The Kingdom Manifesto - 19

Kingdom Manifesto – 19

Treasure God’s Treasures

Matthew 6:19-34

Introduction

Pic - this is Michael Carroll. In 2002, at the age of 19, Michael won the lottery in England equating to $14.4 million. By 2012 the money had completely been spent. He used the money to fund lavish activities (demolition derby in the yard of his mansion), spend time with prostitutes, and get very deep into drugs (snorted cocaine through a solid gold pen tube).

After 10 years of a very hard lifestyle, the money dried up, he took an honest look at the disaster his life had become and made some changes. He now works for a cookie factory making $300 a week and has a much better life.

TS - Michael Carroll learned the hard way that money doesn’t last. The pleasures don’t last. The money runs out. The party ends. It all eventually disappears. That is exactly the same truth that Jesus teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus now picks up on the topic of finances, possessions and our response to them. He will confront us here, and we will evaluate our faith by asking three simple diagnostic questions - Where is your Treasure? Who is your Master? What are you Seeking?

Read Matthew 6:19-34

1. WHERE IS YOUR TREASURE?

“Don’t store up...” - let me tell you what this is NOT saying. This is not saying that we should not have stuff. That we should sell all we have and go live on the streets. There is nothing inherently wrong with having stuff, accumulating a larger amount of money in your bank account or taking vacations.

-The bible praises the ant as an example, as it stores in the summer the food it will need in winter (Proverbs 6:6).

-The bible declares that those who make no provision for their family are worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8).

-The bible tells us we are to enjoy, not despise, the good things given to us by God for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17).

-The bible says that in the house of the wise are stores of oil and food (Proverbs 21:20).

So, Jesus is not telling us to not save, or to reject having any nice thing. He is telling us to use money and possessions for their intended purpose.

In the bible, there are at least three primary purposes for money and possessions:

1) give appropriate care for your family and prevent them from being a burden to others (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; 1 Timothy 5:8)

2) to help those who are in need, especially within the family of faith (Proverbs 19:17; Acts 11:27-30; Romans 15:25-27; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; Galatians 6:7-10; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:3-7)

3) to encourage and support God’s work in spreading the good news of Jesus to those who have not heard, both at home and around the world (1 Corinthians 9:3-14; Philippians 4:14-19; 1 Timothy 5:17-18)

So, money and possessions are great and wonderful. They are quite useful. So why the teaching against them? He is giving a play on words - “Don’t store up...” literally translates as “do not treasure.” So, we are not to treasure earthly treasures. Not to make them more than they are. Not to find our worth/value in them. Not find our security in them. Don’t put hope and trust in them. Why?

- THEY ARE TEMPORARY

Matthew 6:19 - “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.

Everything that we assign value to loses its value:

-Food goes bad

-fashion goes out of style

-technology is outdated within months

-homes and cars wear out over time

- THEY ARE CORROSIVE

“Rust” literally means ‘eating.’ It could refer to the corrosion caused by rust, but just as equally to any devouring pest. In Jesus’ day, moths would get into people’s clothes and eat the clothes over time, rats and mice got into the stored grain and ate it, worms would carry away things buried in the ground (which was common), and thieves would take.

Again, we have to face the reality that all things lose value. But there is an even greater danger here. Wealth, possessions...they have a way of corroding us.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 - But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

- THEY ARE VULNERABLE

Even in our modern day of alarms, and the computerized banking system, this is still a problem. If our current economic issues teach us anything, it is that nothing is stable. Interest rates, savings, government, our jobs, ability to make money...we can wake up one day to find they have been taken from us.

TS - Again, possessions and money are not bad. But, to selfishly pursue them, to ‘treasure treasures’ is foolish. So, instead of storing up treasures on earth, Jesus calls us to this...

Matthew 6:20 - Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

Again, the same play on words. To ‘treasure treasures in heaven.’ How do I do that? What are the treasures in heaven? This is call to treasure what heaven treasures. What does heaven treasure? What is valuable in heaven?

- GOD’S GLORY

Read Revelation and you will see these glimpses into the throne room of God. What do we find there? All of heaven’s inhabitants singing praise, giving all honor and attention to God alone. In Revelation 4-5 we have this great vision of heaven. Everything is described in terms of its relation to the throne. Above, around, beside, in front of. Why? Because God is the centerpiece. So, we are called to treasure that. To value, give honor to, focus our attention on...God.

- PEOPLE

Luke 15 gives a series of three parables about things that are lost...a sheep, a coin and a son. All three end the same way. With celebration.

Luke 15:7, 10, 32 - In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away...In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents...We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Heaven treasures people. People are the only thing in this world that goes on to the next. So, you’ll either spend your money on God’s glory or your own. You’ll either invest in yourself or others. You’ll either treasure the temporary things of this world, or the eternal glory of heaven.

And, as challenging as this teaching is, Jesus makes it worse. He tells us why. You see, this isn’t about money at all, it’s about your heart.

Matthew 6:21 - Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Jesus is not after our money. He is after our hearts. Our hearts naturally follow our money. So if you find your money, and attitude about it, going to the wrong place, your heart is going to the wrong place. Either our hearts will be focused on eternity or on what is temporary.

2. WHO IS YOUR MASTER?

Jesus tells a great story in Luke 12 about a man who had a windfall crop and suddenly found himself flush with cash.

Luke 12:16-19 - Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

Incredible blessing of all this extra. What do I do with it? He now has wealth, affluence, leisure. Man has everything he could possibly need or want. We would call this the American Dream. Accumulate as much as you can, sit back and enjoy life. Spend everything on yourself, you earned it! This man, however, missed out on one crucial fact - you can’t enjoy life if you’re dead.

Luke 12:20 - “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’

He died that very night. He was blind to his own mortality. Blind to his own frailty. He simply didn’t see death coming. But here is what I find most interesting about this story - this man was blind to his own greed. He never saw it. Notice the selfishness in the passage - “I, me, mine.” Notice also he never thought about generosity. “Oh, I have too much. I could give it away.” No. I need to build bigger barns. All about him.

Greed does that, doesn’t it? It tends to blind us to it. We can easily see it in others, but struggle to see it in ourselves. Jesus makes that point in the next section.

Matthew 6:22-23 - “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

This passage is often used regarding things like pornography, rated R movies, etc. Certainly, being careful about what we are watching is a godly thing, but that is not Jesus’ intent. He is talking about greed. He has been talking about treasures and possessions. His basic message is “Watch what you watch.”

The eyes are the front door of the soul, not the window. They let things in. What you see affects what you chase. If you are looking at heavenly treasures, that is going to affect your priorities, your actions, your thoughts. But if you are looking at earthly treasures, that is also going to affect you.

This is like grocery shopping - what is the #1 rule of grocery shopping? Never go hungry. Because if you are hungry, it all looks good and you will buy too much and spend too much. If your soul is hungry, what you look at will affect how you choose to fill that hunger.

Our problem is that we live in a culture that continually pushes us towards greater levels of greed and materialism. Advertisers get us to buy things by growing discontent within us. Listen closely and honestly to advertisements and commercials. “Your life stinks without this product. You are incomplete without this. If you buy this people will think you are cool, you will be esteemed, and all these good-looking people will have sex with you.”

Everything we see on a daily basis is designed to make us want more, to make us feel like we need more. As a result, we don’t always see the greed within us. It has corrupted our eyes so much that we fail to see it in our souls. We think it is just about houses, cars and bank accounts. When it is really us selfishly pursuing more. It happens easily and without us noticing.

Greed blinds you to the good in life. v. 23b - you think there is light within you, but it is actually darkness. How dark is that darkness! The only thing worse than being blind is being blind to the fact that you are blind.

No one...and I mean no one in 19 years of full-time ministry, has ever come to me because they are greedy. No one thinks they are. So, as Jesus made clear, greed has the ability to blind us. It corrupts our eyes and makes us unable to see it in ourselves. But the worst part of greed isn’t just that it corrupts our eyes, but that it corrupts our hearts.

Matthew 6:24 - “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

So again, Jesus’ teaching about money really isn’t about money. It is about lordship. Who is your master? Notice Jesus did not say we shouldn’t serve two masters, but that we CANNOT do it. It is just not possible. Not possible to have one foot in both camps, play on both teams, to straddle the fence. Either you serve God, or it is money. Here’s why - greed isn’t just a matter of money and possessions. It is a matter of selfishness.

Paul David Tripp - “When you love you, you’ll love money because it allows you to indulge you. When you love you, you’ll love money because it makes you feel better about you. When you love you, you’ll love money because it alters how others look at you. When you love you, you'll love money because it can help you to depend only on you. When you love you, you’ll love money because it keeps you from having to say no to you.”

When we are greedy, we are serving another master…ourselves. So what is the answer to greed? Some would say poverty. Have no money, reject nice possessions. Poverty is not the answer. Generosity is the answer. God graciously gives. Generously gives. When we hold what he gives with gratitude, yet with an open hand, it doesn’t control us.

3. WHAT ARE YOU SEEKING?

After teaching at length about our anxieties and concerns, he concludes with this powerful statement:

Matthew 6:33 – Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Several years ago, USA Today (10/24/97) reported the results of a Roper Starch Worldwide survey of the wealthiest 1 percent of U.S. households. They were asked what they were willing to pay for various sources of happiness, from being president to a place in heaven (now adjusted for inflation). Only two items were worth less than $150,000: being president, which was worth only $88,000 to respondents and great beauty, which was worth $133,000. The next three items made a jump to the $3-500,000s. For reunion with a lost love, the rich were willing to part with $330,000; for eternal youth, they were willing to pay $416,000; and for talent, slightly higher, at $458,000. Great intellect and true love were priced over $600,000. Intelligence was worth $654,000, and true love $782,000. The fondest and most expensive wish on rich folks list was a place in heaven, which was worth $1.03 million to them - more than eleven times the worth of being president, more than eight times that of great beauty, and more than twice the sum for eternal youth or talent.” (“If I Were A Rich Man,” USA Today 10/24/97)

Matthew 6:33 - Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Notice that this is the concluding thought of this entire passage. All that Jesus has taught us so far builds to this. The practical application of Jesus’ teaching on money and possessions is...seek God’s kingdom first. Essentially this is asking us this - what is most valuable to you? God’s kingdom? Or your own?

If you want to do this right, handle money rightly, if you want to have a right perspective on possessions, if you want to live a life free from worry, then you must prioritize His kingdom. Why? 7 chapters later Jesus revisits this idea in a short parable and tells us why we should seek his kingdom first.

Matthew 13:44 - The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus would compare his kingdom to a treasure? What do you treasure? What are you seeking? Why seek after God’s kingdom first?

Let me ask this question in a different way. Imagine, for just a second, that you are buying a house. The owner just passed away, leaving no family behind. You have always eyed this house, so when the opportunity comes to buy it, you jump on it. One day, as you are touring the house with your real estate agent, the agent gets an important call and has to step out of the room for a minute. As she walks out of the room, you notice that the old wooden floor creaks suspiciously under the coffee table. Wanting to check the floor for termite damage or something worse, you crawl under the coffee table. It is there that you make the discovery that will change your life.

Under the coffee table, hidden in a secret panel cut out of the wood floor is an old cigar box. Now, this doesn’t surprise you. After all, the former owner was a notorious packrat. There’s no telling what sort of useless things are tucked away in this old house. Yet, something inside you tells you to open the cigar box. When you do, something much more interesting than the smell of tobacco reaches your nostrils. It is the smell of money. And, it’s not just any money. These are big bills. In fact, you didn’t even know that the US Treasury printed bills this high, yet here they are in your possession. As quickly as you can, you count the money and find out that this old dilapidated cigar box holds a fortune. Over three million dollars was hidden under the living room floor and you’re the only one who knows about it.

Your joy is short lived, however, as you hear the high-heels of the real estate agent start to make their way back towards the living room. With the speed of a cheetah, you put the money back into the cigar box, tuck it back under the coffee table, and cover up the spot exactly as you found it. When the agent finally reenters the room, you only have one question: “Where do I sign?”

Here’s the point: The Kingdom is precious. Therefore, the Kingdom is worth everything. No sacrifice is too great; no price is too high. When people find the Kingdom, they should be willing to give everything they have in pursuit of it, because that’s what the Kingdom demands. It’s either all or nothing. In all of history, in all of this world, there is nothing so important as the Kingdom. The Kingdom is so precious that it costs everything, because it is worth everything.

To be saved by Jesus Christ, under his love and care, a citizen of his kingdom, under his rule...there is absolutely nothing greater or more valuable than that. Why seek it first? That’s why.

Matthew 6:33 - Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

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