Investment Strategies — Matthew 6:19-24

Introductions

The Call of Christ

I think the best way to study the Sermon on the Mount is to think about who Jesus is speaking to,

and what questions they might be asking.

Matthew 5:1 ESV

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

Now this is near the very beginning of Jesus' ministry.

He's doing amazing things. He's saying amazing things. And a lot of people are on board.

They believe in Jesus.

And they want to follow Jesus.

But they really have no idea what it means to follow him.

That's the question this sermon is answering: "What does it look like to follow Jesus?"

And boy, does Jesus give a whopper of an answer.

Weep over sin,

humble yourself before others,

desperately pursue righteousness,

extend mercy,

make peace,

fight for purity,

crush anger,

wage war against lust,

treasure your marriage,

be honest,

be careful with your words,

speak with integrity,

don't resist evil people,

serve the wicked,

love your enemies

give generously, and hide it from everybody,

pray faithfully, and hide it from everybody,

fast regularly, and hide it from everybody,

seek only today's bread,

forgive debts,

flee temptation,

and wage war against the enemy.

Truly the call of Christ is an awesome and staggering invitation.

To heed the call of Christ is to invest all of your time, all of your energy, all of your resources.

Because the way of Christ will take all you've got.

Playing the Long Game

I geek out about economics. And there's a fun game stock market nerds play sometimes.

You trace the stock price of the world's biggest companies back to their original public offering.

Take, for instance, Apple.

On December 12, 1980, the first shares of Apple were made available, at a whopping $22/share.

Since then the stock has split five times.

So each share purchased in 1980 has turned into 56 shares today.

Now if you had purchased 100 shares of Apple in 1980, at $22 dollars a piece, for a total investment of $2200, that stock would be worth $1,489, 600 today.

But here's the thing. There was an entire decade between then and now when that stock was worth less than the paper it was printed on. Yet if you were willing to endure decades of loss and hold out hope in the long-term vision, you'd be a millionaire for your $2200 investment.

That story is sort of doing what this passage is sort of doing.

The Text

Matthew 6:19–24 ESV

“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. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 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! “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.

A series of choices...

On the heels of issuing history’s most awesome and staggering invitation, Jesus presents his disciples with a series of choices.

Two treasures. Two visions. Two masters.

Three stories, one objective. It’s time, Jesus says, to make a decision.

We’ll take them in turn, and then reflect on the choice we’re being called to make.

Matthew 6:19–21 ESV

“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.

Two treasures.

This is, I think, the simplest of the three passages. Because we’re all familiar with rust, and theft, and some of us may even remember the strong scent of moth-balls.

The focus here is your resources — broadly, not just your money, but your time, your stuff, your home, your food. You’re going to invest your resources in this kingdom or in the next. I want to draw near to a few aspects of this text, though, before we move on.

These first few words — which read, “Do not lay up for yourselves...” isn’t a great translation. A better reading is “Stop laying up for yourselves...”

When he says treasures, don’t just think money. Jesus has in mind all of your stuff, even your time.

What you do with what you’ve been given is a picture of your heart’s hope. And it’s set on heaven or on earth.

There are good reasons not to make the short-term investment, and great reasons to make the long-term investment.

Ultimately, how you spend your time, your money, and your stuff is a reflection of where your heart is.

Two visions.

From a broad focus on your resources, Jesus narrows our focus to our thought-life.

The language here is a bit odd for us, but I think if you replace “eye” with “vision” you can capture a lot of what is meant in this passage.

There’s a consistent use of this eye imagery throughout the scriptures (like in Psalm 119:36-37). The eye is something like a representative of your attention, your thought-life, your hope and vision. And so when the eye is set on dark things — stop thinking “really bad sins,” start thinking the promises of this temporary kingdom— that dark vision has a wholly corrupting influence.

When the promises of this dark kingdom occupies your attention and overtakes your thought life, that corruption extends to your behavior, your day-to-day actions, so that ultimately those things that you think about become what you are about.

The implications, then, are pretty scary. If you’ve set your attention on the things of this world, the promises of this kingdom, then it’s only a matter of time before that vision consumes your every word and deed.

Two masters.

So we’ve now explored two concepts:

How you invest your resources says a lot about your heart’s hope.

How you invest your attention says a lot about your life’s direction.

Both of these concepts are fundamentally related to a universal truth: You can only serve one master.

Notice that these figurative categories (treasures, eyes, hearts) just became pretty literal.

You may choose to serve God, or you may choose to serve “Money”

This word, which we’ve translated as “money,” is actually the Greek word “mamona” — which is itself a transliteration of the Aramaic word that Jesus is actually using. And it doesn’t mean “money,” at least not entirely.

This word is sort of a personification of wealth. The idea is the promise of success in this life, in this world, in this economy. The promise of earthly possessions and earthly success is a taskmaster — it will drive your every action and intention. It will enslave you.

You must choose masters.

You will either be a slave to God, who promises rich rewards for those who trust him. But it comes only after a life defined by allegiance, preparation, and service.

Or you will be a slave to Mammon — the promise of success and prosperity in this life. Mammon, too, gives rewards to his most faithful followers — sometimes riches, sometimes honor, sometimes pleasure and sometimes peace. Yet Mammon is a fickle master, and his wages rust, fade, are eaten and stolen. They cannot be taken beyond the grave

The point is that you cannot serve both masters at the same time. You are, right now, either enslaved to one, or enslaved to the other. You treasure, your vision, and your subservience is being invested, right at this moment, in the kingdom of one or the other.

Application

How do you spend your stuff? Your money, your home, your time. You are investing these resources in one kingdom or another. Trace the use of your resources to the kingdom you’re investing in.

What are you thinking about? Where are you browsing? How are you planning for next month, next year, the next decade? Does your vision terminate on God’s kingdom, or Mammon’s?

Think about your ambitions. Are you leaning into a promise of wealth, or success, or comfort in this kingdom? Do you believe that you can enjoy prosperity in this kingdom and a rich inheritance in the next?