We turn again this morning to Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6 and our consideration of our Lord's Sermon on the Mount. Reading together verses 19 through the end of the chapter, verse 34, though our focus will be verses 19 through 24. We do have, again, somewhat a bit of a transition here. You recall, of course, in verses 1-18 that Jesus calls kingdom citizens to focus their acts of righteousness, which He represents by way of giving, praying, and fasting, to focus those acts of righteousness on God alone. He is to be our proper motive for acts of righteousness. In other words, to take our eyes off of man. And then in verses 19-34, the focus doesn't really change. It is still, of course, to be on God alone, but this time in the realm of the world He brings us. To take our eyes, as it were, off of things. He brings us to that realm of the world where we are surrounded by the things and the treasures of this world that would tempt us and attempt our devotion to Him. Jesus calls the believer to unlimited, undivided love and trust in God versus things. Undivided, unlimited love and trust in God versus things and in all circumstances. To love and trust God sincerely, surrendering all to Him. As he, in essence, says in verses 19-24, and expecting our all from him. Verses 25-34, which we'll consider next time. We'll read together verses 19-34 as we give our attention to God's Word. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But 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? 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. Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow? They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. May God add His blessing to the reading and consideration of His Word on this day. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, there are two slogans in our day that I suspect most, if not all of us, are familiar with. The first slogan is this, The one who dies with the most toys wins. Maybe you've seen those words on a bumper sticker. Whenever I see them, I honestly cannot help but thinking, are there some who really believe that? The one who dies with the most toys wins. And the second slogan is this, you can't take it with you. And of course, we know that, don't we? Whatever you and I might accumulate as far as possessions in this life, when we die one day, those will still be here. You cannot take it with you. Now, our Lord Jesus Christ, in this text, He proves the first slogan, the one who dies with the most toys wins, He proves that slogan completely wrong. And at the same time, He supports the truth of the second, that you cannot take it with you. And really, indeed, what a reminder that we need, especially in our day with an economy that is driven by consumer spending and consumer confidence and economic leaders who encourage spending and the accumulation of all kinds of goods and services, whether you need it or not. What a reminder we need when the temptation is so great to continue to acquire, to bring in. And indeed, our economic leaders would most likely not appreciate Christ's command here to be storing up treasures in heaven. And we are to be storing up treasures in heaven, beloved, first of all, with a heart that delights in heavenly treasure. The text begins again, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there, your heart will be also. So, Jesus is talking about the heart here as He has been all along, really. Storing up treasure in heaven, first of all, with a heart that delights in heavenly treasure. Treasures, of course, talking about that which we prize most dearly. That which is most important to us. That which we find most value in. So that the heart is set on it, desires it, craves it, seeks after it, as if it cannot live without it. One commentator says, things that we value and treasure actually govern our lives. He says, what we value tugs at our minds and our emotions. It consumes our time with planning, with daydreaming, and with effort to achieve. How many of us can identify with that? I know that I can. But Jesus says, Jesus commands though, that that is to be heavenly treasure. That is the treasure that we are to delight and to find most value in. Not what comes naturally to us because of sin, namely earthly treasure, as he would have us to understand the danger of earthly treasure. What is he talking about? What is earthly treasure? What is the content of it? The very last word of the text, you cannot serve both God and And money is the word mammon. It can mean just money, but it means all kinds of earthly wealth, things, possessions, money, wealth, tangible goods that you can see and touch and feel. Even people can be treasured by others. Family, Jesus says, is not to be more important to any one of us than Him. It includes intangibles like power or prestige, popularity, honor, respect, whatever begins and ends with this life and this world. It could be whatever is at our disposal. Whatever we see and could get our hands on. Jesus is making a contrast here between what is seen and what is unseen. And even though you and I are able to play some sort of an earthly value on what can be seen, He commands us to value the unseen. as he points out the character of earthly treasure. Interestingly, drawing our minds to moth, to rust, to thieves. It's no surprise, is it? The character of earthly treasure is that it's perishable. It perishes. We know that, don't we? Because we're all familiar with landfills and recycle plants and junkyards and demolition services. Boys and girls, if you have a trash can in the house, and I suspect all of our homes have trash cans, You know this is true. Stuff perishes. It becomes garbage. It becomes unusable. Jesus draws our attention to moths. Actually, the larva, the eggs have been set, planted, laid, and the larva, which is small and insignificant, and we would say even somewhat gross, but this larva, you see, is not selective. It will feast on the finest and most expensive of clothing. It doesn't care. It's not fussy. And Jesus draws our attention to rust. Literally, the word is eating or eating away. And we, of course, think of corrosion or the eating away of metal, one of the hardest substances we know of. But there's also the idea here of granaries. Barns filled with grain and worms eating it away. Rust here points to all agents that corrode or eat or consume. In Jesus' day, fine clothing and barns filled with grain were a sign of riches, earthly treasures. And of course, that which is not consumed or destroyed in some way can be picked up and carried away by thieves. Thieves steal the most valuable and precious of possessions. Very simply, the character of earthly treasure is that it's temporary. It does not last, not any of it. And we know that by experience, don't we? Bread molds, clothes wear out, fields become overcome with weeds, walls crumble, roofs leak, silver tarnishes, wood rots, a Ferrari rusts. Your favorite car, I suspect that for those of us who are older, probably not too many of us have the first car we ever purchased. Mine is probably some twisted piece of metal somewhere in a junkyard. And thieves, of course, can be literal thieves, but there are many subtle thieves, you know. Inflation. Stock market crashes. Oppressive taxation. Bank failures. Unexpected expenses. Fashions change. We get tired of things. They wear out. Our minds want something new. Fads come and go. Our bodies get old and weak. We understand this. Jesus says, do not store up treasure on earth. And the emphasis is on earth. Why? Where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal. There's no safety. There's no security on earth for these treasures. And these treasures are dangerous because of the control of earthly treasures. The control that they can exercise. They draw the affection and the trust of the heart away from God. so that earthly things are seen as an end in themselves, as if they provide true and lasting satisfaction. And they are not seen as a means to an end. They are not seen as gifts of God to provide for us in this life and gifts that we are to use in some way to prepare for the life to come. How often, whether you are a boy or a girl or a part of the young people age group or those of us who are adults, how often can you remember in your life that you've had your heart set on something so much, so hard, you cannot get your mind off of it. You think about it all the time. And you think to yourself, if only I had that, life would be good. Life would be content. It would be complete. I would be fully content. Boys and girls, I have a feeling that many of you have probably said to your mom or dad when you've asked for something, I'll never ask for anything else ever again. But how quickly we find out, once we have that whatever it is, how quickly we find out its satisfaction fades away. And shortly we're no longer interested in it. We want the latest and the greatest. Not just jeans and sneakers, but a certain brand. Otherwise, we're not going to fit in or someone's going to make fun of us. We want iPods with the most updated apps. For those of you who are older and don't know what that means, I learned it means application. The things that can be done on it. Or the latest cell phones. Whatever they can do. There's so many things that we have all said once we have gotten them within our grasp. I've always wanted that. Of course, there's nothing wrong by itself in wanting and desiring things, but the danger is in the control of earthly treasure. Earthly treasures can control the heart that sets its affections and desires uncontrollably and obsessively upon these things. Earthly treasure controls the mind and one's understanding, thinking of earthly treasures in a way that God never intended. As that commentator says, it consumes one's time with planning and daydreaming and effort to get it. An earthly treasure can control one's will so that the treasure becomes an idol and we become slaves. It governs and directs our lives. And therefore, Jesus would have us be fully aware of the condemnation of earthly treasure. Jesus forbids coveting earthly treasure. He forbids making it more important than heavenly treasure. He forbids putting our trust or confidence in it. He forbids selfishly hoarding it and not using it in the service of God. He really condemns not so much having riches because God is the One who has provided us, all of us, with more than we can think or imagine. But He condemns a sinful attitude towards earthly treasure. What one thinks of or about His wealth. being consumed with it. And instead, He commands storing up treasure in heaven. Pointing us to the confidence of earthly treasure versus the temporary, insecure nature of the earthly treasure. And what is He talking about? What is the content of that earthly treasure? Ultimately, God Himself, again verse 33 says, but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Paul to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6, beginning at verse 17, says, Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant, nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. And then to those who are commanded to put their hope in God, He goes on, command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. The content is God Himself through Jesus Christ. As Paul says in Colossians 3, Since then you have been raised with Christ. Set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things, for you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. That treasure is God Himself through Jesus Christ and a new life in Jesus Christ. That gift of salvation, which Peter says is an inheritance kept in heaven. It's ours by faith. That faith by which we delight in and more and more set our hearts on all that Jesus Christ, all the riches and the treasures that Jesus Christ has earned for us. We cannot even begin to name them, can we? But including full pardon for all of our sins, including answered prayer, including our names recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life, including the Father's love, full peace and joy, complete victory in Jesus Christ. Ours is all in Christ. And Jesus, in essence, says, treasure it. May that be what is most valuable to you. Treasure up that earthly treasure earned by Jesus Christ. It's ours already today. We look forward to the full enjoyment of it in glory one day. We are called to prepare for it by kingdom righteousness, if you will. Store up. Treasure up. Set your hearts on more and more on this heavenly treasure which is evidenced by forsaking the lusts of the flesh and forsaking confidence in earthly riches and delighting in kingdom living as Jesus has been teaching about throughout this entire sermon. As Paul says, be rich in good deeds, in generosity, be willing to share. That is the proper use of earthly treasure. Not to gain heavenly treasure, but because it's already ours in Christ Jesus. Treasure it with confidence then in the character of heavenly treasure. That character of heavenly treasure, of course, is the opposite of earthly treasure. It's indestructible. It's untouchable by moth or rust or thieves. Peter says it does not perish, spoil, or fade. The Bible says it is everlasting life, John chapter 3. The Bible says we will not be snatched away from the Good Shepherd, John chapter 16. The Bible says nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. And Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4.18, So 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. Storing up treasure in heaven with a heart that delights in heavenly treasure. That's what the kingdom citizen values, is most important. But secondly, with a heart that understands earthly treasure. Indeed, we are surrounded by earthly treasure. God gives to us so much. How are we to consider it? Beginning of verse 22, the eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But 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? Using the analogy of eyes, we know that good eyes, healthy eyes, that see well, take in all that there is to see and in a sense, lead one in safety, keeping that one from stumbling and falling into danger. Bad eyes are cloudy and fuzzy and can mean potential harm and danger because they do not see things as they really are. I agree with those who say Jesus is pointing here to the eyes of the heart, the understanding of the heart. Our eyes let the things that are outside of us that can be seen into our minds and into our hearts. And the question then is when it comes to the eyes of the heart, how do our eyes see? How does our mind and heart understand, look at or view the things of the world? Good eyes literally here means the single eye, not double vision, if you will. The single eye. A single focus. A focus on God alone by faith. That has a renewed understanding. that sees the world in the light of God's glory and grace and in the light of God's will, the good eye has God's aim, God's purpose in view and directs our lives and the treasures of this earth as God desires. Bad eyes are blind to God, blind to the things of God and focus on earthly treasure as an end in itself, as a be-all and end-all to be gained at all costs. As that which alone satisfies and therefore craves and covets and desires and misuses earthly treasure makes that earthly treasure a priority, makes it more important than heavenly treasure and more important than preparing for the glory of heaven. And therefore, those who are consumed by that earthly treasure spend on and invest in things that would take them away from the giving and the using of those things as God requires. For His kingdom, for His church, for missions, for Christian education. Those who are consumed by it will no more sacrifice than for training in godliness. And will find all kinds of ways to justify these things. Trying to convince themselves that God will be okay with it. After all, you only go around once in life. Bad spiritual eyes are darkened to the truth. Jesus says it is a great darkness. It is a great deception. A grave deception as one day it will result in standing before God naked, as it were, with nothing to boast of, nothing to satisfy them before the justice of God. And therefore there is a challenge of the good eyes to see the world through the lenses of Christ Jesus, to understand the place and the function of earthly treasure, to look at things and to know what is dangerous and unprofitable as well, to know what is profitable and to see those things as a means to an end, as gifts of God by which to serve Him and His kingdom. We are stewards. We are caretakers of all the earthly treasure that God gives. Indeed, to be used here because you cannot take it with you. but not to be used in such a way to hoard it selfishly, because at death, toys are meaningless. Earthly treasure is meaningless, apart from heavenly treasure. But to use to the glory of God, to the benefit of His kingdom, and the benefit of those around us, pointing others to the giver of every good and perfect gift. And when one sees the world with a single eye, with the lens of faith according to the will of God, they will not store up treasures on earth, but will store up treasures in heaven in the third place with a heart devoted to God alone. Verse 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. Notice the impossibility. Jesus says, no one, and He means absolutely no one, can serve two masters. Your heart will truly be devoted only to one master. Many deceive themselves. Maybe we have deceived ourselves thinking that we can do both. We can strive after both. And deceiving even those who are around them. So many, beloved, have sacrificed their families and their faith on the altar of bigger and better homes and cars and the things of this world, even using the excuse, well, the more I have, the more that I can give. But sacrificing in the meantime, things that God says are not to be sacrificed. Agreed can be hidden to a point, but not before God. In daily life, you know that even if you work for two equal partners, you know that they are not always equal in their expectations of or in the requirements of you. There are two sets of rules in a sense, two sets of expectations. In Jesus' day, slaves were owned and you could not be owned by two masters. It was impossible because all your work would have to go for one. The natural reaction would be to be drawn toward one in allegiance and to be drawn away from the other one to ignore the other one. Jesus does not say that you cannot serve God and have riches, I trust we all understand that's not the point at all. God blesses us with all kinds of riches. But He says you cannot be faithful to God and make an idol at the same time out of earthly treasure. It's impossible. The love of money, the Bible says, is the root of all kinds of evil. And an attachment to earthly riches means a detachment from God. The verdict here is that both God and money, in other words, all earthly treasure, make a totalitarian demand, a total demand on our lives. And Jesus has already told us where true security lies with God alone, which is ours in Jesus Christ alone. Devotion to earthly treasure will drain us emotionally, mentally, spiritually, financially, in all ways, because it can never satisfy. You can never get enough. Enough is never enough. And in the end, it will leave one completely empty-handed. But devotion to God satisfies completely because Jesus Christ satisfied for us completely before our God, paying for all of our sin. He has earned for us all those heavenly riches and treasures. He satisfies completely because He fills us by His Holy Spirit and He promises all that we need in this life. All that we need. Because He has already guaranteed the inheritance of full salvation that will never end. Devotion to God results then in placing earthly treasure, money, time, talents, all things at His disposal to be used in serving Him. As we sing, love so amazing, so divine. It demands my soul, my life, my all, not with a burdensome demand, but with a joyful demand. What a joy to be able, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to give our all to Him. Whom do you serve? Really? The late Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells of a story that he heard in a sermon, a story of a farmer who one day went happily and with great joy in his heart to report to his wife and family that their best cow had given birth to twin calves, a red one and a white one. He said, you know, I have suddenly had a feeling and impulse that we must dedicate one of these calves to the Lord. We will bring them up together and when the time comes, we will sell one and keep the proceeds and we will sell the other and give the proceeds to the Lord's work. His wife asked him which one he was going to dedicate to the Lord. There is no need to bother about that. Now, he replied, we will treat them both in the same way and when the time comes, we will do as I say. And off he went. In a few months, the man entered his kitchen looking very miserable and unhappy. When his wife asked him what was troubling him, he answered, I have bad news to give to you. The Lord's calf is dead. But, she said, you had not decided which was to be the Lord's calf. Oh yes, he said, I had always decided it was to be the white one and it is the white one that has died. The Lord's calf is dead. We will treat them the same. Beloved, do the earthly treasures that we can see ever become more important to us than the heavenly treasure of God Himself and His love in Jesus Christ, which is unseen? Does that earthly treasure ever cause us to put more value on our relationship with this world than on our relationship with Jesus Christ? Jesus served God alone with single vision, a single eye for us on our behalf all the way to the cross to pay for our serving the things of this world. And He rescued all who believe in Him, each and every single one. You, me, all who turn to Him in faith. He rescued all who believe from worldly masters that deliver only nothingness and only eternal death. And He has given us all the glorious riches of the love and the mercy and the grace of God. It's ours even now. And eternal life in the glory of heaven that will never end. And therefore, may the Holy Spirit of God draw our hearts and minds and understanding and will more and more into a closer walk with Him that our desire might be the dearest idols I have known, whate'er those idols be, Help me to tear it from Thy throne and worship only Thee. Jesus says, Do not store up treasure on earth. Not now, not ever. But in Him, store up treasure in heaven both now and forever with a heart that delights in heavenly treasure that we cannot live without. With a heart that understands earthly treasure its proper place in kingdom life. And with a heart that delights in God alone, the only Master who loves us and is for our eternal good. Amen. Let's pray together. Dear Heavenly Father, You know just how prone we are, just how fast our hearts are drawn away. Indeed, we are weak and helpless in and of ourselves. And we thank You and praise You for Your Holy Spirit and the strength of that Holy Spirit and plead with You that more and more we would be strengthened by Your hand with a single eye, an eye focused on You, content indeed with all that You bless us with here, but seeing it only in the light of Jesus Christ and your will for us. Oh, Father, there are so many temptations. Give us strength. Let us not fall into them. Deliver us from evil. And help us more and more to honor and serve you alone. Hear our prayer, oh Lord, for Jesus' sake. And in his name we pray. Amen. Thank you.