The Sermon on the Mount #6
Obstacles to Kingdom Life – What are you Treasuring?
Matthew 6:19-34
CHCC: October 14, 2007
INTRODUCTION:
In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus said, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
One of the ways we can store up treasure in heaven is with the offerings we give. Those pictures we saw on the screen represent the kind of treasure that has eternal value. I’m glad our church has the financial ability to reach far beyond our own walls into our city and state … and all around the world, from India to Africa to China to the Middle East.
It’s interesting that about 15% of everything Christ said relates to money or possessions. Why would he spend so much time on that topic? He summed it up in Matthew 6:21: Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. There is a fundamental connection between our attitude toward money and our connection to God.
Billy Graham put it this way: “If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area of his life.”
Most people find it hard not to worry over their Finances. Not everyone though. I heard about one guy who claimed: “I never worry about money. I have enough to last me the rest of my life –-- unless I buy something.”
When people put too much value on possessions, their perspective gets out of whack --- like the young man who survived a major car wreck. When the policeman arrived he found the man battered and bleeding. As the officer approached he heard him moaning, ’Oh, my BMW, oh my BMW, oh my BMW’.
Looking at the young man the policeman said, "Are you nuts, look at the condition of your arm --- your left arm is broken and mangled’.
The young man looked down and cried, ’Oh my Rolex, oh my Rolex, oh my Rolex’....
1. Treasuring the World Matthew 6:19-24
People can make all sorts of things into their treasures. They may treasure their reputation or their education or their career. People treasure relationships and family connections. People tend to treasure THEMSELVES most of all … their abilities, their looks, their comforts, their plans. We reveal what we treasure by what we try to protect, secure, and keep close. So the question to ask this morning is this: What are you “treasuring”?
According to Jesus, it’s not smart strategy to treasure the things that are bound to this world. Why? Because nothing in this current world … not our money or our possessions or our status or earthly relationships … or even our mortal lives … NOTHING that is of this world is going to last. This world can give you only one iron clad guarantee: You will eventually lose any and every earthly treasure you possess. The question is not if … the question is only how and when.
So here’s the bottom line: if you’re treasuring this world, you have every reason to be consumed with stress, anxiety, worry, and fear. Listen to the illustration Jesus gave. He said, The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! Matthew 6:22-23
Jesus is comparing “heart-sight” to “eyesight.” If the eyes of your soul are blind to the light of God, your entire perspective on life will be distorted and dark. You see only the things that are deceptive and temporary. You don’t know where you really are. You don’t have any idea where you are going. This is what it means to be a “lost soul.”
That’s why Jesus spent a significant part of this Sermon on the Mount explaining that YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIVE THAT WAY! In the Kingdom of Heaven, a new kind of life is available to you. You can stop treasuring things that you are guaranteed to lose --- and start treasuring things that you are guaranteed to keep. This is what life in the Kingdom of Heaven means. It means our attention and affection … our security and confidence … our hopes and our dreams don’t have to be thrown away on this unsteady and inadequate world.
We have a choice. We can treasure the things of this world, or we can treasure the things of God. But we can’t do both! Jesus said, No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money. Matthew 6:24
Some people think they can give all their energy and attention to earthly things but still set their hearts on the things of God. We simply cannot have two ultimate goals or points of reference. Either you are fundamentally living for God --- for an audience of ONE. Or you are living to impress other people and to build up financial security.
2. Treasuring God’s Kingdom Matthew 6:25-30
So what does it mean to store up treasure in Heaven? People tend to think of this is storing up things we will enjoy in the great “by and by.” And our inheritance in Heaven is a wonderful thing. After all, we’re going to be dead a lot longer than we’re going to be alive here on earth.
But Heavenly Treasure is available to us NOW. God’s kingdom is here and now. Eternity has already started, even though we are still in our mortal bodies. I am now leading a life that will last forever. The treasure is nothing less than relationship with God himself. Because we live in connection with God, we don’t need to worry about anything. Jesus used two examples from nature … specifically birds and wildflowers … to show that Heavenly Treasure comes with earthly promises.
Our feathered friends don’t seem to worry about their lives. They simply seek what they need, and that what they find. God made a world that would supply their needs. Flowers don’t fret about what they will wear, but God clothes them in beauty. It’s the same way with us. God knows our needs and we can simply TRUST Him to take care of all our needs, day by day.
I thought of an example that happened a couple of weeks ago after a Pueblo Group that met at our house. George and Jeni Clark were ready to go and Jeni realized she didn’t have her purse. (by the way, Jeni told me I could share this story) She thought back and realized what had happened. When she was getting Gracia out of the car she set her purse on the sidewalk … and left it there.
They looked all around the car, but the purse was gone. This was especially bad because they had some Financial Peace University envelopes in the purse with quite a bit of cash. Also, Jeni needed her Military ID that was in the purse to take Gracia to the doctor the next morning. Jeni and George drove home, praying that some honest person would find the purse. And hoped their prayers would be answered … but I have to admit, I didn’t really think they’d ever see that purse again.
After they got home, Jeni remembered her cell phone was in the purse. She called but got no answer. Then her home phone rang and a nice man in our neighborhood explained that his daughter had found the purse. (He was able to get Jeni’s home phone number from the cell after she made the call.) When they picked up the purse, nothing was missing. Jeni said they drove home thanking God for His protection and help.
Everyone who lives in the Kingdom of God will have similar experiences. As we trust God, we learn we have no need to worry. Our God cares about us! He can and does take care of our needs … time and time again.
3. Treasuring day by day Matthew 6:31-34
Jesus concluded this section of His Sermon with 3 practical pieces of advice. The first is in Verse 31 where He says, So do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’
* Don’t Worry (start CD)
It kind of reminds me of that Reggae song from years back, “Don’t Worry …. Be Happy.” … Maybe the idea of a worry-free life sounds unrealistic to you … a cute idea, but nothing that could work in real life. Well, I don’t believe Jesus would have commanded it if it wasn’t possible. Jesus spoke about real life in real terms. I believe worry-free living is actually available to you and to me … to anyone who is willing to follow Jesus.
* Put God First
So what keeps us from experiencing this worry-free life? Rick Warren says, "Worry is the warning light that God is really not first in my life at this particular moment."
This fits the next advice Jesus gave: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 Notice the little word “but” at the beginning of this verse. Jesus is saying, Don’t worry. Instead, REPLACE worry with going after God and His ways.
SOMETHING is going to fill our minds and hearts. We can fill our lives with worry, or we can fill our lives with worship. We’re going to spend our energy on something … and what we go after will become our TREASURE. Our treasures are the things we labor for all day and think about all night. They fill our hopes and dreams. So treasure God.
* Live One Day at a Time
Jesus ends this part of his sermon with a humorous statement. He says in essence, “You can do your worrying about tomorrow … tomorrow. Each day contains just enough problems to last to the end of the day.” Jesus is realistic about human nature. He knows we need something simple to hang on to.
So, I challenge you to practice this simple piece of divine advice this week. Don’t let yourself worry about ANYTHING that is not part of your today. I guarantee this one step will cut out 99.9% of all your worrying.
CONCLUSION:
When you read the Sermon on the Mount, it’s interesting to see that most of what Jesus had to say concerned our hidden inner lives. There were a lot of other things Jesus could have talked about.
Many of the people around Jesus lived in abject poverty. They literally didn’t know where their next meal would come from. Many of them suffered from illness and disabilities. And they lived under political tyranny from Rome, never knowing when the few freedoms they had might be taken away. But Jesus didn’t spend much time addressing these physical and political concerns.
Instead, Jesus offered his listeners a new way of life that did not require fixing their personal problems or changing their political reality. He offered them a new kind of Kingdom … a hidden Kingdom … a Kingdom of the Heart. That is good news for all of us.
You don’t have to be wealthy or healthy or have a great job or a perfect family … you don’t have to have everything straightened out in your life. No matter what your circumstances … you can enjoy the full, abundant life that Jesus offers. No matter what is going on in your life, you can live a happy, joy-filled, worry-free life … starting right now!
Hudson Taylor … who was a missionary to China over a century ago … gave this excellent advice: "Let us give up our work, our plans, ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, our influence, our all, right into [God’s] hand; and then, when we have given all over to Him, there will be nothing left for us to be troubled about."
