The Treasure You Seek

8-2-20 Matthew 6:19-24 I want to start this off by defining something controversial in this text. "Serve two masters" is master/slave relationship. This is not what we think of slavery, this slavery is better defined as indentured servitude. We have a debt to pay to our masters, and we need to pay off these debts. I also want to say that this is not telling us that having money is a bad thing. This is talking specifically about the constant need for more, also known as greed. There is nothing inherently wrong with having money, the issue that Jesus is talking about here is greed. We will get more into this later on but keep these distinctions in mind. As we get into this text, all earthly things will end up failing in some way, with or without maintenance. Some things may last a really long time, but they will all eventually fail. My mom drove a 2002 Toyota Camry with well over 300,000 miles. While it may have seemed like this car lasted forever, it did eventually reach its end. Then there is our phones. Some people pride themselves on always having the newest device from whatever side they've chosen. But then this new, shiny device is useless to this person after a year when the next big thing comes out. There's also depreciation to contend with when it comes to most earthly things. The general rule of thumb is within the first year of driving a new car off the lot it has depreciated by somewhere between 20 and 30%. The text also brings up issues like rust, moths, and thieves. While we do not deal with moths much today, there's a reason moth balls were made and sold. These things destroy and take away our things from us, meanwhile our heavenly treasures do not have to follow these same rules. There are some interesting translation discrepancies, particularly with treasures. This phrase has been translated several different ways with the same general meaning, but with some different nuances. The biggest difference is in the translation for treasures. The Greeks is "thesauros" and has been translated as treasures, riches, stores, and wealth. The best way I can translate this for y'all is "what you value". With this definition, we can more easily see the message Jesus is trying to convey to us. If we only value the things of the earth, we will end up lost and with nothing. But, if we put our value in heaven and what is coming next, we will have a hope that extends beyond this life. The crowd that Jesus is talking to would have most likely been on the poorer side of things, so Jesus' message would have been a light of hope that this world is temporary, and the true value comes from heaven, not earth. By keeping our value in heaven and not earth, things that might stress us out normally tend to lose their significance. For example, worrying about your prized car in the garage that stays there so you don't put miles on it to keep its value. While this car sits in the garage, the rubber hoses get brittle and might break, the fuel might go bad, if there's a leak in the garage, the car might rust, all kinds of things are more likely to break down because of disuse. Even if you do drive this car, there's the chance of an accident on the road, rocks chipping the paint, door dings, and once again, rust. This is only one example, but I'm sure you can think of many more, and maybe even think of an example in your own life. Meanwhile, with our value being held in heaven, there is no rust to deal with, no thought of depreciation, nothing of the likes. While we do not know what heaven will truly be like, we are promised that there will be no sin, no imperfections, nothing eating away at our valuables. By keeping our value in heaven, we are able to have a hope that extends beyond this world, and there is a promise of better things to come than we could ever imagine. Holding our value in heaven does not mean that we don't still like earthly things. I love my Miata, especially in these mountain roads, but I don't value it higher than I should. At least I try not to. As we are human, valuing our earthly things more than we should is innate in us because we live in a fallen world, but by keeping our minds on the things above we are able to keep our values in place. God might bless us with these earthly things, and it might be easy to hold these things higher than the blessing they were. My Miata was a blessing to me in my senior year of high school, but I remember that God is the one who blessed me with it, and He can take these things away from us, just as He took the Promised Land from the Israelites when they became unfaithful to Him. To summarize these first two verses up, we need to keep our treasures and things we value in Heaven and remember the Creator first and foremost, and not put our earthly possessions higher than the Creator of it all. This is easier said than done, but it is not impossible, and even brings a sense of gratification when we do hold our value in the right place. The last part of this paragraph, verse 21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" is simply explaining that when we hold our value in heaven, our hearts will follow suit. I love the fact God gave me the opportunity to come out here. I have been able to mature and leave some things behind me that I had previously been trying to for almost a year. But I also know that God has a place for me back in Dallas, whether it be to help others mature in a similar way, help out others at school figure out how to connect with others in this "new normal" or something that I may not even realize yet. As much as I would love to stay here, I know this chapter in my life is coming to a close, and a new one is starting for me. I do not know where God will have me go after I graduate, but that is part of the wonder and mystery of this life. I do hope that I can come back here, or to a place like this one day, that is in God's hands and He knows what is best. In your life, this may look entirely different, but by staying faithful and on the path to righteousness, God will open doors for each of us and bring us to new heights we never thought possible. By keeping our value in heaven, we will not get bogged down in the issues of this life, but instead be more focused on what is to come when we hear those words "well done good and faithful servant". This next section is about following on the path to righteousness and being a light to others. "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!" It's been said that our eyes are a window into our souls, and if our eyes are shining in righteousness, others might just notice and ask us about it. I don't know about y'all, but by living a Christian life, a truly Christian life, people will notice. They might not say anything about it, but they will notice. My favorite illustration I've heard about this comes from my dad. He was in a massive cave on a tour, and they turned out all the lights. This was far enough underground that it was pitch black, as in hand two inches in front of your face and you still can't see it dark. Then the tour guide struck a match, and the entire cave was illuminated. While some of the finer details were not fully visible, he could still see around the cave, clear to the other side. We often talk about how we are in a fallen and dark world, but if our lives shine with righteousness, ourselves and those around us will be able to see. It will probably uncover some unpleasant areas in both ourselves and others, but the light will be all-telling. This idea of a healthy eye follows the sense of undivided loyalty to God, and thus a bad eye would be divided loyalty to God, in this case specifically talking about greed. If our eyes are set on greed, then where is the room for Christ? Greed tends to be a consuming thought, always wanting more, even needing more. If our body's only light is darkness, then where is the direction for our bodies? Just like in that cave, if there is no light in your body then you cannot see where you are going. You will lose your sense of direction. There will still be general clues, such as gravity, or running into a wall to tell you not that way. But there might be pitfalls that you fall into because you cannot see where you're going. By keeping our eye on Christ at all times, there is no room for darkness, and with the light that comes from Him, we can more easily see where we are going and avoid things like walls and pitfalls. The other problem that comes up with our lack of light shining from us, is that we might miss the opportunity to show others this light. When we are able to show others this light, amazing things can happen. Conversations start happening that normally wouldn't, and people around you might turn to you for advice on their lives. When we aren't showing this light, these kinds of things can't happen the same way. It only takes a small amount of light to get rid of the darkness. One of the many things that surprised me about being out here was just how bright a full moon on a clear night is. I was also amazed at how dark it gets when the moon isn't out. Being in the middle of Dallas when I'm at school, it never really gets truly dark. There is always some parking lot light, some car's headlights, streetlights from the highway, etc. While these may not be the brightest lights around, the all take some of the darkness away. One of my first weeks here, I went down state road 4, for quite a while. I mistimed how long it would take to get back to Los Alamos. It got very dark, very quickly. This relatively small difference in light makes an incredible difference. If our lives are showing darkness, then that means we are not showing any amount of light. But if our lives are showing light, then there is no room for darkness. The running theme for this series has been righteousness, and these two verses really show what righteousness looks like in our lives. Our light shining for Christ and the effects He can have in our lives and sharing this light with others is how we show others our righteousness and spread the word on how they can be the same. This last verse is where the definitions I gave at the beginning really come into play. "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." While this verse is talking about slavery, it is not in the early American context. It is more like indentured servitude, where we have a debt, sin, to pay off. Another aspect to look at is the fact that a "master" would have the rights over life and death for the slave. With this in mind, it is impossible for that slave to serve two masters equally. This idea of total devotion, we can see why this illustration was used by Jesus. It's not uncommon for people to have several jobs and be effective in them. Being totally devoted to God means there is no time for anything else in our lives. This might seem daunting, but the reality is, when we follow God and what He says, we really don't have time for anything else. I'm not saying our jobs are evil, or that you should leave your job to follow Christ. It is more important to follow what God is calling for your life. This next section is talking about the relationship between the person and the two masters. By serving the two masters, one will always have to take precedent over the other. As a human, the favored master to serve under would be the one that treats us best. I'm going to be honest, there are and will be times when following God is not preferable to following the flesh. For example, this is my last week here, at least for now. Those I've talked to know that I don't necessarily want to go back to Dallas, but I know that I am needed there, both for family and for school. There is a large part of me that does want to stay here and continue working with this church, but I know that it is not possible for me to serve here and still fulfil what I need to back home. I still have a choice in the matter but choosing to stay here would be a problem for those that need me back home and at school. I know I have a unique opportunity for when I am back in Dallas, because my summer has been abnormal, even in this abnormal world. I have learned a lot, and will miss this place dearly, but I will be able to impart some of what I've learned here and be able to help others who did not have the same opportunity I had to go on an internship. I have to go and serve my master, God, and do what He is calling me to. I'm not saying I'm the perfect Christian, or perfect person, but I do try to go and do what God is calling me to do. Being devoted to God means not always doing what we want to when it comes to the flesh, but it is important to remember that God has a spot for us in His plan that will lead us to greater heights than we ever thought possible. The final part of this verse connects back to the beginning. This word "money" in the original context, when used by the Jews had no negative connotations. It means possessions, land, and wealth, and is not strictly talking about these things gained in evil ways. I'm sure you've all heard it said that money is the root of all evil, and this is Jesus talking about just that. Money has the power to corrupt and take away the power and joy that righteousness brings. Jesus is connecting money to a master that we might try and serve alongside God. It is easy to want and yearn for more money, but the call for righteousness needs to be more powerful than this desire for more stuff. We've heard people's success stories. Where they are working over a hundred hours a week, putting family and friends aside for their latest business venture, but Jesus is telling us that in the end, these worldly successes don't mean anything, and what we need to focus on, is what is coming next. After this life, a few people might remember our success stories, but the majority won't. What does matter is that we are constantly seeking a closer relationship with God as we await the simple line, "well done good and faithful servant". As I come to the conclusion, take a moment and think of some ways you can dive deeper into your calling from God. It might be as simple as getting into a new Bible study, or spending more time in the Word, and there is nothing wrong with that. God wants a relationship with us that goes deeper than a master and a slave, while the world wants us to be its slave. In these couple verses, Jesus really rocked the boat with the train of thought at the time, and it is no different for us today. By being keeping our treasures in heaven, being a light in a dark world, and by serving only God, we are going further along the path to righteousness in some pretty big ways. Pray with me. God, we thank you for being a just and right master, and for giving us the chance to call you Father. Help us keep our treasures in heaven and being a light in this dark world as we go through our week. We look forward to the day when you say well done good and faithful servant and help us follow along Your plan for our lives. Amen. White 2 White 1