Untitled Sermon (4)

Attention:

Young Obsession with Strength

World’s Strongest Man

Football

Powerlifting

I thought if I was successful enough in these realms I would be content or happy. My life was built around them.

None of these things were inherently evil, but they mattered more to me than God did. My mouth may not have said that, but my heart and actions showed it.

We all do the same thing with materials, achievements, and people.

Need:

John Calvin described the human heart as a “factory of idols.”

You and I were made to know and honor God, but our sin nature prevents us from doing that.

Thus, we live our lives seeking after things to worship, building up our own kingdoms based on materialism and our own selfish desires.

We long for the next best thing, to be famous, have a lot of money, be a superstar athlete, being the center of attention, acceptance, and all sorts of other things.

The problem is that if you live your life based on vanity, discontentment, and your own selfish desires, in the end you’re going to be empty and condemned, because all the wealth and achievements in the world cannot fill a void meant for God.

Bridging Sentences:

In addressing this very topic, explains why we can’t idolize wealth and earthly gain, while at the same time faithfully serving God. He states that we can only have one master, God or mammon.

As believers, we must have a heart set towards heaven, worshipping God, not idolizing earthly treasure.

So, what does it mean to have a heart set towards heaven? Why should I not idolize earthly treasures?

To explain this Jesus gives us three pictures demonstrating true worship vs. idolatry.

Matt. 6:19-24

V. 19-21: Picture One: Earthly Treasures vs. Heavenly Treasures

Jesus here commands us to not store up earthly treasures, but instead store up heavenly treasures.

What does he have in mind with earthly treasures?

In this picture Jesus is describing someone stacking up wealth and materials. Things such as money, clothes, etc.

For many of us we so quickly try to wear the right clothes, fit a certain image, but Jesus is saying to be the exact opposite of that.

Why? Because the things of this world don’t last. Your clothes that your so desperate for, being on this or that team, fitting in to that certain crowd.

Everyone of these things is temporary, and Jesus demonstrates this by describing earthly treasures as the things that rot and decay over time.

The people you long to be accepted by eventually will likely leave, and the stuff you think you have to have will break or rot.

Illustration: Raccoon stealing cotton candy

Instead, Jesus says store up for yourselves treasure in heaven.

Jesus is here calling us to something deeper than the vain pursuits of the world.

We store up treasures in heaven by following Jesus, obeying what he teaches, and working to see His rule of the world advanced.

Why does he make a big deal of this? v.21

Because the things that I value, and worship show where my heart is. Paul makes clear in Romans 1, that you and I naturally worship creation instead of worshipping god.

We take God’s gifts and make gods out of them.

Does this mean that I do nothing but share the gospel?

No, but what it means is that you don’t put all your value in something that is going to fade away. You treasure the things that are eternal, not temporary.

To diagnose this, put all of the worldly treasures in front of you, people, money, success, and ask yourself, “If I lose this, how will I react?” or “What will my life be like without this?” “Do I have to have this, or is my happiness based on this?”

So, in our first picture Jesus explains the difference in eternal, heavenly treasure and things that fade away. Next, Jesus is going to give us the picture of the eye.

V. 22-23: Picture Two: Healthy Eye vs. a Bad Eye

Jesus here uses the example of an eye, and he compares it to a lamp.

The reason being is that in Hebrew thought, the eye represents the direction one is looking and therefore stands for the aims and interests of life.

If your eye is healthy, it means that you are viewing the world and all that is in it from the scope of God’s existence and Him being your ruler and savior.

A life that sees the world from this vantage is healthy as it will be dedicated and focused on what matters, not jumping from one idol to the next.

The bad eye on the other hand produces darkness, and if it is never fixed leads to condemnation.

Illustration: Haunted house and flashlight

To know we are going we need a healthy eye, and this can only come from Christ.

Through faith in Christ I am given eyes to see.

I can know how temporary this world is, and I can live in way that is directed toward honoring God.

So we have seen the treasures compared, and how they reveal our heart. We have also seen the necessity of eyes that see the world the way God has made it. Jesus is going to conclude with an even stronger picture.

V. 24: Picture Three: Only one Master

At the end of the day we are all slaves. A slave is someone who is fully devoted and owes 100% loyalty to their master. Jesus uses this analogy to show that if you value, treasure, or serve anything more than God you need to repent.

For as we have seen, earthly things rot, and walking in darkness leads to destruction. We therefore need to set our eyes on our master, who has purchased us, and live our lives setting him as my priority.

Everything I have, I have been given, and even if I lose it all my life is built on something greater.

Discussion Questions:

What does it mean that our heart is a factory of idols? How can we protect ourselves from making false idols?

How would you describe a life with a “healthy eye?”