of fasting? To draw closer to God.

Fasting is a battle against a personal interest of the world over a devotion to God.

Worldliness is one of the greatest dangers to a man’s soul.

Illustration: My oldest son Henry always wants to make sure He is seen by his parents. This is especially true when we are giving his younger brother attention.

Your Christian life (God’s child endeavoring to match their heart and life to Jesus’) is all about God seeing you.

One reason why you often run right into sin is because our mind runs away from the reality that God always sees you.

Remember, the person we need others to see is Jesus, NOT YOU.

This happens when God’s rewards are seen in our life OPENLY.

It is a great thing to let others see that Christianity makes us happy (“wash your face....”)

Question: Any believer unhappy with Jesus’ blessings on your life? Then don’t go around acting like you are!

The motive to be ultimately rewarded by men is to end your life with only temporary reward.

APPLICATION

Parents: set up their kids to pursue the praise of men when they keep a trophy in front of them instead of Biblical truth.

Individual:

2) Follow With Pure Treasures

(vv19-20) We learn of a command that guarantees security to you investments.

FIRST — (Negative) There is a place of investments that leaves you vulnerable to great loss; this world.

The natural elements

The nature of man

APP — How would it make you feel if the treasures you have set aside for your children were stolen and never recovered?

APP — The best kingdom you can give your children, is not the one YOU build, but the one JESUS is building.

APP — Some parents have never broke the cycle of building worldly kingdoms (lust, prioritizing your spouse, money, etc.)

Treasures in Heaven: Pure eyes, pure speech, ethics, character, holiness.

SECOND — (Positive) A place where all investments are forever secure.

A few reasons:

God dwells there / Where God dwells, there is always security.

Mortality can’t dwell there.

Satan has been cast out.

(very important) Your heart will dwell there also.

(v21) God is warning all of us of the natural follow-through of your heart; inner being.

This applies to saints and sinners.

The huge difference between saints and sinner is that the saint has options and the sinner does not (regarding treasure placement)

Let’s consider a few scriptures about the HEART:

Genesis 6:5 “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

Matthew 15:18 “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.”

Luke 6:45 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”

Hebrews 3:8 “Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:”

3) Follow With A Pure Heart

In God’s view, your heart is either full of light or darkness; good or evil.

Originally God did not want us to know good or evil. He simply wanted us to KNOW HIM.

Jesus is saying, “Either I am your Master or I am not. You can’t have it both ways.

A double mind is an unstable mind.

1/2 + 1/2 = hypocrite = darkness

Quote: “There are failures, in all quarters. There are thousands in our churches uncomfortable, ill at ease, and dissatisfied with themselves; and they hardly know why. The reason is revealed here: they are trying to keep in with both sides; they are endeavouring to please God and please man, to serve Christ and serve the world at the same time. Let us not commit this mistake.” — J.C. Ryle

Philippians 3:13 “13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,”

If our hearts follow through with this, we will live happy lives.

Quote: “Decision is the secret of happiness in religion.” — J.C. Ryle