SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Matthew 6:19-24
WHERE’S YOUR TREASURE? THERE’S
YOUR HEART!
#18 – Sermon on the Mount
Jesus summarizes the message of
these verses in
Matthew 6:21 - For where your treasure is, there will your heart
be also.
Jesus is saying, “Where’s your
treasure? There’s your heart!”
Whether you have a lot of money,
or very little money, what you do with it is indicative of what’s important to
you. How you spend your money tells you what’s really significant or important
in your life.
CORRUPTIBLE RICHES – Vs. 19
We are not to lay up treasures
on earth.
We are not to accumulate a large
amount of wealth that you and your family don’t need.
Have you ever stopped to think
what is going to happen to your money?
Either, you will spend it.
Or someone else will spend it.
Or, it will be taken in taxes.
Have you noticed what we in our
materialistic society tend to do with our treasures?
We as a society invest our
treasures in things.
·
Not just a car, but a nice car
·
Not just a house, but the nicest
house possible
·
Not just clothes, but new,
fashionable clothes
·
The hottest computer, the
fanciest television and stereo
Earthly treasure is eventually
destroyed. It is eaten up.
Am I saying that it is wrong to
own things? No!
In fact, when you visit us, you
will find that God has been very good to us as well when it comes to things.
Much of what we have was given to us.
The point is, if our treasure is
laid up in things alone, all we have at the end of our lives are things which
will ware away and disappear. Corruptible riches mean nothing for eternity.
CERTAIN RICHES – Vs. 20
We are told to lay up treasure
in Heaven.
The treasure which is laid up in
Heaven is incorruptible.
How do we go about laying up
certain riches in Heaven?
Heaven is free!
Wealth will buy no one a spot in
Heaven. It is only through faith in Christ that we will enter.
After securing our place in
Heaven through Christ, we may earn rewards.
These rewards are earned through our faithfulness to God and our good
works. 1 Corinthians 4:2, Ephesians 2:10
The context in this passage
however is obviously money.
How do we use our wealth to lay
up treasures in Heaven?
We lay up treasures in Heaven by
using our money in ways that please God. We invest our money in what is
important to God!
One such way is giving to those
who are less fortunate than we are. Proverbs 19:17
We shouldn’t give to those in need
to earn a reward. We should do it out of compassion.
God promises to pay us back.
Not only should we share with
those in need, but God has chosen that you and I should give to God’s work.
The ministry of the local church
and of reaching the world for Christ takes money.
God has not ordained that this
money come from His children, not from dinners and bingo!
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Vs. 6 – Notice the principle that God lays down in the natural world, and in
the world of giving.
If a farmer sows sparingly, he
can only expect to reap sparingly.
The more seed the farmer plants
the more likely he is to yield a plentiful harvest.
When it comes to giving to God’s
work, the same principle is true.
If you give a little to God’s
work, you can expect little in the way of dividends.
If you give generously to God’s
work, you can expect plentiful results.
Please bear in mind that God
thinks of little giving and generous giving in proportion to what you have.
You might recall reading of the day
Jesus and His disciples stood outside of the treasury in
The rich people put a lot of
money in.
Then a poor widow came along and
put in two mites, a very small amount of money.
Jesus said of her in Mark
12:43-44 …Verily I say unto you, That
this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the
treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did
cast in all that she had, even all her living.
What little this woman had, she
gave!
2 Corinthians 9:7 – God wants us to purpose in our heart what we will give. It is our
decision.
May I suggest that a good place
to start is the tithe? If the Old
Testament person was required by law to give at least 10%, shouldn’t we under
grace be willing to start our giving there?
And notice that your giving is
to be with the right attitude.
If you can’t give and be glad
about it, don’t give at all!
You shouldn’t be reluctant when
you give.
You shouldn’t give because you
have to.
You should give because you want
to!
God loves a cheerful given. The
word cheerful carries the idea of “hilarious”.
The church offering should be one of the happiest times in the church
service.
2 Corinthians 9:8 – When you give
the way God wants you to give, there will enough to do all that needs to be
done.
Certain riches come when we lay
up treasures in Heaven.
CHALLENGING TRUTH – Vs. 21
In Matthew
Would you like a way of tell if
your heart is in the right place?
Make a list of all the pleasures
you have spent money on in the last year. Include everything that wasn’t a
necessity.
Money spent of T.V., V.C.R. and home computers
Money spent for pool and club
memberships
Money spent on sporting
equipment, and sports activities, including hunting
Money spent for a car which you
didn’t need, but wanted.
Money spent on cigarettes and
lottery (not that we recommend either), candy bars, extra snacks
Money spent on movies and shows.
If you aren’t sure how much you
spent, estimate.
Then, total up what you have
given to the Lord’s work.
Include your gifts to the church
and missions.
Include your gifts to the less
fortunate and those in need.
This comparison should show you
where you heart is.
Crucial Illustration – Vss.
22-23
This illustration is simply
saying that someone with defective eyes can not see clearly.
Someone’s spiritual eyes are
defective when they are clouded with a desire to have physical pleasures and
things. When the primary goal of our lives is physical success our vision is
clouded.
CONVICTING FACT – Vs. 24
You can’t serve two masters.
You will either love money and
the things that money can buy, or you will love God.
When you love God, you will
invest your money in God’s things.
When you love God you will give
to those in need.
When you love God you will
support your local church.
When you love God you will
support missions.