Matthew 6:19-24

Introduction

Good morning! Please open your Bible to Matthew 6. We’re continuing our study of Matthew’s Gospel and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. This morning we have the great joy and privilege of looking at Matthew 6:19-24. As always, I will first read the passage. Then we will pray and ask the LORD to bless our time together in His Word. So, please follow along in your copy of God’s Word as I read the passage for us.

READ Matthew 6:19-24

PRAY

The last several weeks, as we poured over Matthew 6:1-18, we’ve seen that Jesus cares very much about our heart motives in what we do. He highlights three things that are assumed practices among His people––giving, praying, and fasting. All good things that He expects His people to do, but could be done for the wrong reasons.

Such a thing is possible. It’s a dangerous reality that we can do the right things, good things, for the wrong reasons. Notably, doing good to impress others so that we’ll be noticed and praised ourselves, rather than doing what is right to please God and glorify Him. And so, we saw that Jesus would have us do those good things with a pure heart. With the right motives.

This morning, we see that Jesus cares about our motives in another sense, particularly as it relates to our disposition towards this world. Particularly when it comes to our money and possessions. And what we find is that our disposition towards those things says a lot about us. It exposes our values and priorities. It exposes our hopes and desires. It exposes the ultimate end and purpose for which we are living. It lays bare the condition of our hearts, our perspective on life, and who (or what) we are ultimately living for.

Jesus wants us to live with a right perspective. This is the heart of what we’ll be looking at this morning and next week. What we’ll see next week in verses 25 to 34 is very much connected to what we are looking at this morning in verses 19-24. Just look ahead to verse 25 and notice the word “therefore.” In other words, what Jesus has to say about anxiety and trusting in God’s good and wise Fatherly provision for His people flows from what we see in these verses. All of it, from verse 19 to 34 is aiming for us to have a right perspective. A Kingdom Perspective.

What we find is maintaining that right perspective––a Kingdom Perspective––it helps us maintain the right priorities and values in the way we steward what God has given us.This applies broadly––our money, our time, our talents. How we use them for His glory and the joy of others in Christ. And then, next week, we’ll see how that perspective helps us persevere in faith, confidently trusting our Father in Heaven to meet all of our needs, in any circumstance.

MAIN POINT––Maintain a kingdom perspective, prioritizing kingdom values and fully trusting the King’s provision.

The verses we are looking at this morning will probe each of us with three questions as we work through them:

Where’s Your Investment?

How’s Your Eyesight?

Whom Will You Serve?

Prioritize Kingdom Values

In the passage before us this morning, as we’re exhorted to a Kingdom Perspective, Jesus want to have us Prioritize Kingdom Values in the way we steward what God has given us. And He uses three metaphors to orient the priorities of His people.

Where’s Your Treasure?

The first illustration causes us to ask, “Where’s your treasure?” It also serves as the main exhortation for all that we will consider this morning. It’s the controlling proposition. The main exhortation. And all that follows in the last two illustrations serve to further emphasize Jesus’ main point here. Look there at verses 19 through 21 with me again.

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.

The exhortation is first stated negatively in verse 19, then positively in verse 20. We’re told “do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” That’s the main exhortation and the logic, or reason is simple and straightforward. The treasures we store up on earth will not last. They’re fleeting. They’re here today and gone tomorrow. No matter how fine and well made. No matter how pure and precious the metal. No matter how securely they are kept. Everything we have in this life has an expiration date.

Now, here we’re faced with a question that we must deal with if we are to rightly understand what Jesus is saying. Are we to take this to such an extent that any and all efforts of financial saving is sinful and wrong? Should all of us, as soon as the banks open tomorrow, empty out all of our savings and investment accounts and give them away? No, Jesus isn’t speaking against any and all kinds of savings and preparation for the future.

The Bible positively exhorts us to make wise provision for the future. Proverbs 6:6-8 tells us:

6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;

consider her ways, and be wise.

7 Without having any chief,

officer, or ruler,

8 she prepares her bread in summer

and gathers her food in harvest.

It is wise and prudential, and therefore would be foolish, to not prepare for the seasons of our life when daily financial provision has decreased, or even disappeared. To have that emergency fund in the case of job loss or other unforeseen circumstances. To have retirement savings for when your body begins to fail due to old age that limits or prevents you from working.

The Bible also exhorts us to provide and care well for our families. Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 5:8––

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

The Bible even exhorts us to enjoy the good things that God gives us. Again, Paul speaks against false teacher in 1 Timothy 4:3-4––

3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

God is not a cosmic killjoy. He gives us good gifts to enjoy and when those good things are enjoyed in right measure it actually serves to glorify Him as the giver. The Christian life is not an ascetic life that denies the goodness of good physical gifts which God has given to be enjoyed. So, is Jesus’ teaching here in contradiction with those other exhortations? Of course not. Jesus is concerned with selfishness in misplaced values.

This becomes all the more clear when you keep reading to verse 21–– “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” When the Bible speaks of the heart, it is addressing the central governing reality of a persons life––their desires, their will, their motivation. The heart is the wellspring of life. It is from the heart that everything external about you flows. What you say, what you do, all of it reveals the condition of your heart.

So it is with your treasure. Your disposition, your perspective on the things that God has given you and what you do with those things, says something about your heart and its condition. It reveals what you ultimately value. And so we find that it is in asking ourselves “where is your treasure” we can answer by considering where our heart is.

What kind of things control your desires and ambitions in this life? What kind of things do you prioritize? How do you spend what God has given you––whether it's your money, your time, your talents? What are the things that keep you up at night? What are the things you are living for? And when you answer those questions, they say something about where your treasure is.

Are you pursuing wealth for the sake of wealth as an end in and of itself? Because you find comfort in having a bigger nest egg? Because people will be impressed with how much you have saved up or what kind of “toys” you have? Because you just want to have a healthy, wealthy, comfortable life and that’s what it's all about for you? A pleasure filled escape from the reality that this life will one day come to an end, so enjoy it while you can?

Let’s put aside money and possessions for a moment. What about the way you use your time, energy, and talents? How do you spend your time, energy, and talents and why do you spend it that way? Is it so you can have more wealth and stuff as an end in themselves? Is it to increase your reputation as a “pillar” in the community? To gain and maintain a certain societal status? All of these things as an end in and of themselves?Love ones, at the heart of all that drives those things is an orientation towards self. A love of self.

But when you become a Christian, self ought no longer be the animating center and orientation of your life. All that you do––the accrual of money and its use; the use of your time and energy––is to be pursued in such a way that demonstrates a greater desire for the glory of God and the joy of all people in Christ. That’s the governing perspective and orientation of all God’s people. That’s the difference between laying up treasures on earth and laying up treasures in heaven.

You lay up treasure in heaven by using whatever God gives you––wealth, possessions, gifts, time and energy to glorify God and extend His Kingdom through the spread of the gospel. All so that others might bring glory to Him down through the ages. Again this is not a blanket condemnation of all wealth. Paul doesn’t tell Timothy that money is the root of all evil. He says that it is the “love” of money that is the root of all evil. And so he exhorts the rich in 1 Timothy 6:17-19––

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

He doesn’t condemn people for having money. Rather, He exhorts them to use what they have for God’s ends and purposes. And this applies just as much to those who are not wealthy. A love of money can consume both rich and poor alike. And so, wherever you are on that spectrum, you are to use what God has given you in such a way in this world that you are building up your balance for the life to come.

How’s Your Eyesight?

Now, here's the second illustration in verses 22-23 is important. We need God’s wisdom in order to rightly assess our motives in these things. Look at verses 22-23.

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!

Not only do we ask “where’s your treasure”, but also ask “how’s your eyesight?” And again, like the heart, our outlook on life in this world says something about whether we have the right perspective. A Kingdom Perspective.

Now, I’ll confess I spent a long time on this one metaphor as I studied and prepared this week. Reading and rereading. Listening to others explain it. And I struggled to fully grasp what it was getting at. So, what I have to say on this is much more dependent on others than anything else I’ve said to this point. If it’s helpful, praise God for those men I read and listened to. If it’s not clear and helpful, the fault is mine entirely. Just another reason you should always pray for your pastors when it comes to their study and preparation to minister the Word to you each week.

Here’s the explanation I found most helpful. The eye is the lamp of the body the way that windows allow light into your home. At our house we have large windows on one side of the house that take up much of the wall on that side. They let in a lot of light. Even at night, when the moon is full like it has been this past week, when the lights are out you can see pretty well. They let in a lot of light and we’re able to see clearly and move about more safely in our house.

So it is with your eyes and the ability for you to see and think and act more clearly in your own life when it comes to the use of what God has given you to steward in this life. If your eye is healthy, the more light gets in and you can see better. Those of you who have or have had cataracts can relate to this metaphor perhaps a bit more. When the eye is not healthy, there’s more darkness. It’s harder to see and act accordingly more clearly.

Of course, Jesus isn’t thinking about our need to have regular eye checkups. Its a metaphor for how well we are see with regard to our perspective on life and how that affects the way we live. Especially the way we live with regard to how we use what God has given us. Either to lay up treasures in heaven or one earth.

Those whose eyes are healthy––they have a healthy outlook and perspective on life––will more readily make wise decisions on how to steward what they have and lay up treasures in heaven. Conversely, those whose eyes are bad––their perspective is clouded by worldly cares and concerns––will be less able to steward what they have and more likely will store earthly treasures instead.

Even still, there’s the danger of being deceived. I think that’s what He’s getting at when He says, “if then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” There’s a real danger that you can think you’re seeing clearly, but really the light that you think is governing you is still darkness. There’s the danger of thinking that you are storing up treasure in heaven, but really you’re still storing on earth in all the wrong places.

I think that’s the real danger of those Jesus speaks of toward the end of Matthew 7 where he describes those who do all kinds of things, even seemingly miraculous things. Only to stand before Jesus and hear Him say, “depart from me I never knew you.” And so, we desperately need God to shine light on us. To give us eyes to see so that we really are storing in the right place. And praise be to God, He has graciously given us means to see clearly.

Do you want help making sure that you're seeing clearly? That anything clouding your outlook and perspective will be cleared up? God has given us His Word. Love ones, we neglect God’s Word to our own peril. It is the medicine we all need continually to keep our eyes clear. It is the lens we all need as we look at the world around us if we are to truly have a right perspective and understand how God would have us to live in these days.

He’s given us communion with Him in prayer. So that as we look to Him in His Word, we also come to Him in prayer according to His Word. Knowing His purposes and desires for the world He made and for His people, we come to Him praying according to His plans, purposes, and desires. His will increasingly governs our own desires as we’re caught up to see Him glorified. To see others know, enjoy, and live for Him.

He’s given us each other, our church family. So that as we, together let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly, we’re more able to teach and admonish one another in all wisdom. We speak the truth in love to one another when we’re straying or when we’re discouraged and we need our eyesight cleared up to see better. Loved ones, when God graciously uses those means to give us eyes to see, we’re more ready and able to use what He has given us in a way that pleases Him and stores up treasure in heaven. Living for Him in all that we do, not for this world.

I find that when I am regularly taking in God’s Word, communing with Him in prayer according to His Word, and giving and receiving counsel from others according to His Word, I’m more eager and joyful to use what He has given me for His glory and His purposes. And when I’m not regularly giving myself to those gracious means, I am far more consumed with my self and my own worries and the concerns of this life. I’m less ready to give of myself to God’s plans and purposes.

Whom Will You Serve?

Third and final metaphor, which Jesus uses to help us have the right perspective, is found in verse 24––

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.

We ask “where’s your treasure” and “how’s your eyesight.” Now, the question is “whom will you serve?” This is the question that Joshua posed to Israel after they had taken the promised land and warned them about turning away from serving the LORD who had delivered them from Egypt. It’s the same question Elijah set before Israel before dueling the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel as he called them to turn back to serving the LORD. With this metaphor, we should hear Jesus asking us the same question––“whom will you serve?”

Here we have the illustration of being caught between two opposing masters that demand our complete devotion and loyalty. The scenario is not that of having two different employers. Those of you who work more than one job, or have worked more than one job at a time in order to make ends meet. That’s not what He’s describing. The metaphor is one of slavery, like that which was common in Jesus’ day. The kind where people might sell themselves into slavery in order to pay off a debt.

In such a scenario, you cannot serve two different masters. To love one and be fully devoted to them would necessarily cause you to hate and despise the other in comparison. It is impossible to live for and please two competing masters who have opposing interests. And so, Jesus would have us know that we can either serve God and His interests, or we can live for and serve money and the worldly interests represented therein.

Loved ones, you cannot get any more opposing interest than God versus the world. You cannot live to please both God and the world. The world, especially when it comes to the pursuit of wealth and always being consumed with money can never be satisfied. The wealthiest people in the world are always seeking more. It’s an insatiable desire. A taskmaster who can never be satisfied. John D. Rockefeller, the world’s first billionaire, when asked how much money is enough said, “just a little bit more.”

God is a far more gracious master. And service to Him is far more satisfying. One day, the pleasures of this world will come to an end. The stock market can crash. Bank accounts can be emptied and dried up. Belongings can deteriorate or be stolen. But at God’s right hand are pleasures forevermore. It is far more worthwhile to serve God rather than money. To let His plans and purposes drive you, rather than the neverending all consuming pursuit of more in this world.

So, whom will you serve? Will you live for the things of this world? More money, more praise and applause from men? A pursuit that will always demand more from you and never truly satisfy. Or will you live with the all satisfying aim to know more of God and see others know Him as well? When you look at your life and how you use what God has given you––your money, your time, your energy––what does it say about who you're living for? Let me give you some more pointed questions to dwell on and assess yourself.

Does your budget and the way you give and spend reflect a love for God and His people? Do your financial priorities reflect a heart that shares God’s priorities? I want to challenge you, especially if you’re a member of this church. I am joyfully ignorant of who gives and how much you give. Those things never cross my eyes. So I’m not thinking of any specific person. But if you’re a member of this church and you are not regularly, joyfully, and sacrificially giving to the financial needs of this church, you should be.

The local church is God’s primary means of seeing to the advance of His kingdom in the spread of the gospel. There are plenty of good things to give to charitably, but none more important than that which Jesus committed Himself to building. The church is the Bride of Christ. He’s so committed to His bride that He died for her. And in Matthew 16 He clearly states He is building His church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. He doesn’t speak that strongly about anything else. Does your giving, and for that matter serving, reflect that same commitment?

Conclusion

Loved ones, when our priorities align with God’s priorities there is greater joy and satisfaction. When your investments are in the right place. When your eyesight is clear and healthy. When you're seeking to serve the right master. The anxieties and cares of this world will pale in comparison with the glory that is to be revealed when Jesus comes again.

If you’re here this morning and you recognize that you have been living according to the wrong priorities, today’s a great day to heed the words of Jesus. If you’re a believer and you realize you’ve not been using what God has given you for His glory and the advance of His kingdom, let today be the day you make whatever changes you need to make in that regard.

If you’re not a Christian, the starting point is turning from your sin and living for yourself to serve the living God by faith in Christ and Christ alone. No amount of good works. No amount of giving apart from faith in Christ can merit God’s favor. Turn to Christ in faith for the forgiveness of your sins and commit to living under His Lordship. Then and only then, will you be able to truly live and use what He has given you in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Loved ones, by God’s grace, let us…

Maintain a kingdom perspective, prioritizing kingdom values and fully trusting the King’s provision.