Seek First the Kingdom of God With Your Eyes on Generostity and Your Heart Filled with Christ-Treasuring Faith (Matthew 6:19-34)

Hindering the Mission

We exist to joyfully advance the kingdom of God by making much of Jesus in the church, community, and home.

There are three things that will hinder us from accomplishing our mission:

We will not fulfill our mission if we make much of laying up treasures on earth.

We will not fulfill our mission if our fear of the unknown darkens our faith in a sovereign good God.

We will not fulfill our mission if we commit ourselves to seeking first our own kingdom.

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness with your eyes on generosity and your heart filled with Christ-treasuring faith.

Two Masters (Matthew 6:19-24)

Jesus explains that there are two masters who compete for our loyalty - God and money (Matthew 6:24). Both kingdoms demand single-minded heart untied loyal love. Jesus warns there are life altering consequences depending on which kingdom we choose to serve.

The Master of Money

Jesus offers three consequences of serivng the master of money.

The Master of Money requires you to store up treasure on earth that perish (Matthew 6:19).

Jesus begins this section with a warning against the accumulation of earthly treasures. When Jesus refers to "earthly treasures," he specifically mentions clothes and precious metals. However, Jesus is not limiting the scope of earthly treasure to clothes and metals. The principle applies to everything we find valuable on this earth. The problem with earthly treasure is that the curse of sin ensures that everything on earth breaks down, including our relationships and bodies. Nothing made of this earth, in and of itself, will last forever. Everything dies. Clothes can be destroyed by moth larvae, which feed on natural fibers and animal products such as fur, silk, wool, and feathers, while metals can corrode when exposed to oxygen and moisture, rendering them worthless.

Jesus also warns that earthly treasure can be stolen. In a sinful world, people set up evil schemes to steal money from others. In the latest Jason Statham film, "The Beekeeper," Eloise Parker is a retired teacher who lives alone with Adam Clay, a tenant who works as a beekeeper and resides in her barn. One day, Eloise falls victim to a phishing scam, in which over $2 million is stolen from a charity fund she manages. Devastated by the loss, Eloise takes her own life. Although the story is fictional, the reality of thieves using phishing schemes to steal people's retirement savings is all too real. If money is the treasure we seek, we risk losing the very essence of who we are.‌

At the end of this, Jesus says,

Matthew 6:21 ESV

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Your heart is the essence of who you are, where your feelings, emotions, and desires reside. It is the keeper of your identity and the things that matter most to you. However, those who seek wealth often attempt to win over your heart, promising health, prosperity, and success. Yet, as one commentator wisely noted, "Wealth is a fickle lover; its object of affection always slips out of reach" (Daniel Doriani). What happens when the heart loses the things it treasures the most? It can become despondent, losing hope, and seeing suicide as a redeemable option.

The Master of Money darkens your eyes with unbelief (Matthew 6:22-23)

Jesus says your eye is the lamp to your body. Last week we learned that the eye is so connected to the heart that what you turn your eyes to inflames the heart. In this case, the eye either enlightens or darkens your heart. If your eye is good, your heart is full of light. If your eye is bad, your heart is full of a great darkness. What does Jesus mean “full of darkness”?

There is some ambiguity in verses 22-23. The ESV translates the text,

Matthew 6:22–23 (ESV)

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

The ESV translates the big idea of an eye full of light. Its healthy. It does the same for the word bad if it is full of darkness.

The HCSB translates the word healthy as “good,” which is the original meaning, and accepts the same translation as the EVS for bad.

Matthew 6:22–23 (HCSB)

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness!

The King James Version uses the word “single” for the word good, which is one of its meanings, which I think means a single focus. This rendering can be a bit confusing for most English readers. The KJV translates the word “bad” as evil, which is the original meaning of the word.

Matthew 6:22–23 (KJV 1900)

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 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!

All the different interpretations of the word "evil" in the text are technically correct. The term "evil" can also refer to negative qualities such as jealousy, envy, and selfishness. When someone's eye is "evil," it means they have an unhealthy and covetous attitude towards wealth. Will Metzger rightly says

Coveting is something we do with our hearts, not our hands or feet.

Will Metzger

What happens to your heart when your eyes turn toward coveting? Your heart becomes dark with unbelief.

The Bible often uses the themes of light and darkness to represent good and evil, faith and unbelief. In particular, the gospel of John employs the theme of darkness to describe individuals who lack faith in Jesus. Jesus himself stated that if one's eye is dark, then their entire being is dark, emphasizing the significance of one's faith. Jesus says,

John 1:5 ESV

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Jesus is describing the tension between faith and unbelief in the world. Jesus describes life in terms of light in verse 4,

John 1:4 ESV

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Christ clearly connects faith and light together few chapters laters in

John 12:46 ESV

46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

Those who have faith in Christ are no longer in darkness, whereas those who do not believe in Him remain in darkness. This darkness can be all-encompassing and can affect one's attitude towards wealth. Unbelief has the power to redirect one's love away from Jesus and towards the darkness. Coveting, envy, greed, selfish gain, and hoarding your wealth are evil attitudes from the love of darkness. Jesus says,

John 3:19 ESV

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

Coveting and hoarding your wealth is an evil work that flow from a darkened blind unbelieving heart. You do not believe God is sufficient, or that his wisdom over your wealth is good, or that he can supply all your needs according to the richness of his grace in Christ Jesus. The result is you white knuckle your money, even your tithe.

In his book The Treasure Principle, Randy Alcorn observes that money is the topic of fifteen percent of Jesus' teachings, more than any other single topic in the gospel. Jesus only mentions tithing once in the gospels. He speaks of it more in passing, as if it's assumed. In Luke 11:42, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees and Scribes because they boasted about tithing even their spices.

Luke 11:42 ESV

42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

John Piper once commented on Jesus teaching that tithing, giving ten percent of one's income, is the bare minimum of one's Christian faith. Jesus criticizes those who boast about their tithing because he just assumes you should be tithing. To the Pharisees he says, “Look, you want to boast about your tithe? Big deal. Everyone should be tithing. You, Pharisees, should be thinking about the weightier things of the law.” Shouldn’t that be the attitude of the church? We just assume everyone is tithing ten percent because that is the bare minimum, the ground floor if you will. Well, that assumption is not valid in most churches.

The sad reality is most Christians do not tithe ten percent, or even at all. According to Barna Research, only 37% of Christians consistently tithe to their church, while 25% do not give any money to their church at all. Out of the 37% who tithe, only 2 out of 5, or 21%, give the full ten percent of their income. This means that only 21% of Christians are committed to the bare minimum requirement for tithing.

The reason for this, in my opinion, is the master of money has gripped the hearts of many in the church. A darkened blind unbelieving heart distorts the joy and value of a generous heart. It makes you believe that there is more joy, more security, more power in coveting and hoarding your wealth, to the point that you will look at keeping the law of tithing as the standard or not giving anything at all. You are inclined to either use you tithe as a weapon against the leaderships vision for the church, or you come up with a thousand reasons to not consistently and generously give to kingdom advancing work. The truth is, the Lord loves a cheerful giver. God loves a generous heart because it is a heart like his own heart.

The Lord gave us the opportunity to go above the law with free will offerings. Free will offerings are voluntary gifts that we offer to show our love and gratitude towards God (Exodus 35:29). These offerings are not intended to replace our tithe, but rather provide us with an opportunity to give more than what is required out of a heart that loves God and his kingdom. If tithing is the ground floor to giving, then free will offerings are the opportunity to build a beautiful house.

The Master of Money demands your worship (Matthew 6:22-23)

The eye is so connected to your heart that it stands as a metaphor for the heart. If your eyes are dark, your heart is dark. If your heart is dark it does not have the light of Christ. It is filled with unbelief. Your master is not Jesus, it is money. When you master is money, you turn away from Jesus.

A terrifying illustration of this is the rich young ruler. The rich young ruler asks Jesus, “What good must I do to have eternal life? (Matthew 19:16) After a bit of discussion in verses 17-20, Jesus finally says,

Matthew 19:21 ESV

21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Jesus say to the young man, “Do not lay up for yourself treasures on earth. Give all you possessions away and store up treasure in heaven. Follow me. I will be your treasure.” Jesus is the treasure. The young man is looking at the person all of heaven and earth will treasure. How does this young man respond?

Matthew 19:22 ESV

22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

He turned away from Jesus. Why would you do such a foolish thing? Because he had great possessions. Money was his master. The master of money required the rich young ruler to lay up treasures on earth. The Master of Money blinded his heart with unbelief, and it demanded all of his worship. To what end? Paul says,

1 Timothy 6:10 CSB

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

The end of your life after serving the idol of money is a shipped wrecked faith filled with grief and regret.

There is an additional tension you may be experiencing while reading this text. Some of your blind unbelief might try to convince yourself that you can simultaneously build your own kingdom and God's kingdom. You might believe that you can accumulate wealth and indulge luxuries as long as you give ten percent of your income to the Lord. However, Jesus disagrees with this notion and asserts that it cannot happen. You cannot serve God and money (Matthew 6:24).

He makes this clear by giving two reasons why it won’t work. You will either love one and despise the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. Your heart is only fitted for one Master, one King, one God. There is not room for plurality. Either Jesus is master over you, or you are being mastered by your money. The love of money treasures money, and where your treasure is, there your heart will be. The love of money will turn your heart away from Jesus. Do not let money master you.

Those who live rightly in the kingdom of God treasure Jesus. They are mastered by Jesus, and Jesus requires three things from you.

Jesus requires you to store up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:20)

Matthew 6:20 ESV

20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

The imperative in verse 19, is a negative; do not lay up treasures on earth. The positive is to lay up treasures in heaven. You could read it like this: do not lay up treasures ion earth, instead lay up treasures in heaven. Two questions come to my mind with verse 20. What are treasures in heaven? How do I lay them up in heaven?

What are treasures in heaven?

I think on the one hand, Christ himself is our treasure in heaven. In both of these texts the idea is following Jesus. Give up all of this world and follow me. Be assured, Jesus says, I will compensate above and beyond whatever you think you loose here on earth. Jesus promises,

Matthew 19:29 ESV

29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

On the other hand there is “reward language” thought chapter six, and through out the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus says at the begining of this chapter in 6:1-6, to do your righteous acts in secret. Your father knows what you are doing and will reward you for your work. Jesus also says to pray and fast in secret, for you father sees you and will reward you (Matthew 6:16-18). It appears treasures in heaven will be our rewards for living a faithful and generous life in Christ.

How do we store treasures up in heaven?

Verse 19 could literally read, “Stop storing up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” You first step is to acknowledge your priorities are too earthly. Stop storing up your treasure on earth. Start storing up your treasure in heaven.

In Luke’ gospel, Jesus speaks of storing up treasures in heaven. Luke 12:33-34

Luke 12:33–34 ESV

33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

How do you provide for yourself moneybags that will not fail? You empty your moneybags on earth. I see the same idea in Lukes account as I do in Matthew. Selling your possession and giving to the poor is storing up treasures in heaven. We saw the same idea with the rich young ruler. Giving away your earthly wealth to help those in need is treasure in heaven and giving it away is how you store it up.

It is often said in the church,

Treasures in heaven are laid up only as treasures on earth are laid down.

Anonymous

Jesus enlightens your eyes so you can turn them (Matthew 6:22-23)

Your eye is your heart. When your heart is full of light, it is ruled by Jesus. Jesus is the light and life for men.

John 12:46 ESV

46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

Those who believe in Jesus, that is have faith, do not walk in darkness. They walk in the light because the eyes of their heart is fixed on the Light of the world.

The word for “good” can mean “healthy.” But it also carries the idea of generosity with your wealth. If your eye is good and healthy, it looks at your wealth with an attitude of generosity. Doriani comments, “Jesus says that if the eye is good, it sheds light through the whole body, giving direction to all of life.” That is, the light fixes your eyes on what is important to the kingdom. It sets your heart in a rhythm that joyfully advances the kingdom of God by making much of Jesus in the church, community, and home, and how your wealth is used to that end.

Jesus demands single-minded, hearted, loyal love.

Where your treasure is there your heart will be also. You treasure what you love, and you worship what you treasure. When Jesus described the kingdom of God as a treasure in a field that was found by a man, the man sold everything he had to get that treasure. What he found in that field so moved his heart to rid himself of everything he owned in this world in order to have it. That is single minded heart united loyal love. That is what God requires of you. And when Jesus is your treasure, Jesus is your king. He reigns over everything in your life. The fruit of Jesus being king is you can be free from anxiety.

Christ treasuring faith frees you from anxiety (Matthew 6:25-30)

Matthew 6:25–30 ESV

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

The consequence of being filled with the light is Jesus frees you from the worry of money and gives you eternal joy in hImself.

Jesus connects your anxiousness in verse 25 with little faith in verse 30. The point is worry is a form of unbelief. The word for “anxious” literally means “little faiths.” Little faith is a lack of faith. It’s unbelief.

Jesus makes his point with the illustration of the birds and the lilies. Jesus says your father in heaven is well aware of these birds that are not nearly as valuable as you. Surely if he is aware of them he is aware of your needs, right? Look at the flowers of the field. Look how beautiful they are, and yet how quickly they are thrown away. If God will take such care of flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, surely he will care for your needs as well?

The answer should be a resounding faith filled yes! We’ve already established that he knows my needs before I even pray (Matthew 6:6-8). Psalm 139 says there is not a word on my tongue, or a thought in my head that God does not know already (Psalm 139:1-5).

Worry tells God, “I don’t believe you know my needs. I don’t believe you can meet all my needs, or you do not care enough about me to meet all my needs. Worry is the fruit of a life under the mastery of laying up treasures on earth. You are so afraid something or someone will take them away from you or that God will not give you your heart’s desire.

When Christ is your treasure, you are freed from the love of money. Jesus brings radical satisfaction to your life, so much that you can let go of your earthly possessions. This is what Jesus was trying to convey to the rich young ruler - let go of all your worldly possessions that give you comfort, power, and prestige, and follow Me. Jesus promises an abundant life to those who seek His righteousness, and He is the bread of life and living water that can satisfy your every need. Therefore, what can you hold on to on this earth that can satisfy you more than Jesus? Faith in Christ as your treasure frees you from worry of this work so you can seek the kingdom of God.

Seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33-34)

With Christ-treasuring faith and your eyes set on generosity, seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first. Use your life and everything God blesses you in this life to lay up treasures in heaven. Be super generous with your wealth. Do not worry about the money. God promises to meet all your needs. You cannot out give God. He will ensure you are provided for in every sphere of life: church, community, and home. Jesus is king. You live in his kingdom. Let him exercise his rightful authority over every aspect of your life. Jesus is your today and your tomorrow. Let him handle the worries that come with each day.

The one person in the bible that exemplifies this aside from Jesus and Paul, is the widow who gave her last penny. Listen to how Jesu describes this woman.

Mark 12:42–44 ESV

42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

The widow gave everything to the Lord. She wasn’t rich. She wasn’t even middle class. She was down to her last penny. She gave all she had to live on to God trusting God would give her all she needed to live.

Someone once said,

The problem with our giving is that we give the widow’s mite, but not with the widow’s spirit.

Anonymous

The spirit of the widow treasure God above her earthly treasure. Her faith compelled her heart to give everything. In doing so she laid up treasures in heaven. God made sure her free will above her tithe all she had giving went to advancing his kingdom. Her story is being read and used right now to inspire you to greater kingdom living. Every time Mark 12:42-44 is read, her giving is reaping reward in heaven. Can you imagine the return on her investment? She gave two copper coins worth a penny, worth nothing on earth. And yet reaping treasure in heaven to this day.

What does seeking the kingdom of God with an eye on generosity and a Christ-treasuring faith look like for FBCL?

We have identified five ares of darkness in Litchfield: poverty, substance abuse, broken family dynamics, impaired learning, and unchurched. We have committed to a two-pronged strategy for addressing the darkness. The first is establishing a biblical counseling ministry.

We believe we can begin to address poverty, substance abuse, broken families, and the unchurched with our Biblical counseling ministry. Biblical counseling will require people to get certified in Biblical counseling. Right now, Michael Koen, Becky Wallner, and myself are in the process of getting certified. We need others to commit their time and money to get certified. We will need to dedicate space and counseling resources, which will take more financial resources.

The second prong to addressing the darkness is the educational ministry of Litchfield Christian School. Using education as a platform, we can address all five areas of darkness. Education as a means of grace canbreak generational cycles of poverty and substances abuse. Our commitment to family ministry can strengthen marriages and provide help for Biblical parenting. We are serving children with impaired learning with the hope that we can empower them with a Christian education to flourish in the church, community, and home.

This is going to require us

1. Trust the Lord and give sacrificially above and beyond your tithe.

We are going to run a budget of about $100,000 dollars this year. Most of the families we are serving are not able to pay us. These families are doing the best they can to make ends meet. We are literally inviting these children and their families to our house to eat without the expectation of them returning the favor.

2. Trust the Lord and not worry about the necessary changes that need to be made for us to flourish.

We need to address the way we do church polity. We need elders to pastorally lead the church. We need deacons and deaconesses to serve the church. We need to define what it means to be a member and have accountability for whom we shepherd.

3. We need to seek first the kingdom of God.

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Doriani, Daniel M. 2021. “Matthew.” In Matthew–Luke, edited by Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, VIII:114. ESV Expository Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Crossway.