SERMON OUTLINE:
• (a). Be different regarding Treasure (6:19-24)
• (b). Be different regarding Worry (6:25-34)
• (c). Be different regarding Judgement (vs 1-6)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• A mother became hysterical with panic because her little boy had swallowed a £1 coin.
• She turned to her husband and screamed for him to call a doctor.
• The husband picked up the phone, but instead of calling the doctor,
• He decided to call the local Church and ask for (insert your Church treasurer’s name).
• The wife was upset and said,
• “We don’t need the (Church treasurer’s name) we need some medical help!”
• To which the husband replied,
• “Hey, (Church treasurer’s name) is the Church treasurer and he can get money out of anyone!”
In this first section this morning (verses 19-24):
• Jesus dealt with money matters and he deals with it because… money matters!
• For some people, though, it matters too much.
• That’s why again and again Jesus dealt with money matters… because money matters!
Quote: Compassion Website:
• “More than half a billion (one in four) of the world's children live on less than $1 a day”
• At current exchange rate that is 63p a day.
• So please don’t tell me this morning that you are not well off;
• On a world scale you are loaded!
• But notice that Jesus starts this block of teaching with a warning against treasure;
• He deliberately broadens the topic from money to treasure.
• That is because while everyone does not have a lot of cash,
• Everyone with no exceptions! All of us have things that we treasure!
• i.e. Our treasure may be a home, a car, a computer, our clothes,
• i.e. Our treasure may be a position that we hold or seek after.
• We all have some treasure that we value very much indeed.
• While Jesus is not saying that it is wrong to have treasures,
• He is telling us that our focus should be on laying up treasures in heaven, not on earth.
Ill:
• An American tourist while on holiday;
• Ended up in the home of the 19th century Polish rabbi, Hofetz Chaim:
• The tourist was astonished to see that the rabbi’s home was very simple & almost bare;
• All he had was a few books, a table and a bench.
• The tourist asked him: “Rabbi, where is your furniture?”
• “Where is yours?” replied the rabbi.
• “Mine?” asked the puzzled American. “But I’m a visitor here. I’m only passing through.”
• “So am I,” said Hofetz Chaim.
• While Jesus is not saying that it is wrong to have treasures,
• He is telling us that our focus should be on laying up treasures in heaven, not on earth.
(A). Be different regarding Treasure (6:19-24):
• I want to say again that there is nothing wrong with treasures or with money;
• If God has blessed you with both then be thankful and grateful.
• The warning in these verses is the danger of a wrong attitude;
• Towards our treasurers and our money.
• The point Jesus is making is:
• It is not wrong to possess things BUT it is always wrong for things to possess us!
Ill:
• If you go to the top of a mountain and look around;
• You will see before you a breath taking view – stunning scenery etc.
• But if you take two 10 pence pieces and put them in front of your eyes;
• All that beauty is lost and all you can see is two small silver coins!
• Application: A misplaced attitude to possessions and money;
• So easily robs us of much beauty and of the valuable things in life!
Notice: what Jesus says regarding treasurers and money!
(a). Guard the heart (verse 19-21).
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also
These verses remind us that two things happen to the things we own.
• FIRST: they decay, they deplete, they diminish.
• This was especially true in the ancient world;
• i.e. Where a person’s wealth was reflected in the clothes the type wore.
• Jesus said, these clothes were always in danger of moths or vermin destroying them;
• In other words they have a limited life-span!
• SECOND: our possessions can disappear;
• i.e. They can be stolen or mislaid and therefore lost.
• So Jesus says it is best to invest in heavenly things rather than earthly things;
• These things cannot be eroded and they cannot be stolen!
(b). Guard the mind (verse 22-23).
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 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!”
• So often we want what we see is what we want!
• The eye gate appeals to the mind and to our desires.
Ill:
• If we go shopping with the kids and they have some birthday money to spend;
• They always want to spend their money on the first thing they see!
• Too many of us spend all that we have on the things of this world;
• We take on board the false attitude that says the more you have the happier you will be.
• As long as our attention is on the material things of earth.
• We are always going to struggle when it comes to fixing our minds on the things of God.
(c). Guard the will (verse 24).
“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.”
Ill:
• Once when the American author and humorist Mark Twain was lecturing in Utah,
• A Mormon acquaintance argued with him on the subject of polygamy.
• (Polygamy of course is when a man has more than one wife)
• After a long and rather heated debate, the Mormon finally said,
• “Can you find for me a single passage of Scripture which forbids polygamy?”
• “Certainly can,” replied Mark Twain.
• “‘No man can serve two masters.’""
• Money and possessions to a person with the right attitude are a blessing;
• But to most of us they are a distraction because we have the wrong attitude!
• Jesus reminds us the choice for the believer is a simple one;
• Put God before your money and your possessions.
• Treasures and money are given to us to use for his glory;
• They tools to use not chains to enslave us.
Note: In verse 24: Jesus asks his listeners an important question;
• “Who & why & what are you living for?”
• Are you living for God and what he wants?
• Or are you living for yourself and your own gains and appetites?
• BUT said Jesus:
• “You cannot serve both at the same time. You cannot serve two masters.”
Ill:
• Story told of a man who was being baptised by immersion;
• As he descended down the steps into the baptistery;
• He remembered he had his wallet in his back pocket.
• He stopped to remove it and the preacher told him to; “Stop!”
• “Either I baptise you wallet and all or not at all!”
• Now the preacher was not interested in making the man’s money wet;
• But it is a complete nonsense to say:
• “I am going to follow Jesus but it is not going to affect my money etc!”
• Either he is Lord of all or he is not Lord at all!
(b). Be different regarding Worry (6:25-34):
Ill:
A man went to see a psychologist regarding the fact he could not get to sleep at night.
• The reason for the man’s sleepless nights was worry.
• He was convinced that someone or something was under his bed.
• Well after many sessions with the psychologist the problem still persisted.
• No-one seemed able to help or cure him of this strange fear.
• One night he was having a pint with a friend in a pub;
• When all of a sudden his friend gave him the solution to his problems.
• He told him to cut the legs off his bed!
• Problem sorted!
Transition: All people at sometime experience worry:
• The things that worry you will probably not worry me,
• And the things that worry me may be very different to the things that worry you,
• But worry is a common experience that all of us experience as some time or other.
• Or to use substitute words, we will experience; ‘anxiety, burden, care, trouble, fear’.
Ill:
• The word worry simply means: "To be divided or distracted".
• Worry works by getting at our minds and our emotions by distracting them:
• We want to think about one particular thing;
• But instead we keep on being distracted, to think on something else
• Our thoughts are divided:
• We cannot let go, we cannot forget about the problem or situation,
• And concentrate on something else.
In these verses Jesus gives us four pieces of advice about worry:
(1). Worry keeps you from enjoying what you
have (vs 25):
"....do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?"
ill:
• Every time we see an advert on T.V. or a poster or in a magazine,
• It's designed to make us dissatisfied,
• Sadly we get distracted and worried by what we don’t have;
• That we forget the many things, that we do have!
• Life is MORE than these things said Jesus:
• So make the most of what you have, don't worry over what you haven't got.
(2). Worry is completely useless (vs 27).
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
• Worry will not make you younger looking,
• Worry will not make you live longer,
• Worry will not make you, taller or smaller.
• Worry will not make you, fatter of thinner.
• Worry will not cure your boldness or your acne,
• In fact it will probably cause more.
• Worry really is completely useless:
• Worry does not accomplish anything good,
• So, says Jesus; “Why worry?”
(3). Worry erases the promises of God
(vs 30b-31).
“…you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?
• God has promised to supply our needs and not our greed’s.
• And IF he has taken care of our biggest need - the problem of sin & separation from God.
• Surely he will take care of the lesser needs.
• What we need in life.
• And if we cannot trust him for this life;
• What makes you think you can trust him for the life to come!
Ill:
• If I could not trust the word of someone offering me a lift to the next city;
• Howe can I trust his word if he wants to offer me a lift on a journey to a far city?
(4). Worry is characteristic of unbelievers, not
Christians (vs 32).
• "For the pagans run after all these things
• (What things? The things in verse 31; 'what we eat, drink & wear')
• And YOUR heavenly Father knows that you need them".
• People who don't care for the things of God have a right to worry.
• All they have is the here and now – so they had better make the most of it!
• But Christians ought to be different:
• Because our citizenship is heaven – we are therefore to live for the permanent!
Question: What is the cure for worry?
Answer: Two things mentioned in verse 33-34;
"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well".
FIRST: Stop living for things and start living for God!
• "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
• And all these things (that worry you) will be given to you as well".
• Quote: Hymn: “Great is thy faithfulness...all I have need thou hast provided”.
SECOND: Stop living for tomorrow and enjoy today.
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own".
Ill:
• The executive J Arthur Rank decided to do all his worrying on one day each week.
• He chose Wednesdays.
• When anything annoyed him and gave him anxiety;
• He would write it down and put it in his worry box and forget about it until Wednesday.
• He said:
• “The interesting thing was when Wednesday came around;
• Most of the things that had worried him during that past week had already been settled”.
• It would of course been useless for J Arthur Rank to have worried over them.
• He learnt the lesson that Jesus had taught 2,000 years earlier;
• Stop living for tomorrow and enjoy today.
(c). Be different regarding Judgement (vs 1-6)
Ill:
• A lorry load of food supplies were taken to a group of primitive people;
• Inside the lorries were cans of tinned food.
• This was the first time they had encountered tin food and they were amazed and thrilled;
• As some packages were opened the cans contained a picture of a cow.
• Because it contained beef.
• As some packages were opened the cans contained a picture of a corn cob.
• Because it contained corn.
• Then as another package was opened the natives became horrified;
• The third package contained baby food and on the tin was a picture of a baby.
• You can guess what they thought was in the can?
• Transition: When it comes to making a judgement;
• Make sure you get your facts right!
Jesus said: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
• When it comes to judging others:
• Jesus wants his followers to be different to the religious leaders of his day.
• The religious leaders had two major faults, two major errors;
• That Jesus did not want his disciples to display in their lives.
First: They were overly critical,
• The Pharisees, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were overly critical,
• They had invented rule upon rule upon rule for how to live a godly life,
• i.e. Over 700 rules on how to keep the Sabbath.
• And if anyone could not keep those rules there were overly critical of them.
• They were always looking for people breaking THEIR rules;
• Rather than trying to help people keep GOD’s laws.
• Jesus refused to play by their games;
• And that is why they took a deliberate and instant hatred towards him.
• While he never ever broke the law of Moses (God’s law);
• He seemed to delibratly; purposely break THEIR man made rules.
• The reason being that THEIR rules imprisoned the people;
• It tied them up in all sorts of what we would call ‘red tape’.
• While GOD’s laws liberated the people – sets us free!
Second: They were hypocritical
• The Pharisees, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were hypocritical – i.e. two-faced.
• One thing outwardly before others and another inwardly or when on their own!
• ill: Later on in this gospel (Matthew chapter 23 verses 27- 28)
• Jesus would called them ‘white-washed tombs’
• (meaning they were pure and clean on the outside, but full of corruption on the inside)
Ill:
The Pharisees wore religious Bifocals spectacles.
• A bifocal lens is a single lens with two separate sections;
• Each having a different prescription.
• The upper part of the lens is designed for distance vision,
• While an inset portion at the bottom is designed for up close vision.
• The Pharisees were able to see the ‘distance’ – that is faults of others;
• But unable to see the ‘close up’ – that is their own faults.
Ill:
• Jesus here uses the graphic example of a plank of wood and a speck of dust.
• We can see that this picture is ridiculous.
• It reads like a sketch from a Monty Python show.
Ill:
• One man has a little piece of sawdust in his eye.
• While another man with a piece of two-by-four coming out of his forehead,
• Is trying to get that speck out of the other guys eye!
• It’s madness, it’s crazy and that’s the point!
It’s madness, it’s crazy;
• When I spend my time pointing my finger at your faults and failings.
• When first I should be dealing with my faults and failings.
• And that’s the real danger of judging.
• We’re all sinners, and we’re to work together as a family to overcome our sins.
• But ultimately, the only sins over which I have control are my own,
• And those are the ones that should command my greatest attention.
Notice: Jesus finishes this section talking about the right way to judge (7:6):
“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces”.
In other words:
• Jesus acknowledges the need for making decisions;
• There is a right and proper way to judge people.
• Just as you would not give sacred things to dogs or pearls to pigs.
• Because you know they cannot appreciate them or use them correctly.
• You need without weigh up each situation for what it is;
• And then and only then can you make the right call.
Question:
• Why does Jesus introduce verses 7-12) on prayer at this point?
• As you read them they seem to be out of place or a distraction to his previous teaching
Answer:
• They are not an interruption or a distraction.
• They are a necessity when it comes to judging rightly.
• You and I are human and therefore fallible;
• We make mistakes!
• Therefore we need the help and the insight and the wisdom;
• That comes from God himself – who is impartial and judges correctly!
To judge rightly we need to:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
• The tenses of the verbs are important here:, in the original langue they read:
• "Keep on asking... keep on seeking . . . keep on knocking."
• These verses carry on the idea of perseverance & diligence:
• We need to keep drawing our help, insight and wisdom from God himself!
• And those who ‘keep on, keeping on’ will receive their due reward.
Notice: that these verses close with an emphasis on God as a wise Father (verses 9-12).
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets”.
• Because our heavenly father knows us and loves us,
• We never need to be afraid of the answers that He gives.
• Jesus is arguing from the lesser to the greater:
• If a flawed earthly father gives what is best to his children,
• Surely the perfect Father in heaven will do even more.
• Only with God’s help and God’s insight can we make right judgements;
• And make judgements in the right way.
