"You Can't Keep It or You Can't Lose It"
Date: 27 September, 2015
Text: Matthew 6:19-34
Title: Can't lose it....can't keep it.
Theme: The need to live for eternity and to let God provide for your needs.
Rhetorical:
Introduction: Last week as we continued our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we considered God's reward for the right 'KIND' of love, giving, prayer and fasting. Jesus is going to continue that thought as He preaches on living for eternity.
Life is short!
James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
ill. Like the morning mist that is burned away with the rising of the sun, our life is going to vanish from this earth.
Some people live so much for this life that you would think it was eternal. They didn't have time for God in life and they'll have nothing but time to regret it for all of eternity.
ill. Speaking with Robert - co-worker's wife took early retirement - went out to smoke two days later and never came back in because she had a heart attack.
ill. Jesus parable of the wealthy farmer.
Luke 12: 15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
WE NEED TO LIVE OUR LIFE FOR ETERNITY! What has your life up to this point been lived for? (Take last week for example? Was there any investment in eternity - prayer, fasting, giving, love, soul winning, ?etc.)
Jesus is going to give us a lesson on TREASURES THIS MORNING.
I. Treasure and your soul.
ill. We love things of value. I collected baseball cards when I was a boy. I've got a good size box full of them up in our attic. I loved getting baseball cards and looking the priceguide to see how much they were worth. (THAT IS GOOD FUN FOR A BOY.)
exp. There is something within us that enjoys TREASURE.
Note: That is ok for a child. But, as we mature in Christ we realize that there are more important things than baseball cards. Like praying with someone to accept Jesus or praying for someone who has an illness....or helping someone who has a need.
ill. I've put a toy chest (not treasure chest) in our living room so we can stuff toys out of sight. Imagine with me in the living room of our heart, we have an actual treasure chest. Jesus has also finished our mansion in Heaven, and He has put in our living room there a large treasure chest just waiting for things of eternal value to flow in.
Note: In these verses he tells us which treasure chest we should fill.
A. Earthly gain is not to be stock piled.
1. Don't fill your treasure chest on earth.
19 ¶ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
exp. Jesus has just commanded us not to TREASURE earthly riches.
Psalm 62: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
note: God gives the ability to acquire wealth. But, they are not to be treasured and they are to be invested.
ill. Parable of the steward. Luke 19:23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
note: Money is a stewardship given to us by God.
Luke 16: 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
app. Money is a stewardship but it isn't "true riches" SO DON'T TREASURE IT.
2. Earthly treasures are fleeting.
Pr 23:5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
exp. Eagles go up, and up, and up and up. Money doesn't last.
1. They can be corrupted.
where moth and rust doth corrupt,
exp. You may have the most valuable garment in the world....
This expensive luxury shirt has been created using the finest Egyptian cotton yarn and was designed specifically for the rich and the affluent, while being made available through the luxury retail store Harrods. With a massive price tag of $44,740, the Eton shirt is known to be one of the most expensive things sold at Harrods. This magnificent luxury men’s shirt has been given colored diamond studs, while boasting of diamond-encrusted cufflinks.
note: But, it can be destroyed by a moth.
2. They can be stolen.
and where thieves break through and steal:
exp. You may have the most amazing gems in the world.
ill. The 60 million hatton garden Gem Heist.
ill. When the stock market crashed in the 1930's there were suicides, because men had lost their TREASURE!
B. Heavenly investment is commanded.
1. Fill your treasure chest in heaven.
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
song: "More precious than gold, much better than silver, is the price of a soul, God wants to deliver."
Pr 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
app. What are you doing to reach souls with the good news of Jesus Christ?
2. Heavenly treasures are eternal.
where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
exp.
· When someone gets saved - it is eternal. James 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
· When you live a sanctified life - it is eternally valuable - 1Pe 3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
· When you are preparing for the coming of the Lord - 2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
app. Why is Jesus so interested in WHAT I TREASURE.
C. Your soul dwells with what you treasure.
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
exp. This morning, your heart is with your treasure.
note: If I asked this morning, "Do you treasure eternal or earthly things?" Every Christian would say, "Eternal." But, SAYING IT DOESN'T MAKE IT SO."
ill. There are people in churches today that care more about sports than they do about God. They care more about hobbies, work, friends, sin, money, etc THAN THEY DO ABOUT GOD. What they care about is their TREASURE and there heart is there.
app. Covetousness is one of the ten commandments and made that important list BECAUSE IT IS A MATTER OF MAN'S TREASURE AND THEREFORE MAN'S HEART. Where is your treasure this morning? That is where your heart is whether you want it to be or not.
II. Treasure and your sight.
exp. Jesus is seeking to open men's eyes. He is seeking to get light into their body and direction to their lives.
A. God's values bring light to the body.
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
exp. Just like the eye allows illumination into the soul. So, is this truth to our spiritual body.
ill. Witnessing to Joyce with Don. She had glasses on that had one very dark lense and one clear lens. Obviously her doctor is limiting the amount oflight into her physical body through that eye. BUT NOBODY CAN SEE THROUGH GLASSES WHICH ARE NOT TRANSPARENT.
exp. Jesus has the best pair of spectacles for us to put on this morning. They will make us realize the purpose of life and what it is all about. Paul says the same thing in Colossians....
Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
app. If you are living for eternity, you have a clear purpose for your life. BUT.....
B. Men's values bring darkness to the body.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
exp. If you reject Jesus command to live for eternity, you are in darkness deceived into thinking that it is light.
ill. Like the pharisees which believed in their self righteous sight.
Joh 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
exp. If they would have let Jesus illumine their sin by acknowledging their blindness, they could have had light. Instead they rejected the light claiming that they could see already!
ill. Our world says, "Satisfaction is in a bottle, in a drug, in a cigarette, in music, in entertainment, in sports, in immorality, in power, in money, etc."
app. They walk on in darkness, because they are living for now, instead of living for eternity.
note: That is sad for an unbeliever - BUT IT IS SADDER FOR A CHRISTIAN WHO OUGHT TO BE WALKING IN THE LIGHT.
III. Treasure and your service.
A. Who are you serving?
quote: Wilds "There are just two choices on the shelf, pleasing God or pleasing self."
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
note: I didn't say this - Jesus did. Try to do it as much as you want - it cant' be done. You've got two opposed Masters. Jesus says to please one YOU MUST REJECT THE OTHER.
app. It is possible this morning to be in church, look good, participate in ministry, and have a heart that hates God - IF YOU LOVE MONEY.
B. You can't live for money and live for God.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
exp. You may feel like you can, but you can't.
note: To serve money does not necessitate being rich. It just means that you obey your finances rather than obeing your Father.
ill. Kay Lee, Benson and I have been going through a wealthy new neighborhood. I've told both of the kids that we would see a lot of opposition in this neighborhood. Why? Because the love of money is against God.
Mt 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
app. Who do you hate this morning and who do you love? Well, which Master are you obeying? Money or God?
IV. Treasure and your sustenance.
25 ¶ Therefore I say unto you,
note: Jesus could say...."It hath been said....(by mankind) get all you can get! BUT I SAY UNTO YOU....
A. Don't waste time worrying about things.
Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.
exp. We are not to be anxious about temporal needs like food, drink or clothes.
note: Food, drink and clothes seem important. But, they are nothing compared to what is truly important.
B. Think about things that matter like your soul.
Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
def. "life" means "breath/soul."
quote: Believer's Bible Commentary "This type of worry causes us to devote our finest energies to making sure we will have enough to live on. Then before we know it, our lives have passed and we have missed the central purpose for which we were made. God did not create us in His image with no higher destiny than that we should consume food. We are here to love, worship, and serve Him and to represent His interests on earth. Our bodies are intended to be our servants, not our masters."
app. The health of your soul is more important than what you eat or what you wear. We don't have to worry about where food and clothes are going to come from. We can trust God.
V. Treasure and your security.
A. You are more valuable than a bird.
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
exp. If you pay attention when you are walking, you will see birds of prey, scavengers, song birds, etc. But, you won't see any of them with a hoe and a bag of seed. God is watching over them and feeding them.
question: But, of God's creation, man is FAR superior to birds.
app. God loves to provide for birds, God will not forget to provide for you.
B. You have no control over a lot of your life.
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
ill. If height was just a matter of thought, we would have a much taller population. If hair was just a matter of thought, we'd have a more hairy generation.
app. Why are you acting (by your worry) as if you are in control, when we have a Providential God who is watching over us.
ill. King Asa worried about his provision in battle and sought to hire someone to fight with him. He should have left the controls in the hand of a PROVIDENTIAL GOD. But, he tried to control what he had no authority to control.
2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
app. God isn't going to forget to provide for you when you are depending upon His providential provision.
C. You can have something better if you wait on God.
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
exp. The lily of the fied is gorgeously arrayed. Solomon had good clothes but they didn't compare to the clothe on God's creation.
ill. Enjoy seeing the flowers in the gardens as I put out flyers. We enjoy the botanical garden as well. Flowers are amazing.
app. When we wait upon God, He provides something that is wonderful.
ill. Duncan Campbell leaving his parish to go back to the ministry at Faith Mission. His daughter wanted a nice coat but said to her daddy not to worry because she didn't have to have it. God provided new coats for all of them after a man who owned a woolen mill saw God's hand at work in the workers in his factory.
app: GOD GIVES GOOD THINGS!
VI. Treasure and your salvation.
exp. (I'm a child of the king. My father is rich....etc.)
quote: Believer's Bible Commentary "Worry about the future is sin because it denies the love, wisdom and power of God. It denies the love of God by implying that He doesn't care for us. It denies His widsom by implying that He doesn't know what He is doing. And it denies His power by implying that He isn't able to provide for our needs."
A. The Gentiles which know not God have thoughts like this.
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)
exp. Those who know not God have to worry - because they are depending upon themselves to meet their needs.
B. But, remember your Father (provider) already knows about these needs.
for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
exp. "knows what things ye have need of before ye ask." Twice now Jesus has told us that God is aware of our needs. We pray not to make Him aware but to bare our hearts before Him
app. If we are saved, we have a heavenly Father who will not neglect to meet the needs of His children. Don't sin against God by acting as if He is not willing to fulfil His duty as our Father.
VII. Treasure and your sufficiency.
A. God wants your first thoughts to be about Him.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
exp. God wants you first interested in the spiritual well being of your soul and the souls of those in your family, the souls of those in your community, etc.
question: Have you evaluated what is in your life with the question?
How does it affect my soul? How does it affect the souls of my family? How does it affect the souls of my neighbors etc.
app. If God is to be first, then anything that is detrimental to soul health has got to go in obedience to God. But, if you'll meet the condition of living for the kingdom of God and God's righteousness. (AS YOU TREASURE WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO GOD - HE WILL TREASURE WHAT IS NEEDFUL TO YOU.)
B. God will take care of the rest.
and all these things shall be added unto you.
exp. You don't have to worry about things that can become earthly "treasures." God has promised to supply.
question: God can not lie and we have a promise from Him. Have you ever claimed this verse? Do you meet the qualifications for claiming it?
note: You can't live for earthly treasure and tell God that he should take care of your physical needs.
app. You have to meet the condition to claim the promise.
C. Grace is given day by day.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
exp. This isn't going to be God giving you a big bank account or your treasure is just going to switch from Heaven to earth. It is God willing to provide for your daily needs and you meet His condition and depend upon Him.
note: Jesus has just preached - Mt 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
hymn: "He gives grace for today in His own special way, His grace is enough for me."
app. Are you willing to take your eyes off of tomorrow and put it on today? You can trust Him to provide if you are seeking to put His interests first.
ill. Remember the widow woman with just enough meal and oil to make a little cake for she and her son and then they would starve. Elijah asked her to make his cake first and trust that there would be enough left over for her. God provided miraculously for her as she learned to PUT HIM FIRST.
app. If we don't give because we can't afford to give, we are obeying our finances instead of God. We are putting ourselves first instead of God and we can't trust God to meet our needs - BECAUSE HE IS NOT OBLIGATE TO DO SO. But, if we put Him first, He will provide.
conclusion: Where is your treasure? What are you living for? Whom are you serving? Who controls your finances? How worried are you about your future? Are you laying up treasure in Heaven? May God help us to live our life for eternal treasure!
