Serving

Intro

[Thank worship team]

Good morning Bethel Church, and good morning to our network of rural churches that are joining us live on YouTube. And if you are new here, I want to extend a special welcome to you. If you would, there are “Connect” cards in the seat in front of you. If you would fill that out there or at the Welcome Center outside of the sanctuary. We even have a free gift for you if you are new to Bethel. We would love to get in touch with you and discuss how to get connected to our church family.

Announcements:

Sophie - Spiritual Gifts Class

Rollin - Building Update

Today we will be concluding our study of The Generosity Factor. If you are reading out of the Bibles in front of you, our passage can be found on page 826. If you do not have a Bible, please stop by the Welcome Center and take one. It is our gift to you.

TRANS: Pray

Opening Hook

I remember the first time I heard the word, and I instantly knew that this person must have a super-power:

A friend said, “I can multi-task.”

Multi-task? How does one acquire such knowledge and skill?

So I started saying that. I don’t know if I have ever seen evidence that I can multi-task, but I started saying that I could and trying to do multiple tasks at once. Turns out, no I can’t. But even worse, no one can.

In the last 20 years, Psychologists have put the idea of “multi-tasking” to the test. It is not as simple as saying that “no one has figured out how to do that yet.” Rather, our brains are unable.

This is what a 2025 article by News Medical says:

In a world driven by constant notifications and digital overload, multitasking has become the norm. From texting while working to juggling emails during meetings, our attention is constantly divided. But neuroscience paints a different picture. Studies show the human brain is not wired to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.

Instead, it engages in rapid task switching, which places heavy demands on brain networks responsible for focus and control- especially the frontoparietal and attention systems. This switch leads to slower performance, increased errors, and mental fatigue. Even simple task changes require the brain to reallocate attention, losing the efficiency that comes with focus.

The illusion of productivity masks the real cost: reduced memory, lower accuracy, and greater cognitive strain. Multitasking, once considered a skill, is now understood as a performance drain. As digital distractions multiply, understanding these cognitive limits is vital for making smarter, more focused choices in work and life.

Source: https://www.news-medical.net/health/Why-Your-Brain-Struggles-With-Multitasking-%28And-What-to-Do-Instead%29.aspx?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Studies have shown that we lose about 40% of our productivity when we attempt to multi-task. Why? Because different tasks require a different process to follow, a different set of values that orient the task, a different set of priorities under which the task lives, and a different set of rules to follow.

We cannot multi-task because it is our human nature…

Our Human Nature

We are single-direction beings.

We started the year with a series that we are ending today: the generosity factor.

I challenged us to approach 2026 with a mindset of generosity.

God is the owner of all, we are but stewards of his stuff.

When we steward his stuff well, we are blessed!

Stewardship requires proper balance of financial priorities, like household provision and enjoyment.

But God wants our generosity to be modeled after himself: he praised the widow who gave sacrificially, because Jesus would go on to generously sacrifice himself for us.

And we are not obligated to tithe as in the old testament, rather our generosity should be from freedom and joy.

Today we put a bow on The Generosity Factor with this recognition: we are always serving something. As much as we wish we could “multi-task,” our hearts are always oriented in a direction.

TRANS: Open up your Bibles to Matthew chapter 6 (Page 826) where Jesus gives one of the most famous teachings on money in the whole Bible. In it, He will reveal that generosity is not just about what we do, it is about who we serve.

Matthew 6:19–21 ESV

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Serving

The location of your treasure reveals your heart.

Matthew 6:19-21

Generosity is not about amount given, its about your heart position.

Tragically, a woman’s husband passed away. As she was going through passwords and accounts, and noticed that there was a password missing: her husband’s crypto currency account - also referred to as a “wallet.”

Now you may think, what’s the big deal? Well, her late husband’s crypto wallet contained around 2.5 million in Bitcoin. And the thing about bitcoin, if you had one of those early 2012 wallets where you could buy bitcoin for a few dollars, if you lose the password there’s no recovery. There isn’t a “forgot my password” button. You either know it or you don’t. And this woman didn’t.

Jesus says, “do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” and I’ll add, “and where you forget your bitcoin password.”

What we build on this earth will eventually be gone.

Jesus is not saying, “never build a business, never expand, never buy a house, etc.”

He’s putting life into context.

He’s saying, if that is your treasure, you should know that this treasure will fade. It will rot or be stolen.

If that is true, what do we do? —> lay up treasures in heaven. Why? Because it cannot fade, it cannot rot, it will not be stolen. Your Heavenly Riches will last.

But here’s the point: Matthew 6:21

Matthew 6:21 ESV

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

There your heart will be also.

Remember how we can’t multi-task? We cannot have our hearts directed in two places. They are opposed to each other. You cannot treasure heaven and earth. You must pick your treasure.

Christian Quotations Heaven

It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in: aim at earth and you will get neither.

C.S. Lewis

If you want to know what your treasure is, focus on your orientation.

Is generosity something extra that I should do, but i don’t really want to?

Or is generosity the reason I hope I get the raise: so I can give more?

This single direction is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus: one who takes up His teaching, His character, and His mission.

The Gospel of Matthew 6. Treasure in Heaven (6:19–24)

Disciples, as subjects of God’s kingship, are totally committed to his service, and must allow no other concerns to distract them from this prior aim (see 6:33).

Where is your heart?

TRANS: But Jesus does not end there, he prompts us to consider generosity from yet another angle:

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!

Your eye reveals your priorities.

Matthew 6:22-23

Jesus is claiming that what the eye focuses on reveals what is going on inside: healthy eye reveals light, and a bad eye reveals darkness.

Jesus is not changing subjects, he is continuing to talk about generosity. Here’s what one scholar said about a healthy eye and a bad eye:

An unhealthy or evil eye is a sign of stinginess; a healthy eye indicates generosity and sincerity (as noted in the NIV footnotes). These ethical connotations help us to place these verses within the context of the discussion about the relationship between wealth and allegiance to God.1

NIV New International Version

1 Jeannine K. Brown, Matthew, ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), 71.

Consistent with this, the term translated “healthy” (Matt. 6:22) is haplous, which can mean “simple” in the sense of lacking ulterior motives. Cognate terms mean generous in 2 Corinthians 8:2; 9:13; and James 1:5. If we follow this reading of Matthew 6:22–23, we see Jesus exhorting men to set their eyes on the right things.

1 Daniel M. Doriani, “Matthew,” in Matthew–Luke, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. VIII, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021), 114.

Generosity isn’t peripheral to Christian discipleship—it’s the window through which spiritual light flows outward.

What are you looking at?

When I was a kid, my mom directed our homeschool choir. Our Co-Op had about 100 families in it, so looking back the scale at which we did these programs would rival any private school. It’s one of the things my mom does best.

Well, when I was a kid, having your mom as the choir director came with a cost: She expected a lot from me. Which, in many ways, I am grateful for now. But at the time, she expected me to set the example. One such instruction was: Keep your eyes on the director (herself). “Focus on me!” She would say to us.

Now this was a strange thing to hear, because I had not yet realized that people can tell what you’re looking at. I had this idea that what I was looking at was known only to me. I will never forget being on the stage, hundreds of parents and grandparents in the sanctuary, and getting distracted. I was admiring the room, the amount of people, the lights shining bright. And I thought “my head is facing toward my mom… she has no idea that I’m not looking at her.”

Well. She did. I have never seen my mom give me such a glare. Her eyes were wide and unblinking. And when I looked back at her after my mental tour around the room, I realized that she knew where my eyes were looking.

Similar to “where your heart is, there your treasure is too,” we see now “what you look at is where your priorities are.”

What gets your attention?

What you look at is what you prioritize

Is that priority reflective of greed? Jealousy? Distraction from God?

Or is that priority reflective of love? Of being generous? Of not having alternate motives?

What am I looking at?

TRANS: Jesus causes us to reflect on the orientation of our hearts, and the direction of our eyes. But Jesus has one more for us to consider: Who we serve.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Your allegiance reveals your master.

Matthew 6:24

Jesus is picking up on something that would have been considered normal for the time. People either sold themselves into slavery to pay off debts, or they were taken into slavery. Jesus here is not condoning slavery, rather he is using a conventional idea to make a point: you cannot serve to masters.

Sometimes, though it was rare, a slave would be put in a situation where this was the case. It was called “joint inheritance.” But this was not favorable, because masters recognized that this led to divided interests.

Contrast “autonomy” with reality.

We believe we can live “masterless.” It’s the American dream to be free!

We cannot function as purely independent and free creatures.

We are always serving something.

Other’s expectations

The markets, global competition

Our own appetites, whether sinful or not

A dream we have

Here’s how you know what you are serving: What you sacrifice to is what you serve. (repeat) Jesus is saying this, you cannot serve God and money, because one will require the sacrifice of another. Serve God, and he will require sacrifice of money. Serve money, and it will require the sacrifice of God.

Something is your master.

We talk of Jesus as our savior, but is he your Lord?

Is he your master? Or…

Is he your therapist? You go to once a week for advice and to feel better?

Is he your coach? His job is to “inspire you” to meet your goals, not his.

Is he your consultant? You bring him your plans and ask for input, but you may or may not implement his advice.

Is he your mascot? He wears your colors and cheers you on. He campaigns for your kingdom, not His.

It turns out, this sense that I can live “masterless” contradicts the gospel. Jesus does not say, “add me to your life and keep doing what you want.” He says,

Matthew 16:24 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Where is your allegiance?

Craig Keener makes this point about masters:

“Mammon” is an * Aramaic word for possessions or money, and Jesus seems to be personifying it as an idol, using another ancient figure of speech (personification).1

1 Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2014), 62.

Jesus is making the claim, “money, when served, is not just a *thing,* there is idol-like power that compels allegiance.”

Where is your allegiance?

To money (stuff), which moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal?

Or to Christ? He forgives you of your sin, rescues you from bondage, frees you from the sting of death and offers eternal life in heaven where Christ himself reigns.

TRANS: Look inside of yourself: Where is my heart? What am I looking at? Where is my allegiance? Do these three indicators point to a life devoted to Christ? Or a life devoted to another master?

Application

Do not serve money, use money to serve.

Money in the hands of a disciple of Jesus is not an idol, but a tool. Money in the hands of someone ruled by money becomes a chain.

Here’s the reality: to be Mastered by Jesus is to be free, and to be mastered by anything else is slavery.

When you serve God, money becomes a messenger. It goes where He sends it. It does what He assigns. It advances what He loves.

But when you serve money, everything flips.

You start making decisions not based on obedience, but on accumulation. Not based on mission, but on margin. Not based on faith, but on fear.

Bruce Wilkinson said it perfectly in his book “A Life God Rewards,”

 2   When you serve God, you are using God’s money to accomplish His wishes. But when you serve money, you are using God’s money to accomplish your wishes. Bruce Wilkinson A Life God Rewards (2002)

Bruce Wilkinson

That’s the issue: It’s all His money either way.

The only question is: Whose wishes are being accomplished? The Lord’s? Or a false god?

TRANS: But when we remember how Jesus started this passage, we avoid the trap of being mastered by money:

Remember, true riches are in heaven.

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.

Last week I talked about “kingdom ROI (return on investment).”

The Lord has given you time, talent, and treasure to use for His Kingdom. This is discipleship. This is the stewardship of the gospel. This is the purpose of life. To build His Kingdom, not my own. And when we live our lives to serve Him, we walk in an eternal purpose. What we do in this life echoes into eternity.

Imagine if we lived our lives this way? That The Lake Region would be infused with people who are looking for Kingdom ROI!

Start to dream with the Lord! “What have you entrusted to me that I can use for your Kingdom?”

The dollars that pass through your life are asking one question:

Will this serve the kingdom of God… or the kingdom of self?

Because you cannot serve both.

Conclusion : As a single-direction being: choose Christ. Follow Him. Be shaped by His priorities, be motivated by his heart, and pursue the Kingdom of Heaven which will reign forevermore.

Announcement:

Children’s church and the nursery are growing, and we need people who love kids to step up and help us stay within safety guidelines.

You can fill out a volunteer form in the ChurchCenter App, or reach out to Pastor Zach for a job description.

Pray

Talk About It/Think About It

What does it mean that we are “single-direction beings”?

What are some modern “treasures on earth” that compete for your heart?

How can storing up treasure in heaven reshape your daily decisions?

What do you think Jesus means by a “healthy” versus “bad” eye?

Why does Jesus personify money as a master?

In what subtle ways can money begin to function like a master in our lives?

What does your relationship with money reveal about who—or what—you are really serving?