WEBVTT 00:00:00.460 --> 00:00:05.299 Friends, let us pray. Our Lord, today we're examining 00:00:05.299 --> 00:00:10.320 our wealth, irrespective of how much or how little 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:13.859 we might think it is. You have certainly blessed 00:00:13.859 --> 00:00:17.440 us with much in this country, but we do not want 00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:20.699 your blessings to take us away from the one who 00:00:20.699 --> 00:00:25.179 has provided the blessing, you. We are certainly 00:00:25.179 --> 00:00:28.579 mindful of the attractiveness of wealth for the 00:00:28.579 --> 00:00:33.140 here and now. We thank you that your holy scriptures 00:00:33.140 --> 00:00:37.479 have been written to teach us, rebuke us, correct 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:41.700 us and to train us in righteousness. May you, 00:00:41.740 --> 00:00:45.840 through your written holy word and through your 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:49.759 powerful Holy Spirit, do the work in us that 00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:53.299 needs to be done so that we stand in awe of the 00:00:53.299 --> 00:00:58.399 one who blesses rather than pursue the blessings 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:03.979 themselves. In Jesus' name, amen. Up front, I 00:01:03.979 --> 00:01:09.260 need to remind us all, including myself, that 00:01:09.260 --> 00:01:15.959 nothing I have is from me. Ultimately, everything 00:01:15.959 --> 00:01:21.620 is his, the Lord's. We are just using his stuff, 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:27.250 Psalm 24 .1. And so either the Lord has enabled 00:01:27.250 --> 00:01:31.329 me to obtain the wealth I have today, Deuteronomy 00:01:31.329 --> 00:01:37.650 8 .18, or he has simply provided it. And yes, 00:01:37.730 --> 00:01:41.650 the writer of Ecclesiastes is also right. One 00:01:41.650 --> 00:01:45.049 of our Bible readings today that Craig read to 00:01:45.049 --> 00:01:48.450 us. Everyone, we're told, everyone who comes 00:01:48.450 --> 00:01:52.209 naked from their mother's womb, I guess you did. 00:01:54.349 --> 00:01:58.969 And as everyone comes, so we depart. We came 00:01:58.969 --> 00:02:03.290 with nothing and we'll leave with nothing. And 00:02:03.290 --> 00:02:08.009 so we just use his stuff or produce things as 00:02:08.009 --> 00:02:11.930 he allows for the 80 odd years that most people 00:02:11.930 --> 00:02:14.689 live and then leave with nothing, just as we 00:02:14.689 --> 00:02:26.419 came. So that is the end of the story. No. Habakkuk 00:02:26.419 --> 00:02:33.020 2 .4 and Hebrews 11 .6 It is impossible for anyone 00:02:33.020 --> 00:02:37.599 to live in this fallen world to please God unless 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:43.599 we live by faith. And so today all we are really 00:02:43.599 --> 00:02:47.659 looking at is how one lives by faith with respect 00:02:47.659 --> 00:02:54.219 to wealth. And I balk at saying our wealth. as 00:02:54.219 --> 00:02:59.979 it is all his. Always was and always will be. 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:05.620 We're simply his stewards of it, hopefully his 00:03:05.620 --> 00:03:11.780 faithful stewards for a while. And the reason 00:03:11.780 --> 00:03:17.180 we are looking at wealth today, or money, mammon, 00:03:17.259 --> 00:03:20.780 income, riches, treasures, whatever you want 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:24.400 to call it, is that Jesus talks about it in these 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:31.159 six verses we are now up to. But how are God's 00:03:31.159 --> 00:03:33.860 people to think and act faithfully about the 00:03:33.860 --> 00:03:36.039 wealth he has given us? Well, today in Matthew 00:03:36.039 --> 00:03:40.939 6, Jesus reminds us, mentions at least three 00:03:40.939 --> 00:03:44.780 things that need to shape how we see wealth. 00:03:46.340 --> 00:03:49.639 And the first is this, God's people need to have 00:03:49.639 --> 00:03:52.900 hearts for heaven. I'll repeat that, God's people 00:03:52.900 --> 00:03:57.620 need to have hearts for heaven. In verses 19 00:03:57.620 --> 00:04:02.580 to 21, we're told by Jesus, he says, do not store 00:04:02.580 --> 00:04:05.860 up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths 00:04:05.860 --> 00:04:08.860 and vermin destroy and where thieves break in 00:04:08.860 --> 00:04:11.740 and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures 00:04:11.740 --> 00:04:15.860 in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy 00:04:15.860 --> 00:04:18.879 and where thieves do not break in and steal. 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:23.759 Where your treasure is, there your heart will 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:30.240 be also. Now, Jesus is not against having any 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:33.639 treasures here on earth. No, he's not saying 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:36.259 that. If he were, we would need to sell everything 00:04:36.259 --> 00:04:41.699 we have. Car, house, phone, the lot. And in Kansas, 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:45.620 Australia, we would also be goners as we have 00:04:45.620 --> 00:04:50.439 a lot of stuff. He's simply saying don't store 00:04:50.439 --> 00:04:55.899 them up on earth. And why? Well, there are two 00:04:55.899 --> 00:04:58.480 reasons here, and the first is pretty obvious. 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:03.240 They won't last. They won't last. They simply 00:05:03.240 --> 00:05:05.839 don't last. And he mentions things here that 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:07.759 we have probably been on the receiving end of. 00:05:07.779 --> 00:05:11.699 He mentions how moths and silverfish and cockroaches 00:05:11.699 --> 00:05:21.250 and mice and rats get into them. And sadly, some 00:05:21.250 --> 00:05:24.149 of us have been on the end of a thief pinching 00:05:24.149 --> 00:05:28.970 our car or having our house robbed or might have 00:05:28.970 --> 00:05:31.529 been even bigger than that. Perhaps you've had 00:05:31.529 --> 00:05:34.829 a lot of money stolen from you. And all of these 00:05:34.829 --> 00:05:38.329 things, bugs or burglars, at least serve as a 00:05:38.329 --> 00:05:42.129 reminder that treasures on earth do not last. 00:05:43.550 --> 00:05:49.579 They come and go just as we come and go. Now, 00:05:49.579 --> 00:05:53.939 I am not a self -funded retiree, even though 00:05:53.939 --> 00:05:59.019 I might look like a retiree. But I've seen what 00:05:59.019 --> 00:06:02.959 coronavirus can do. Yes, treasures can come and 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:07.300 go on earth, so do not store them up here. You'll 00:06:07.300 --> 00:06:09.439 end up being very disappointed if you do so. 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:13.339 Ask anyone who's gone through a messy divorce. 00:06:14.500 --> 00:06:17.899 or a bankruptcy, and if you can, ask anyone who 00:06:17.899 --> 00:06:20.759 has died. And they'll tell you the same thing. 00:06:20.860 --> 00:06:24.519 Riches on earth don't last. And they don't last 00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:26.600 for a variety of reasons. And even if they do 00:06:26.600 --> 00:06:30.980 last for a while, death will bring an end to 00:06:30.980 --> 00:06:35.259 that one too. But there is another reason given 00:06:35.259 --> 00:06:39.660 here, and it's all to do with one's heart. And 00:06:39.660 --> 00:06:44.459 it's found in verse 21. Jesus says, That where 00:06:44.459 --> 00:06:48.279 your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 00:06:49.819 --> 00:06:52.439 And so Jesus in one sense wants to eliminate 00:06:52.439 --> 00:06:56.379 any heartache from you because he tells you where 00:06:56.379 --> 00:07:02.019 to store up your riches that will last. And where? 00:07:02.459 --> 00:07:07.740 In heaven. That's where. And he alludes to nothing 00:07:07.740 --> 00:07:10.079 being able to destroy riches that are stored 00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:15.519 in heaven. Nothing. And so all of this makes 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:18.879 one think much bigger than just the here and 00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:22.959 now. It causes us to think about where we are 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:26.180 storing our treasures, and rightly so. Like, 00:07:26.220 --> 00:07:31.459 are we storing up things here on earth? Or are 00:07:31.459 --> 00:07:36.199 we storing up things in heaven? Because where 00:07:36.199 --> 00:07:38.959 we store them not only shows where our heart 00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:46.339 lies, but also fertilises, feeds our heart. That 00:07:46.339 --> 00:07:49.500 is why we always want more. We're never quite 00:07:49.500 --> 00:07:53.139 satisfied. Our heart needs feeding, and the food 00:07:53.139 --> 00:07:59.000 it really likes isn't just ice cream. It's treasures. 00:08:02.600 --> 00:08:04.939 And all of this brings us back to the original 00:08:04.939 --> 00:08:06.959 point I made. God's people need to have hearts 00:08:06.959 --> 00:08:11.459 for heaven, not for treasures. Because this fallen 00:08:11.459 --> 00:08:14.779 earth, not just its treasures, will not last. 00:08:15.459 --> 00:08:18.519 So Jesus says and says clearly here, don't, yes, 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:23.100 do not, is what he says, waste your time storing, 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:27.480 gathering, amassing, securing things on for here, 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:33.100 on earth. It will end up in heartache. Instead, 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:37.940 be focused on heaven, invest in it, it will last. 00:08:40.110 --> 00:08:43.250 And it is where one's heart should be and will 00:08:43.250 --> 00:08:47.169 be if you place your treasures there. Now it's 00:08:47.169 --> 00:08:49.289 pretty hard to invest in heaven, you might be 00:08:49.289 --> 00:08:52.590 thinking. Like, how does one do that? How does 00:08:52.590 --> 00:08:56.909 one buy stocks and shares in heaven? How does 00:08:56.909 --> 00:09:01.850 one store up wealth in heaven? Like, how? Well, 00:09:01.929 --> 00:09:04.929 this brings us to the second point of today's 00:09:04.929 --> 00:09:08.509 sermon and to these quite odd verses in... verse 00:09:08.509 --> 00:09:12.029 22 and 23. And I've summed up the second point 00:09:12.029 --> 00:09:15.789 as this. God's people need to have eyes to see 00:09:15.789 --> 00:09:18.470 the kingdom. Yes, God's people need to have eyes 00:09:18.470 --> 00:09:23.450 to see the kingdom. And when you have such eyes, 00:09:23.710 --> 00:09:28.269 eyes that see the kingdom God is building, in 00:09:28.269 --> 00:09:31.149 the number of people entering it, and in you 00:09:31.149 --> 00:09:35.129 and everyone growing in it, you will invest whatever 00:09:35.129 --> 00:09:40.240 comes your way, as much as you can. In this church 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:44.019 that he's building. You will. And why? Because 00:09:44.019 --> 00:09:47.899 your eyes are healthy. Your eyes might not have 00:09:47.899 --> 00:09:54.139 20 vision. Mine don't anymore. But they can see 00:09:54.139 --> 00:09:56.700 the light of the kingdom and therefore live for 00:09:56.700 --> 00:10:03.820 it. Please look at verses 22 to 23. Verse 22, 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:06.720 Jesus says, the eye is the lamp of the body. 00:10:07.659 --> 00:10:10.059 If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will 00:10:10.059 --> 00:10:13.639 be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, 00:10:13.980 --> 00:10:16.759 your whole body will be full of darkness. If 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:19.980 then the light within you is darkness, how great 00:10:19.980 --> 00:10:25.600 is that darkness? The Holy Scriptures have much 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:30.559 to say about darkness and light and about getting 00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:35.220 out of one's darkness and seeing the light. And 00:10:35.220 --> 00:10:37.639 darkness is usually portrayed, as it is here, 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:42.080 as one of evil everywhere. Whereas light is portrayed, 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:47.259 as it is here, as one of good. And so good that 00:10:47.259 --> 00:10:51.840 it can change one's whole life. And not only 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:54.039 are God's people described as the light of the 00:10:54.039 --> 00:10:57.399 world, Matthew 5 .14, in this very sermon of 00:10:57.399 --> 00:11:01.360 Jesus, but the very coming of Jesus is also described 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:06.509 as the light source. A light that has now dawned, 00:11:06.509 --> 00:11:12.669 Christmas, Isaiah 9 .2. And how we, God's people 00:11:12.669 --> 00:11:14.789 who have now seen him as the light, have placed 00:11:14.789 --> 00:11:20.250 our trust in him. And are described elsewhere 00:11:20.250 --> 00:11:23.889 as children of light, having come out of the 00:11:23.889 --> 00:11:27.529 darkness of our sins, Ephesians 5 .8. And therefore 00:11:27.529 --> 00:11:31.049 not wanting to have anything to do anymore with 00:11:31.049 --> 00:11:36.440 the deeds of darkness. Yes, the Holy Scriptures, 00:11:36.559 --> 00:11:40.740 such as in Colossians 1 .12, talk about this 00:11:40.740 --> 00:11:44.460 kingdom that God is building, a kingdom that 00:11:44.460 --> 00:11:49.000 will never be shaken, will last forever. And 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:53.279 it is described as a kingdom of what? It is described 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:59.639 as a kingdom of light. And Jesus has only just 00:11:59.639 --> 00:12:02.320 said early in this chapter to pray daily for 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:09.230 this kingdom. to come and so we are to have eyes 00:12:09.230 --> 00:12:13.029 that see it eyes and a heart that will invest 00:12:13.029 --> 00:12:19.629 in it are you investing in such a kingdom are 00:12:19.629 --> 00:12:24.210 your eyes 2020 for the kingdom a kingdom of light 00:12:24.210 --> 00:12:29.149 are your eyes healthy or or are your eyes 20 00:12:29.149 --> 00:12:35.669 20 for the world A world of darkness. Are your 00:12:35.669 --> 00:12:40.570 eyes therefore unhealthy? Yes, what does your 00:12:40.570 --> 00:12:44.850 heart want to see? God and his kingdom in all 00:12:44.850 --> 00:12:50.009 its glory? If so, invest in it. Give your all 00:12:50.009 --> 00:12:54.610 to it. Or does your heart want to see a new flat 00:12:54.610 --> 00:13:00.639 screen television on your wall at home? What 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:03.340 is it that your heart wants to ultimately see? 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:10.240 People in the kingdom or TV on the wall? And 00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:12.039 this brings us to the third and final point for 00:13:12.039 --> 00:13:13.740 today, and it starts getting quite practical 00:13:13.740 --> 00:13:16.960 now, and Jesus is much more direct. I've titled 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:20.740 this last point as this, God's people need to 00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:26.960 serve him alone. If you want to keep having a 00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:30.639 heart that sees the kingdom he is building all 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:34.000 to it, one must keep serving him alone. Please 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:41.419 look at verse 24. Bing. Verse 24. Jesus says 00:13:41.419 --> 00:13:45.240 no one can serve two masters. Either you will 00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:49.440 hate the one and love the other or you will be 00:13:49.440 --> 00:13:53.399 devoted to the one and despise the other. You 00:13:53.399 --> 00:14:00.129 cannot serve both God and money. We see here 00:14:00.129 --> 00:14:02.190 that there is nothing wrong with having money, 00:14:02.250 --> 00:14:05.610 just as there is nothing wrong with having treasures. 00:14:07.350 --> 00:14:12.269 But what matters is whom you serve and where 00:14:12.269 --> 00:14:17.570 you store one's treasures. And just as you should 00:14:17.570 --> 00:14:20.389 not store treasures on both earth and heaven, 00:14:20.450 --> 00:14:24.129 have it quid both ways, so too you cannot serve 00:14:24.129 --> 00:14:31.639 both God and money. Not long after I turned to 00:14:31.639 --> 00:14:37.220 Christ in 1988, I still remember having a conversation 00:14:37.220 --> 00:14:41.879 with a friend of mine, a fellow believer. And 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:44.700 at the time I thought I could serve both God 00:14:44.700 --> 00:14:49.440 and money. Not that I set out to do that, but 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:51.940 when push came to shove, that is exactly what 00:14:51.940 --> 00:14:58.240 I was doing, trying to serve God and money. You 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:00.340 could say that I had one eye closed for the kingdom. 00:15:01.340 --> 00:15:03.799 Yes, I probably had one eye set on the world 00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:08.659 and one eye set on the kingdom. I was a bit divided. 00:15:09.419 --> 00:15:13.620 And my friend said something to me like, the 00:15:13.620 --> 00:15:16.679 last two things God will convert in you, Trevor, 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:20.440 are probably your hip pocket and your right foot. 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:27.679 He knew my nickname was Rev Trev. because of 00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:32.139 my love for V8s and for motorbikes. Yes, I was 00:15:32.139 --> 00:15:37.980 a real rev head. But he also knew what many people 00:15:37.980 --> 00:15:43.480 struggled with, their love of stuff. And he was 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:46.659 right. You could say that God is still working 00:15:46.659 --> 00:15:51.539 on my right foot. And I am probably not listening 00:15:51.539 --> 00:15:55.509 to him as much as I should. But many years ago 00:15:55.509 --> 00:15:57.870 he helped me to realise that I needed to serve 00:15:57.870 --> 00:16:03.090 him and him alone with the wealth that we've 00:16:03.090 --> 00:16:07.210 been given with my hip pocket. And very fortunately 00:16:07.210 --> 00:16:10.549 I have a believing wife and that makes it so 00:16:10.549 --> 00:16:17.529 much easier to do so. Now in saying this, this 00:16:17.529 --> 00:16:20.149 is not just about one's wealth. It's actually 00:16:20.149 --> 00:16:22.769 about something much deeper, about having the 00:16:22.769 --> 00:16:26.519 right heart, and write eyes that only God can 00:16:26.519 --> 00:16:31.299 give you. And give you he will as one turns back 00:16:31.299 --> 00:16:34.919 to him through his son, the one who says these 00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:36.919 very words that we're looking at today. Yes, 00:16:37.019 --> 00:16:42.960 he will give you eyes to see. By removing the 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:47.639 veil that one naturally has, a veil that the 00:16:47.639 --> 00:16:53.539 evil one obviously does not want removed. Compare 00:16:53.539 --> 00:16:55.799 the end of 2 Corinthians 3 and the start of 2 00:16:55.799 --> 00:16:59.600 Corinthians 4. So that one is able to now see 00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:05.640 the kingdom. See, spiritually see the kingdom. 00:17:06.460 --> 00:17:09.220 And here Jesus can give you a new heart to give 00:17:09.220 --> 00:17:11.480 you the desire you need to have to follow through 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:17.339 on what you now truly see. This is not just about 00:17:17.339 --> 00:17:21.039 getting right with what you do with your money. 00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:23.809 It certainly includes it. Hence why Jesus talks 00:17:23.809 --> 00:17:26.509 about treasures. But it's much deeper than that. 00:17:28.789 --> 00:17:33.950 Treasures can include one's income, one's pension, 00:17:34.190 --> 00:17:40.289 soon beyond that, job seeker, job keeper payments, 00:17:40.730 --> 00:17:44.029 Centrelink gifts, investments, superannuation, 00:17:44.349 --> 00:17:47.609 gifts from deceased estates, tax returns, solar 00:17:47.609 --> 00:17:51.269 rebates. are basically today's practical examples 00:17:51.269 --> 00:17:55.170 of the treasures that Jesus mentions here. And 00:17:55.170 --> 00:17:57.190 he mentions treasures to help us better understand 00:17:57.190 --> 00:18:02.450 the tension one has when living by faith, as 00:18:02.450 --> 00:18:06.589 we live still in the world. And it's a world 00:18:06.589 --> 00:18:09.210 that seeks our attention, that is, our heart 00:18:09.210 --> 00:18:12.990 and our eyes. And a world that is led by the 00:18:12.990 --> 00:18:18.569 evil one, who is one of darkness and one... That 00:18:18.569 --> 00:18:23.509 veil to remain. Once our flesh, therefore, to 00:18:23.509 --> 00:18:28.309 win. So, do we live by faith or do we live by 00:18:28.309 --> 00:18:33.230 sight? For example, does the way we use our wealth 00:18:33.230 --> 00:18:37.190 show that we actually live by faith? Does it? 00:18:38.230 --> 00:18:42.509 Because that's what matters. For example, does 00:18:42.509 --> 00:18:45.009 the way we use our wealth show that we have a 00:18:45.009 --> 00:18:47.289 heart for and eyes to see the kingdom that God 00:18:47.289 --> 00:18:53.150 is building? Do we at least tithe, at least give 00:18:53.150 --> 00:18:55.589 10 % of all forms of wealth that come our way? 00:18:59.670 --> 00:19:02.809 That is, do we at least tithe back to God for 00:19:02.809 --> 00:19:05.170 the kingdom work he is doing in reaching others 00:19:05.170 --> 00:19:08.769 with the gospel of Jesus and in growing you? 00:19:09.710 --> 00:19:14.190 and in growing us and growing them to be a follower, 00:19:14.309 --> 00:19:19.230 a disciple of Jesus. Yes, is your heart set on 00:19:19.230 --> 00:19:24.309 heaven? And so that is what we ultimately invest 00:19:24.309 --> 00:19:31.150 in. Yes, do we see the kingdom, the kingdom to 00:19:31.150 --> 00:19:34.809 come? And so there is no longer any darkness 00:19:34.809 --> 00:19:40.450 in our body. Also, do we serve him alone with 00:19:40.450 --> 00:19:44.789 everything he has given us? We might serve him 00:19:44.789 --> 00:19:49.170 with the talent he's given us and the time he's 00:19:49.170 --> 00:19:53.569 given us, but do we also serve him with the treasure 00:19:53.569 --> 00:19:59.150 he's given us? Yes, do we serve him and him alone? 00:19:59.210 --> 00:20:03.250 Because one cannot, cannot serve both God and 00:20:03.250 --> 00:20:07.369 money. Yes, these words of Jesus certainly leave 00:20:07.369 --> 00:20:10.750 us pondering those sorts of questions. May you, 00:20:10.769 --> 00:20:14.809 may I, show in the days ahead that we live by 00:20:14.809 --> 00:20:21.750 faith, with our time, with our talent and our 00:20:21.750 --> 00:20:26.230 treasure. And so may these words of Jesus either 00:20:26.230 --> 00:20:31.630 teach us, rebuke us, correct us or train us to 00:20:31.630 --> 00:20:37.029 righteously walk by faith. Friends, let's pray. 00:20:42.869 --> 00:20:46.289 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 00:20:46.410 --> 00:20:51.210 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth 00:20:51.210 --> 00:20:55.069 as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread 00:20:55.069 --> 00:20:57.789 and forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven 00:20:57.789 --> 00:21:02.309 our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, 00:21:02.710 --> 00:21:07.769 but deliver us from the evil one, the one of 00:21:07.769 --> 00:21:10.930 darkness. In Jesus' name, and God's people said, 00:21:11.089 --> 00:21:13.809 Amen. Thank you all.