Where Is Your Treasure?

Below is an excerpt of the sermon...

If you have your Bibles, open them pleas to the book of Matthew in the New Testament. Matthew Chapter 6. Here’s the introduction to the message. Here it is. If by listening today I could guarantee you would have $50 more to spend in your lifetime and a lot of treasures up in Heaven on top of that, would you listen? Some of you might say, Make it $100 and I will. All right, wow, good. And then I was thinking for a moment, would I rather make you smile for 15 minutes in church today or have you smile for all eternity? And so, that’s what we’re going to shoot for. Some of this will be a little bit teachy today, and so I hope you’ll just kind of take the whole message. And the title of the message today is, “Where is Your Wealth?” And some little kids right now we’re saying, I know right where it is, right there in my piggy bank. I know right where it is. And other adults are here saying it’s in a sock in the drawer, and that’s where it is.

We’re right here in Matthew Chapter 6. You may remain seated. I’m going to turn to just a few different verses today. This is called the Sermon on the Mount. It is Jesus gathering his disciples, they’re about to launch out the church and get this church going. So He’s giving a speech if you will, a manifesto, a foundation, saying now all these things in our lives are what’s going to build this church and reach the world. So, it’s very important everything He says.

So right here in the middle of his message to the saved people, here’s what he says in Matthew 6… and looking down into Matthew 6:19–21: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Matthew 6:24: “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. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” The word Mammon simply translates “that in which one trusts.” So, God says, if there’s anything you put your trust in beside Me, he says, that’s not going to make it. Some people translate it, “You cannot serve God and money.” Sooner or later, there’s got to be a choice.

Then he says in Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I say unto you, 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. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” Raiment is clothing. He’s saying life is more than just eating and clothes. Eating, clothes, and cell phones… He said life is more than that. And then verse 33 kind of summarize this, He says, Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” So, kind of in a nutshell, God says, if you spend your life seeking things (and nothing is wrong with things. Parents that love their kids give them clothing and give them shelter and give them things. God says, if you get close to me, I’ll give you things.) But he said, if all you seek is things, that’s all you get. But if you seek God, you get God and the things, that’s how He does it.

And then there’s one more passage, I’m going to read part of it. If you want to turn to it, you can. Maybe next week we’ll start shooting some verses on the screen. But 1 Timothy 6, toward the end of the New Testament. In 1 Timothy, Paul is warning his preacher boy that he’s going to be taking over. He warns him of different traps. He warns him of pride, he warns him of certain people, and then he warns him of this thing of wealth. Notice, he says in 1 Timothy 6. If you don’t have it, that’s fine. And he says in 1 Timothy 6:6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

So, you can put it in a math equation. Godliness (or being a godly Christian) plus contentment equals great gain. Or you’re rich. If your godly, it makes you content; and when your content, you’re rich. There’s two ways to be rich. One, have enough money to buy everything you want. Most of you do not fall into that category. Or, want everything you can afford to buy. Okay, moving right along…that went over my head too. 1 Timothy 6:6–9 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9. But they that will be rich…” It’s not saying people who are rich, but those, who their whole goal in life is to be rich. It says, “…1 Timothy 6:9–10 “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10. For the love of money is the root of all evil…” Or, you could say all kinds of evil” pornography, smoking alcohol, illegal drugs, abortion racketeering, all sorts of things. Money is at the bottom of that.  1 Timothy 6:10 “…which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” That’s what he talks about there.

Let’s have a prayer, and we’re just going to jump right into the message. Okay. Father, thank you for the Word of God. I guess there’s nothing really that brings stress into a marriage any more than children or finances. I guess in homes across America, there’s been a lot of arguing this year because of finances or a lack of it. So, I pray that you would help us. Help us learn something. Help us be reminded of something we already know, and help that person who’s having a pity party. I don’t have anything. Help them to recognize the richest they already have in Jesus’ name. Amen.