Where is your heart?

Today we are going to be reading through Matthew 6:19-24

It is within this text that we see Jesus draw from the previous messages.

I want to remind everyone the exact term that Jesus called those who were giving to the needy, praying and fasting for the attention and for the applaud of people. He referred them as hypocrites. Hypocrites are people that say one thing but do another. They are people who seek false approval, they are actors. They do things to look good rather than doing them out of genuine desire.

Jesus says to those who look for the approval of people, that they shall receive their reward in full. They shall have the praise of men, they will have their applause but, there will be nothing more to receive. No reward from God, no reward in eternity.

The praise of men will fade. The reward a hypocrite seeks will go away when they die. But to those who do not seek the praise of men but rather Gods glory will be rewarded with eternity. Amen?

Matthew 6:19–20 “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.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth! The first thing that comes to my mind is how when I'm purchasing something. Amazon has made this one of the easiest things to do now. The first thing I do is I go straight to the reviews. I want to see if it is actually a good product. I want to know that alot of people have purchased it and were happy with the product. I want to make sure that whatever it is that I am buying is worth my money. I want to make sure that it will last me a long time. and I think to myself, if I put so much effort into these foolish things. These things that will most likely be of no use to me in the next 5 years, How much more thought, how much more effort should I be putting into securing my eternity.

We as Kingdom citizens are called to avoid worldliness. That means that we choose not the temporal, but the eternal, not what is visible but the invisible, that we choose God over our selves. We are called to Godliness.

1 Timothy 6:6–7 “6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.”

Godliness means that we live a life that reflects the character, the love and the laws of God. It’s not just a moment, its not just for month or a a year, Godliness is a calling on your life that shapes your identity and purpose. It’s a lifestyle.

So when we read “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, I want you guys to think for a moment, What will remain here on earth when you die, what will you be able to take with you? and what will await you?

Is your clothes going with you? Is your phone going with you? Is your car going with you? Is your house going with you? Is all that money in the bank account going with you? Are your investments going with you? No, not only are they not going with you but all of those things are temporary and they will fade. They will be gone.

But, Treasures in heaven. let me tell you about those. Treasures in heaven will never fade, Treasures in heaven can be stored up for you where they cannot be stolen, Treasures in heaven are eternal.

So we must ask, How can i get these treasures in Heaven?

When we choose to invest in the kingdom of God and deny ourselves. When we use our resources and efforts towards Gods kingdom rather than selfish desires.

Jesus commanded us to give to the needy, He commands us to pray and to fast. When these 3 acts of righteousness are practiced with the right motivation God rewards them.

Those who suffer persecution for Christ’s sake, those who love their enemies, those whose hearts long for God are accumulating heavenly wealth.

Matthew 6:21 “21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

You see we can try our best, we can do all these things and fool those around us just like the hypocrites did. But God looks at your heart. Where your treasure is, the way you speak, the choices you make, and your deepest desires all point to what truly occupies your heart.

What do you treasure most?

Matthew 6:22–23 “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!”

If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, Jesus isn't talking about 20/20 vision here. He’s referring to something so much deeper. He is speaking about spiritual perception and moral focus. It means we shift our focus to the things of above. We shift our focus to what brings God glory. We shift our focus to serving others. Earlier this week I was listening to a podcast and the pastor said the goal is not only to mirror the things in the Bible, but to pick it up and view the world through it as if it were a lens. As a tool to clarify what is of God and what is not.

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?

To have a bad eye means that you have divided loyalty- It means that you are attempting to serve God and wealth simultaneously which then creates spiritual blindness.

The world blinds people to the truth, while the love of the world causes spiritual blindness. The desires of the flesh blind people to God’s will the pride of life blinds people to their need for God.

We become blinded to what is most important, Heavenly treasure. The person with a dark eye cannot become aware of this because their vision, their loyalty, is divided. They are clouded by greed and selfish desire. This is where we find most of the world to be. They are spiritually blind. They are lost. They are loyal to the things of this earth. They are filled with darkness. The darkness turns into moral blindness and a person who is morally blind cannot see what is good and they have no desire to pursue it.

If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness?

Matthew 6:24 “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.”

It cannot get any more clearer than that.

No on can serve 2 masters because a master demands exclusive allegiance.

Heres the catch though

1 master will bring you, anxiety, problems, worry,

and the other will bring you peace.

Jesus specifically referred to money because of its unique power to grap our trust and loyalty. Think about it honestly, how far are we willing to go for money? what are we willing to do for money?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again How many of us are willing to go to work early if asked, or stay late. How many are willing to work on their day off, How many are willing to work on a Holiday? Why? Because they pay extra?

The love of money commands worship, it makes us bow down and it makes us compromise.

God is not saying that you cannot be wealthy, He is not saying that you cannot have a nice car, that you cannot have a home, that you cannot have a new pair of shoes. God is not against any of that. What God is trying to free you from is not from having money but money having you.

In Proverbs 30:8–9 “8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”

God has entrusted us with all that we have. How crazy is it to prize the gift above the giver? We are nothing but stewards, all that we have is from Him Because of Him and for Him.

Don’t serve your money, instead let your money serve the Lord.

Use your resources to help those who are need, Use your resources to expand the kingdom. Use your resources to support the church to support missions.

Luke 12:13–21 “13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.””

Nothing is going to go with you when you die. So rather than store up for yourselves treasures on earth, shift your focus to storing treasures in Heaven.

This is all goes back to the matter of the heart

Many people would say they love God, but their service of money shows that in fact they do not. How can we tell who or what we are serving? One way is by remembering this principle: you will sacrifice for your God. If you will sacrifice for the sake of money, but will not sacrifice for the sake of Jesus, don’t deceive yourself: money is your God.