Do you ever wish you were rich, or at least a little richer? Do you find yourself content in the treasures of this world? Or are you constantly looking to treasures in the next world? In this sermon, David Capoccia examines Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount regarding where we should amass treasures. David Capoccia explains two commands regarding the treasures we must seek, two reasons for those commands, and three warnings in relation to those commands.
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really grateful for the opportunity to be able to bring the word to you this morning it’s a joyous and a sober responsibility let me pray one more time oh Lord God you are so great Lord glorify yourself now help me to be able to explain your word I pray God that your spirit would work cause us to understand it cause us to apply it Lord Jesus I pray in your name amen if you’re a fan of musicals like I am and you’ve probably seen or heard of the 1964 musical Fiddler on the Roof story follows a Jewish man named tevya living in the countryside of zarist Russia in 1903.
tevya lives with his wife and five daughters struggling to maintain his Jewish beliefs and traditions in the midst of life’s trials one of those trials is tevya’s lack of wealth at one point in the story when tevya complains about his poverty a socialist leaning Jew remarks to him money is the world’s curse to which tevya replies may the Lord smite me with it and may I never recover in the musical tevy even sings a song entitled If I Were a Rich Man in this song He Daydreams about how good his life would be if he could only enjoy wealth he’d have a nice house his wife would be so happy he’d be well respected by all his neighbors he’d even have the time to study and discuss the scriptures with other men tevya ends the song by actually uttering a prayer he says Lord who made The Lion and the lamb you decreed I should be what I am would it spoil some vast Eternal plan if I were a wealthy man have you ever felt like tevya have you ever said to yourself if only I were rich or if only I’d married someone rich then you say to yourself then I could take my ease I wouldn’t have to work so hard be so stressed out be so worried about the future I could be happy and I could even devote more time to serving in the church or maybe being rich seems a little vain to you you simply wish you were a little richer just a few more things that you want once you get those things then your spirit would feel settled if only I had this you say to yourself if only I made this much per year if only I could reach this goal then I’d feel satisfied and secure or maybe you feel content you don’t want or need anything more but the reason for your contentment is not godliness it’s because you’ve already accumulated all the material Treasures you’ll ever want or need you say to yourself I’ve got enough money to handle whatever the future sends my way and I have enough possessions to keep me entertained and comfortable well at least for now I can take life easy well if you find yourself in any of these states this morning discontent without more wealth or content in your wealth I have bad news for you well actually the news only seems bad at first it’s really good news it’s great news and it’s not my news it comes from God God has something to say to you about wealth and about the treasures you spend your time and energy pursuing these words from God are found in Matthew 6. so if you haven’t done so yet please open your Bibles and turn there Matthew chapter 6 we’re going to be looking at verses 19 to 24 today Matthew 6 verses 19 to 24.
starting in verse 19 this is our lord Jesus speaking do not store up for yourselves Treasures on Earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal but store for yourselves Treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in our Steel for where your treasure is there your heart will be also the eye is the lamp of the body so then if your eye is clear your whole body will be full of light but if your eye is bad your whole body will be full of Darkness if then the light that is in you is Darkness How great is the darkness no one can serve two masters if either you will hate the one and love the other or he’ll be devoted to one and despise the other you cannot serve God and wealth the meaning of this passage or most of it is pretty plain however I don’t think that you and I have fully thought through the words of this passage or diligently applied them therefore I want to investigate them with you this morning we’re going to see in this passage seven things we’re going to see two commands I’m going to see two reasons for obedience and we’re going to see three warnings two commands two reasons for obedience and three warnings but before we look at that let me give you some context this passage we’re reading Matthew’s gospel Matthew also called Levi used to be a tax collector a lover of money a cheater of his Israelite brethren for the sake of material gain but Christ called him Christ saved him and made Matthew into an apostle and a writer of one of the Gospels our text in the gospel of Matthew appears in the middle of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount we don’t have time this morning to fully investigate this sermon but it’s important we know it’s about what it’s about so let me summarize its content The Sermon on the Mount presents a contrast between true righteousness and false righteousness a contrast between true righteousness and false righteousness true righteousness is on the basis of faith in God’s mercy through Jesus Christ false righteousness is on the basis of perfectly keeping God’s law and therefore earning his acceptance true righteousness produces good works as Believers become lovers of God it’s not based on works it produces works false righteousness produces only prideful and idolatrous works true righteousness receives an eternal reward from God false righteousness receives a temporary reward on Earth and eternal judgment from God these are the things Jesus presents in his sermon to make the contrast between true and false righteousness abundantly clear Jesus zeros in on the behavior and teaching of Israel’s religious Elite look briefly at Matthew 5 20.
a little bit before our Passage there Jesus says this for I say to you then unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of heaven now that is a bombshell statement it’s like you can hear the minds of the people in the crowd just going boom because the scribes and Pharisees were considered the most holy men of the day they were the most serious about God’s commands they taught the Old Testament to the people you’re saying I have to be more righteous than them but in truth as many of you know the Pharisees and scribes were not righteous at all while claiming to obey God’s word they were actually flagrantly disobeying it therefore Jesus spends a lot of time in a Sermon on the Mount exposing the false righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes and reasserting God’s true standard we see this right after verse 20 and chapter 5 and this exposure continues into chapter six and Matthew 5 21-43 Jesus explains that true righteousness is more than external obedience and keeping the letter of the law he uses anger sexual lust divorce dishonest vows personal Vengeance and hating enemies as examples these things are all evil before God but the scribes and Pharisees excuse themselves in these areas with a shallow interpretation of the Old Testament they Twisted the meanings of God’s law to say oh I’m not sinning in these areas then in chapter 6 verses 118 Jesus shows that true righteousness looks for the Eternal reward of God and not the temporary reward of man’s approval Jesus uses giving prayer and fasting as examples scribes and Pharisees love to do these acts but they did them in front of others because they wanted a temporary reward Jesus shows that this is not only foolish but it is evil in God’s sight then in chapter 6 verses 19 to 34 where we find our text for today Jesus continues to expose the false righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you remember the scribes and Pharisees were great lovers of money and what it can buy this has explicitly stated in Luke 16 14 the Pharisees Who Loved money in contrast Jesus shows true righteousness looks for the Eternal reward of God and not the temporary material Treasures of the Earth this was Jesus’s main point in this section of his sermon and since that’s the section where that’s the section we’re looking at it will be my main point here is God’s message to you listening today from Matthew 6 19 to 24.
true righteousness seeks after the Eternal reward of God and not the temporary material Treasures of the Earth seek the reward of God and not the temporary material Treasures of the earth that’s what true righteousness does if you’re truly righteous that’s what you do well how and why is this true how does Jesus explain it well let’s investigate that now look again in Matthew 6 19.
I’ll go through this verse by verse do not store up for yourselves Treasures on Earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal here we see the first command and therefore the first point in my outline my sermon outline will be seven points this is the first one it’s a command do not store up Treasures for yourself on Earth that’s the first point do not store it for yourselves Treasures on Earth this is a command from the king of the universe it’s not a suggestion it’s not advice it’s an order refusing to heed this command is rebellion against your creator you are not allowed to store up Treasures on Earth what does it mean to store up and what qualifies as a treasure well the word for store up here can be translated a mass Reserve lay up store save put aside or treasure the idea is seeking after and collecting Treasures to enjoy or benefit from both now and in the future collecting seeking after now the word for Treasure is just that a treasure something that you think is valuable precious or useful physical wealth is specifically in mind with this word but the principle extends Beyond material possessions you can treasure something other than material wealth Christ says You must not seek after collect or amass Treasures on Earth well why not well the reason is very straightforward here’s Point number two in my outline Point number two Treasures on Earth will not last Treasures on Earth will not last Earthly Treasures don’t last for two reasons as presented in the text natural corrupting forces and evil Covetous forces natural corrupting forces are represented by moth and rust have you ever had a moth in your closet or in your pantry moths ruin your stuff they ruin your goods they lay eggs in your clothes or in your food and when the larva hatch they eat and they ruin your goods and you don’t have to do anything to get moths they just show up they find ways into your house there’s simply a natural corrupting Force rust is similar when iron gets wet it interacts with oxygen in the air and turns the iron into iron oxide AKA rust rust not only looks bad it weakens metal we have various ways of protecting our metals from rust today but rust is tenacious rust eventually will get your car it will get your machines and your various tools it’s simply a natural corrupting Force you don’t have to invite it it’s automatic but we’re not just talking about moths and rust here as I said these are representative we’re talking about all kinds of forces of natural corruption and ruin actually the word translated rust in our Bibles literally means eating or consumption all Earthly Treasures are subject to consumption to eating to corrosion to deterioration of one kind or another this has been true since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden it’s just a fact things on earth break down or become consumed but it’s not just natural corruption that’s the problem there are also evil Covetous forces to be aware of as well people will want to take your Earthly Treasures from you Jesus says thieves break in and steal ever had something stolen your car your jacket your wallet your phone your Xbox you work really hard to buy something you work hard to preserve it protect it so that you can enjoy it and then someone just steals it from you very frustrating but it’s not just thieves in the night that want to take your Treasures it’s also lawyers government officials hackers swindlers terrorists enemy soldiers to name a few men are covetous people are Covetous they want your Treasures and they will work hard to take them from you Treasures on Earth just don’t last they break down naturally and evil people want to take them from you and even if you somehow maintain your treasure so that it’s not consumed and so that no one can steal it don’t forget that you yourself are deteriorating your body is breaking down you won’t have the ability forever to protect or enjoy your Earthly Treasures due to your own declining Health declining strength and declining mental ability eventually you will die this will finally cause you the loss of all your Earthly Treasures you can no longer access whatever you had because you’re dead you’ve passed into eternity none of your Treasures from Earth can come with you you’ve lost them all we can add to this also that eventually God will destroy the Earth and all its Treasures with fire According to second Peter 3 12.
so we can appreciate the wisdom from God and this command for us not to seek after or to amass Treasures on Earth there’s a very good reason Treasures on Earth will not last you will not be able to enjoy them or own them forever they will naturally break down people will try to take them from you you will age and die and the whole earth will one day be destroyed but you should ask yourself we should ask ourselves are we obeying this command from God or are we still seeking after and amassing accumulating Treasures on Earth Treasures that will do us no good to help us appreciate this command a little more ask ourselves this question what kind of treasures do people collect on Earth what are some examples well there are all kinds here are some that I’ve brainstormed this is of course non-exhaustive list there are material possessions people working hard to acquire more and better things money food cars animals houses businesses stocks bonds jewelry Furniture dinnerware antiques artifacts decorations clothing fashion accessories machines Electronics appliances art plants then there’s the body people work hard and obsess over preserving the beauty strength and life of the body got to exercise eat healthy take vitamins use various creams and scrubs plastic surgery hair loss prevention hair growth tanning losing weight the body could be a treasure that we seek after and Preserve and there are virtual Treasures people working hard to create obtain and amass items that only exist in a virtual space high scores characters avatars Virtual Worlds virtual Badges of achievement virtual items MP3s blog posts Word documents websites YouTube videos PowerPoint presentations there are virtual Treasures then there are abstract Treasures people working hard to obtain something that’s less tangible power Fame friendship love popularity praise knowledge security accomplishment finally there’s The Treasure of experience some people recognize the transient nature of life and they therefore say it’s not about what you own it’s about what you’ve experienced don’t buy stuff buy experiences therefore people work hard and a mass various and more experiences eating traveling sex theatrical and musical performances book reading movie and TV watching playing games Sports skydiving mountain climbing nature hikes hunting drugs alcohol Etc there are all kinds of treasures these all these Treasures all belong to the Earth but do we recognize that none of these will last none of them all material possessions prayer perish and can be stolen our bodies will naturally age they will become less attractive no matter what we do and our bodies will die our computers our video game consoles and the internet internet will one day no longer exist or be accessible and whatever gave us an abstract treasure will eventually give way abstract Treasures are based on material Treasures you’ll lose whatever abstract treasure you had and our experiences they’re gone as soon as they’re finished they become fading memories and one day we won’t even be able to seek out new experiences or even remember them the question is what do you consider your Treasures for what are you working hard what are you agonizing to obtain what are you trying to collect in a mass what are you storing up if you are seeking after or storing up any of these Earthly Treasures you are not only acting foolishly you are rebelling against God one side note speaking of experiences may I recommend that you as a Christian retire the idea of a bucket list it’s not as if when you get to heaven you will tell God why did you take me now I still hadn’t fulfilled everything in my bucket list I never got married I never got to go to Paris I never climbed Mount Everest I never got to watch every season of Doctor Who I feel like I missed out God you think you could send me back so I could finish you won’t say that you instead say something like oh God you are amazing nothing on Earth can compare with you being in your presence is fullness of joy God let me never be apart from you you’ll say something like that so with all this talk of how Earthly Treasures will all disappear one day are you feeling depressed has the Bible reigned on your materialistic parade well let me add some more sobering words from Solomon and Ecclesiastes King Solomon as many of you know was someone who wasted his life or at least part of his life pursuing Treasures on Earth listen to what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 5 verses 10 to 17.
you don’t need to turn there just listen he who loves money will not be satisfied with money nor he who loves abundance with its income this too is Vanity when good things increase those who consume them increase so what is the advantage to their owners except to look on the sleep of The Working Man is Pleasant whether he eats little or much but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep there is a grievous evil which I have seen Under the Sun riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt when those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had father to son there’s nothing to support him as he had come naked from his mother’s womb so will he return as he came he will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand this also was a grievous evil exactly as a man is born thus will he die so what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind throughout his life he also eats in darkness with great vexation sickness and anger but perhaps you’re thinking to yourself all right so maybe it is vain to store up Treasures on Earth I know that none of them will last but they’re all I’ve got I’m gonna die someday why not enjoy life while I can well God has not simply doomed you and I you and me rather to a vain existence he’s actually provided you with a stunning alternative this is what we read about next look now at Matthew 6 20.
but store up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal this is Jesus’s second command and it is the third point in my outline store up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven do store up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven don’t store for yourself Treasures on Earth do store for yourselves Treasures in Heaven this too is not optional it is a command from Christ lay it for yourselves Treasures in Heaven don’t you dare disobey this command notice two details in this verse God says here that you can and must store up treasure in heaven that’s surprising even amazing there’s something you can do now in this temporary world that’s all going to perish that will result and treasure for you in heaven what you do in this world will have great impact on your treasure in the next world wow moreover notice the phrase for yourselves this phrase appeared previously in verse 19. do not lay up for yourselves Treasures on Earth but lay up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven do you notice the implication God wants you to be motivated by the thought of obtaining treasure for yourself in heaven God doesn’t ask you to store up treasure in heaven for him or for the church or for your relatives but for you for yourselves God is perfectly fine with you seeking a reward for yourself with a sanctified self-seeking he ordains that He commands that but you must seek your treasure in the right place in heaven not on Earth the Earth is a terrible place to amass treasure but Heaven is the perfect place why is heaven the perfect place again Jesus gives us the reason this is point number four in my outline here’s the reason treasure in heaven will last treasure in heaven will last there are no moths or rust In Heaven There Are No thieves In Heaven There Are No corrupting or Covetous forces at all in heaven nothing can take Heavenly Treasures away from you once you place them there just think of all the Earthly Treasures you’ve lost or will lose that time when someone stole your favorite sweatshirt a time when there was a fly in your salad and you couldn’t eat it a time when your computer crashed and you lost all of your data a time when you had to pay a fine for something that you did that wasn’t even wrong none of that happens in heaven God is too good too perfect too strong to let any of your heavenly treasures be lost or stolen what kind of treasures are there in heaven you may ask what kind of treasures are there well the Bible describes all kinds far greater versions of all of Earth’s Treasures we don’t even know the half of it but let me give you a sampling there are material Treasures in Heaven there is a Heavenly City with its gold and jewels there are the fruits and the leaves of the Tree of Life there’s the water of the River of Life there are white robes crowns a white stone with a name on it that no one knows except you in Christ there’s a new body waiting for you well the final version won’t come until after the resurrection but you will one day be raised with a glorious body a beautiful body a body that cannot die it cannot age it cannot become injured it cannot feel pain or grief it’s a body that will reflect the glory and goodness of God there’s holy friendship waiting for you in heaven there’s the love and gratefulness of all those to whom you ministered while on Earth and to whom you received Ministry from there’s the peace and security of being in the father’s house with no one being able to remove you from it there’s the comfort of sitting down together for a meal with Christ there’s the accomplishment of your lord telling you well done good and faithful slave there’s the authority of sitting on Christ’s throne with him there’s the power of ruling and serving in Christ’s Millennial Kingdom there is the continual experience of being in God’s Majestic presence of hearing God’s rightful Praises ReSound and ReSound and participating in those praises But ultimately there is God himself Christ Our portion and our great reward we will be married to the son of God we will dwell in the bosom of his love and His glory forever God will be our God he will dwell with us as just as Revelation 21 6-7 says Jesus speaking it is done I am the Alpha and the Omega the beginning and the end I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the Water of Life without cost he who overcomes will inherit these things and I will be his God and he will be my son amazing Treasures pardon me they can never be stolen they can never pass away you will always have them to enjoy now you may ask but don’t all Christians receive the same reward in heaven why work to store up Treasures in Heaven if the reward will be the same no matter what I do well it is true that in one sense all believers will receive the same reward in heaven this is the point of Jesus’s parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20 verses 1 to 6. you may remember the parable even though some workers worked for 12 hours and others worked for only one hour they all receive the same wage the same reward however it is also true that you will not receive the same reward as everyone else in heaven your reward will be dependent on what you did while you were on the Earth we don’t have time to fully explore this truth this morning but let me show you one passage that illustrates this principle turn over to First Corinthians chapter 3 verses 10 to 15.
First Corinthians 3 10 to 15.
Paul is speaking in this passage about how carefully he sought to build up the Church of Corinth and how all teachers and Believers must be careful about how they seek to build up and serve the church look at verse 10.
according to the grace of God which was given to me like a wise master builder I laid a foundation and another is building on it but each man must be careful how he builds on it for no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid which is Jesus Christ now if any man builds on the foundation with gold silver precious stones wood hay straw each man’s work will become evident for the day we’ll show it that is the day of judgment because it is to be revealed with fire and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work if any man’s work which he has built on it remains he will receive a reward if any man’s work is burned up he will suffer loss but he himself will be saved yet so as Through Fire did you notice the distinction even if you build with perishable materials that all burn up when assessed by God if you are a Believer you will still be saved you will still receive that reward every believer will receive that reward on the other hand depending on whether you built with good imperishable materials or bad perishable materials you will either gain reward or suffer loss in other words not every believer gets the same thing by the way we see the same concept when it comes to judgment everyone who does not believe in Christ will suffer the Eternal Wrath of hell same judgment same punishment for all they all die eternally but the level of suffering will be dependent on each man’s Deeds and how much knowledge they had of God when they committed those deeds in light of these truths about Rewards about Treasures we again see the wisdom of Christ’s command store up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven they will last for eternity Treasures in Heaven will last for eternity your limited time on Earth will have a great impact on your heavenly Treasures on your heavenly reward now you may ask well how do I do it how do I store up Treasures in Heaven how do I obtain the reward well Jesus has already shown you he’s already showing you in The Sermon on the Mount how do you do it obedience you do it by obedience obey the commands of Christ be like Jesus Christ and you will gain Treasures in Heaven just look back at the beginning of chapter six if you give without caring if people see you or not then you will gain a reward give for the reward if you pray and fast without caring if people see you or not you will gain a reward your father will see it he will give you reward pray and fast for the reward love your wife for the reward submit to your husband for the reward raise your children diligently in godliness for the reward love and serve others for the reward even if it’s just giving them a glass of cold water as Matthew 10 42 says you do that you will not miss out on your heavenly reward care for the poor care for the sick care for the orphaned and the widowed why for the reward use your skills and Gifts in the church to gain a Heavenly reward submit to your employer submit to the government for a reward live sexually self-controlled for a reward above all tell people about the gospel for your reward the more you love the more you follow after the more you speak about the more you obey our King Jesus Christ the more you lay up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven this is an amazing truth an amazing truth but do you believe it do you believe that there really are Treasures in Heaven awaiting you if you believe in and Obey Jesus Christ do you believe enough to say no to your fleshly feelings calling out for continual Indulgence are you storing up Treasures in Heaven these are very important questions so important that Jesus gives us three warnings regarding these two commands there are three warnings These Warnings also work as tests to help us diagnose our inner state let’s look at the first warning verse 21.
chapter 6 verse 21.
for where your treasure is there your heart will be also here’s the fifth point in my sermon outline your thoughts and affections indicate the kind of treasures you pursue your thoughts and affections indicate the kind of treasures you pursue your heart and your Treasures always go together don’t deceive yourself into thinking yes I know I’m amassing Treasures on Earth but my heart is really with God I’m a Believer I love God it’s not possible heart doesn’t work that way your thoughts your desires your affections they always follow the things that you deem most valuable they follow your Treasures so what consumes your thoughts what do you find yourself Desiring the most what would you what would really satisfy you what do you love to talk about and learn about more than anything else what do you spend most of your time and efforts pursuing the answer to those questions will indicate where your Treasures are if your heart and mind are devoted to the things of the world the Treasures of the world oh let me say that again if your heart and minded devoted to the things of the world then the world is where your Treasures are and therefore you will lose all of your Treasures one day but if your heart and mind are devoted to the things in heaven to God then Heaven is where your Treasures are and you will never lose those Treasures this is the first warning from Christ your thoughts and affections indicate the kind of treasures you pursue but he gives a second warning in the next two verses let’s read those verses 22 to 23. the I is the lamp of the body so then if your eye is clear your whole body will be full of light but if your eye is bad your whole body will be full of Darkness if then the light that is in you is Darkness How great is the darkness here’s Point number six in my outline your view of others wealth reveals your heart your view of others wealth reveals your heart now these two verses are somewhat perplexing at first they don’t seem to fit with the context regarding wealth I looked at various commentaries on these two verses and each interpreter said something a little different they’ll all agree that Christ is saying something here about our perception and what it reveals about our inner self let’s see though if we can make some more sense of this analogy there are two main views that we can take about this analogy based on where the light in this analogy is coming from there’s the outer light View and the Inner Light View out of light view works like this the I is a lamp and that it lets you see the world and the world’s light if your eye is clear and healthy then light from outside can rightly come through the eye and reach the inside of the body and illuminate it but if the eye is bad and clouded and dark then light from outside cannot come through the eye and illuminate the body the body therefore remains dark on the inside therefore if the light that is in your body which in this view we’d have to interpret as the I if the light that is in your body is dark how much darker is the rest of your body how much darker is the inside of your body if this is the way the analogy is supposed to work then Jesus must mean something like this when you perceive Treasures rightly when you understand the truths that I’ve been speaking about rightly the rest of your life is put in proper order but when you don’t perceive Treasures rightly then the rest of your life is in disorder and darkness if you cannot perceive the basic truths about Treasures then how dark must you and your life be your insides must be very dark your life must be full of sin you don’t even know how much sin this makes a certain amount of sense but there’s another way to view this analogy the Inner Light View Inner Light view works like this the eye is a lamp and that it shines forth whatever is inside the body if the eye is healthy and clear then the inside of the body must be full of light but if the eye is dark or evil which is the literal translation of verse 23’s word then the body must therefore be full of Darkness if the window to the inside is dark then imagine how dark it must be inside for this view the phrase evil eye is particularly important you see an evil eye is not just a description it’s a figure of speech it’s an idiom that was used in Christ’s time and even before that just as it is today today to give someone the evil eye is to give them a malevolent stare but this comes from a long established Superstition regarding Envy it was thought that those who envied you might give you the evil eye a look that resented you and which came with a curse a wish that hurt and tragedy would come upon you because you have more or better things than the one looking at you ancient peoples therefore had all kinds of defenses against the evil eye and even today there are various charms and incantations people use to protect themselves this sense of Envy can also be seen in the Bible’s use of the phrase evil eye now the Bible does not say that there’s a curse that you can actually curse somebody just by looking at them but there’s the idea of Envy attached to this phrase evil eye for example in Matthew 2015 which I referred to earlier we have the parable of the workers and the vineyard in that Parable after the master gives everybody the same ways for working in the vineyard some of the workers complain but the owner of the vineyard says this to them is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own or is your eye envious because I am generous literally is your eye evil because I am good he’s asking them are you envious and resentful because I’m showing generousness or generosity to these workers we also see the phrase in Mark 7 22.
I’ll give you the two verses around it for some context and Mark 7 21-23 Jesus says this for from within out of the hearts of men or out of the heart of men perceive the evil thoughts fornications thefts murders adulteries Deeds of coveting and wickedness as well as deceit sensuality Envy slander pride and foolishness all these things proceed from within and defile the man wait a second I didn’t see the phrase evil eye what was that for David well it’s because it’s been translated as something else when you see the word Envy in Mark 7 22 it literally is the phrase evil eye to have an evil eye is to be envious and notice where does the evil eye come from Within now this phrase does not appear often in the scriptures so I don’t want to be too dogmatic about this it does appear two other times in Proverbs speaking of envious and selfish men but if Envy the evil eye is in view in Matthew 6 then the meaning of the analogy verses 22 to 23 would be something like this your outlook on others wealth is an indicator of your inner state if your outlook is generous then you must be full of light inside but if your outlook is envious and resentful then you must be full of Darkness inside if the outside is so noticeably dark then just how bad must it be inside this latter view makes more sense to me that’s why I’ve titled my point after it but either way the principle is similar is your life full of obedience to Jesus then you must be full of light and storing up Treasures in Heaven is your life full of Disobedience to Jesus is your life full of envy do you hate to hear about how other people are doing well or doing more successfully than you do you hate to see your friends and acquaintances enjoying Earthly Treasures that you don’t get to enjoy are you giving people the evil eye then you are full of Darkness and you are seeking to store up your Treasures on Earth this is the second warning from Jesus your view of others wealth shows what’s inside it shows what your Treasures are Jesus gives one final warning in verse 24. let’s read that now Matthew 6 24 no one can serve two masters for either you will hate the one and love the other or he’ll be devoted to one and despise the other you cannot serve God and wealth here’s the seventh and last point of my sermon outline outline double devotion is impossible double devotion is impossible the analogy here is one of slavery and it describes an impossible situation I love the words of the Puritan Matthew Henry about this listen to what he writes in his commentary on this verse quote Jesus does not say we must not or we should not but we cannot serve God and Mammon we cannot love both or hold to both or hold by both in observance obedience attendance trust and dependence for they are contrary the one to the other God says my son give me thy heart Mammon says no give it me God says be content with such things as ye have Mammon says grasp at all that ever thou canst money money by fair means or by foul money God says to fraud not never lie be honest and just in all thy dealings Mammon says cheat thine own father if thou can’t scain by it God says be charitable Mammon says hold thy own this giving undoes us all God says be careful for nothing that is be worried about nothing Mammon says be careful for everything thus inconsistent are the commands of God and Mammon so that we cannot serve both let us then halt let us not then halt between God and Baal but choose ye this day whom you will serve and abide by our choice again we must not deceive ourselves we must not say to ourselves I can do both I will pursue Earthly treasures and Heavenly Treasures no that’s impossible one negates the other if you recognize that you are pursuing something on Earth or some things on earth as your treasure know for certain that you are not pursuing God and His Heavenly Treasures in the same way if you choose to pursue Earth or Heavenly Treasures know that it means you must give up seeking after all Earthly Treasures but this is a very wise transaction to make it’s a very wise decision to make as Jesus has shown us Treasures on Earth will not last Treasures in Heaven will last it’s just like the missionary martyr Jim Elliott said he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose so in review of these points our lord Jesus is speaking to you and to me today and he says this do not store for yourselves Treasures on Earth they will not last do store it for yourselves Treasures in Heaven they will last and don’t deceive yourselves your thoughts and affections indicate the kind of treasures you pursue your view of others wealth reveals your heart and double devotion is impossible let me give you one more exhortation and then a few clarifying comments if you’re listening and you’re hesitating you’re not sure if you want to give up the Earthly Treasures or perhaps your heart is hardened you insist upon pursuing and collecting the treasures of this world then hear this last warning from James this comes from James chapter 5.
come now you rich weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth eaten your gold and your silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire it is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure behold the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields and which has been withheld by you cries out against you and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of sabayoth you have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of want and pleasure you have fattened your hearts in a day of Slaughter you have condemned and put to death a righteous man he does not resist you listen to James listen to the Holy Spirit if you store for yourselves Treasures on Earth know that you are also storing up something for eternity but you are not storing up reward you are storing up for yourself God’s Wrath you are fattening yourself like an animal for Slaughter God is a jealous holy God he has the right to all glory and worship he will not tolerate you giving his glory to the treasures of this world therefore repent and cry out to God for mercy in Jesus some quick last thoughts based off of our passage and some questions you might be thinking is it a sin for Christians to be rich should Christians give everything away well Christians should give away whatever they need to to prevent themselves from serving or being distracted by wealth remember Jesus’s parable of the soils what was the third soil the one choked by Thorns what were the thorns the deceitfulness of wealth and the cares of this world the plant was made unfruitful there was no salvation there we are told to flee from idolatry including idolatry to wealth immaterialism so whatever you need to cut off do it for the sake of reward but it’s not a sin for Christians to be rich those who are rich and are Christians actually have a special opportunity to use their wealth as stewards for the glory of God supporting the work of the church practicing Hospitality giving to the needy caring for brothers and sisters in the congregation for good examples of this see job see the Proverbs 31 Woman see Lydia in the New Testament it’s not a sin for Christians to be rich what about principles of stewardship don’t I need to take care of my family well of course you do need to take care of your family but don’t overestimate that neither underestimate that your family doesn’t need the latest tech or for you to pay all their college bills if you can do that great but don’t let going beyond the Necessities prevent you from laying up Treasures in Heaven on the other hand don’t forget that your familial responsibilities extend beyond the nuclear family according to First Timothy 5 8 you should take care of your parents and grandparents if they are not able to support themselves what about saving for the future shouldn’t we do that well it is good for you to save money for future Ministry opportunities or for unforeseen calamities but don’t put your security in savings don’t let those things prevent you from obtaining reward in heaven the very next statement from Jesus after the passage we looked at today is all about do not worry do not worry because the Lord will provide for you now this doesn’t give us license to be poor stewards but it does free us up to minister to today’s needs and to store up treasure in heaven now someone will someone might also say like tevya I’d like to serve the Lord but I need to First achieve a certain Financial goal once I do that then I’ll get serious about seeking Treasures in Heaven this is complete folly you may not even be alive tomorrow and then what will all of your accumulated wealth mean for you besides if you don’t love the Lord enough now to serve him and seek him and his treasures when you’re your Earthly wealth is small but what makes you think you will want to serve him when your Earthly wealth and material Comforts have increased I’m sure there are many more questions we could raise and other applications we could speak about but this will have to do let us now speak to the Lord in prayer oh Lord what a beautifully sobering Passage God if we cling to Earthly Treasures this is like a dagger but a good one Lord because we’ve got to get away from them we’ve got to stop seeking the Earthly Treasures oh Lord God it is just amazing that we really can amass Treasures in Heaven Treasures with you you call us to do that God what a sweet and wonderful thing you do not forget our righteous Deeds you do not forget the good things that we do you are taking note of them and you are rewarding each one of them what do we do the all these things only by your spirit we can never do them by any of our own strength and yet God let this be our motivation let God I pray that all the people listening here would really believe that there are Treasures in Heaven for their obedience and that they would amass those things that they would seek those things that they would love to just do more and more of that and not get caught up amassing the treasures on Earth oh Lord God you are glorious thank you for this word in Jesus name amen