Matthew 6:19-34
This is an uncomfortable topic to talk about. We’re all greedy. We’re all guilty. I personally have found this a challenge to prepare because it has exposed my greed. Praise God that we are not saved by being perfect, but by trusting in the one who is perfect: Our Lord and Saviour Jesus, the Christ. Remember that as we go through this. The standard of giving and money management is much, much higher than we want it to be. We are, in fact, called to deal with our money the way Jesus would deal with his money! Just like every other area of our lives.
Our text today is part of the famous Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s gospel. This Sermon on the Mount comes to its main point in 5:48 “Be perfect because your heavenly father is perfect”. That is the standard. Not “pretty good” not “a decent bloke” – but we are called to God’s perfection, to his holiness, his righteousness. It makes a mockery of our efforts, doesn’t it? That’s why Jesus came! We will fail, we will fall short, we cannot be good enough for heaven. But he is.
So we will this morning be challenged by Jesus’ perfect way of dealing with money. It will raise a lot of questions which we will have to work through. But our salvation is secure. Because we have Christ’s righteousness. We have Jesus’ perfection. What we are talking about is the blessing and the joy of being more like Christ, becoming more the person we should be.
After all, when did you last sin and thought “I’m so glad I did that”? Never! But how often in obeying God do we find deep joy and blessing. Oh, obedience costs us, no doubt – but the joy and the blessing that flows from living God’s way in God’s world – well that makes the cost seem like nothing. As the Apostle Paul says in Phil 3:8 “Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
We’re going to spend two weeks on this. This week will challenge us, shape us, give us food for thought. This week is why. Next week we’ll look at how. We’ll also have some time for practical application – including how to save money, how to get control of your finances, how to budget – that sort of thing.
A lot of what I will say today is from this book “The Treasure Principle” by Randy Alcorn. It is an outstanding book which will change your view on money and giving to something much more Biblical! And will fill you with joy, not with misery. Randy points us back to Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:19-34, so let’s listen to Jesus:
1. Store treasures in heaven, where they will be safe, not on earth (19-20).
2. Store treasures in heaven, serving God, instead of being a slave to money (24).
3. Store treasures in heaven by giving freely - because our Father is in control (25-34).
1. Store treasures in heaven, where they will be safe, not here on earth
Matt 6:19–20 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
Simple, isn’t it? It’s good investment advice. Do you want to put your money in the bank with a hole in its safe and no security procedures – or in a bank where it will be secure? Duh! So why do we waste our money on things that will fall apart and be worthless even within our own lifetime – instead of investing our money on things that will last forever.
This is part of a section in this Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is talking about heavenly rewards. This may seem a bit weird, a bit selfish even – but it is very Biblical. We are designed to pursue reward. Reward motivates us, keeps us going. Why do most of us work? Is it not because of the salary – the money – the reward we get? If I wasn’t being paid, would I drive to Kongsberg tomorrow morning and sit in an office for 8 hours? No way! But I am being paid – so I drive there and work for 8 hours to get my reward.
Jesus is saying make sure you’re working for the right reward. Everything we do is motivated by something. Let’s make sure our motivation is right.
Just have look back through the chapter. 6:18 fast in private – God will reward you. (Public – already got reward)
6:6 pray in private – God will reward you. (not praying for show – look how religious I am!)
6:4 Give in private – God will reward you. Not for self-glory – already got reward. (blowing trumpets!! Ha)
5:46 Love your friends – no reward. Instead be perfect as Father is perfect. Love your enemies is implied!
Look for the reward of being like Dad. Look for the reward of heavenly blessings.
And that’s true too with money. Look for the reward of heavenly riches, heavenly treasure.
You know, when we travel down to South Africa we don’t take Norwegian Krone. That’s useless there. We need to convert it first to South African Rands. What we need to do here is to convert our earthly money to heavenly money.
Because what if you knew that next week the Norwegian krone was going to halve in value – but the Swedish krone was going to rise in value. What would you do? You’d rush to convert all your Norwegian kroner to Swedish kroner.
Well, you know how much our earthly wealth is going to be worth? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Have any of you been to Goasholt – Notodden’s rubbish dump? I’ve been there many times with a trailer full of rubbish. And I see loads of stuff being thrown away – old fridges, sofas, beds, toys, games, furniture, doors, windows, building materials, bicycles... everything goes there in the end. Every single thing that’s been carefully manufactured, all bright and shiny in the shop, brought home to oohs, and aaahs, and at last. Now on the dump, rusted, broken. The building work so painstakingly carried out, everything straight, smoothed down to a fine finish – now crowbarred out, dumped on a truck, and tipped into the dump. EVERYTHING ends up there! The toys you fought over as kids, the sofa you argued about, the new dream car – all of it, one day, ends up at the dump.
Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.
Jesus has got a point doesn’t he? That new car? It will rust and break and will need insurance. Someone will chip it or bang it or it will be in a crash and 10 years from now it will be crushed into a little metal box. That new dress – dumped in a year for the next must have model. That new sofa – drinks spilled, food trampled in it, or the dogs jumps on it! Gone in 5-10 years. Rat race, indeed!
Now some stuff we need, yes, but what do we really need, what are we living for? How much are we pouring into a safe with a hole, a bank with no security, pouring into Goasholt, the dump – instead of into a secure investment with eternal rewards?
Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
Whatever we have sent on ahead of us into eternity will last forever. It is secure. It will bring us pleasure and joy for all time. It will be celebrated for all eternity. It will be indestructible.
Now I hope I’ve set up in your mind the same tension I have in mine. I understand, I want to do that. How do I do that? How do I store up treasures in heaven? I want to convert my money to heavenly money. I want Real Treasure!
Well, the key is giving. Giving away our money is how we send it on ahead. And next week we’ll talk about how, and when, and why, and to who. We’ll talk about whose money it really is (hint: it’s not mine, and it’s not yours...it’s His). But I want us to let this principle, this idea, sink in. We need to be challenged on a deep level because everything in us and in our culture says the opposite. Spend now, get this thing, you’ll be happy. This is a good investment, ooh shiny thing.... But it is a lie. Any happiness is fleeting, gone in a moment. It is false treasure, treasure that blooms and fades like weeds in the grass. We need real treasure, treasure that lasts.
2. Store treasures in heaven, serving God, instead of being a slave to money.
24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
We’ve maybe heard this so many times that we miss the surprising thing here: what Jesus calls money. A MASTER. We think of money and possessions – our wealth – as something we use. We control it. But what Jesus says is if our use of money is not under God’s mastery – then it is mastering us. Our money, our possessions, our stuff – ends up controlling us.
The extremely rich man Rockefeller died – and his accountant was asked how much money he left. “All of it”, was the answer.
Money is a terrible master – it promises everything, but in the end delivers nothing. It promises freedom, but delivers slavery. It promises light, but delivers darkness. An eye that is forever hunting for money, wealth, shiny things to have in your home – that eye brings darkness, a stingy and miserly heart – selfishness. But if our eyes are looking beyond us, to God, to others, our hearts are filled with light – looking to bless others with what God has given us.
Listen to this from The Treasure Principle
“Possession Obsession: There was a TV program in 1997 called Affluenza about the “modern-day plague of materialism”. Their conclusion? material wealth doesn’t make us happy.
Not convinced? What about all those stories of lottery winners a few years later. How often are they plagued by worry, wishing they could go back to their simple life.
Listen to these words from some of the wealthiest people in the world in their day (late 1800’s):
· W.H. Vanderbilt: “The care of $200 million is enough to kill anyone. There is no pleasure in it.”
· John Jacob Astor – richest man in America in 1848 “I am the most miserable man on earth.”
· John D. Rockefeller owner Standard Oil (Esso), world’s richest man: “I have made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness.”
· Andrew Carnegie, steel baron: “Millionaires seldom smile.”
· Henry Ford (cars): “I was happier when doing a mechanic's job.”
A friend of the author Randy Alcorn met someone they knew at the airport. He was looking troubled. “What’s the matter?” he asked. The man sighed “I thought I was finally going to have a weekend to myself. But now I have to go to Florida to supervise repairs on my house.” Dejected, he sat waiting to take off in his private jet.
Here’s a man with everything – but can’t even enjoy a weekend. He was enslaved by his possessions. We think we own our possessions, but they all too often own us. Material wealth, money, is a bad master, not worth serving, not worth pursuing.
Every thing we buy is one more thing to think about, talk about, clean, repair, rearrange, worry about, and replace when it wears out. Think about a car. Or a house! How much time and energy – never mind money – do we spend on those?
But what about our phones? Got to have the latest. Got to use it. Have you seen my new phone? And so on. We’re more excited about our phone than the gospel.
That’s not saying you can’t enjoy nice things – but where is our heart? Hold loosely to your possessions. Hold loosely.
And think about the impact buying that thing will have. Randy Alcorn gives the example of a boat. Buy a boat and you’ll have to justify buying the boat by using the boat. So you’re away on weekends on the boat. You miss church because of the boat. You can’t lead Sunday school because of the boat. You can’t give to church this month because the boat needs an overhaul. By all means buy a boat – but think about the impact. Think about where it will end up. Think about what it will do to you. Think about whether you are serving God... or serving money. Think about where your focus is. Here? Or there?
Suppose you had to live in London for three months. You’re told you can’t bring anything back with you - but you can send money back from London to Notodden. What would you do? Would you fill your room in London with expensive furniture and the best sound system? Of course not. You’d spend only what you needed to, sending your treasures ahead to your home in Notodden. What use the treasures in London which will just be thrown away?
If you live for the now you’re living for the dump, the rubbish heap.
He who lays up treasures on earth spends his life backing away from his treasures. To him, death is loss.
He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forward to eternity – he’s moving every day towards his treasures. To him, death is gain.
Backing away – you despair. Going towards your treasures – joy!
Are you despairing or rejoicing?
Heaven is our home. Send your money home, serving God – instead of being a slave to money and filling your hotel room with junk that you’ll leave behind!
3. Store treasures in heaven by giving freely - because our Father is in control.
I admit this is where I really struggle. I struggle with the “balance” of being responsible and looking after my family – and being generous and just giving money away left, right and centre. But I’m suspicious that maybe there shouldn’t be a “balance”. That maybe I should give and trust God. That’s what my wife keeps saying! (Although she also says hey let’s buy that <insert really nice, really expensive, item here> so... not quite sure how those go together!)
Because I honestly don’t know if I trust God, really trust God, to provide. The closest I came was moving to Norway. I was as disobedient as Gideon and put out my own “fleeces” for God – but he didn’t give me any assurance. He said “trust me”. So I did. And we moved. But we moved to my parents which is quite a big safety net. SO, yes, we trusted, but... how much. But listen to what Jesus says here: 25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? ...32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Do I trust God? I don’t know. But CAN I trust God? The answer is a massive YES! He already knows all that I need. He provides for birds, he clothes lilies – how much more valuable am I. OOOH, but I don’t know how he’s going to provide for me. Well, do you know how he clothes the lilies or provides enough food for the birds? No. But look at them happily chirping away, lilies, looking mighty fine.
Because if we’re all focussed on the here and now, scrabbling for survival, we’re acting like... pagans. We’re acting as if God is dead, or that he doesn’t know us and love us. We’re acting as if he’s not our Father. Isn’t there great freedom in this verse? Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Or as I grew up with it: Seek first the Kingdom of God, and its righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Brothers and sisters, may our hearts be longing for heaven. May our minds be single-minded, focussed on the Kingdom of God, and its righteousness. And that means our money – God’s money given to us to look after – will start to flow into the Kingdom as we give with great joy, looking toward our reward.
I hope you, like me, have been challenged, deeply shaken, by our view of money. I hope you realise how much treasure we have stored here – where it will fade away. May the Spirit work in our hearts this week to make us more like Jesus, whose eyes were fixed on heaven and whose treasures were there. The joy that was before him drove him on. By his grace, may we all become a little more like him this week. May God have mercy on us all!
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