19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money. Matthew 6: 19-24 ESV
Matthew 6: 19-24 Where Your Treasure Is
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth - Have you ever seen the show "Hoarders"? Now that would be extreme in most people's minds, but neither we nor they set the bar. If you watch that show and think, "well, my house doesn't look like that, so I'm not materialistic", you may just be harder to diagnose. You and I may be well within the culture's standard, yet vastly apart from God's standard. I always think you can never have enough fishing stuff, and my ideal of safety would be to have a large bank account, as though it were a wall between me and poverty, me and stress, and it would seem to solve so many of my present problems. But, if I have a hundred fishing rods and only use 10 of them, or so many bags of worms that I will never open, what is the good of it? Tools are pretty, shiny things, but they were made to perform work, to help us complete projects, yet we often don't even know what or how many tools we have.
Where moth and rust destroy - What good is the pile that not only isn't used, but is also falling under entropy? Are you really a good steward just for having, when it is all falling apart? Can you maintain it all, keep it in good working condition and order? What is the price of it's maintenance, and do you maintain it, or have you lost so much time that it maintains you? If I had a billion dollars would it also have me, and to what extent? It took me a long time to realize that I wasn't poor, but it is quite a difficult thing to look at the third world, and then reflect, finally admitting that I am rich. I have a house, a car, a good job, three meals a day, and even before I was able to own a car I was still fed, went to school, went to a doctor. My Lord Jesus is a genius, this started back in Matthew 5, this Sermon on the Mount, and everything He goes through points to the condition of the heart, it builds and then convicts at every turn. It is not the culture, not my friends, my mom or dad, none of them decide what matters to God; their eyes, their ideals, are no pure gage for a standard that belongs to the Maker. We talked about the giving of the hypocrites, and for them it was based upon getting, being perceived as righteous by men, glorying in themselves. We talked about prayer, and so often it was for the same thing, for appearing to be righteous, but also they prayed for more stuff, fading stuff, things that would rot or weigh them down. Prosperity teachers pray for wealth, and they say to give, but it is always directed within their pyramid scheme, just like those that Jesus drove out of the temple, just like Eli's sons, religious embezzlers. We also talked about fasting, and it was often confused for a magical combination that released the lock which held closed the door of goodies. It also made you look "spiritual", very Jedi.
12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.
13 And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
14 And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.
15 Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.
16 And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord. 1 Samuel 2: 12-17
…2You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures. 4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.… James 4: 2-4
Remember Job's friends? They believed in riches as a measure of righteousness, and that if a man had, well then to that extent was he good, and if he had not, if he was sick, then he must be doing something wrong. Well, I see everything as from the hand of God, whether rich or poor, but I also see the human state as depraved, whether rich or poor. God never says it is wrong to be rich, in fact, the Bible commands us to be good stewards, to invest wisely with what we have, and to be generous and grateful, because it all comes from God. There is another form of riches that has nothing to do with money, yet like money it can tempt a man to think too highly of himself and his state, it may be cause in his mind to trust in himself rather than realize his dependence upon God. This would be the riches of health, the strength of youth. This would be the riches of intellect, for what does one who knows everything need, and what is there that he or she can't figure out? All these things become idols to us, even so called "happiness", our desire to avoid pain and live inside our little piece of heaven, a bubble of earthly perfection we acquire here. It is funny, we are talking about inflation again now, just like when I was a kid and remembering the lines at the pump, asking my grandmother what the bumper sticker in front of us meant, it said, "eat more cabbage, we need your gas." Well, I'm not an economist, and I am not even nearly so good with money as I should be, but it's easy to see that the price of fuel inflates the price of everything that is transported or made through use of that fuel. Everyone says the "market demands" set the price, right? Does it really though? I remember renting houses and the landlords would come around with that, "the market went up so we are raising your rent", but they were the ones raising it, and they didn't have to. They would like to do this every year if they could, but that is greed, bottom line, and it is a disease of the rich and the poor. Inflation comes from greed, and then some always try to pin that on a particular group, and they promise equality, but instead you get tyranny, a new set of rich called government, oligarchs, and in every system the world ever had you still never fix the problem of greed, because it's a problem of the heart. Taking money from people who are good with it and giving it to people who aren't creates more inflation too, just look at California.
…23For calamity from God terrifies me, and His splendor I cannot overpower. 24If I have put my trust in gold or called pure gold my security, 25if I have rejoiced in my great wealth because my hand had gained so much,… Job 31: 23-25
…5You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah 6Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away. 7And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.… Psalm 39: 5-7
…3The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the faithless destroys them. 4Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death. 5The righteousness of the blameless directs their path, but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.… Proverbs 11: 3-5
For where your treasure is - If it is here, in this body, well, this body is decaying, passing away with all else. I have seen grown women, who have put so much on their outside, go into the worst sort of depression as they age, or when their body changed after a kid, or when the man they got by looks looked at someone else. They go from this to the body shapers, "give me bigger boobs, pick them back up, make my butt stick out and lift my face." They heap on make up, painting a house that's foundation is rotting away. Men spend a lot on hair plugs, trying to look young, dying their hair to remove the grays, investing in the temporal. We want to amass cars, houses, money, everything that matters to those here, as if this were all there will ever be. I knew an old woman who was convinced by her husband and others that she would live to be a hundred if she just kept passing out Bible verses, and to her that was heaven, to live here, even when her body didn't work anymore, she didn't want to let go of this life, and everything she longed for was the pride of life.
There your heart will be also - You see, like everything else, like prayer, fasting, the Beatitudes, it was all a matter of the heart. No one is bad because they're rich or poor; it's a matter of being human, being a spiritual stillborn, having lost connection with God. Everyone is a sinner, everyone is looking across a vast, incomprehensible void when it comes to God, and so there is this notion of God, of eternity, but the relationship died. This is why God has to restart the relationship, make Himself known to people who are deaf and blind, provide a Way for restoration, atoning for the cause of the breach. Listen, your worst day here will seem like heaven to you in an eternity where you know nothing but the wrath of a just God. Why are we so inclined to amass things here when here is going away and all the things will be worthless? You must be born again, you need a new heart, one that desires the things of God, that mourns over sin, that hungers and thirsts after righteousness. If your treasure is in heaven then you won't want all your time to be taken up in the pursuit and maintenance of too many things. Don't twist this into being lazy and not taking care of your stuff, for we are told to do that as well, and to provide for our families, but we need to bring them spiritual food as well, or we have truly failed.
Excerpt - The Bible does not specifically mention saving for retirement, per se, and it doesn’t mention 401(k) plans, IRAs, or the like. However, the Bible does speak of saving money, and it gives us clear principles to guide us in whether Christians should save for retirement. The issues of retirement and investment in stocks have been addressed in separate articles. This article will focus primarily on the issue of whether Christians should save money for perceived future needs, such as when no longer generating income. The Bible speaks positively about providing for oneself financially through work. In 2 Thessalonians 3, Paul gives a warning against idleness. He reminds the Thessalonians of how he and his companions worked to provide for themselves while serving the church, despite the fact that they had a right to receive monetary support from the church. In verse 10 Paul says the rule is that “the one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” It seems, then, that we are responsible to provide financially for ourselves when possible. The question becomes whether we should save money during our working years in order to provide for ourselves during our retirement years, when we are unable to generate income. The book of Proverbs has many admonitions that promote saving money and other resources. Proverbs 21:20 says, “The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.” Proverbs 6:6–8 uses an insect as an illustration of the need to save: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Recognizing a future need and making provisions for it today is a biblically wise thing to do. Financial stewardship now, including saving for retirement, can enable us to better serve others later. We see Joseph exemplify the wisdom of saving in Genesis 41 when he stored provisions for the prophesied famine to come. We could even say that God’s command to the Israelites to gather enough manna on the sixth day to provide for both Friday and Saturday is a form of saving for a future need (see Exodus 16). Of course, “some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none” (verse 27). In their failure to plan ahead and save, they went hungry. (Click for full article) - Precept Austin
…7Give these instructions to the believers, so that they will be above reproach. 8 If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 9A widow should be enrolled if she is at least sixty years old, the wife of one man,… 1 Timothy 5: 7-9
…25He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. 26 He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.… Hebrews 11: 25-27
…17For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4: 17-18
The eye is the lamp of the body - Look at this in the context, it is an example of what came before, further breaking down the idea of where the heart is. So now if your heart is set upon earthly treasure, then this will be your guide, this will take the form of your religion, and no matter how much you invoke the name of God or lay your hand upon His word, yet it will not be His church, nor His light, but a perversion of your greed.
17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. 19Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more.… Ephesians 4: 17-19
7Therefore do not be partakers with them. 8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, 9for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.… Ephesians 5: 7-9
C H Spurgeon's comments on Matthew 6:22-23: The motive is the eye of the soul, and if it be clear, the whole character will be right; but if it be polluted, our whole being will become defiled. The eye of the understanding may also be here understood: if a man does not see things in a right light, he may live in sin and yet fancy that he is doing his duty. A man should live up to his light; but if that light is itself darkness, what a mistake his whole course will be! If our religion leads us to sin, it is worse than irreligion. If our faith is presumption, our zeal selfishness, our prayer formality, our hope a delusion, our experience infatuation, the darkness is so great that even our Lord holds up his hands in astonishment and says — “How great is that darkness! “ Oh, for a single eye to God’s glory, a sincere consecration unto the Lord This alone can fill my soul with light. (Commentary) - Precept Austin
No one can serve two masters - He takes the idea even further. If money is your goal, then however you come by it, whether by ill or illegal means, by using God, the pulpit, tv evangelism 101, or even by such means as do not aim to cheat or steal, yet neglect the weightier matters. Most will say the end justifies the means, and my aim was to get rich and I did, to have toys and I had many, but did you set aside the word of God, not bring up your family in the fear and admonition of the Lord, forsake the assembling of ourselves, set aside time for the widow and the orphan? Were you a man of prayer, a woman of Scripture, a child of God, whose very heart beat to serve Him, to adore Him, to prove Him to all men?
Did you read and ponder the obedience tied to Matthew 5, and come to understand who is truly blessed? Those that serve God love His word, love His people, love the lost, tell the truth, remind themselves of the gospel daily. You don't have to be poor, but your heart has to be towards God, your faith in Him, not in your bank account.
…16Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.…
…19I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to escalating wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20For when you were slaves to sin, you were free of obligation to righteousness. 21What fruit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death.… Romans 6: 16-21
…9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse! 10Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11For I certify to you, brothers, that the gospel I preached was not devised by man.… Galatians 1: 9-11
9Make every effort to come to me quickly, 10because Demas, in his love of this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is useful to me in the ministry.… 2 Timothy 4: 9-11
Great sermons from J Mac
