Wealth
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Some say you shouldn’t talk about money in church, especially from the pulpit.
But Jesus talked about money, so why shouldn’t we?
Especially if we’re talking about what He said about money.
In fact, the largest single topic in the Sermon on the Mount covers money and wealth.
But before I get into that, I want to make a distinction between money and wealth.
Money is measured in tangible things; dollars, gold, etc.
Wealth is measure in time and choice.
The time to do what you want.
The ability to choose what you will do next.
I can discuss this more at some point if you are interested.
But for now, keep this in mind as we go through this text.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also is a common phrase, but have you stopped to think what Jesus was trying to teach us?
This command should prompt us to ask, where are you investing your time and effort?
Are you investing in the material world?
Yes, you may be comfortable here, but no matter what, you can’t take it with you.
[Story about taking gold to heaven]
No matter what, the things of this world will eventually go away.
Or, are you investing in the heavenly world?
It’s harder to know how these investments are doing,
After all, you can’t see them.
You can’t pull a Scrooge McDuck and dive into heavenly gold.
You can’t touch them.
You can’t pull a Scrooge McDuck and dive into a heavenly treasury.
You don’t get a heavenly portfolio statement every month.
But Jesus says these are the safest investments you can make.
Why?
Because while the things of earth will one day pass away, the things of heaven will never do.
So ask yourselves, where is your heart?
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
But tr
This may seem to be a detour from the topic of treasure, but is it?
Have you ever looked someone in the eye and just know how things were going?
You can tell if they’re having a good day or a bad one.
You can tell if there’s something weighing on them.
Why is this passage stuck between two others about money?
Because it relates to the real question of this passage, where is your heart?
If your treasure is in this world, your concerns will be for it.
And when things on earth are hard, you body will be full of darkness and it will show in your eyes.
If your treasure is in heaven, no matter what happens on earth, you body will be full of light.
And that will show in your eyes.
And it should be seen by men:
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
Do people see the light of heaven in your eyes?
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 2962 κύριος
[kurios /koo·ree·os/]
The word “masters” is kyrios, he to whom a person or thing belongs.
You cannot belong to two masters.
he to whom a person or thing belongs
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 3126 μαμωνᾶς
[mammonas /mam·mo·nas/
[mammonas /mam·mo·nas/] means treasure or riches
Have you ever thought that you belong to your riches?
Think about how much time and effort you put into your stuff and ask yourself, who owns whom?
Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
God cannot own you while riches do.
So whom will you serve
Or put a better way, who or what will own you?
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
mt 6 25-26
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 3309 μεριμνάω
[merimnao /mer·im·nah·o/]
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 3126 μαμωνᾶς
[mammonas /mam·mo·nas/
Literally do not brood about your life.
We spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about what we’re going to eat.
Almost every day in our house we have the same conversation...
“What do you want for supper?”
“I don’t know, what do you want for supper?”
in America, it’s more about what we eat than if we will eat.
But think about how much time you spend focused on your belly.
“What do you want for supper?”
“I don’t know, what do you want for supper?”
But think about how much time you spend focused on it.
And what about what we will where.
I learned many years ago to let me wife worry about what I wear.
We have closets of clothes.
We even have organizations focused on collecting the clothes we give away to make room for more clothes.
Is that the extent of your life?
Are you owned by your belly and your wardrobe?
We invest so much time and effort brooding about things of little ultimate meaning,
Or over which we have no control.
We worry about getting sick,
We should treat our bodies right, but should we brood over every little think we eat and do because we are afraid we might get sick?
Let’s face it, all the worry in the world will not make you one inch taller.
But those around you will be cheated by your obsession with providing things.
Because you are owned by your obsession with control.
If God takes care of the birds, don’t you trust Him to take care of you?
“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
We worry about how we look and finding the right clothes,
We worry about how we look and finding the right clothes,
But is that what your life is all about?
If God makes the grass look good, won’t He take care of you?
And come to think of it, in the grand scheme of things, are our lives really any longer than the grass in the field, which tomorrow is thrown in the oven?
What does it say about our faith if we don’t trust that God will take care of us?
Maybe not the way we want, but the way we need.
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
God knows what you need, but do you trust Him?
And that is the real point of the question!
It’s not a question of will we take care of ourselves, but do we trust God or not?
I don’t mean foolish abandon and expecting God to save you from your foolishness.
But trusting that God will guide you to do what He wants you to do,
And will provide for you in the process.
Those who don’t know God seek after and worry about food and clothing,
Do His children not trust that He cares?
Put another way, are we owned by our obsession with things?
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
If we seek God, He will provide what you need.
Again, not sitting around and waiting for God to drop your lunch in your lap,
But seeking His will and following it.
It may not be a black-tie banquet, but it will be what you need.
And maybe what you need is a reminder to really trust Him.
Not just saying the words, but to truly put your trust in Him for what you will wear, where your next meal will come from, even the fact that you take your next breath.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Why do we spend so much time worrying about what is out of our control?
Sure, tomorrow may be bad, but can you make it any better by ruining your today with fretting?
We think we are in control, that if we do the right things, come up with the right plan, then we can make sure we have the job, life, family or retirement we want.
Which is not that different than what led Eve to the fall,
A desire to be in control, knowing and deciding what is good and evil.
It is not until we realize that not only are we not in control, but that we are not guaranteed anything, not even our next breath, that we can truly put our trust in God.
And only then can we have any true wealth.
Conclusion
Conclusion
But those around you will be cheated by your obsession with providing things.
Remember how I said wealth was measured in time and choice?
Think about what Jesus has said here.
mt 6 28-
Do not spend your time brooding over the things you need.
Yes, we are told to provide for ourselves and our families,
But should we waste time brooding over doing it ourselves?
Do we spend our wealth worrying about what may happen to our bodies,
Rather than enjoying the gifts that God has already given us?
Are our lives darkened by a devotion to things rather than a devotion to our Lord?
Do do we trust in the creator of all things, and allow ourselves to brighten not only our lives, but the lives of those around us?
Are we packing bags for heaven full of pavement,
Or are we packing them full of joy and memories.
There are those in the “church” who will tell you that if God loves you He will make you rich.
Scripture tells us that if we love God, He will make us wealthy.
We may not have a large bank account, but with plans for a life in heaven, we have all the time in the world.
And that is true wealth.