1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 So most people who are preparing for retirement, 2 00:00:05,520 --> 00:00:08,280 most of them have their retirement money 3 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:11,880 at least growing usually in some sort of stock portfolio 4 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:16,880 be it a 401K or retirement plan invested into the stock market 5 00:00:17,980 --> 00:00:20,640 to see yearly returns. 6 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:22,240 But I want you to imagine for a moment 7 00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:26,380 that you have insider knowledge, 8 00:00:26,380 --> 00:00:28,320 insider knowledge that the stock market 9 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:30,480 is going to crash tomorrow. 10 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:35,600 Just absolutely wipe out all of that wealth. 11 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,640 Every single dollar invested in certain companies 12 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:42,300 will be wiped out completely overnight. 13 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:45,440 But imagine for a moment at the same time 14 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,480 that you know of a secure investment somewhere, 15 00:00:48,480 --> 00:00:52,480 one investment that is guaranteed to last. 16 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:56,000 What would you be doing tonight 17 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:57,880 if you had that information? 18 00:00:59,020 --> 00:01:04,020 Would you not be divesting of everything you possibly can 19 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:08,480 and shifting it to that one secure investment 20 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:10,760 that is going to weather the storm? 21 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,620 Well, I think we all would and you'd be stupid not to. 22 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:21,000 And if only investing was that easy, right? 23 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:22,700 Where we had that kind of knowledge. 24 00:01:22,700 --> 00:01:26,400 Well, Jesus says in Matthew chapter six, 25 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:28,560 beginning in verse 19, 26 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,880 don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth 27 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:33,920 where moth and rust destroy 28 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:36,200 and where thieves break in and steal. 29 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,120 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven 30 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:41,800 where neither moth nor rust destroys 31 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:44,520 and where thieves don't break in and steal 32 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:49,280 for where your treasure is there your heart will be also. 33 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:52,920 The eye is the lamp of the body, if your eye is healthy, 34 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,480 your whole body will be full of light. 35 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:56,960 But if your eye is bad, 36 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:59,200 your whole body will be full of darkness. 37 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,560 So if the light within you is darkness, 38 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,580 how deep is that darkness? 39 00:02:06,580 --> 00:02:09,080 No one can serve two masters 40 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:12,640 since either he will hate one and love the other 41 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:15,640 or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. 42 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:19,360 You cannot serve both God and money. 43 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:21,900 This is God's word. 44 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:26,440 So earlier in chapter six, 45 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,000 Jesus talked about the contrast 46 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,520 between doing works of righteousness 47 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:35,320 and works of devotion like giving and praying and fasting 48 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:38,880 on the one hand in order that others might see you 49 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,480 and you might gain the reward of their praise. 50 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:44,000 And then on the other hand, 51 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:46,680 doing them in a true devotion to God 52 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:49,280 and a desire to remain connected to him 53 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,760 in which case you would receive the reward 54 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,320 of living in the light of his presence 55 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:56,920 and his presence in you. 56 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:01,880 And now Jesus digs into the idea a little bit further 57 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:03,800 of rewards and treasures 58 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:08,360 and contrasts it with materialism 59 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:14,360 and ultimately addresses where our loyalty lies. 60 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,480 The question on our minds as we go into this teaching 61 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:23,480 in this text should be what are we really living for? 62 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,000 What are we really living for? 63 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:33,480 Jesus uses three ideas to get his point across 64 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:38,480 in this text, two treasures, two eyes and two masters. 65 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:42,680 So if you're taking notes, 66 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:47,000 the first point I'll have you write down is two treasures. 67 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,040 What you value shapes you. 68 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:56,040 Don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth 69 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:59,840 where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in. 70 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:02,280 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven 71 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:04,480 where neither moth nor rust destroys 72 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:06,520 and where thieves don't break in and steal 73 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:10,360 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 74 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:14,320 Jesus begins by using a negative, 75 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,320 don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth 76 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:19,320 and then he turns it around to a positive 77 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:24,040 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. 78 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:28,200 And so the issue is not whether or not we store up 79 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:32,480 but where you store up and the temporal and eternal value 80 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:34,560 of the things being stored up. 81 00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:39,400 The punchline of that first part is this, 82 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,640 your heart is wherever you store up your treasure. 83 00:04:44,840 --> 00:04:47,920 And the Jewish concept of the heart 84 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:52,760 is far more than just emotions or passion or will 85 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:55,320 but it's something like the whole person. 86 00:04:55,320 --> 00:05:00,320 In other words, you are what you treasure. 87 00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:04,120 You are what you treasure. 88 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:07,080 It's not simply what you're after 89 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:09,440 but you are what you treasure. 90 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:12,320 Both places that Jesus lays out aren't equal, right? 91 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:15,720 One is subject to decay, the other is free from decay. 92 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,560 One can be stolen, the other is secure 93 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:20,960 and in the end one is subject to destruction 94 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:25,560 and the other is eternally precious. 95 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:28,760 And so back to the stock market. 96 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:31,040 If you knew it was all crashing tomorrow 97 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,240 but there was a secure investment, what would you do? 98 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:42,840 The theologian John Stott says, 99 00:05:42,840 --> 00:05:51,340 the question is not so much what we own but what owns us. 100 00:05:51,340 --> 00:05:53,640 Jesus doesn't need your wealth. 101 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:56,440 He doesn't need your wealth. 102 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:01,000 God in the Psalms says, the earth is the Lord's 103 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,120 and everything in it. 104 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:07,920 Every jewel, every mineral, every precious metal, 105 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:12,000 the cattle on a thousand hills are the Lord's. 106 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:16,440 He doesn't need your pittance of a wealth 107 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:22,040 but he wants your loyalty. 108 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:29,960 And materialism, the pursuit of earthly temporal things 109 00:06:31,540 --> 00:06:35,440 is in direct conflict with the loyalty of God 110 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:38,320 or loyalty to God. 111 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:43,080 You store up treasure in heaven by living 112 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:46,840 in devoted obedience to God in all areas of your life 113 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:51,000 and there is a reward that motivates the disciple 114 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,200 to put God first above and before all things 115 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:56,000 we talked about this last week. 116 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:57,880 But sometimes we get in this mindset 117 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:01,520 that we have to do everything from an altruistic standpoint 118 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:04,040 meaning I do it but I want nothing out of this. 119 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:05,600 I gave nothing, right? 120 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:07,600 And Jesus flips the script and tells her 121 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:11,040 10 times in Matthew says, do it for the reward. 122 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:15,120 Like, you guys like rewards, right? 123 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:17,080 You like to do something and you like to get paid 124 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:19,280 at the end of the day, right Jordan? 125 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:20,640 That's good, right? 126 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:22,520 Remove some junk, get paid, right? 127 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:27,800 Unless you just do it for the love of removing junk. 128 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:32,800 And Jesus says, there is a reward for the disciple 129 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:34,320 at the end of the day. 130 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:37,560 There is a reward for the disciple who puts God first 131 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:41,080 above and before all things. 132 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:44,840 So what are you valuing? 133 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:49,840 Have you put your hope and what will not last? 134 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:55,240 Have you been working wholeheartedly to counteract, 135 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:57,440 decay and entropy? 136 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:01,200 Or have you been loving and loving for the disciple 137 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:04,920 or have you been loving God with your whole heart? 138 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:11,040 The key truth from this first point in the scripture is this, 139 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:15,680 wherever your treasure is, so is your heart. 140 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:23,280 Don't be deceived into thinking you can have both. 141 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:26,760 As Jesus will point out later. 142 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:30,760 What you prioritize, what you invest in, 143 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:33,560 what you lose sleep over, 144 00:08:33,560 --> 00:08:37,240 reveals what you truly love and trust. 145 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:45,880 And that leads to Jesus' next idea, two eyes. 146 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:51,040 What you see determines how you live. 147 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:53,920 The eye is the lamp of the body, 148 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:55,720 but if your eye is healthy, 149 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:57,920 your whole body will be full of light, 150 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,160 but if your eye is bad, your whole body 151 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:01,360 will be full of darkness. 152 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:03,840 So if the light within you is darkness, 153 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:06,360 how deep is that darkness? 154 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:07,480 I keep ending it with a question. 155 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:09,560 I don't know how to do it with an exclamation point. 156 00:09:09,560 --> 00:09:11,000 It's so weird. 157 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:14,800 Sorry, I kept noticing that in first service. 158 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:16,560 I'm like, it says exclamation point, 159 00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:18,560 but I make it into a question every time. 160 00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:20,560 Sometimes you become aware of yourself 161 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:23,560 and you can't undo, like, there I am. 162 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,120 So he uses this idea of eyes, right? 163 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:32,400 And to us, it's probably lost on translation 164 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:34,880 because this is a Jewish idiom, 165 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:36,800 something that they would have been very familiar with, 166 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:38,280 but we're kind of like losing it 167 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:40,080 in the translation into English. 168 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:41,960 What is he talking about here about 169 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:43,960 the idea of the eyes of the body? 170 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:46,960 What is the idea of the eyes of the body? 171 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:49,520 What is he talking about here about eyes? 172 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,880 Well, they had an idea of a healthy eye or a bad eye 173 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:55,920 or what they would call a good eye or an evil eye. 174 00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:59,760 And the idea of a healthy eye in their understanding, 175 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:03,680 literally the word healthy translated in the original 176 00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:06,920 means single, single. 177 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:12,200 It's one singular undivided focus. 178 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:16,120 A healthy eye is one singular undivided focus 179 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:18,440 and not just a focus on the anything, 180 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:21,000 but it's a focus on the right thing. 181 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:26,000 It's seeing life in reality through the lens of God's kingdom. 182 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:29,600 It's a life totally devoted to God's service 183 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:32,920 and interesting enough elsewhere in the scripture, 184 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,640 when it is used, it is directly connected often to generosity. 185 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:41,640 So whatever it is about seeing life correctly 186 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:43,320 and living life in the kingdom, 187 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:45,320 it has something to do with generosity. 188 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:48,560 That's the healthy eye. 189 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:55,240 But the eye that is bad represents greediness, 190 00:10:55,240 --> 00:11:00,240 enviousness, jealousy, and stinginess. 191 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:05,240 It's seeing life through the lens of selfish gain. 192 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:10,240 And so if your eyes are single and focused devotion 193 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:14,800 to what is supremely true, 194 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:18,680 that is devoted to loyalty to God and God's service, 195 00:11:18,680 --> 00:11:22,320 then your body is filled with light and the light of truth 196 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:24,960 and in that light you can flourish. 197 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:26,520 But the opposite is true as well, 198 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:29,480 that if your eyes are jealous and envious 199 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,120 of a different life and a purpose, 200 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:34,920 a different life from the one that God has assigned you, 201 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:37,920 then you will let darkness into your body 202 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:41,800 and what flourishes in darkness except sin and despair. 203 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:45,800 We know this with plants, right? 204 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:48,640 Don't ask me much about them, but I know a few things. 205 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:52,200 Sun is important, at least somewhat, right? 206 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:55,160 Light is important to them doing something, 207 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:59,000 becoming something, growing, that's what it's called. 208 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:03,560 Light is important, it feeds them. 209 00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:06,120 What flourishes in darkness? 210 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:12,400 Sin, despair, not good. 211 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:18,400 And so the eye is almost like a window 212 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:24,400 and how the eye sees the lens through which it filters, 213 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:29,120 either lets light in to fill and nourish the whole man 214 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:32,920 or purple woman, or it dulls the light, distorts the light 215 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:35,280 and what it lets in is nothing but darkness 216 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:37,440 to fill the man or woman with darkness. 217 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:43,160 It's like a crack on a camera lens. 218 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:47,800 If you view wealth or success or security 219 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:50,680 through that distorted cracked lens, 220 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:57,360 then your heart will become distorted by materialism, 221 00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:59,600 by the pursuit of those things and filled with darkness. 222 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:03,440 And Jesus is warning that if we live this way, 223 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:08,640 friends, we will experience a fractured distorted life. 224 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:15,040 We will experience a life of anxiety, a life of decay, 225 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:20,640 a life fractured by sin and despair. 226 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:26,800 And so the key truth in this is what you fixate on 227 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:30,400 either brings light or blinds you spiritually. 228 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,200 Brothers and sisters, have you ever experienced this? 229 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:37,880 Anyone here experienced that when you got fixated 230 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:41,280 on something, you became spiritually dull? 231 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:42,120 Anyone? 232 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:44,640 Raise them high. 233 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:46,440 We're gonna be proud here at Village. 234 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:49,000 Raise them high. 235 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:52,360 We're gonna boast in our sin so we can glory in God's grace. 236 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:53,200 Amen. 237 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:58,200 Look what we were before God. 238 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:04,000 I've been there before where you fixate on something so much, 239 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:06,560 something that you want, something that you think you need, 240 00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:10,120 something that you desire and you become spiritually blind 241 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:13,760 and darkened and you begin to feel the despair 242 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:18,040 of the ache of the heart for light to fill you again. 243 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:21,960 And I've been on the other side where my eyes were wide open 244 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:26,000 and light was flooding in and I felt nourished and flourishing. 245 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:30,560 Jesus is warning that we should not live this way, 246 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:33,720 that what you fixate on either brings light 247 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,720 or blinds you spiritually, that your perspective 248 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:38,360 shapes your soul. 249 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:44,240 And so do we live our lives as if God's kingdom 250 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:46,280 is the supreme purpose for living? 251 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:51,280 Do we view our lives and our stuff as kingdom property 252 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:52,920 for God's glory and honor? 253 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:58,320 Or are we jealous and envious of a different life 254 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:00,560 than the one assigned to us by God? 255 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,600 Are we envious of God's resources 256 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:08,000 that he has spread about elsewhere that aren't mine? 257 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:11,400 And I want them now. 258 00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:16,400 Now, are we living in light or living in darkness? 259 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:20,720 Two eyes. 260 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:26,520 And now, finally two masters. 261 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:29,560 Who you serve controls you. 262 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:35,400 No one can serve two masters since either he will hate one 263 00:15:35,400 --> 00:15:38,120 and love the other or he will be devoted to one 264 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:39,600 and despise the other. 265 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:43,280 You cannot serve both God and money. 266 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:49,640 This afternoon is the Super Bowl, right? 267 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:53,200 And we all want no one to win, right? 268 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:56,480 That would be the best Super Bowl this afternoon. 269 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,480 But if someone has to win, it's gotta be the, 270 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:03,640 I mean, if someone has to win, it's gotta be the Eagles. 271 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:05,160 If someone has to lose, it's gotta be the Chiefs. 272 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:06,000 Come on. 273 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:07,320 Come on. 274 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:08,400 Come on. 275 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:10,120 Let's divide the room. 276 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:12,480 Sheep goats. 277 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:13,320 Not. 278 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:23,760 Could you imagine though, this afternoon, 279 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:27,520 as they're announcing the offense that's taking the field 280 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:28,920 for the first one, let's say it's the Chiefs 281 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:31,640 coming on the field and they're like playing quarterback, 282 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:34,000 you know, Patrick Mahomes and everyone. 283 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:36,340 All right. 284 00:16:36,340 --> 00:16:39,800 And then they go through a series 285 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:41,640 and it's a three and out and they kick off, right? 286 00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:44,240 And now they're gonna announce the offense for the Eagles 287 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:45,400 and they get to the quarterback 288 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:49,000 and they say playing quarterback today is Patrick Mahomes. 289 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:52,400 That would be ludicrous, right? 290 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:53,840 He's playing for both teams. 291 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:56,560 He's the all-time quarterback, right? 292 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:59,240 I don't know if you've ever played like pickup game 293 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:01,720 of football, but when you're the all-time quarterback, 294 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:03,440 you actually do favor one of the teams 295 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:04,720 or the other one. 296 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:07,640 Like it's more fun to play with one than the other one. 297 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,280 Like you really do want one to win and not the other. 298 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:14,720 Or if you've ever played, tried to play chess with yourself. 299 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:16,380 Anyone tried to play chess with yourself? 300 00:17:16,380 --> 00:17:19,040 Yeah, the game of chess. 301 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:21,040 Like you start off, right? 302 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,560 Where even we're going to battle and pretty soon you're like, 303 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:25,760 I'm going for the underdog, right? 304 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:28,680 And you start to make bad decisions over here 305 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:30,280 and cripple this team, right? 306 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:34,200 You can't serve both masters. Either you'll hate one 307 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,840 or despise the other, be devoted to one, right? 308 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:40,600 Jesus is saying you have to stop living that way. 309 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:44,580 You have to stop living one foot in the world 310 00:17:44,580 --> 00:17:47,680 and one foot in the kingdom, one foot in materialism 311 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:50,720 and one foot in reliance on God's provision. 312 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:52,400 You can't live in both. 313 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:53,240 Stop. 314 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:55,960 Stop living that way. 315 00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:57,920 And in fact, the word serve when it says 316 00:17:57,920 --> 00:17:59,680 no one can serve two masters. 317 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:01,600 It is literally a slave of. 318 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:05,040 No one can be a slave of two masters. 319 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:07,160 There's no gray area here. 320 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,120 You can't have a slave of this person and of that person. 321 00:18:10,120 --> 00:18:11,640 There's one master. 322 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:14,240 There's no third way. 323 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,200 You either are serving God 324 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:18,160 or you are serving something else, 325 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:21,560 but you cannot serve both God and something else. 326 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:28,000 The reformer, John Calvin said, 327 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:31,560 where riches hold dominion of the heart, 328 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:33,840 God has lost his authority. 329 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:41,200 God has been kicked off the throne of the heart 330 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:42,120 of that person. 331 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:47,320 And you might ask, why is he specifically talking 332 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:48,640 about money here? 333 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:50,880 And I would say people, you know exactly 334 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:53,000 why he's talking about money. 335 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,200 There ain't a person in this room 336 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:57,400 who hasn't gotten anxious or stressed about money 337 00:18:57,400 --> 00:18:58,920 at some point in time, amen? 338 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:04,520 He's talking about money because whether it's 2000 years ago 339 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:07,920 or today, the phenomenon continues. 340 00:19:09,120 --> 00:19:14,120 We get wrapped up in possessions 341 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:17,600 and earthly material wealth. 342 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:24,240 And when he says money, he's talking more than cash. 343 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:27,080 It includes the possessions that one could buy 344 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:29,080 with that money as well. 345 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:34,080 It is truly a catch all phrase for material temporal wealth. 346 00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:40,120 And some translations actually transliterate the word money 347 00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:45,120 into an Aramaic word, mann, with a capital M. 348 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:50,440 In other words, they personify money or material wealth 349 00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:54,440 as if it is a rival master to God 350 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:57,440 that is in direct opposition to him. 351 00:19:57,440 --> 00:19:59,440 You have God and you have mammon. 352 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:01,440 You can't serve God and mammon. 353 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:07,440 And again, this isn't about money or wealth itself, 354 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:10,440 but rather the love, the trust, the loyalty 355 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:15,440 and the pursuit of wealth over other properly ordered loves. 356 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:19,440 You guys know about proper order of loves? 357 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:23,440 Who are we to love first and fully? 358 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:28,440 God, he is to have that spot, that position in our lives, 359 00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:30,440 no matter what. 360 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:34,440 And for some of you who are married, you have a spouse 361 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:39,440 who is to take a proper order of love over other people. 362 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:43,440 This is good and right. 363 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:45,440 If you're not showing love here, 364 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:48,440 but you're showing love everywhere else, this is not good. 365 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:52,440 If this is a proper order of love and this is to be higher, 366 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:55,440 this is the way it is. 367 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:59,440 And oftentimes we will pursue things like wealth 368 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:03,440 or material goods and we will have disordered loves 369 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:07,440 where our love for it will begin to remove 370 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:13,440 or usurp other loves that are supposed to be higher. 371 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:17,440 Haven't you guys seen wealth destroy relationship 372 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:20,440 or more importantly, the pursuit of wealth? 373 00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:25,440 Oh, honey, I gotta work another 80, 80 hours this week. 374 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:27,440 Sorry, I won't be around. 375 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:30,440 Multiply that times 52 and you got a year 376 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:34,440 lived separate apart in pursuit of what? 377 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:36,440 In pursuit of what? 378 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:37,440 Pursuit of what? 379 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:42,440 Material wealth, success, status. 380 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:46,440 Mammon is personified in the scripture here 381 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:50,440 as a rival master to God in direct opposition to him. 382 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:53,440 And when we love and trust and pursue those things 383 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:56,440 over the proper loves like God's supremely, 384 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:59,440 then it begins to take place in our hearts 385 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:02,440 that ought to be given to God. 386 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:07,440 And material wealth which makes all kinds of promises to us. 387 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,440 Yes, what are some of the promises 388 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:13,440 that material wealth makes to us? 389 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:14,440 Anyone? 390 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:17,440 Happiness, security. 391 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:19,440 What else? 392 00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:24,440 Freedom, confidence. 393 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:28,440 Anything else that material wealth promises us? 394 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:30,440 Power, strength. 395 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:33,440 Someone in first service said, 396 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:36,440 like a hedge against suffering. 397 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:39,440 We can buy our way out of suffering. 398 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:43,440 Anything else? 399 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:46,440 What does material wealth promise us? 400 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:50,440 Fun, prestige, status. 401 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:55,440 Things, things and more things. 402 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:58,440 I don't know the stats off the top of my head, 403 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,440 but I know that the personal storage unit business 404 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:06,440 is thriving in the United States of America 405 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:08,440 because we got our house and we got our garage, 406 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:10,440 but we have more stuff. 407 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:17,440 I've got a detached garage at home 408 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,440 and there are things in there that I haven't seen in three years. 409 00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:22,440 Like I don't even know what's in there. 410 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:28,440 I'm talking about a stuff problem, right? 411 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:31,440 This made me think of Greek mythology. 412 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:37,440 In Greek mythology, there are these creatures called sirens. 413 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,440 And the sirens, they're these dangerous creatures. 414 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:43,440 They're beautiful but deadly. 415 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:45,440 And they live on rocky islands 416 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:48,440 and they sing enchanting songs 417 00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:52,440 that lure sailors in to their doom. 418 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:55,440 Their voices are irresistible 419 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:59,440 and they promise things like safety and pleasure and fulfillment. 420 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:02,440 But as the sailors draw near, 421 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:06,440 they discover the truth that their ships are crashing upon the rocks. 422 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,440 It's too late and they are destroyed. 423 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,440 And so I think Jesus warns us that wealth 424 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:15,440 or man or material possessions, 425 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,440 they work the same way. 426 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:24,440 That material wealth or man and sings a very sweet song. 427 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:30,440 Just like the sirens, material wealth whispers promises to us, 428 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:32,440 more money will make you secure. 429 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:35,440 Success will finally satisfy you. 430 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:39,440 You deserve comfort and luxury and more. 431 00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:41,440 And at first it sounds good. 432 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,440 Like who wouldn't want security? 433 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:48,440 Who wouldn't want comfort and pleasure for all your days, right? 434 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:54,440 But those who set their course toward wealth 435 00:24:54,440 --> 00:25:01,440 as their ultimate goal soon find themselves headed straight for the rocks. 436 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:08,440 The problem with mammon is that it never fully delivers on its promise. 437 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:13,440 More money is never enough, right? 438 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:16,440 A wealthy man was once asked, 439 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:18,440 you have all this wealth, you have all these possessions, 440 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:23,440 you have all this money, how much is enough? 441 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:27,440 To which he replied, a little more. 442 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:30,440 A little more, it's always a little more. 443 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:32,440 Have you felt that before? 444 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:37,440 If we just make X amount as a household, we'll be set forever. 445 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:44,440 Eh. 446 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:49,440 Money never feels like enough, it always is something we're chasing. 447 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:52,440 Success never fully satisfies. 448 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:55,440 It leaves us wanting. 449 00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:59,440 After First Service, Kimberly shared a story of Michael Phelps, right? 450 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:01,440 The swimmer. 451 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:04,440 If a while back you probably remember where he goes to the Olympics 452 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:08,440 and he sweeps the categories and wins all the gold, right? 453 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:10,440 And you would imagine from that point on, 454 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:14,440 he is standing on a mountaintop with glory beams coming out of his eyes and his head, 455 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:18,440 and he's just standing there in awe and glory for the rest of his days 456 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:21,440 until Jesus comes and what happened? 457 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:26,440 He fell into a deep depression. 458 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:30,440 It's all my life I was aiming for this mountaintop 459 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:35,440 and now that I'm here, what do I have to live for? 460 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:37,440 There's nothing here. 461 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:39,440 I've got to find a new mountain to climb. 462 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:41,440 I've got to find something to conquer. 463 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:42,440 Success promises. 464 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:44,440 It sings that sweet song, come on up. 465 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:48,440 It's going to be amazing and then you stand on top and you go, 466 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:50,440 there's nothing. 467 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:51,440 Nothing. 468 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:56,440 Lasting. 469 00:26:56,440 --> 00:27:00,440 In Homer's Odyssey, 470 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:06,440 when Odysseus had to sail past the sirens, 471 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:10,440 he decided that he was going to tie himself to the mast of the ship 472 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:16,440 so that he wouldn't be drawn in by their sweet song. 473 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:21,440 But another hero, Orpheus, he escaped in a different way. 474 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:26,440 Orpheus, he played a more beautiful song than the sirens 475 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:33,440 and he drowned out their deadly melody. 476 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:36,440 The only way to resist material wealth's call, 477 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:41,440 the only way to stand against Mammon's sweet song 478 00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:45,440 is to listen to the greater song, 479 00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:47,440 the voice of Christ, 480 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:50,440 calling us to trust in him, 481 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:56,440 calling us to come to him and find rest and security. 482 00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:01,440 To drink from the well that never runs dry, 483 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:06,440 to eat of the bread that fully satisfies. 484 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:10,440 This is the call, the song of Christ. 485 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:12,440 Instead of trusting wealth for our security, 486 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:16,440 we trust in God's provision. 487 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:21,440 Pastor John Piper said, no sane person on his deathbed 488 00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:25,440 ever was comforted by his possessions. 489 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:27,440 Notice he said sane, right? 490 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:29,440 I could imagine an insane person being like, 491 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:31,440 look all my stuff. 492 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:33,440 Like Scrooge McDuck, right? 493 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:40,440 Swimming through his... 494 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:43,440 Instead of storing our treasures on earth, 495 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:47,440 invest in eternity. 496 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:49,440 Tim Keller said, the only way to free ourselves 497 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:52,440 from the enslaving power of money 498 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:54,440 is through a deep trust in Christ 499 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:57,440 that makes us radically generous. 500 00:28:57,440 --> 00:28:59,440 In other words, what Tim Keller is saying is, 501 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:03,440 you can't just occupy a neutral place between the two. 502 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:05,440 Oh, I want to trust in Christ, 503 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:07,440 but I also want all this other things. 504 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:08,440 I'll just occupy this. 505 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:09,440 If I start to go this way, 506 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:11,440 I'll just go the other way for a little while. 507 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:14,440 What he says is the only way to combat the power of it 508 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:18,440 is through act of generosity. 509 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:22,440 To let your heart and your mind and everything that you know see, 510 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:24,440 you act in radical generosity, 511 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:30,440 pushing against the bent, the desire to store up for yourselves 512 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:31,440 here on earth, 513 00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:34,440 but instead to soak freely and generously 514 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:38,440 for the kingdom and God's glory. 515 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:40,440 Unless you think that you're now in that 516 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:42,440 church service that everyone dreads to be at, 517 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:44,440 where we're talking about giving to the church, 518 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:47,440 that's not the point. 519 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:49,440 I'm not going to look at our giving this week 520 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:54,440 and see if there was a little bump. 521 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:58,440 All I care about is whether or not you are a generous person 522 00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:02,440 with your spouse, with your kids, 523 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:05,440 do your neighbors go, wow, they're really generous? 524 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:07,440 Do your coworkers go, wow, 525 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:11,440 one thing that marked them, generosity, 526 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:13,440 they just kept giving. 527 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:15,440 They gave of their time, they gave of their energy, 528 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:17,440 they gave of their finances, 529 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:22,440 they gave of anything that they had as a help 530 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:25,440 and as a testament to what Christ had given to them. 531 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:27,440 That's all that matters. 532 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:29,440 And that's all Jesus is talking about here. 533 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:33,440 He's not trying to build an institution 534 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:35,440 or manipulate people into giving. 535 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:40,440 He's trying to say the kind of radical love 536 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:43,440 and devotion to God and relying upon his provision 537 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:46,440 is the kind that pushes against materialism 538 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:48,440 through radical generosity. 539 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:52,440 Remember, the healthy eye is single focused, it's devoted, 540 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:55,440 but it also shows up over and over again 541 00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:57,440 in passages about generosity. 542 00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:00,440 It's looking to give, it's looking to advance, 543 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:03,440 it's looking to put employee, it's resources, 544 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:05,440 whatever they are, whether great or small, 545 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:07,440 employ those resources for the kingdom. 546 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:09,440 The eye is scanning about seeing 547 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:13,440 how can I put the kingdom resources to work for God's glory. 548 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:18,440 That's a generous eye, a healthy eye. 549 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:25,440 I'm gonna invite the worship team to come up. 550 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:30,440 And I'm gonna invite us to stop chasing 551 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:33,440 what fades in this world 552 00:31:33,440 --> 00:31:39,440 and start clinging to the only thing that lasts, Jesus. 553 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:45,440 The key truth for this final point is this. 554 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:49,440 You will serve what you trust. 555 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:52,440 You will serve what you trust. 556 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:56,440 Who is really on the throne of your life? 557 00:31:56,440 --> 00:32:01,440 I brought this up, I'm gonna grab my Bible here, 558 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:03,440 but I brought this up in first service 559 00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:07,440 because there's this Psalm written by a man named Asaph. 560 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:11,440 He was one of David's Psalm writers. 561 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:16,440 And Asaph, he's got a problem because he wakes up one day 562 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:21,440 and he says that his foot almost fell off the ground. 563 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:26,440 He wakes up one day and he says that his foot almost slipped. 564 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,440 He almost fell that day because he woke up 565 00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:34,440 and he started envying the evildoers. 566 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:37,440 He started envying the arrogant. 567 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:40,440 He started to see the prosperity of the wicked. 568 00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:42,440 And in his heart, he started to say, 569 00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:44,440 why are they prospering? 570 00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:47,440 Why do they look like they're floating about on air 571 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:50,440 with no worries in life? 572 00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:53,440 Why does it look like they can cruise through? 573 00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:56,440 And they're not obeying God, they're not trusting in Him, 574 00:32:56,440 --> 00:32:58,440 they're not devoted to His Word. 575 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:00,440 What is going on? 576 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:04,440 And he said his foot almost slipped as he began to envy. 577 00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:06,440 He said they have easy times until they die. 578 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:10,440 Their bodies are well fed, they're not in trouble like others. 579 00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:13,440 They are not afflicted like most people. 580 00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:16,440 They wear pride around their neck like a necklace 581 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:20,440 and violence covers them like a garment. 582 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:27,440 And so he's like, God, how can this be? 583 00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:30,440 And then he says, did I purify my own heart? 584 00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:33,440 Did I live right and righteously before you? 585 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:37,440 Did I wash my hands in innocent for nothing? 586 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:41,440 Did I live this way for nothing? 587 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:45,440 Why am I afflicted all day long and punished every morning? 588 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:57,440 Why am I in the situation I am when everyone else seems prospering? 589 00:33:57,440 --> 00:34:08,440 Then he said, he held all of this until he entered the courts of God. 590 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:15,440 And upon entering the courts of God, he saw their fate. 591 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:19,440 He saw their ultimate destiny. 592 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:24,440 He said, until I entered God's sanctuary, then I understood their fate. 593 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:29,440 Indeed, you put them in slippery places, you make them fall into ruin. 594 00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:34,440 How suddenly they become a desolation, they come to end, swept away by tears. 595 00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:41,440 Like one waking from a dream, Lord, when arising, you will despise their image. 596 00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:48,440 He says, those who pursue all of those other things, those things that seem to be the right things to pursue in this world, 597 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:50,440 they all have an end. 598 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:51,440 They come to ruin. 599 00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:55,440 They find darkness entering in instead of light. 600 00:34:55,440 --> 00:35:01,440 And they ultimately find desolation and fractured despair. 601 00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:04,440 And then how does he respond in worship to the Lord? 602 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:05,440 Well, he says this. 603 00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:10,440 He says, you guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. 604 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:12,440 Who do I have in heaven but you? 605 00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:16,440 And earth has nothing I desire beside you. 606 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:24,440 My heart and my flesh may fail, but you are the portion of my life and my strength and my portion forever. 607 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:30,440 You are the strength of my life and my portion forever. 608 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:32,440 He says, you're my treasure. 609 00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:34,440 He says, you're my focus. 610 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:35,440 You're my hope. 611 00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:37,440 You're where I stake my claim. 612 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:42,440 In my order of love, it's you and you and you alone. 613 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:47,440 And I will not let that be displaced by any other pursuit. 614 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:56,440 Church, if we have put our heart or affections on anything else, then you know the outcome. 615 00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:59,440 Put your hope in the Lord. 616 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:02,440 Serve Him only. 617 00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:04,440 Trust Him. 618 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:12,440 And watch as you become a generous person, that your eyes light up, your life lights up. 619 00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:21,440 You become like a tree planted by streams of water, fruitful and flourishing. 620 00:36:21,440 --> 00:36:23,440 Will you pray with me? 621 00:36:23,440 --> 00:36:28,440 Father, I pray that your word would sink deep into our hearts and take root. 622 00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:31,440 That we would be a generous people. 623 00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:37,440 That you would mark us in our relationships with those that we love and in our neighborhoods and with those around us. 624 00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:48,440 That we would be marked by a generosity, radical generosity that comes from a life that is put its hope and trust in you and you alone. 625 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:57,440 Others may trust in things that fail or things that decay, but we trust in you, the eternal everlasting God. 626 00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:01,440 And we invest for rewards in heaven. 627 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:09,440 That is rewards to stand in the light of your presence, to have your presence and glory in our lives. 628 00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:16,440 To cause us to flourish in a bound here today, not some future time. 629 00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:22,440 To have your life in our life. 630 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:26,440 That we would be fruitful and flourish. 631 00:37:26,440 --> 00:37:35,440 We thank you God for your word and we pray that you would continue to shape and mold us by it as we allow for it to do its work in our hearts. 632 00:37:35,440 --> 00:37:38,440 Forgive us if we have set our affection on anything else. 633 00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:50,440 Forgive us if we put our hope in anything else and if we've pursued other things except you as our first love. 634 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:56,440 Restore us God and return us back to our first love. 635 00:37:56,440 --> 00:37:59,440 Experience the joy that comes from that. 636 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:24,440 We ask in Jesus' name, amen.