WHAT’S YOUR HEART FOR?
Matthew 6:19-21
S: Vision & Stewardship
Th: My Life as God’s Light
Pr: WE NEED HEARTS THAT REFLECT GOD’S HEART.
?: How?
KW: Priorities
TS: We will find in Matthew 6:19-21 two priorities that show us how we can have hearts that reflect God’s heart.
The _____ priority that shows how we can have hearts that reflect God’s heart is…
I. CONCEDE THE TEMPORARY (19)
II. CHERISH THE TIMELESS (20)
RMBC 5/6/01 AM
THE LORD’S TABLE:
Right now…it is time for Jesus.
The world has always had men and women of charismatic, magnetic and commanding personality…Joan of Arc, Napoleon, Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr.
But now…it is time for Jesus.
Whatever may be attempting to distract you right now needs to be set aside.
For Jesus is drawing you right now, asking you to come closer.
Interestingly, in an unassuming way, Jesus was the most magnetic person who ever lived.
He grabbed the attention of those around Him.
He did it not only by the miracles that He performed, but even more by what He said.
He said things like…
I am the Bread.
I am the Light of the World.
I am the Door.
I am the Good Shepherd.
I am the Resurrection and the Life.
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
He was different.
When Jesus was being executed on a cross, He had ordinary men hanging on each side of him.
But He was not just a man, martyr, prophet or teacher.
He was the extraordinary God-Man, the sinless One—God.
As John testifies in his gospel:
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
And…
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
When we come to this table, we recognize that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial to the incarnate life and the sacrificial death of Christ.
He was lifted up to the cross where He draws us.
He draws us to Himself.
So as we come to the table, we recognize that he draws us once again.
He draws us to remember that He victoriously accomplished the salvation of those drawn in faith.
As the familiar hymn says:
Lifted up was He to die,
“It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in heaven exalted high:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
We practice “communion” because we are to remember the death of the Lord Jesus.
We take the bread to remind us that it was by the body of our Savior that our salvation came.
He died in our place.
He became our substitute.
We take the cup to remind us that it was by the blood of our Savior that our salvation came.
He died for our sins.
He became our sacrifice.
Being led in prayer by Rich Phillips, let us take a moment and thank Him for being our sacrifice.
(Prayer)
The apostle Paul writes, "The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."
Let’s partake together.
Nobby Kadohama will now come and lead us in prayer.
Again, the apostle Paul writes, "In the same way, after supper he took the cup saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
Let’s partake together.
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Money (Who wants to be…)
Have you been caught up in the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" frenzy? For one million dollars, what insect got into the works of the world’s first computer causing it to short out and in the process started use of the phrase "computer bug?" A) Moth, B) Roach, C) Fly, D) Japanese Beetle. A 25-year-old California man sat in the "hot seat" over a year ago and agonized over the answer as millions of Americans looked on, and those who knew the answer in their living rooms screamed it to their TV sets. The suspense mounts. "Gee, Regis, I think I know this one. The answer is A) Moth." "Is that your final answer?" "Final answer." Then a dramatic pause. "You’re right! You’ve just won a million dollars." The confetti comes down, and the crowd goes wild.
1. Do you want to be a millionaire?
Have you ever thought, “Oh what I could do with a millionaire dollars”?
Every time you go by the big Lotto billboard on the Kensington with the latest amount for the next winner, don’t you think, “I could make good use of that”?
I find it interesting how we just think that if we had just a little bit more than we do now, everything would be okay.
There is no doubt that money influences our thinking and decisions in life.
For example…
ILL Notebook: Money (I’d miss you terribly)
A wealthy older gentleman had just recently married a lovely young lady, and was beginning to wonder whether she might have married him for his money. So he asked her, "Tell me the truth: if I lost all my money, would you still love me?" She said reassuringly, "Oh honey, don’t be silly. Of course I would still love you. And I’d miss you terribly."
2. There are many that seek the “good life.”
Many seek a life of comfort, free from worries.
And they view money, and the things it can buy, as the answer to their problems.
The good life is the abundance of bigger and better things.
ILL Notebook: Money (Dinin)
Paul Dinin, a 20-year-old employee of Interland, a web-hosting company in Atlanta, was asked what were his prized possessions in life. Dinin, a high school dropout, listed four cars, including a Jaguar and a 1981 Delorean. When asked for his philosophy, Paul stated, "It’s all about money. All those guys who say they just want to make a difference in the world, that’s bull."
One has to appreciate Dinin’s honesty.
But it’s not the whole story…
ILL Notebook: Money (Hughes)
All he ever really wanted in life was more. He wanted more money, so he parlayed inherited wealth into a billion-dollar pile of assets. He wanted more fame, so he broke into the Hollywood scene and soon became a filmmaker and star. He wanted more sensual pleasures, so he paid handsome sums to indulge his every sexual urge. He wanted more thrills, so he designed, built, and piloted the fastest aircraft in the world. He wanted more power, so he secretly dealt political favors so skillfully that two US presidents became his pawns. All he ever wanted was more. He was absolutely convinced that more would bring him true satisfaction. Unfortunately, history shows otherwise. He concluded his life emaciated; colorless; sunken chest; fingernails in grotesque, inches-long corkscrews; rotting, black teeth; tumors; innumerable needle marks from his drug addiction. Howard Hughes died believing the myth of more. He died a billionaire junkie, insane by all reasonable standards.
The lesson of history sits there for us, but how many really listen?
Perhaps of even more concern to us, is how does the influence of money affect those of us in the church?
Do we view money differently?
Or is our attitude about it pretty much the same as everyone else?
3. Some believe that the church suffers from “affluenza.”
We have all heard of influenza, but not as many of heard of the even more deadly disease of “affluenza.”
It is the desire for more and more, despite what we already have.
It is an insatiable drive to be successful without ever experiencing contentment.
It is the practice of consistently choosing career over family.
It is an unchecked yearning for more possessions and wealth.
It is the unwillingness to settle for less than the best of everything.
Are you suffering from “affluenza”?
You know…
4. Jesus has a lot to say about what we value.
All throughout the gospels, Jesus talks a great deal about money and priorities.
In fact, his strongest lessons about priorities always come alongside lessons about money.
Our text today is no exception.
Consider this…
It is a priority, in today’s world, to make sure that we have saved properly for our retirement.
5. Many of us diligently prepare and invest for our future.
We look at our retirement years, and we wonder if we have saved enough.
And somehow, we lose sight of trust in God and we forget that prosperity is uncertain.
For God, in His sovereignty, may at any time, like Job, test us by removing our money, possessions, and even family members.
All that we have is not from our own making.
How we lose this perspective!
We have set ourselves up for a rude awakening.
For…
6. We need to remember our Source for what we possess (I Corinthians 4:7).
Paul writes a very poignant question that applies to all of life when he writes…
What do you have that you did not receive?
We need to continually remember who our Source is.
All that we have, even the very strength we possess to work, is a gift from God.
We dare not lose sight of this.
Let’s consider for the next few moments, two priorities that Jesus communicated in the Sermon on the Mount.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first priority that Jesus gives is to CONCEDE THE TEMPORARY (19).
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
The verb in the text “to store up” speaks of one that stacks coins.
It is a picture of one that hoards or unwisely stockpiles.
It is a verb that is very descriptive of our tendency to pursue money and possessions.
For…
1. Somehow, we believe that if we have enough stuff, we will be happy.
I have come to the conclusion that Jesus would have made a terrible infomercial host.
You know those programs that are always trying to sell you on the latest gadget.
And as you watch it, you do wonder how you have made it so long with your stone-age possessions.
Jesus’ message was that money and possessions never satisfy.
Any happiness that we derive from them is, at best, temporary.
2. The problem is that stuff doesn’t last.
In Jesus’ day, one of the marks of prosperity was fine clothing.
The best clothing was made of wool, and often, golden thread would be woven into the fabric itself.
So when Jesus spoke of the moth, everyone listening to Him knew that moths loved to eat fine woolen clothing.
Many of these rich people would work hard to procure this fine clothing, and then, have to work equally hard to protect it.
In Jesus’ day, another indication of success was having barns full of grain.
The word translated rust is everywhere else in the New Testament translated differently.
It literally means "an eating."
Perhaps that is how it should be translated here, which would correspond nicely to the fact that rats, mice, worms, and insects could eat away at these storehouses of grain.
When you store all your treasure on earth, what happens?
It wears out.
It is eaten up.
It is destroyed.
It is stolen.
Nothing on this earth lasts forever.
Eventually, we die and leave it all behind.
We have to concede that a lot of stuff that we consider important is temporary.
Which brings us to…
II. The second priority that Jesus gives is to CHERISH THE TIMELESS (20).
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
1. We can make investments that are absolutely secure.
There is such a thing as an eternal retirement fund.
And the earth cannot destroy it or steal it.
It is permanent.
The simple question for us here is this…
Are we investing in the eternal?
Do we take all these resources that we possess and cheerfully, wisely, and generously use them to support and further God’s kingdom?
You see…
2. We must remember that we are more pilgrim than resident.
We act like we are permanent residents.
But we are not.
As the old hymn said, “We’re just passin’ through.”
So Jesus asks us to make our investment in kingdom that is eternal, not the one of our own making here on earth.
ILL Notebook: Investment (best we could)
There is the old story of the rich and famous man who died and went to heaven. As he was being guided to his celestial home, he passed through one magnificent neighborhood after another and thought to himself how fitting it would be for a man of his position and reputation to live in one of the many fine mansions he saw there. But the angel who was leading him did not stop at any of the magnificent mansions he saw; he stopped instead in front of a poorly constructed little shack. "But wait," the man protested, "surely this cannot be my home." The angel replied, "I am sorry, Sir, this is the best we could do with the materials you sent up."
ILL Notebook: Giving (tombstone)
The following is written on a tombstone:
“What I spent, I lost
What I saved, I left
What I gave, I have”
APPLICATION:
ILL Notebook: Heart (daddy’s heart)
Hearts have astonishing lives of their own. Hearts are faint and hearts are stout; hearts are open, hearts are closed; hearts are clean and hearts are mean; warm and cold and faint and bold; hearts are light and hearts are heavy, some as heavy as a stone. They beat as one-two hearts in waltz time. Other hearts are lonely hunters. Hearts are whole and half and broken; politics makes some hearts bleed. Pierced by Cupid, some are saddened. Some, like a singing bird, are gladdened. Some are worn upon your sleeve. Hearts are all over the place. His heart was in his mouth; but soon his heart wasn’t in it anymore, because his heart had gone out of it. Some-times your heart is in the Highlands. In the end it gets buried at Wounded Knee. And wherever it goes, your heart belongs to Daddy.
But do you know what really need?
We need hearts for God.
And…
1. WE NEED HEARTS THAT REFLECT GOD’S HEART.
Is that the kind of heart that you have?
What I find interesting here, and it was a surprise to me as I studied the text this week (I don’t know how I missed it all this time), is that Jesus tells us how to get that kind of heart.
It is simply this…
2. Our hearts follow the treasure (21).
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
If you own some rental property, you take care of it so that it will make you money.
If you buy a new sports car, you’ll be cleaning it and waxing it all the time.
And if you buy stock in Amazon.com, you’ll start watching how the company is doing everyday in the paper.
You see, our hearts follow the treasure.
So, if we store up treasure here, our hearts will be focused on things here.
But the opposite is also true, if we store up treasure in heaven, your heart will seek God.
You will be passionate about Him.
You will be excited about His kingdom.
So, if we are going to have hearts for God, we are going to have to be deliberate and intentional about the money and possessions that we are stewards of.
God has not given them to us to hold on to for ourselves.
He has given them to us to invest in His kingdom.
Let me say that I believe with my whole heart that we exist here for kingdom work--not a Randall kingdom, but God’s kingdom.
I believe that this place is worthy of the investment of your time, money and person.
I believe this is so because we are concerned about kingdom priorities.
For…
3. Do you have a heart for worship?
We are concerned about our vertical relationship with God.
We want to bring Him glory.
So as we gather today, we do so to bring Him glory.
We attempt to do it in such a way to help each one of you worship.
Because we recognize we are easily distracted, we attempt to different things and never make the service the same way twice.
We try not to lull you into complacency.
It is also why we include elements of the service that our geared toward the younger part of our church family.
We want every part of our church family to be able to worship.
4. Do you have a heart for people and discipleship?
You see, we are also concerned about the horizontal relationships we are to have with each other.
We want to be known as a church family that knows how to love each other.
We want to be known as a church family that is actively making disciples.
We have a lot of good ministries around here in music, missions, WMF, 55 Forward…and the list could go on and on.
But what I am very proud of is our desire to reach our young families and children.
This is why we work so hard with our youth groups, Brigade and Pioneer Girls.
This is why we engage in a ministry with MOPS.
You see, the idea of this message came from Ruthie herself just before she moved on into the eternal kingdom, because she spent a lifetime laying up treasure in heaven.
When both Ray and Ruthie said to me, “it’s about the kids,” it hit me hard about their priorities, and what ours must continue to be.
The kids are worth investing in because we intentionally are making them disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So…
5. Do you have a heart for God’s priorities (Matthew 19:21-22)?
When Jesus was asked by the young rich man what he had to do to inherit eternal life, here is Jesus’ answer…
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus caught him at his weakest spot because his priorities were not the same as God’s.
There was a way around his materialistic worldview.
The answer was simple, but difficult to apply.
The perfect antidote was generosity.
For when we intentionally give, we lay up treasure that is eternal, and we have a heart that follows and reflects God’s heart.
So what’s your heart for?
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Concede the temporary…keep your perspective that we are more pilgrim than resident, and the stuff we possess won’t come with us when we leave this earth.
Cherish the timeless…keep your perspective that the investment that is worth making is in the next generation, that they may carry on the timeless message of the gospel.
Reflect God’s heart…by investing in people, because the only things that really last are the souls of people.
Now may your love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best; and may you be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Amen.
