What Really Matters

OPENING SLIDE

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to say that something is important to us?

We say our family matters.

We say our faith matters.

We say our relationship with God matters.

We say eternity matters.

But there is a difference between what we say matters and what our lives reveal really matters.

Because sooner or later, what really matters to us starts showing up.

It shows up in how we spend our time.

It shows up in what gets our attention.

It shows up in what we worry about.

It shows up in what we sacrifice for.

Now, when we hear the word "rich," most of us immediately think about money.

We think about how much someone makes, how much they have in the bank, the kind of house they live in, the car they drive, or how much they have saved for retirement.

But over these next four weeks, I want us to allow Scripture to reframe the way we think about wealth, possessions, success, and security by shifting our perspective toward eternal things.

And we need to understand something right from the beginning:

The Bible does not condemn money.

Money isn't inherently evil.

Possessions aren't inherently evil.

Success isn't inherently evil.

The issue is what place those things occupy in our lives.

Scripture calls us to recognize God as the true treasure, to faithfully steward the earthly resources.

He has placed in our hands the opportunity to invest our lives in what lasts forever.

So this series really isn't about how much money you have.

It is about what has you.

In Matthew 6, Jesus is going to force us to take a very honest look at our lives.

Not merely at what we say we value.

Not merely at what we intend to value.

But at what our choices reveal that we actually value.

Because according to Jesus, what we treasure, where our heart is headed, and whom we serve are all connected.

Before we can learn to be rich toward God, we must first answer a very personal question:

What really matters to me?

Let’s start with Matthew 6, verses 19-21.

MAIN POINT 1 SLIDE

SERMON

I. Two Treasures

If we want to be rich toward God, we must choose between two treasures.

The main thought of this point from Jesus is

Where You Store Reveals What You Value

Look at what Jesus says in verse 19:

Matthew 6:19 NET 2nd ed.

19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and devouring insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

In verse 19, Jesus starts off by talking about earthly treasures.

We need to understand that Jesus is not saying that money, possessions, or saving to provide for your family is evil.

The issue is not whether you have possessions.

The issue is whether your possessions have become the place where you are storing your ultimate treasure.

In Jesus’ world, wealth often took forms that were very vulnerable.

Fine clothing was valuable; clothes were significant assets; handwoven garments, cloaks, and woolen items represented investment, so moths could destroy part of a person’s wealth.

Precious metals and other possessions could deteriorate, corrode, or simply be consumed by the passing of time.

Homes were often constructed in such a way that a thief could literally dig through a wall and steal what had been stored inside.

So Jesus gives them three pictures:

Moths eat it.

Decay consumes it.

Thieves take it.

In our world, we might just use different words.

Moth and rust look like market crashes, inflation, a roof that suddenly needs replacing, or a car that dies the week after the warranty runs out.

Thieves look like identity theft, scams, lawsuits, or sometimes the consequences of bad financial decisions we made ourselves.

But the principle is exactly the same.

Earthly treasure is not necessarily evil.

It is simply temporary.

It is not a matter of if it fades.

It is a matter of when.

Everything we own has an expiration date attached to it.

Let’s move to verse 20, where Jesus describes heavenly treasures.

Matthew 6:20 NET 2nd ed.

20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and devouring insect do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

Here is something important to see.

Jesu does not say, “Stop storing treasure.”

He says, in effect, “Store it somewhere else.”

Professor Gareth Reese put it well: “Lay up treasures indeed, but in the right place.”

Jesus is contrasting two investments.

One is temporary.

One is eternal.

One is vulnerable.

One is secure.

One can disappear in a moment.

One can never be taken from you.

You have probably seen news coverage after a wildfire or a flood moves through a community.

We are well acquainted with fires.

Reporters talk to people who had only a few moments to get out of their homes, and they ask the same basic question:

“What did you grab on your way out?”

Nobody says, “I grabbed the television.”

Nobody says, “I made sure I got the golf clubs.”

People grab photographs, a grandmother's ring, important documents, the kids, their pets, and maybe a Bible from the nightstand.

It is amazing how quickly a crisis can clarify value.

In the few seconds it takes to run out of a burning house, you find out what actually mattered inside it.

And here is the uncomfortable part.

Most of what is sitting in our houses right now, we would leave behind without a second thought.

Garages, closets, and storage units are full of it.

Stuff we thought we had to have.

Stuff that made us happy for a season, but now it just sits there.

Stuff we worked hard to buy, now it sits there depreciating and gathering dust.

Again, it is not evil.

It is just temporary.

And Jesus is asking us to be honest about that.

So what does it mean to store up treasure in heaven?

It means using what God has placed in our hands: our money, our time, our strength, and our abilities in ways that have eternal value.

It means generosity.

It means serving Christ.

It means investing in the work of the kingdom.

It means helping people in need.

It means pouring into the next generation.

It means using temporary resources for eternal purposes.

So here is the question:

Where are you storing your treasure?

Forget for a moment what you would say out loud in church.

Look at your bank statement, your calendar, and your garage.

Look at where your time, energy, and resources actually go.

What story do they tell about what you really value?

Because if we want to be rich toward God, we have to choose the treasure that lasts.

MAIN POINT 2 SLIDE

II. Two Destinations for the Heart

If we want to be rich toward God, we must choose between two destinations for the heart.

Your Heart Follows Your Treasure

Now look carefully at verse 21, because this may be the most eye-opening statement in the whole passage:

Matthew 6:21 NET 2nd ed.

21 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 be also.”

That is usually how we think.

We tend to think that if we really love God, then eventually our money, our time, and our priorities will follow.

But Jesus turns that around.

He says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.

In other words, your treasure does not simply reveal your heart.

Your treasure also pulls your heart.

Where you continually invest yourself, your money, your time, your energy, your attention, and your heart begins to follow.

Think about how this works.

You buy a house, and suddenly you care about property values in that neighborhood.

You invest in a company, and suddenly you pay attention when that company is in the news.

You pour your time and money into a hobby, and before long you are thinking about it, talking about it, and planning around it.

Why?

Because investment creates interest.

And Jesus says the same thing happens spiritually.

Where you place your treasure today is helping to shape where your heart will be tomorrow.

That ought to get our attention.

Because we tend to think our hearts are independent of our choices.

We say, “God knows my heart.”

And He does.

But Jesus is telling us something else: You can learn something about your heart by looking at where your treasure goes.

So if you really want an honest heart check, don't begin with what you say matters.

Look at what receives your sacrifice.

Look at what gets the best of your time.

Look at what you think about when nobody is telling you what to think about.

Look at what you are afraid of losing.

Look at what you would rearrange your entire schedule to protect.

Those things tell a story.

And here is the danger: we can say that heaven matters while building our entire lives around earth.

We can say that God comes first while giving Him whatever is left over.

We can say that the kingdom matters while investing almost everything we have in things that will eventually disappear.

Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

So there are really only two destinations for the heart.

Your heart can become increasingly attached to what is temporary or increasingly attached to what is eternal.

And every decision is moving it in one direction or the other.

That is why storing treasure in heaven matters so much.

Generosity is not merely about moving money.

Serving is not merely about filling a need.

Giving your time to the kingdom is not merely about staying busy.

Those choices are training your heart to value what God values.

So ask yourself: Where is my heart headed?

This is because Jesus' warning is about to become even stronger.

If your treasure pulls your heart, eventually your heart gives its allegiance.

And once we start talking about allegiance, we are no longer simply talking about possessions.

We are talking about lordship.

If we want to be rich toward God, we must choose between the two destinations.

MAIN POINT 3 SLIDE

III. Two Masters

You Cannot Serve Both

If we want to be rich toward God, we must choose between two masters.

Now Jesus brings the whole passage to its climax in verse 24:

Matthew 6:24 NET 2nd ed.

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.

Here is a small detail that is vital for us to understand.

Jesus does not say, “You should not serve two masters.”

He says, “You cannot.”

It is impossible.

The word translated “serve” is much stronger than our English word sometimes sounds.

Jesus is not talking about working two jobs.

He is talking about the service of a slave.

A slave belonged to his master.

The master had the claim.

The master had the authority.

The master got the allegiance.

So Jesus says eventually one master is going to win.

You will love one and reject the other.

You will cling to one and look down on the other.

There is no fifty-fifty arrangement here.

There is no, “God gets Sunday and money gets the rest of the week.”

There is no shared throne.

Jesus specifically names the rival: God and money.

Not because money is evil.

Money can feed a family, support ministry, or help someone in need.

Money can be used to do tremendous good.

The question is not whether you use money.

The question is whether money uses you.

Professor Reese makes the distinction clearly: the Christian may be entrusted with wealth, but we are not to serve wealth.

We serve God with it.

That changes everything.

When we understand that our pursuit is God instead of earthly treasures, everything changes.

When we just chase money to the point it becomes our master, God will not bless us because we are not allowing Him to be our Lord.

If God is Master, then my money becomes a tool in His hands.

My possessions become resources entrusted to me.

My success becomes an opportunity to serve.

My security is no longer found in what I have accumulated but in the God who holds my life.

But when money becomes the master, it starts making the decisions.

It tells me how much is enough.

It tells me what I cannot give.

It tells me what I have to protect.

It tells me what I have to chase next.

And before long, I may still say that God is first while living as though something else owns me.

That is why this passage is so much bigger than finances.

Jesus is talking about lordship.

So here is the question everything has been building toward: Who has the right to rule your life?

Because your treasure pulls your heart.

And your heart eventually gives its allegiance.

So if we really want to be rich toward God, we cannot simply ask, “What do I own?”

We have to ask the far more important question: What owns me?

Because in the end, Jesus says there can only be one Master.

CLOSING SLIDE

CONCLUSION

Let's bring this together.

Jesus has given us three windows into the same truth.

Two treasures—one that decays, one that lasts.

You choose where you're storing yours.

Two destinations for the heart—and wherever your treasure goes, your heart follows.

Two masters—and no matter how skillfully we try to divide our loyalty, Jesus says we cannot serve them both.

Here's what I don't want to happen this morning.

I don't want us to feel vaguely guilty about money for thirty minutes and have that feeling disappear by Tuesday while nothing actually changes.

Jesus didn't teach this lesson simply to make us feel bad.

He taught it to make us free.

Free from the exhausting task of trying to serve two masters.

Free to invest in something that will never decay or disappear.

Free to have a heart fully directed toward the God who made us, loves us, and provides for us.

So I want to leave you with three honest questions.

Don't answer them for me.

Don't answer them out loud.

Answer them before God.

1. Where is your treasure actually going?

Not where you wish it were going.

Look at your spending.

Look at your calendar.

Look at what you are accumulating.

What story do they tell?

2. Where is your heart headed?

What occupies your thoughts?

What are you most afraid of losing?

What gets your best attention and energy?

And then the most important question:

3. Who is really your master?

Not who you would say in a room like this.

Who actually calls the shots when money gets tight, when schedules collide, when an opportunity to be generous appears, or when fear starts whispering that you need just a little more before you'll finally be secure?

And then do something with your answer.

Maybe this week you give something generously toward the work of God's kingdom.

Maybe you take something you no longer need and turn it into an opportunity to bless someone else.

Maybe you simply sit down before God and say, “Lord, I need You to be Master of this part of my life too.”

Whatever it is, do something.

Don't let your knowledge remain information.

Let it become an invitation.

Because everything invested in this world eventually stays in this world.

But what is invested in the purposes of God is secure with Him.

Moths cannot touch it.

Decay cannot destroy it.

Thieves cannot take it.

And when this life is over, we'll discover that those were the investments that really mattered.

That's what Jesus is offering us.

Not a guilt trip about money.

An invitation to become rich toward God.

A life where our treasure, our heart, and our Master are all pointed in the same direction—toward Him.