Where Does Your Treasure Lie

Lynch Chapel Series on Generosity

Matthew 6:19–24 NRSV

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 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 unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

This is the Word of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

I. Introduction

Point One: Your Treasure Reveals Your Heart

Good morning, Lynch Chapel!

There is a saying among financial advisors that has always intrigued me. When someone comes into their office asking for help, they don’t always begin by asking, “What matters most to you?” Sometimes they begin with a much more honest question:

“Can I see your bank statement?”

That sounds nosy, doesn’t it? But they understand something most of us would rather ignore: people can say anything with their mouths, but their spending often tells the truth.

A person can say, “My family matters,” but their spending may tell another story. A person can say, “My future matters,” but their bank account may tell another story. One financial planner said it like this: “Your budget never lies.”

And church, Jesus said something even deeper.

Jesus said your treasure tells the truth about your heart.

Not just your words. Not just your intentions. Not just the “Amen” you shout on Sunday morning. Jesus says if you want to know what has captured your heart, follow your treasure.

And this morning, I want to add something else: don’t just look at your bank statement. Look at your calendar. Look at where your time goes. Look at your attention. Look at your energy. Look at what occupies your mind Monday through Saturday.

Because every one of us is keeping a ledger whether we realize it or not.

Every swipe of the debit card, every online purchase, every hour we spend, every commitment we make, every “I don’t have time,” and every “I can’t afford it” is writing a story.

And that story is our testimony.

Your ledger is your testimony.

So before we begin this series, I don’t want anybody thinking, “Pastor is just preaching about money.”

No.

If that is all we hear, we have missed Jesus before we even get started.

This sermon is not about your wallet. It is about your worship. Money just happens to be one of the loudest ways worship speaks. Time just happens to be one of the clearest ways worship is revealed.

Because whatever has your treasure has your heart. And whatever has your heart will eventually become your master.

That is why Jesus says in Matthew 6, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”

Jesus is speaking to ordinary people—people who knew what it meant to worry about bills, food, children, work, and tomorrow. Yet Jesus does not begin by talking about giving. He begins by talking about treasure.

Because giving is not first a financial issue.

It is a heart issue.

Stewardship is not first about dollars.

It is about discipleship.

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

Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say, “Where your heart is, your treasure will follow.” That is how most of us think it works. We tell ourselves, “If I ever feel more spiritual, then I’ll give.” “If I ever get closer to God, then I’ll serve.” “If I ever have more money, then I’ll be generous.”

But Jesus turns that upside down.

He says your treasure goes first, and your heart follows.

Whatever you consistently invest in, your heart begins to love.

That is why parents who never cared about soccer suddenly know every rule when their child joins the team. That is why grandparents who never watched college football suddenly know every statistic when their grandbaby signs with a school.

Investment creates affection.

If I continually invest in God’s Kingdom, my heart begins to move toward God’s Kingdom. But if I continually invest only in myself, my heart slowly turns inward.

So before we talk about generosity, before we talk about giving, before we talk about tithing, Jesus asks us one question:

Where does your treasure lie?

Because your ledger is your testimony.

Point Two: A Heart Changed by Grace Thinks Differently About Money

Now church, if Jesus says our treasure reveals our heart, then the next question is this:

How should a follower of Jesus think about money?

I don't know of anyone in our tradition who answered that question better than John Wesley.

Some people think Wesley was against money.

He wasn't.

Some people think holiness means being poor.

Wesley never taught that either.

In fact, Wesley called money "an excellent gift of God." Why? Because money can feed the hungry, clothe the naked, educate children, care for the sick, support the church, and spread the Gospel. Money isn't evil. The Apostle Paul never said money is the root of all evil. He said the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

Money is simply a tool.

Like a hammer, it can build a house or break a window.

The real question isn't whether money is good or bad.

The real question is:

Who is mastering whom?

Is your money serving God?

Or are you serving your money?

John Wesley answered that question with three simple rules that every Methodist ought to know.

Gain all you can.

Save all you can.

Give all you can.

Notice the order.

Wesley never discouraged hard work. He believed Christians should work with excellence, use the gifts God has given them, and provide well for their families. There is nothing spiritual about laziness.

Gain all you can.

Then he said,

Save all you can.

In other words, don't waste what God has entrusted to you. Live wisely. Live below your means. Don't spend your life trying to impress people who aren't paying your bills.

Then came the third rule.

Give all you can.

Not because God is trying to take something from you.

But because God is trying to keep something from taking you.

Church, I love that.

Generosity isn't God's way of emptying our pockets.

It's God's way of protecting our hearts.

Wesley didn't just preach those words.

He lived them.

When he first began preaching, he earned about thirty pounds a year. He discovered he could comfortably live on twenty-eight pounds, so he gave away two.

The next year his income doubled.

Did his lifestyle double?

No.

He continued living simply and gave away the increase.

As the years passed, Wesley earned hundreds of pounds...then more than a thousand pounds a year.

But his standard of living hardly changed.

His generosity did.

He once said,

"When I have money, I get rid of it quickly lest it find a way into my heart."

Now hear that carefully.

He wasn't afraid of money.

He was honest about his heart.

He understood that if he wasn't careful, his possessions would slowly begin to possess him.

Isn't that still true today?

How many people work overtime just to afford things they barely have time to enjoy?

How many families carry stress because they're always chasing the next purchase?

How many of us have believed the lie that if we just had a little more, we'd finally have enough?

Jesus says,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth."

Notice He doesn't say don't have money.

He says don't make earth your vault.

Everything here is temporary.

Cars wear out.

Clothes fade.

Homes need repairs.

Money comes and goes.

But every act of generosity...

Every child taught the Gospel...

Every meal shared with someone in need...

Every hour spent serving...

Every sacrifice made for Christ...

Is an investment that lasts forever.

Lynch Chapel, hear your pastor's heart.

I'm not asking anyone to choose between feeding their family and supporting the church.

That isn't what Jesus is teaching.

This is bigger than a dollar amount.

This is about whether God truly has first place in our lives.

Because if He has our hearts...

He'll have our hands.

He'll have our calendars.

He'll have our gifts.

And generosity will stop feeling like an obligation and start becoming an act of worship.

After all, the Bible says,

"For God so loved the world that He gave."

Giving has always been the language of love.

So I'll ask you again:

What story is your ledger telling?

Because your ledger is your testimony.

Point Three: You Cannot Serve Two Masters

Church, after talking about treasure, Jesus says something that almost sounds like He's changing the subject.

Listen again to verses 22 and 23:

"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light."

At first glance, that seems disconnected.

What do our eyes have to do with our treasure?

Everything.

Because before money ever gets into our hands...

It first gets into our eyes.

We see something.

Then we want something.

Then we begin chasing something.

Church, comparison is one of the greatest thieves of contentment.

We scroll through social media and suddenly our house isn't big enough.

Our car isn't nice enough.

Our vacation isn't exciting enough.

Our clothes aren't fashionable enough.

Before long, gratitude gives way to comparison.

And comparison eventually gives way to consumption.

That's why advertisers spend billions of dollars every year. They know if they can capture your eyes, they can influence your spending.

Jesus knew that long before Madison Avenue figured it out.

He says, "Be careful what you're looking at."

Because what captures your vision eventually captures your values.

In Jesus' day, a "healthy eye" wasn't about good eyesight.

It was a picture of a generous heart.

A healthy eye looked at God's blessings and asked,

"Lord, how can I use this to bless someone else?"

An unhealthy eye asked,

"How can I keep more for myself?"

One sees abundance.

The other sees scarcity.

One trusts God.

The other trusts possessions.

Church, I've learned something over the years.

Open hands usually belong to open hearts.

Closed fists usually belong to fearful hearts.

Then Jesus brings everything together in one powerful statement:

"No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve God and wealth."

Notice He doesn't say,

"You shouldn't."

He says,

"You can't."

Because eventually one master will demand your complete loyalty.

The word Jesus uses is Mammon.

Mammon isn't just money.

Mammon is money that has become a master.

Mammon promises what only God can provide.

It says,

"If you just had a little more..."

"You'd finally feel secure."

"If you got the promotion..."

"You'd finally be somebody."

"If you bought the bigger house..."

"You'd finally be happy."

But church, Mammon never says,

"You have enough."

Only Jesus says that.

Only Jesus teaches contentment.

Only Jesus gives peace that isn't tied to a paycheck.

So let me ask you this morning:

Who has been making your decisions?

Does God determine how you spend your money?

Does God determine how you spend your time?

Or has something else quietly climbed onto the throne of your heart?

Because idols don't always look like golden calves.

Sometimes they look like overflowing closets.

Sometimes they look like packed calendars.

Sometimes they look like careers.

Sometimes they look like comfort.

Anything that receives the devotion that belongs to God has become a master.

And Jesus says,

You only get one.

Church, I know One who has never broken a promise, never failed to provide, and never abandoned His children.

His name is Jesus.

He's a far better Master than money will ever be.

Conclusion

Church, Jesus has asked us one question all morning.

Where does your treasure lie?

Not where you say it lies.

Not where you hope it lies.

But where your life says it lies.

This week, I'm asking every member of Lynch Chapel to perform a spiritual audit.

Go home.

Open your banking app.

Look at your bank statement.

Pull out your calendar.

Look at where your money went.

Look at where your time went.

Then ask one simple question:

"What sermon did my ledger preach this month?"

Because your ledger is your testimony.

It reveals what you value.

It reveals what you love.

And it reveals who sits on the throne of your heart.

Hear me clearly.

This is not about making anyone feel guilty.

This is not about raising money.

This is about becoming disciples of Jesus Christ.

Because Jesus isn't after your wallet.

He's after your heart.

And once He has your heart, your generosity, your service, and your faithfulness become acts of worship instead of obligations.

John Wesley understood that. That's why he taught us to gain all we can, save all we can, and give all we can—not because giving earns God's favor, but because generosity keeps money from becoming our master.

So this week, take inventory.

Not because your pastor asked you to.

Because Jesus did.

Ask yourself:

If someone looked only at my calendar and my bank statement, would they conclude that Jesus is the greatest treasure of my life?

Church, my prayer is that Lynch Chapel becomes known as a church whose hearts are so captivated by Christ that generosity simply becomes who we are.

Because where our treasure is...

There our hearts will be also.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.