Sermon Tone Analysis
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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.
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?
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:
Do people see the light of heaven in your eyes?
[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
[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?
mt 6 25-26
[merimnao /mer·im·nah·o/]
[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?
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.
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?
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,
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