Message
Matthew 6:19-24
"It Is Either God or Money"
Who loves math?
Subtraction, addition, multiplication, division.
Some of us love it but most of us don’t. Because over time some genius decided that having numbers in math was not enough. So they introduced letters. And then you get all these weird symbols and complicated equations.
I found this math equation on the internet.
(The equation I used is here http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/2trillionmethods.htm)
The Australian mathematician Burkard Polster came up with this equation to the number of different lacing methods that were possible for a shoe that has 12 eyelets. If you want to know the answer is 43,200.
Our world is full of complicated math, which most of us don’t love and most of us are not even interested in.
But in the Bible the math is very simple. One equation in Matthew 6:24 is an example of the simple math.
You cannot serve both God and Money.
Put the two names up on a chalk board and rub out one name.
God or Money.
Simple!
… …
Except it is not so simple.
Money is not just a medium of exchange.
In our culture money gives status and security.
It can make us feel strong and important.
Going out with friends and having a bankcard filled with money gives us confidence.
“Because I have money I am somebody” … is sometimes the way we think.
Without money we feel insecure, insignificant, vulnerable and concerned.
So when Jesus says
It’s God or Money … It’s one or the other.
… We know we are faced with a hard saying that presents us with a hard choice.
So let’s have a look at this hard saying. And to do so properly we need to read it in context.
Read Matthew 6:19-24
When we see the context we realise that Jesus is confronting us with the reality of clear and stark contrasts.
It’s one … or it the other. Not both … and.
It’s black and white. Not shades of grey (and certainly not 50 shades of grey).
I’m in this field, or I am in that field. I am not sitting on the fence.
In life there are times when we have a clear choice.
Jesus gives us three specific examples of these clear choices.
Two banks (Matthew 6:19-21)
One is the Bank of Earth and one is the Bank of Heaven. Both will take your treasure.
In one bank, the Bank of Earth, moth and rust will get to our treasures. All the stuff we put our energy into in this world:-
- our work and financial security.
- our study and our desire for status.
- our homes and material possessions.
- our collections and our addictions.
All of these treasures are going to be taken away at some point. It is like putting water into a bucket with holes in it. You keep pouring in the water but you have nothing to show for your effort. It just all runs away. Moth and rust.
We get a boyfriend then, once we are bored with him or find something more interesting, we move on to another boy. The relationship has rusted.
We find a job. It satisfies us for a while but then we are not treated as well as we would like. So we move on. The relationship has been eaten.
We get a new toy ... either a little person’s toy or a big boys toy. It excites us for a while and has our interest. But then it we move on. Rust.
There are all sorts of aspects of life that promise to give us so much. But it is all rusted and moth-eaten isn’t it. Even fame. Maybe one day you might be a bit famous. And they will put up a little plaque in your hometown:
Johnny was born here.
In 100 years’ time no-one will even know who Johnny is.
The pigeons will do what pigeons do to the plaque – and no one will care.
That’s what happens if all you do is store-up treasures in the Bank of Earth.
But you can also make a deposit in the Bank of Heaven. Which raises the obvious question. What are the treasures that are going to last which will not be destroyed by moth and rust? There are actually two.
God’s Word.
All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.
1 Peter 1:24-25
We need to be investing time into God’s Word.
To allow it to direct and guide our actions.
To realise that it is practical and applicable to our everyday situation.
To use it to understand our culture and be relevant to the culture.
To be willing to be changed by it if that is what the Word calls us to do.
The Word is that which draws us closer to God and makes us more like Jesus. The Word helps us to understand the ultimate purpose of our lives. The Word which gives us peace and security in the middle of hopelessness and darkness. It is the treasure which is going to give us lasting credit in the Bank of Heaven.
The other treasure which is going to last is people.
Heaven is designed for no other reason than to have people experience the face-to-face presence of God. So your investments in this area are going to give quite different results.
You could live as an evangelist. Not as a full-time job but as a way of life. And you might not even be very good at it. But you faithfully invest into letting people know about Jesus; you give your money and your time. Then when you get to heaven you enter into the party. All these people will come excitedly up to you and say, “Hey, you don’t know me but you shared your faith with Jane and she became a believer who told Alex that he needed God and Alex was my husband. Here we are. Because of you. Then there are high-fives all round and everyone praises Jesus and it’s great.
Or maybe you don’t invest in people. You get to heaven because God is still gracious and you walk in the door and everyone is looking around going, “Who is that guy?”
No-one knows you because all you did was put your treasure into the Bank of Earth. You’ve made the investments, but in all the wrong places.
So here is the choice. Where is your treasure? What is it that makes your heart skip a beat? What is the thing you think about when you are not thinking – when you are screen saver mode? What do you want to be?
Everyone is going to store up treasures. That is a given.
The only question is, “Which Bank will you use?”
And the bank you use today will determine the sort of person you are tomorrow.
Which brings us to the next example of
Two Eyes (Matthew 6:22-23)
With this example we need to be sure that we understand Jesus properly. Jesus is not talking at all about people who are blind as opposed to people who are not blind.
Erik Weihenmayer has climbed Mt Everest – he is blind.
Stevie Wonder is a world famous musician – he is blind.
Ched Towns won a silver medal at the Triathlon International World Championships – he is blind.
The issue here is not, “Are you blind?” The issue here is, “Can you see?”
These with good eyes and single minded and focussed. They know that they in this world we are all called onto a journey – and if we are going to succeed on that journey the best way to do so is to have God at the centre. Their world-view is filtered through the Word of God. That is their focus.
So when they want to know how relationships work, they go to the Word.
And when they want to know how to change their character, they go to the Word.
When they want to deal with suspect morality, they go to the Word.
If they find themselves with questions and doubts, they go to the Word.
And when they have failed and fallen short, they go to the Word.
Which kind of sounds boring doesn’t it.
This happens – I go to the Word.
That happens – I go to the Word.
When I eat a lolly – do I go to the Word?
Sometimes we can become a little cynical. Surely it doesn’t matter if we don’t let the Word guide us sometimes. Surely we can be a little off line.
Well let me put it this way. If I have a sheet of music which tells me how to play a song and then I randomly take away some notes – or I decide that I won’t play any notes on the B-line. What is going to happen to the song? It is going to sound terrible isn’t it.
If I am going to get it right I need to keep coming back to the music.
We have to be focused. The alternative is to become those with bad eyes.
In this case our world-view is not on God. Our world-view is on ourselves. We see all that the world has to offer and we think, “What can I get out of this?”
What can I get if I am driven by success?
What can I get if materialism is my goal?
What can I get by being hard-hearted and stingy?
What can I get by trampling all over people?
What can I get when I just don’t care?
What can I get when I live for me?
You might get a lot of things. A nice house. A super-model wife. The praise of shallow friends. A job at the top in a company where everyone hates you.
Your life isn’t just out of tune – there isn’t even a song playing. It’s a puny pathetic dark little world.
So here is the choice. What are you looking at? What gives your soul delight? What makes you tick? What energises you?
Everyone will use their eyes. That is a given.
The only question is, “What sort of eyes do you have?”
It will determine the sort of person you are tomorrow.
Which brings us to the money … more specifically. We are confronted by
Two Masters (Matthew 6:24)
Take real note here.
It doesn’t say, “Serving God and Money is very difficult.”
Nor does it say, “Some people have mastered the art of serving two Masters”.
No one can serve two masters ... You cannot serve both God and Money
It is like trying to mix water and oil – it just doesn’t happen.
So here we have Loving Money.
Perhaps you know Scrooge McDuck. He loves money doesn’t he. He kisses it. And hugs it. And swims in it. That is not the sort of love that Jesus is talking about. In fact the issue here is not the money in and of itself. It is what money gives you. You see money equals power.
If I have money I can walk into a shop and I can be king. People will run over to me and call me sir. And I can try on anything I like. And people will run out the back to get me a different size or a different colour.
I will have the turquoise jacket on and say, “Mmmm. I’m not sure if this is my colour. Do you have one in puce?
As if I even know what the colour puce looks like anyway. Money gives me the power to do that.
If I have money I can become selfish and get my own way. I don’t like waiting to find a carpark in the city – but with money I can buy my own space. It will always be mine – it will even have my name on it. I am not like other ordinary people I deserve a better spot in life. That is what money gives me.
But here is the kicker. People with money become slaves.
They have a nice house, but they don’t go on holidays in case someone burgles them while they are away.
They have a nice car, but they don’t drive it. Just in case it gets scratched.
They say that “money talks”. Have you ever listened to what it says?
“You hold me in your hand and call me yours; I call you mine. See how easily I rule you – even though I am nothing.
I do not hold the power of life.
I am meaningless without your stamp of approval.
I go nowhere unless you send me.
But my power is terrific. I really am the Master.”
On the other side we have a call to Love God.
He is the real Master, but His language is so different.
I hold you in my hand – even when you don’t call me yours; I call you mine. I don’t want to rule you, I want to save you – even though you are nothing.
I hold the power of life; which I want to share.
I don’t need your stamp of approval to be meaningful.
I am everywhere.
My power is terrific. I really am the Master.
And to make sure you know Me I have sent My Son to die for you.
And so we are confronted with the Master who is the ultimate who is asking a hard … but ultimately … simple question.
What defines you?
Are you going to be defined by Money … and then the moment it is taken away discover that you are nothing.
Or are you going to be defined by God … to whom you come with nothing
… NO
… to whom you come with guilt, shame, sin.
… a truckload of hurt and hopelessness.
God … to whom you come with less than nothing … and who ultimately gives you everything.
That seems like a pretty simple maths equation … doesn’t it.
Prayer
