Upside-down Kingdom: Where is Your Heart?

I’ve listened to lots of teachers over the years. I counted it up: I’ve been in school 25 years. I learned: when a teacher says something 2x, it’s probably on the exam. If they say something 3x, it’s even more important!

Jesus is teaching in this part of Matthew’s gospel. It’s often called “The Sermon on the Mount.” I hope you listened closely because Jesus makes his point 3x:

1st talking about treasure

2nd talking about eyesight, light, and darkness

3rd with reminder: “No one can serve two masters.”

Jesus paints three word-pictures to illustrate, in 3 different ways, that serving the Kingdom of heaven ought to be the top priority of all Jesus’ disciples. It’s a reminder of what is ultimately the most significant. It’s a question of allegiance. It’s a call for you – if you are a disciples of Jesus’ – to devote yourself to service in Jesus’ Upside-down Kingdom.

First word-picture: Jesus says, “Do not store up treasure on earth.” In Jesus’ day there were no air-conditioned, high-security storage vaults. If you put a good leather coat or your winter woollies in chest, moths or mice are liable to gnaw holes in it. If you hid your gold or gems in a great spot, your valuables still might be stolen. Treasures on earth are easily lost.

Jesus has a better suggestion, although it sounds unusual at first: “Store up treasures in heaven.”

In the Gospel of Matthew, heaven is not a future destination, heaven is where God rules over all creation. Moths and vermin can’t destroy treasure there. Thieves can’t steal your treasure if it is stored in the presence of God and call his holy angels.

Jesus is not really talking about finances or other valuables. I checked this morning: gold is worth almost $12,000/100g – but according to the book of Revelation, in the heavenly city, gold is used to pave the roads. Jesus isn’t fussed about gold.

He is talking about what you treasure as most valuable in your heart. What is most important to you? What takes highest priority in your life?

It is related to what Jesus says a few minutes later, telling his disciples not to worry about food and clothing:

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

So, Jesus’ instructions are: “do not store up treasure on earth but store up treasure in heaven.” Why? What is his conclusion?

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

It begs the question: where is your heart?

In our culture, many people measure success in terms of wealth and the freedom to travel and do stuff. Success is measured by fame and reputation. It is curious that Jesus never pursued any of those things. Throughout his life, Jesus wholeheartedly proclaimed and pursued the Kingdom of heaven. He poured everything he had into loving his heavenly Father, loving his neighbour, and laying down his life to usher in the Kingdom of heaven. We’ll get back to that shortly.

Jesus’ second image is more difficult to follow. Jesus speaks of the eye as the lamp of the body. Healthy eyes can see and perceive; they are a window to the world.

Have you talked with someone who was losing their sight?

Lots of ways that can happen: cataracts, retinal detachment, or some other deterioration of nerves or tissue.

Unhealthy eyes cut you off from the light. It’s like the window to the world is being blackened. Everything looks dim or dark. Or in Jesus’ words “your whole body will be full of darkness.”

In the gospels we see that Jesus had a lot of sympathy for people who were blind. He opened the eyes of many people with blindness. The way the gospel writers describe these miracles, sometimes regaining sight happens in parallel with people seeing Jesus as the Messiah and rescuer of the world.

At times, Jesus uses physical blindness to speak of spiritual blindness or people’s ability to recognize good and evil in terms of light and darkness. It’s a common image in the Bible.

One of the songs in the OT book of Psalms celebrates:

The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. Psalm 118:27a (NIV)

Later in the NT, John, one of Jesus’ inner circle of disciples unpacks the gospel in terms of light and darkness.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. I John 1:5–7 (NIV)

What Jesus is saying to his disciples on the mountain becomes more clear in the context of the whole Bible: “If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

Do you want to be trapped in dark thoughts and dark deeds?

Do you want to be a shady character?

No! You want the light to be inside you to be light! You want your light to shine in this dark world. You want to walk in the light as God is in the light!

But that's the problem we all face. Although we were created to be holy, righteous, and full of light, our first parents turned their back on God the light of the world. They rebelled, leading all of us into the darkness.

My dark deeds make me afraid of the light of God's presence – do you experience that too? God's brilliant glory and holiness are too bright for our darkened eyesight to bear. God's goodness, dazzling glory, and holiness feels painful to our sin-darkened eyes.

Darkness cannot survive in the presence of light. When God approaches, all shady characters are driven far away or destroyed. Trying to produce our own light, your own righteousness before God, is as hopeless as trying to light up your tail like a firefly.

That's why Christmas is an annual celebration of light piercing the darkness. Some of you are counting down to Christmas already. Every day, the hours of sunlight are getting shorter.

On December 25, we celebrate how the light of God has entered this dark world to drive the darkness away. Jesus has come to rescue his people from darkness into his glorious light. He came into this dark world because God is full of mercy and loves his creation and the creatures who bear his image deeply.

Yet the powers of darkness did not give up without a fight. In fact, for a while on Good Friday it looked like the powers of darkness had won. Even the brightness of the sun was blotted out by three hours of darkness when Jesus was on the cross.

But Jesus endured all that the dark powers could throw at him. He endured the punishment for human sin. When he had fully paid the price for human sin, the darkness was pushed back, the sun came out again, and Jesus’ glory and victory were revealed! Death and darkness were defeated!

That’s what we celebrate at the Lord’s Supper. Jesus is victorious! He has chased the darkness away. Three days after his death on the cross, even Jesus’ tomb became a place of light and life. This is how Matthew describes the scene:

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. Matthew 28:2–3 (NIV)

If the angel of the Lord shone steadily like bright lightning, it’s a wonder Mary Magdalene and the other Mary weren’t overwhelmed. Our eyes have trouble taking in that much light!

But that’s the good news of Easter morning! The light of heaven chased away the gloom and shadows, revealing an empty tomb. The Son of God has risen!

In Jesus’ resurrection, the glory of God is revealed. Darkness is defeated. By faith in Jesus, God offers life, forgiveness, and the privilege of walking in the light of God’s presence forever! What would stop you from accepting this brilliant offer of life from God?

This is where the choice needs to be made, as Jesus reveals in his third image. “No one can serve two masters.”

You can’t straddle the dividing line. By inviting you into the Kingdom of light, Jesus calls you to make a choice. You can only have one thing as your highest priority; only one master: “Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

In his conclusion, Jesus returns to the image of treasures on earth; the valuables of this world. He states the choice baldly, “You cannot serve both God and money.” What will it be for you?

In most sports movies, there is a scene where the coach gives a rousing speech. You know the speech:

Are you serious about wearing this uniform?

You get to play the game you love.

It’s time for you to take a hard look in the mirror and ask yourself “what are my priorities?”

Will you put everything on the line for the team?

If you’re gonna be part of this, I’m counting on you to give 100%.

That’s the kind of talk Jesus gives his disciples with these three word-pictures:

What are your priorities? Do you want to wear the uniform of Jesus’ upside-down kingdom?

Make a choice: You could invest all your time and energy building up wealth and power on earth. Let me warn you, that’s going to be disappointing. Treasure on earth is not reliable, because earth is “where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”

Or, are you gonna invest in the kingdom of heaven?

No moths or vermin or thieves can get at your heavenly treasure

What are your priorities?

If you are going to follow Jesus, it’ll take a total re-think of your priorities and values – especially compared to the priorities and values of this world. It’ll turn your whole world upside-down.

And you can’t go half-way on this. You must be “all-in.” You cannot serve two masters.

Are you ready to give 100% to the kingdom of God?

Are you really prepared to serve, glorify, and love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength?

Do you see what Jesus is doing?

He’s drawing a line in the sand.

He’s telling his followers to pick their priorities.

What’s #1 deep inside?

What’s #1 in your heart?