Sermon from February 12th 2016

Sermon Series: The Life of Jesus: From Creation to the Cradle to the Cross to the Crown

Sermon Title: The Sermon on the Mount: The King’s Mandate: Treasures in Heaven

Sermon Text: Matthew 6: 19-24

Sermon Date: February 5, 2017

What happens when you read the Word of God

1. Conviction of sin – Proverbs 3:11 “do not despise the LORD’s discipline”
2. Confession of sin
3. Commitment to obey
4. Covenant to praise

The thrust of the whole Sermon on the Mount is basically to sweep aside the low, inadequate, insufficient standard of the Pharisees and reaffirm God’s divine standard for life in His kingdom.  

  In the Book of Matthew, the Lord talks about money 109 times.  In the Book of Mark, He talks about it 57 times, and in the Book of Luke He talks about it 94 times, and in the Book of John He talks about it 88 times.  In all of the Bible, money is directly mention over 800 times and makes over 2,000 financial references.

1. The Accumulation of Treasure verses 19-21
2. The Placement

19a-Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, 21a but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven

                           Proverbs 3:9 - Honor the LORD with your wealth

                         and with the first fruits of all your produce;

                         Malachi 3: 6-10 “ForI the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. ⁷ From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ ⁸ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. ⁹ You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. ¹⁰ Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need

1. The Possessions 19b-, 20b – Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: [20] But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
2. Earthly Treasures

Anything that is temporal

2. Heavenly Treasures

Things we should invest our time, talent and treasures in:

1. People
2. The Priority v 21 where you treasure is, there is your heart also

1. The Assessment of Treasures –verses 22-23
2. The Single Eye verse 22
3. The Description

Jesus is not referring to one eye as we might think being single. This actually has the idea of “that which is good, pure, perfect, true, and righteous.” It speaks of considering things in their proper perspective in light of the righteousness that God desires for us. It is the same idea as in Acts 2:46 – And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Rather than a numerical value, it speaks of a moral and righteous value.

2. The Discretion

If our eye is single focus on God then our entire body is full of the light of God.  That is to say we will always look at things in the light of God’s desires and according to His will. 

How are we viewing our treasure? What is the desire of our hearts? Are we looking at our time, effort, and activities through eyes that seek to see as God does or are we merely looking at them through the perspective of satisfying the flesh?

1. The Sinful Eye verse 23
2. The Distortion- Does not see from the perspective of God. It has double vision.  It may see God’s desire but is distorted by fleshly desires.
3. The Darkness

Application:

A single eye, filled with light, will view treasure as it should. The single eye sees the will of God in every situation. The single eye will prevent greed, envy, and a lack of compassion. The evil eye will only see the wants, desires, and demands of the flesh. The single eye will allow us to give of ourselves for the good of others. We will never acquire the treasure we need if we lack the proper perspective.

• The Allegiance to Treasures verse 24

1. The Preference
2. The Prejudice
3. The Position You can not serve God and money