Matthew 6:16-24

Jacob Whitaker

Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

Matthew 6:16–24

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Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 6

Fasting

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

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.

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!

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.

During our last four weeks together we considered our Lord’s teaching on prayer, and if you’ll recall Jesus seems to insert this teaching into his discussion on personal piety. He begins by discussing how we ought to seek God’s reward when we give to the poor, that we should not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing. And he continues in the same vein concerning prayer, by saying that prayer should not be done in such a way so as to garner the praise of men, that we, again, should seek God’s reward when we pray.

It’s at this point that Jesus launches into his famous teaching on prayer, what we call the Lord’s Prayer. However, when he finishes his instruction on how we ought to pray he continues his thought concerning personal piety, particularly concerning fasting. So before we move on to verse 19 I want to spend some time looking at Jesus’ words here starting in verse 16,

English Standard Version Chapter 6

Fasting

The practice of fasting is assumed

The first thing we should notice, as we did with the first two disciplines, is that fasting appears to be assumed. Jesus doesn’t command his disciples to fast, instead he says, “when you fast”. Now fasting actually isn’t mentioned too many times in the NT but I suspect that’s not necessarily because it wasn’t a common practice among the followers of Christ but rather for several very specific reasons.

The first reason I think is found starting in Mark chapter 2, verse 18,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

A Question About Fasting

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

What we see here is that John’s disciples (that is the disciples of John the Baptist) are perplexed that Jesus’ disciples are not fasting like everyone else. Again, this seems to bolster the argument that the practice of fasting was assumed among God’s people, and it also indicates that Jesus did intend for his disciples to continue the act of fasting after he’s gone. So the first reason I think we don’t see much in terms of fasting, particularly in the Gospels, is because there was no need to fast since the Bridegroom (that is Christ) was with them. In other words this was a time of celebration, but there would be a time after Christ’s ascension into heaven that his disciples would continue the practice of fasting. In fact, we see this played out in the book of Acts, after Jesus’ ascension, the followers of Christ are seen praying and fasting again. In , starting in verse 21 we read,

Secondly,

English Standard Version Chapter 14

21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

And the third reason I don’t think we see fasting mentioned very often in the NT is precisely because of what Jesus teaches here in . He tells his disciples that fasting is typically done in secret between the disciple and God. Again, he says, starting in verse 17,

English Standard Version Chapter 6

when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Fasting is typically a private practice

It isn’t that fasting is always to be done in secret, there are certainly instances in the OT where the people of God fast corporately, but Jesus here is speaking specifically to the typical mode of fasting. That fasting is typically intended to be a private practice of piety, and that we are to be careful not to use fasting as an opportunity to elicit the praise of others.

Becoming God pleasers

Jesus tells us this because as sinners he know that we’re prone to seek the praise of man. The fact is, is that we like to be liked. And it’s easy for us to have that sensation of being liked by others drive our actions. Being liked can easily become the motivation behind what we say and how we behave. And what Jesus is trying to do is teach his disciples that they should not be driven by their desire to be praised by others, but rather to be driven by their desire to please God.

We should be concerned with what God thinks of us. It’s his assessment of us that should matter, for at least two reasons, 1) because it’s ultimately God in whom we are held accountable to, therefore we should have chief concern for what he thinks, and 2) because as Christians our love for God should rule our hearts, not our love for earthly praise, not our desire to be liked, or our desire to be accepted by our peers. The mark of a true disciple of Christ is that they care first and foremost about what God thinks.

Therefore, our piety ought to have God as its aim. And our piety should have God as its aim not only because he rightly deserves it as our creator, but more than that, we serve God because we love him. We seek his reward because he is the chief object of our affections. To us he is both our Lord and our Husband. Piety toward God is not simply obligatory, it's the fruit of our love for Christ. If our piety is motivated by of anything other than our affections for Christ, then we know that our souls have gone astray.

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven

So if we are to be God pleasers, and if we are to be driven by a desire to please our Father in heaven, and not man, then it also follows that our hearts should not be set on earthly treasures. Our attitude toward material possessions should be influenced by our desire to please and serve God. Therefore, in verse 19 Jesus continues by saying,

English Standard Version Chapter 6

Prayer, giving and fasting also reflect our dependence upon God. When we fast we’re saying that Jesus is more important to us than food, that we rely ultimately on the Bread of Life who came down from heaven. This is why we should have regular seasons of fasting that mark our lives. It keeps our flesh in check, and from our spiritual affections from becoming dull. Helping to ensure that our satisfaction is found in Christ alone.

Earthly treasures are like that of earthly praise, they are fleeting, they are temporary. And while we understand that on one level, we’re still so prone to treat our possessions as if they carry more value than they actually do, so Jesus reminds us that every earthly treasure will eventually succumb to decay and destruction.

And his point isn’t to diminish the ordained usefulness of our earthly possessions, but his point is to teach us that we should not set our hearts on these things. We should not treasure our possessions in such a way that God has not intended, because Jesus knows that wherever our treasure is, there our hearts will be also. Jesus is concerned with our hearts.

You see, our heart is the seat of our affections, and whatever has our affections has our heart. It’s why he says wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So his admonition is to direct the affections of his disciples toward heaven and away from their earthly wealth.

Jesus goes on in verse 22 with what seems to be an strange analogy. He says,

English Standard Version Chapter 6

Now what seems strange about this analogy at first becomes actually quite insightful upon further reflection. What does the eye and the body have to do with laying up treasures for yourselves in heaven? Well, I want to try and answer that question by looking at Luke chapter 12, starting in verse 13,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

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.”

You’ll notice the parallel here with Matthew’s account back in chapter 6 with regards to laying of treasures here on earth. Luke puts it similarly there in verse 21,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

What this tells us is that this parable is analogous to what Jesus seeks to communicate when he’s teaching his disciples to lay up treasures in heaven. And more than that, if we look back at verses 13-15 here in Luke we gain insight into what the result can be for us when we lay up treasures for ourselves here on earth. Read it again with me starting in verse 13,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

Notice Jesus’ assessment of this man’s request. He says to the crowd, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” What Jesus is pointing out is that when we are intent on laying up treasures for ourselves here on earth we will become full of darkness, and what is that darkness in this particular case? It’s covetousness. Jesus is discerning enough to see that this man’s desire to divide his inheritance is rooted in covetousness. He knows that this man’s request is not motivated by justice, but instead is a desire to increase the abundance of his possessions.

This man’s treasure is his earthly wealth, and because his possessions are what his heart treasures, he becomes envious of his family’s inheritance, and because his eye is is bad, his whole body becomes full of darkness. This is Jesus’ warning against laying up treasures for ourselves here on earth.

Furthermore, Jesus goes on in verse 24 of Matthew chapter 6 and says,

English Standard Version Chapter 6

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.

Jesus here cuts to the chase, “You cannot serve God and money.” At the root of envy is idolatry, therefore when our hearts are attached to our earthly possessions our hearts will be rendered unable to serve God as we ought, because we cannot serve two masters. If we’re devoted to the accumulation and preservation of our earthly goods we’ll find ourselves despising our Lord. If our treasure is not in heaven then instead of ready and happy obedience we’ll only ever render him a resentful heart. We’ll resent his commands that interfere or challenge our agendas. We’ll find ourselves unable to grow spiritually, professing one master while serving another.

This is why on multiple occasions, in one way or another, Jesus tells his followers, at various times, to sell all of their possessions, and to give to the needy, because he knows how much of a hindrance our earthly possessions can be. On one occasion Jesus said to a rich young ruler,

English Standard Version Chapter 18

How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Jesus said this immediately after he had told this man to sell all that he has. Now I don’t want you to misunderstand, this isn’t a blanket instruction for all of us to sell everything that we have, this is a warning concerning the condition of our hearts. This is a warning for us to guard against laying up treasures for ourselves here on earth, as if one’s life consists in the abundance of possessions.

Conclusion

Now as we close I want to leave you with Jesus’ words as recorded in ,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

My prayer is that we would become God pleasers, not seeking the praise of men, and that we would be a people who treasure God’s kingdom far and above our own. Let us pray.