The Focus Of The Follower Of Christ Series

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

THE FOCUS OF THE FOLLOWER OF CHRIST

Matthew 6:22–24 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But 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! 24“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.

INTRODUCTION: LAST WEEK WE LOOKED AT THE FIRST PART OF THIS SECTION OF THE LORD’S PRAYER. THIS WEEK, IN OUR TIME TOGETHER, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO WHAT WE BEGAN LAST WEEK AND THEN MOVE A LITTLE FURTHER ALONG.

I. LAST WEEK REVIEW

a. PRIORITY WITH OUR TREASURE

i. THIE IS A FIRST BASE ISSUE – IF WE DO NOT GET THE ISSUE OF PRIORITY RIGHT WITH OUR TREASURE WE CANNOT HOPE TO MOVE FORWARD IN THIS AREA OF TREASURE

ii. THE ISSUE IS WHAT IS OUR RELATIONSHIP TO OUR TREASURE

b. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TREASURE WHAT DO WE MEAN

i. TREASURE IS WEALTH

ii. WEALTH IS NOT CONDEMNED IN THE BIBLE

iii. THE WISE USE OF WEALTH IS COMMENDED IN THE WORD OF GOD

c. DEFINING TREASURE

i. SOMETHING PRECIUS

ii. MORE THAN MONEY OR MATERIAL POSSESSIONS

iii. WHAT WE FIXATE ON

1. STRIVE TO ATTAIN

2. DREAD LOSING

3. BLESSED IF WE HAVE IT

4. MISERABLE IF WE DON’T

d. WHERE WE STORE OUR TREASURE IS IMPORTANT

i. DOWN HERE, IT RUSTS, DECAYS AND LOSES ITS LUSTER LEADING TO SEEKING NEW TREASURE

ii. WE CAN STORE OUR TREASURE IN HEAVEN

1. STARTS WITH AN ATTITUDE CHANGE – WHY DO I HAVE WHAT I HAVE? TO HOARD OR USE FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

e. OUR HEART WILL SHADOW OUR TREASURE

II. FOCUSING OUR VISION

a. WHAT WE CHOOSE TO SET OUR SIGHT ON IS EITHER GOOD OR BAD

b. THIS IS REALLY A SIMPLE ILLUSTRATION

i. WINDOWS BY THEIR NATURE LET LIGHT IN – THAT IS THEIR JOB

ii. THE COLOR AND THE STATE OF THE WINDOW DETERMINE HOW, HOW MUCH , AND WHAT TYPE OF LIGHT GETS THROUGH

iii. IF A WINDOW IS CLEAR, CLEAN AND UNDISTORTED THEN THE LIGHT WILL COM THROUGH AND FLOOD THE ROOM.

iv. IF THE WINDOW IS COLORED. DISTORTED, FROSTED OR COLORED, THE AMOUNT, AND KIND OF LIGHT ARE AFFECTED!

c. THE LIGHT THAT GETS IN HAS A POSITIVE OF NEGATIVE AFFECT ON US.

d. WHEN WE PUT THESE VERSES IN THE CONTEXT OF OUR PREVIOUS MESSAGE

i. CHRIST IS SPEAKING ABOUT HOW WE EVALUATE OUR TREASURE

e. PROPER SPIRITUAL VISION REQUIRES US TO SEE CLEARLY WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO, AND SEE THE WORLD FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW

i. DO WE SEE A DARK WORLD

ii. DO WE SEE THE WRONG MASTER

iii. DO WE SEE OUR WORLD THROUGH THE LENS OF GOD OR THE LENS OF MAMMON

THE ROOT QUEST IS WHETHER OUR EYE ARE ON GOD OR NOT. WHAT OUR EYE SEES, OUR HEART EMBRACES

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, THE “EYE” DENOTED THE DIRECTION OF A PERSON’S LIFE. JUST AS OUR TEXT LAST WEEK ENCOURAGED US TO LOOK AT OUR PRIORITIES, SO THIS WEEK WE ARE ENCOURAGED TO DIRECT OUR PRIORITIES TOWARDS GOD.

III. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE OUR EYE ON JESUS

a. YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE TEXT SAYS EYE, NOT EYES!

b. IN REALITY OUR FREEDOM OF CHOICE IS LIMITED TO ONE FUNDAMENTAL DECISION.

i. WHO IS OUR MASTER

ii. EVERYTHING ELSE IS A CONSEQUENCE OF OUR CHOICE

c. GOD WANTS OUR HEART

i. OUR HEART CONTROLS OUR ACTIONS

ii. WHEN GOD HAS OUR HEART, OUR ACTIONS ARE CONTROLLED BY HIM

d. GOOD AND BAD, LIGHT AND DARKNESS, GOD OR MAMMON

i. WE ARE ALWAYS LEFT WITH A CHOICE

e. IF GOD HAS OUR HEART THEN OUR TREASURE IS OUR SERVANT, NOT OUR VISION

i. WE LOOK TO GOD REGARDING HOW WE USE THE TREASURE HE HAS GIVEN US

ii. IF OUR HEART DOES NOT BELONG TO GOD, TAND OUR TREASURE IS OUR VISION, WE ARE LOOKING TO WHAT WE HAVE TO SATISFY US INSTEAD OF GOD

f. JESUS GIVES US TWO WAYS OF SEEING

i. A SINGLE EYE SEES THINGS PROPERLY, EVALUATES THINGS PROPERLY, AND PUTS FAR GREATER VALUE ON THE TREASURE OF HEAVEN THAN THE TREASURE OF EARTH

ii. THE EVIL OR DARK EYE DRAWS THE OPPOSITE CONCLUSION; SEEING GREATER VALUE IN WHAT THEY HAVE ON EARTH AND LITTLE VALUE TO WHAT THEY HAVE IN HEAVEN.

IV. THE BENEFIT OF A SINGLE EYE

a. NO MATTER HOW MANY GOOD THINGS WE DO, IF JESUS DOES NOT HAVE OUR HEART – IF OUR FOCUS AND DESIRE ARE NOT ON HIM, HE DOES NOT HAVE US