We Worry about What We Worship
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pray
Matthew 6:19 (NIV (Anglicised, 2011))
‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
How easy it is to store up wealth for ourselves.
Salaries on the whole are good to excellent compared to the rest of the world,
Promotions and training is a given for most.
Housing values go up and up - as long as you can get on the property ladder,
Banks are regulated to protect our savings,
a good legal and political system that protects us and our possessions.
And stuff - material possessions, cars, homes, clothes, gadgets - it’s all insured
- so if moth or rust or vermin do destroy them,
- well we get them back.
Life should be pretty good for us!
So why is it we ‘worry’ so much about money, material things, prosperity, pensions, homes.
Jesus isn’t so much against prosperity - so much as our ‘attitude’ towards it.
He says ‘do not ‘store up’ ‘for yourself’
He says ‘do not ‘store up’ ‘for yourself’
The idea being that we collect and seek great prosperity and wealth for ourselevs
in a way that is demonstrating that is what we live for.
If we are ‘living’ to grow our prosperity says Jesus - then we are not living for God!
Not becasue prosperity is bad, but becasue our attitude is bad.
If we live for prosperity we are in effect worshipping money - and you cannot worship, or serve 2 masters.
end of v24
end of v24
‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
That word money - is translated form the word Mammon.
Originally it meant to ‘entrust’ like you would your money to a bank.
It then was used as a name for the false god of prosperity.
And then is merged into this idea that mammon ment to ‘trust in’.
IE - you would ‘trust in’ the god of prosperity - Mammon - to provide for your needs.
Or you would ‘trust in’ your savings for your needs.
IN other words then -
Jesus is talking about having an attitude towards money that trusts in it.
If only i had a bit more money than I have - and then I’ll have nothing to worry about.
If I have a big enough house then I’ll be sorted.
My life will be complete if I just have enough saved in the bank for a rainy day.
We trust in money to be ‘the god’ we trust in for a ‘fulfilled life’!
That is why we worry so much about money - becasue it is our god who we trust in to provide.
I wonder if that sounds like you today? Worrying about our prosperity.
It’s not suprising we worry about material things, when
Mammon IS the god our world worships unashamably.
Our systems and thinking are all designed to protect and grow our wealth.
If our economy doesn’t grow we call it a recession - it’s a bad thing.
If we don’t get an annual pay rise,
- we consider it a slur against our hard work - a personal insult.
If our property doesn’t go up in value - we’re disappointed,
If we don’t have just the right dress for this occasion, (often a deep concern of mine)
or the right computer for our image,
or the quality of food we want,
it’s all a problem!
We worry about all this - all of the time - and our worry betrays who are god is!
What we Worry about is what we most likely worship.
What we Worry about is what we most likely worship.
That’s why Jesus says immedielty after saying you can’t serve both God and money
Matthew 6:25 (NIV (Anglicised, 2011))
‘Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
If we’re worried about what clothes we have in our wardrobes - or will buy next,
what car we are driving,
how big our house is and if we can do the next extension,
how can we make sure we send our child to private school,
and how are we going to afford a better holiday than last year
- then it tells you about what we worship.
If we worrying about money, then we are trusting money for life, not God.
It’s ironic isn’t it.
The very thing that our world - perhaps we live for - is the very thing that brings us the most stress and worry into our lives.
We are all slaves to something,
and often it’s money!
We have to keep serving it to get more - to get what we need.
If you’re not a Christina here today - then you still worship something - you’re still a slave to whatever you are living for!
And it’s probably related to money in some way - and it’s almost certainly what you worry most about.
And money is a cruel master.
Moth and vermin destroy our wealth,
- the more we have the more we need,
There is always something else to grasp for,
never satisfied as the richest in our world will testify to,
And where does it all lead?
Nowhere - we’ll still die like everyone else!
We spend all our days worrying about it..
and as Jesus says,
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
What a sad world we live in - and how sad that as Christians we keep slipping back into the worlds ways.
We worry about all this.
Pause
But there is a far better way...
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
There is another type of treasure - and a different place to keep it!
IN eternity - in heaven.
IN eternity - in heaven.
There are no destructive moths or vermin,
no thieves or recessions in heaven!
Our deposits are guaranteed and insured with unending interest!
We need to stop pursuing earthly treasure and pursue heavenly treasure instead.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
And if our heart is in heaven - all the worries and concerns of this life disappear into insignificance by comparison.
So what is this treasure?
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Tressure in heaven is seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness!
Tressure in heaven is seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness!
We’ve already had nearly 2 chapters on what righteousness and seeking the kingdom are.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practises and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Living for God and in obedience to Him in his Word - stores up treasure in heaven!
Don’t get angry, 5v21-25
Don’t look at others in lust, 27-30
Don’t seek divorce, 31-32
Don’t break your word, 33-37
Don’t seek revenge, 38-42
Love your enemies, 43-48
And do all this, chapter 6, not becasue you have to,
and not too look good,
not as hypocrits
and Certainly not to earn salvation -
But do it all for an audience of 1 - The Lord God - our Heavenly Father.
Matthew 6:4 (NIV (Anglicised, 2011))
Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Give with a pure heart before God, 6v1-4
Pray with a pure heart before God, v5-13
Forgive as you have been forgiven by God, v14
Sacrifice much with a pure heart before God, 16-18
‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
If we truly believe the headline of Jesus sermon on the mount
He said: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Then we need not live for earthly treassure and we need not worry about a thing.
We can come to God with an empty hand - with nothing to offer him - poor in spirit,
Coming simply in repentance for our failure to live perfectly for him,
But in return - we receive the very Kingdom of heaven!
And so now we live for that day!
We build up our treasure through loving obedience and joy in Jesus.
Surely the only thing we need worry about in this life is living for Him!
Sin, hell, death, judgement all gone!
eternal joyous,
wonderful
perfect
eternity with God our Father
and Jesus as glorious King
in exchange!
How can we worry about what we will eat or drink or wear! We belong to a different kingdom.
In fact it’s quite an insult to God in whom we must trust - to then worry about earthly things as if earthly things are the things we trust in.
If I don’t get that new promotion,
If I can’t get the career I want,
If I can’t buy food out when I want,
If i can’t get the latest phone
or if i can’t afford that holiday - I don’t know what I’ll do
- I really need them to progress in life… to be happy
do we need them to progress or be happy in life?
It depends what we think life is!
Jesus says true life - real inheritance - your true home with your rightful king is not now!
It is when he returns or when we die and meet the risen Lord Jesus.
Don’t live for today, or even tomorrow - live for the day we die!
Store up all your treasures of righteousness and obedience to God
- so that when Jesus returns - we enjoy eternity all the more!
Live with the light of eternity in your eyes
Live with the light of eternity in your eyes
- that’s what v22-23 is about
‘The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
If even the light coming in is just earthly matters - how great is our darkness!
Instead how wonderfully freeing our present life becomes when we live in the light of the life to come!
We have our back to the world and are running to eternity with Jesus
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
The answer is yes - we are more valuable than birds.. but what does that mean - we will never go hungry,
or a Christian can’t suffer?
I don’t think so...
‘And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.
I’m sorry - what - we’re more important than birds who are fed - but wait...
not even the best dressed man in all of world history comes close to being dressed like the grass of the field!
So - tough luck - there’s no point worrying about these things becasue you’re never be the best - the flower are better - it seems like a bit of a backwards illustration!
unless - our eyes are not on this earth but eternity to come..
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith.
The grass may be stunningly dressed - but it is here today and gone tomorrow!
Repentant believers in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sins,
Poor in Spirit brothers and sisters,
We are here today yes - but we are not gone tomorrow - tomorrow we live eternally!
There is no fire for us when judgement comes - unlike those who refuse to bow the knee to Jesus.
When Christ returns we will be dressed and fed more gloriously than our tiny minds can imagine!
We will echo the glory of God every day,
far more than the birds are fed, or the grass is dressed.
How little faith we have when we worry about this earth, about prosperity and money.
We do not belong to this kingdom but the next.
Perhaps even Solomon looks back and wonders why he made such efforts being measured by his tailors - when he could have had only one worry or concern - and that would have been to seek first the kingdom to come.
So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
What is it that keeps you awake at night? Think deeply about what your heart is concerned about?
Have those things become your god whom you serve?
Instead - when you awake at night,
or you stress at the office desk,
remind yourself we do not belong to this kingdom
- seek the kingdom to come - store up treasure there by serving. obeying and loving him alone.
trust in God - not in Mammon.
Of course we should work hard,
We can enjoy the material blessings of this life,
we can go on holiday,
live in a good house,
buy our clothes,
It’s right work hard to provide for our families,
But we do not serve or need worry about any of those things!
They serve us - as we serve the true King Jesus.
And how good our God is that the general experience of life is that he provides all our daily needs,
but when we don’t receive and we are tempted to worry,
we remind ourselevs where our heart is,
where our treasure is,
we look forward to the day when we’re dressed better than the grass of the field.
Each time you worry this week - it’s an oppertunity to remind yourself that Jesus has given me everything,
I need not worry - for I belong to eternity.
Let us not be enslaved to Mammon,
Let us be enslaved to the wonderful King Jesus.
Pray
Help me seek your kingdom and righteousness - and trust you for whatever comes my way.