1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 We start our sermon series in Advent kingly gifts, 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:11,240 where we're going to be looking at the three gifts 3 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:15,500 the Magi bring, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 4 00:00:15,500 --> 00:00:18,240 And during Advent we're gonna reflect, 5 00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:19,240 because that's what Advent is. 6 00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:21,800 It's reflecting and preparing our hearts 7 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:24,440 for the coming King. 8 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:28,320 We reflect on the gifts that the Magi brought to Jesus. 9 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:29,920 We're gonna talk about what that meant 10 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,920 in the first century, what it means for us today. 11 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,620 But it's also gonna be a sermon series about giving. 12 00:00:37,620 --> 00:00:40,360 Now, I don't want you to be cynical about that, 13 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:42,480 seeing as though we just had a family meeting 14 00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:45,960 about potentially giving and all of that stuff. 15 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:48,840 Those are not inherently linked, 16 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:52,720 but they are in some respect that as we prepare 17 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:56,480 for the coming King, that it's about giving our all. 18 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:58,460 We see that. 19 00:00:58,460 --> 00:01:01,800 We see that in shepherds leaving. 20 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:02,880 Ever thought about that? 21 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:06,740 Leaving their job to go worship the King. 22 00:01:06,740 --> 00:01:09,460 Now, I was not there, neither were any of you. 23 00:01:09,460 --> 00:01:13,440 We don't know if they brought all the sheep to the manger, 24 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:16,140 but you have angels going, why? 25 00:01:16,140 --> 00:01:18,280 Because shepherds going, why? 26 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:19,640 Angels told them to go, 27 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:23,320 not something everyday life of a shepherd. 28 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:26,820 We see Mary and Joseph, we see the baby Jesus, 29 00:01:26,820 --> 00:01:30,560 we see all the animals, and then we see these Magi come. 30 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:34,820 They come not from anywhere close to Bethlehem. 31 00:01:34,820 --> 00:01:39,120 They journey because their initial, 32 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:43,360 their gut interaction, their heart edification 33 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:47,520 of Jesus being born was to come and to do two things. 34 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:49,000 We're gonna talk about that this month. 35 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,520 They came to worship, and what that means, 36 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:55,000 and they came to give. 37 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:58,600 Now, we're not going to set this up, 38 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:00,200 and at the last sermon of the year, 39 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:01,680 announce our pledge drive. 40 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:03,440 We don't think that would be appropriate, 41 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:05,440 though that may come in the coming months. 42 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:07,160 That is not what this is about, 43 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,720 but what it is, it is a reminder for all of us 44 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:13,880 to ask the question in which, well, kind of a question, 45 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:15,840 in which I titled this sermon, 46 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:20,840 which is, where your treasure is, dot, dot, dot. 47 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:24,360 Dot, dot, and we're gonna be in the book of Matthew 48 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:28,120 this morning, and what I want us to understand 49 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,560 is the challenge we're all gonna have to start 50 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:35,320 to examine where we place our treasures in our lives 51 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:38,900 and how our hearts align with God's kingdom. 52 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:42,560 And the unique take we're gonna look at 53 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:47,560 is what the Las Audis has brought up today, is gold. 54 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,240 Now, as Jill and I were finding this today, 55 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,880 to make sure we were ready, it's 24 karat gold, 56 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,520 which I'm gonna highly doubt, 57 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:00,080 seeing as though we got this on Amazon for $12. 58 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:05,080 So, but, what it represents is one of the finest 59 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:09,520 of the Earth's metals, something that has withstood 60 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:13,720 the test of time, and gold, as we're gonna look at it today, 61 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:18,720 was a gift fit for a king, pointing to Jesus' royalty. 62 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:24,000 But how does gold reflect our lives today in 2024? 63 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,880 So let's jump in to the book of Matthew. 64 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:30,640 Matthew chapter six, for a lot of us that grew up in church, 65 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:35,320 we know this one, this is a part of the sermon on the mount. 66 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:37,920 So in chapter five, what Jesus has done, 67 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,480 he's taught us how to pray, he's given us the beatitudes, 68 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:43,800 and then he goes into these teachings. 69 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:45,640 So this is kind of coming off of, 70 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:47,000 you are the light of the world, 71 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:48,600 you are the salt of the Earth. 72 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,800 And isn't it ironic that part of his sermon, 73 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:56,640 the greatest sermon ever given, 74 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,720 one of his first major points is about stuff, 75 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:02,920 about money, about possessions, 76 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:05,200 because that's not relevant in 2024, is it? 77 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:07,440 Yes, totally is. 78 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:09,960 Starting with verse 19 of chapter six, 79 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,040 Jesus says, do not lay up for yourselves 80 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:17,520 treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy, 81 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:19,920 and where thieves break in and steal, 82 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:23,040 but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, 83 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:25,800 where neither moth nor rust destroys, 84 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,320 and where thieves do not break in and steal, 85 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:33,280 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 86 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:36,840 The eye is the lamp of the body, 87 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:39,720 so if your eye is healthy, the whole body will find, 88 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:42,200 will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, 89 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:44,560 your whole body will be full of darkness. 90 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:48,320 If then, the light in you is darkness, 91 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:50,200 how great is the darkness? 92 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:52,320 No one can serve two masters, 93 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,840 for either he will hate the one and love the other, 94 00:04:55,840 --> 00:04:59,560 or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. 95 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:04,400 You cannot serve God and money. 96 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:08,880 Now for some of you, you just started rolling your eyes, 97 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:12,120 you're like, oh, is this gonna be another sermon series 98 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:13,560 about giving money? 99 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:15,240 Friends, that's one of the three things 100 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:19,160 we're gonna talk about, time, talents, and yes, treasures. 101 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:22,080 But understand, I'm not bringing it up 102 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:23,880 for just the sake of bringing it up, 103 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:26,720 I'm bringing it up because one of the first major points 104 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:31,120 in Jesus' sermon to us on the Mount is just that, 105 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:34,360 possessions, if Jesus didn't think this would be worthy 106 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,600 to talk about, I don't think he would have said it. 107 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:41,440 But we have to reconcile that last part. 108 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,520 You cannot serve God and money. 109 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:48,320 And I am not here to guilt anybody 110 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:51,240 who has been very successful in life. 111 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:53,160 That's not my job at all. 112 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:56,440 My reminder to all of us to whom much is given, 113 00:05:56,440 --> 00:06:01,160 much is required, hopefully by the end of the month, 114 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:04,760 more of us will say it, but that a Christian response 115 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:08,800 to faith is what we do with the time God's given us, 116 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:12,120 which no one knows how much time we'll have. 117 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:16,280 The talents, the gifting, we'll get to that with myrrh, 118 00:06:16,280 --> 00:06:19,640 I believe, and then with treasures. 119 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,720 That in the system of the first century church 120 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:29,720 and of the 2024 church, money is still seen as a priority, 121 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:33,400 money is still seen as an object of authority, 122 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:38,200 whether right or wrong, but Jesus wants us 123 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:43,080 to always remember that everything we have, 124 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:44,320 first and foremost, is his. 125 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:45,160 Why? 126 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:46,800 Because he is our king. 127 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:50,200 And much like our lives should mimic that of the Magi, 128 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:55,200 we come to offer our worship and our gifts. 129 00:06:56,720 --> 00:06:58,480 But what is Jesus, how do we gonna break, 130 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:01,440 we gotta break down some of Matthew six. 131 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,840 So if you can go back to the first slide of this, 132 00:07:04,840 --> 00:07:08,560 he starts off very appropriately, 133 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:13,560 do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. 134 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:19,000 Notice how it's not, you're gonna be tempted to do this, 135 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,560 so don't, or for some of you, 136 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:24,880 you're going to have this problem. 137 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:29,880 No, it is a clear command from Jesus to us. 138 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:33,600 Do not lay up your treasures on earth. 139 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:37,080 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. 140 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:40,920 What Jesus is doing, he's kind of contrasting 141 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:43,440 earthly treasures. 142 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:46,400 What he's saying is the things that are temporary, 143 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:48,360 the things that are perishable. 144 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:49,960 So what are the things that we're talking about? 145 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:51,480 We're talking about our stuff, 146 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:53,580 whether it's the money in our bank account 147 00:07:53,580 --> 00:07:55,640 that our check comes in maybe once a month, 148 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:57,960 twice a month, weekly, and then we see all of it 149 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:00,400 go out in the next three days, right? 150 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:02,720 Some of us have that and we go, where did it go? 151 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:03,720 That's what he's talking about. 152 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:07,080 It was temporarily in your bank account, wasn't it? 153 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:09,920 And now it seems like permanently gone. 154 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:13,720 But that is something that is the struggle for all of us. 155 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:16,640 It's something we deal with. 156 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:19,120 And what he's contrasting is earthly treasures, 157 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:22,840 temporary perishable to heavenly treasures. 158 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,160 Eternal, and this is gonna sting. 159 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:27,880 But I'm looking in the mirror first. 160 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:31,560 Incorruptible treasures. 161 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:34,520 Well pastor, what are you saying? 162 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:36,400 Are you saying I have dirty money? 163 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,960 Are you saying that I'm corrupt with my stuff? 164 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:41,340 I don't know. 165 00:08:41,340 --> 00:08:43,100 Maybe some of you are. 166 00:08:43,100 --> 00:08:44,880 Maybe some of you aren't. 167 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:47,560 God knows I don't and that's okay. 168 00:08:47,560 --> 00:08:50,640 But understand, Jesus is contrasting something 169 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:52,920 that is perishable and corruptable 170 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:54,440 to something that is not. 171 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:58,480 And I think for all of us we're gonna learn 172 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,440 just how temporary our money is. 173 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:07,320 That earthly treasures are vulnerable. 174 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:09,120 That's one of the things we see. 175 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:12,160 Your stuff, I'm gonna put your time, your talents, 176 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:13,240 and your treasures though. 177 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:14,840 Jesus is talking about treasures here. 178 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:16,760 I could do all three. 179 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:17,640 Because I think it works. 180 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:20,720 That our earthly stuff, the things we invest in, 181 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:23,600 the things that we want to be a part of 182 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:25,480 or support or whatever, 183 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:29,480 that they not only are temporary, they're vulnerable. 184 00:09:30,680 --> 00:09:33,900 Moth, rust, thieves. 185 00:09:33,900 --> 00:09:37,440 I'm not gonna get into what moth meant in the first century. 186 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:39,760 You wanna know what moth meant in the first century? 187 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,160 It's the same thing moth means now. 188 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:45,680 Those bugs that eat away things in your attic. 189 00:09:47,180 --> 00:09:49,360 There's no like deep meaning. 190 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:51,560 Moth really means the Holy Spirit. 191 00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:52,380 No it doesn't. 192 00:09:52,380 --> 00:09:53,960 It means moth. 193 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,960 So understand where moth and rust destroy. 194 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:02,560 So if something is destroyable, that means it's vulnerable. 195 00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:05,680 Something that's everlasting is not vulnerable. 196 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:06,500 And guess what? 197 00:10:06,500 --> 00:10:09,400 Our money, our success is not everlasting. 198 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:15,040 Though you may be successful, be a guru in 2024, 199 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,360 that's not gonna, you're not gonna be a guru in heaven. 200 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:20,900 That's not how it works. 201 00:10:20,900 --> 00:10:23,200 Because the stuff we have vulnerable 202 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:25,940 where heavenly treasures are secured. 203 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:28,520 We love it when our money's secured, right? 204 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:29,840 The banks love it. 205 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:31,280 When you get your credit check, 206 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:33,480 they'd rather you have secured debt 207 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:35,620 rather than unsecured debt 208 00:10:35,620 --> 00:10:38,460 from a much smarter people than I for what they tell me. 209 00:10:38,460 --> 00:10:40,540 That all of a sudden if you have secured debt, 210 00:10:40,540 --> 00:10:43,620 that feels better than unsecured debt. 211 00:10:43,620 --> 00:10:48,200 Even though both are temporary according to Jesus. 212 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:50,840 Now here's just a disclaimer for the next month. 213 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:54,120 I in no way am giving you financial advice. 214 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:56,800 I am by no means your financial advisor 215 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:59,680 and everything that I'm gonna draw back is to scripture. 216 00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:02,920 And if you have any questions about that, call Paul Katz. 217 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:06,880 And so understand that if we are seeing 218 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:10,040 what Jesus is saying, our wealth, 219 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:12,800 the earthly things are not only vulnerable 220 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:14,320 but they're temporary. 221 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:17,640 That means our heavenly treasures are secured 222 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:21,480 in something different. 223 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:24,480 That our earthly treasures are secured 224 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,680 in the kingdom of God. 225 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:31,520 Because you have to place this part of the sermon 226 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:34,480 in light of the whole sermon he is preaching, 227 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:36,800 the Sermon on the Mount of the advancement 228 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:39,680 of the kingdom of God. 229 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:43,040 So what is he saying about the kingdom? 230 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:47,160 The kingdom needs people to work in it. 231 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:49,600 Maybe needs is the wrong word, God doesn't need us. 232 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,120 But the kingdom advances via the work of the Holy Spirit 233 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:58,120 and the work of the church, time, talents, treasures. 234 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:01,240 So this is a reminder to invest 235 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:05,240 and to give in the kingdom of God. 236 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:07,240 And one of the things we have to remember 237 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:10,680 is what our temptation is for the opposite. 238 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:14,680 In good, rooted in reformed thought, 239 00:12:14,680 --> 00:12:19,360 this reflects humanity's temptation toward idolatry, 240 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:24,360 Romans one tells us, by creating things 241 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:27,720 that we ultimately worship. 242 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:30,120 We talked about that last week. 243 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:32,640 We talked about it at Thanksgiving. 244 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:35,240 Because he continues, for where your treasure is, 245 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:37,480 your, what word? 246 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:41,040 Our heart is also. 247 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:43,360 So let's work on our Hebrew together. 248 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:44,680 Heart, leh. 249 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:47,120 Ready, three, two, one. 250 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:49,680 Don't spit on the person in front of you, 251 00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:50,840 but it could come out. 252 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,000 Leh, okay, so when you get that V, 253 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:57,240 it's that guttural in the Hebrew, leh, L-E-V. 254 00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:02,240 Our heart defined is the seat of our will, 255 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:06,840 our emotions, and our desires. 256 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:08,680 Sit with that for a minute. 257 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:13,240 For where your treasure is, your heart will be also. 258 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:17,520 Our heart is the seat of our, in Hebrew, 259 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:21,520 because it's not really a verbal language, 260 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:22,840 it is in a sense. 261 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:24,360 I didn't just make up how you should say it 262 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:26,240 and spit on the person in front of you. 263 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:28,640 But understand, the way Hebrew was designed, 264 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:32,000 the way Hebrew was used, was kind of pictures. 265 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:34,760 That it was tied to thoughts and emotions, 266 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:38,240 and they're saying the heart of a person is the seat, 267 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:43,080 I love that, of our will, of our emotions, and our desires. 268 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:47,320 Jesus emphasized that treasures govern the heart. 269 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:51,800 And if good reform theology tells us 270 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:54,120 our hearts are declined toward evil, 271 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:58,320 that means our treasures can be inclined towards evil. 272 00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:01,640 Now, evil can be a very big spectrum of certain things. 273 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:05,880 I'm just going to stop at, when it's about ourselves, 274 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:10,200 when we're so wrapped up in money and success and stuff, 275 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:12,600 that we lose a part of who we are. 276 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:15,080 Because that money will never define you. 277 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:17,360 I don't care how successful or how not successful 278 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:18,760 you are in life. 279 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:21,760 Money should never define you. 280 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:24,080 Because if we're gonna link the seat of our will, 281 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:26,160 of our heart, of our desire, 282 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:30,640 if that rub is always going to be good versus bad or evil, 283 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:34,280 then we wanna lean on the side of good. 284 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:36,840 Though we are naturally inclined towards sin, 285 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:39,560 we can be reoriented by grace. 286 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:40,400 Why, how? 287 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:43,880 Because the healthy eye, in verse 22 and 23, 288 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:47,380 symbolizes a single-minded devotion to God. 289 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:52,180 The healthy eye. 290 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:56,040 Biblically, what the readers would have understood 291 00:14:56,040 --> 00:15:00,200 is that healthy eye sees clearly and is devoted to God. 292 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:04,840 It's a mind that is all about the vertical relationship. 293 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:06,560 And maybe you know some people that are like that. 294 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:07,880 Maybe there are people in your life who go, 295 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:12,040 I really wish my life looked more like so-and-so's. 296 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:15,120 I would say this if he was here, 297 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:18,640 though it would probably cause him to blush. 298 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:21,600 It's one of the things I love about our pastor, Jamil, 299 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:23,880 is every time him and I get together, 300 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:26,640 I learn even more from his heart. 301 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:31,240 That vertical relationship so instilled and ingrained 302 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:34,160 in a guy that I look up to so much. 303 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:36,160 Now, does he sin? 304 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:37,000 Does he struggle? 305 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:39,840 That's the first one to tell you. 306 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:41,840 But one of the things I see in him 307 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:46,120 is that single-minded devotion, and I love it. 308 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:49,120 And it changes me when him and I get together. 309 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:51,520 Because it's contrasted with the bad eye. 310 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:53,280 You have a healthy eye, you have an unhealthy eye. 311 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:54,680 What is an unhealthy eye? 312 00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:57,100 It is an eye that is divided. 313 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:02,620 It has what I like to call divided loyalties. 314 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:05,240 And I think that's where the first conviction 315 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:08,920 really comes in, is what am I loyal to? 316 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:10,480 I think we'd all agree we're probably loyal 317 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:13,800 to our bank account, we're probably loyal to our savings 318 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:15,440 of watching the stock market, 319 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:20,140 of all of these investments, or what have you. 320 00:16:20,140 --> 00:16:24,000 But a divided loyalty brings an unpure, unhealthy eye. 321 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,280 It is no longer a lamp of the body in Christ, 322 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:29,520 it is a lamp of the world. 323 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:32,760 A heart captivated by earthly treasures, 324 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:35,420 clouds our spiritual perceptions. 325 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:38,880 Feel free to take me up on it. 326 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:42,120 For the next month, maybe there are some of you 327 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:44,040 that one of the first things you do 328 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:45,360 is jump on your bank accounts. 329 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:48,240 You look at your investments, that you start your world 330 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:49,600 looking at your finances. 331 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:51,000 I'm gonna challenge you this month. 332 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,200 Yes, on the month you do a lot of shopping, 333 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:57,160 start with God's word first. 334 00:16:57,160 --> 00:16:58,960 Read the Sermon on the Mount 335 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:01,280 throughout this month of December. 336 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:04,240 See when our priorities and our vision change, 337 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:06,880 when it centers on something different, 338 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:09,240 it's funny how God changes us, 339 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:12,680 how he gives us new eyes to see and new ears to hear. 340 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:15,400 Because ultimately, Jesus drops the mic 341 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:17,360 at the end of these sets of verses, 342 00:17:17,360 --> 00:17:19,860 you cannot serve God and money. 343 00:17:24,780 --> 00:17:27,160 So if he didn't hit it so hard in the beginning, 344 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:29,120 he's hitting it now out of the park 345 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:32,040 in the sense of who are we serving in life? 346 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:34,120 And if we're serving, if we're at the beck and call 347 00:17:34,120 --> 00:17:36,920 of our money, it's always gonna go like this. 348 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:39,720 Even if you're super successful and wealthy. 349 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:41,200 Because you've tied yourself to that. 350 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,940 You serve your finances first. 351 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:47,240 Jesus calls that out. 352 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:52,200 That if the Lordship of Christ is over all aspects of life, 353 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:56,840 divided allegiances, divided attention, 354 00:17:56,840 --> 00:18:01,840 divided worship, is a failure 355 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:05,200 and a betrayal of our allegiance to God. 356 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:07,000 Wow, Jim, that was really heavy handed. 357 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,680 I don't mean it to be, but it's exactly, 358 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:12,280 if Satan thinks, or if Satan can try to get you to think 359 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:16,360 you got a handle on all of it, you don't need Jesus then. 360 00:18:16,360 --> 00:18:18,760 He's not gonna come out and say that right away. 361 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:22,280 But if life is always good because you got the money 362 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:25,340 in your bank account, all of a sudden it just gets 363 00:18:25,340 --> 00:18:27,520 one maybe pinky finger comfortable with that, 364 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:30,080 and Satan will play the long game with you. 365 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:32,840 Even though we saw in Revelation that his time's running out, 366 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:34,680 he will play the long game with you, 367 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:38,620 even in the late chapters of Revelation as we learned. 368 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:40,860 So why gold? 369 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:46,320 I think we'd all agree, just blind survey. 370 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:51,320 If I can offer you gold, frankincense, or myrrh this week, 371 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:54,640 how many of you are taking the myrrh? 372 00:18:57,640 --> 00:18:59,280 Thank you, Jenna. 373 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:01,660 How many of you are taking the frankincense, 374 00:19:01,660 --> 00:19:04,280 and half of you are thinking Frankenstein, 375 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:05,480 and I can't help you? 376 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:09,840 Maybe one, two, good to see you back, my friend. 377 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:11,280 Glad you're here. 378 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:13,120 How many of you are taking the gold? 379 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:17,040 Those that didn't raise their hand either wake up 380 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:18,760 and stop lying. 381 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:20,480 We take the gold every time. 382 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:25,480 Why, because gold was the most expensive of the metals. 383 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:28,840 Gold in the ancient world symbolized kingship, 384 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:30,400 wealth, and deity. 385 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:33,040 You wore a gold chain, right? 386 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:36,240 People automatically thought things about you. 387 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:39,800 They thought you were of high status. 388 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:41,920 They thought you were royalty. 389 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:46,640 Now, for some of you, if you walk in your house 390 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:49,280 and it's gold everywhere, they may think that, 391 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:52,080 or they may think you are stuck in the 80s 392 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:53,520 and you can't get out of it. 393 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:57,540 But either way, gold is a stature thing. 394 00:19:57,540 --> 00:20:00,160 You're walking down the street and you see, right, 395 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:03,840 someone big gold earrings, big gold chain. 396 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:06,020 We think all kinds of things. 397 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,120 I go up to them and say, can we sell half that 398 00:20:09,120 --> 00:20:11,160 so we can build our building? 399 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:13,260 I don't, I don't say that to random people, that's weird. 400 00:20:13,260 --> 00:20:17,660 But understand that gold catches our attention. 401 00:20:17,660 --> 00:20:21,260 If someone walks into the church today 402 00:20:21,260 --> 00:20:22,920 and they're wearing a bunch of gold, 403 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:24,300 someone walks into the church 404 00:20:24,300 --> 00:20:28,340 and they're doused in frankincense or in myrrh, 405 00:20:28,340 --> 00:20:30,740 two are gonna catch your eye for very different reasons 406 00:20:30,740 --> 00:20:34,220 than the other, because they're gonna smell weird. 407 00:20:34,220 --> 00:20:36,260 The gold people looked good. 408 00:20:37,260 --> 00:20:39,940 Understand it was Davidic. 409 00:20:39,940 --> 00:20:40,880 It was divine. 410 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:45,740 Gold was seen as kingship, wealthy, deity. 411 00:20:45,740 --> 00:20:47,460 People thought certain things. 412 00:20:47,460 --> 00:20:50,940 So what does the Magi's gift of gold mean for us today? 413 00:20:50,940 --> 00:20:53,260 It means something very simple. 414 00:20:53,260 --> 00:20:56,900 And allow this, if you will, Childlike Faith, three, two, one. 415 00:20:56,900 --> 00:20:59,460 Allow this to blow your mind this week, 416 00:20:59,460 --> 00:21:01,780 because then you're where I am. 417 00:21:01,780 --> 00:21:06,340 That the Magi's gift to Jesus of gold 418 00:21:06,340 --> 00:21:11,340 acknowledged this baby, this baby in a manger, 419 00:21:11,340 --> 00:21:16,340 this nothing king was a recognition of his lordship. 420 00:21:17,780 --> 00:21:22,060 To fulfill Psalm 72, to fulfill Isaiah 60, right? 421 00:21:22,060 --> 00:21:25,420 These prophecies talking about Messiah, capital M, 422 00:21:25,420 --> 00:21:28,460 the gold was meant to acknowledge him, 423 00:21:28,460 --> 00:21:33,460 this baby as king of kings and lord of lords. 424 00:21:35,140 --> 00:21:36,780 The shepherds didn't bring it, 425 00:21:36,780 --> 00:21:40,420 because the shepherds didn't have that to bring, right? 426 00:21:40,420 --> 00:21:43,020 Whoever tended the inn or the manger that was there 427 00:21:43,020 --> 00:21:45,180 didn't bring it, because it was not theirs to bring. 428 00:21:45,180 --> 00:21:49,940 That Jesus was to be worshiped by the wisest 429 00:21:49,940 --> 00:21:54,380 of the kings of the world as a little baby. 430 00:21:58,260 --> 00:22:03,020 A heart of gold, a heart of worship that we see. 431 00:22:03,020 --> 00:22:06,460 In biblical history, giving gold was an act of reverence. 432 00:22:06,460 --> 00:22:08,700 Exodus 25. 433 00:22:08,700 --> 00:22:12,420 Gold was brought as reverence to the tabernacle, 434 00:22:12,420 --> 00:22:15,580 the place of God in the Old Testament. 435 00:22:15,580 --> 00:22:17,980 Now the temple in human form. 436 00:22:17,980 --> 00:22:22,980 Now gold is being brought to a lowly manger, to a baby. 437 00:22:24,900 --> 00:22:28,020 It's unbelievable what that gold represents. 438 00:22:29,460 --> 00:22:31,340 So what does it really mean for us? 439 00:22:32,540 --> 00:22:35,020 Where is your gold in your life? 440 00:22:35,020 --> 00:22:36,900 Where's the treasure in your life? 441 00:22:36,900 --> 00:22:39,700 Couple applications that we have for today. 442 00:22:40,740 --> 00:22:44,180 The first thing, and I love that it's December 1st. 443 00:22:45,260 --> 00:22:48,340 We have a month, 24, 25 days, 444 00:22:48,340 --> 00:22:50,380 until Jesus comes onto the scene. 445 00:22:50,380 --> 00:22:52,740 So one of the things I want to challenge all of us, 446 00:22:52,740 --> 00:22:54,860 and we'll break this into a post this week, 447 00:22:54,860 --> 00:22:58,060 is to examine your heart. 448 00:22:58,980 --> 00:23:00,820 Examine your l'ech, right? 449 00:23:00,820 --> 00:23:03,140 Examine what is going on inside of you. 450 00:23:03,140 --> 00:23:05,940 What captures your attention, your time, 451 00:23:05,940 --> 00:23:07,100 and your energy? 452 00:23:08,740 --> 00:23:10,220 Because Jesus reminds you where your treasure is, 453 00:23:10,220 --> 00:23:11,420 your heart is also. 454 00:23:11,420 --> 00:23:15,020 Treasure being time, talents, treasures, right? 455 00:23:15,020 --> 00:23:16,980 Calvin reminds us in his institutes, 456 00:23:16,980 --> 00:23:21,180 the human heart is a perpetual idol factory. 457 00:23:21,180 --> 00:23:23,460 I love when Calvin says that. 458 00:23:23,460 --> 00:23:26,340 So his encouragement to us in the start of that event 459 00:23:26,340 --> 00:23:28,820 is to surrender our idols of wealth, 460 00:23:28,820 --> 00:23:32,540 our idols of comfort, our idols of security, 461 00:23:32,540 --> 00:23:35,020 and put them in Christ. 462 00:23:35,020 --> 00:23:37,420 Because if they're not in Christ, 463 00:23:37,420 --> 00:23:39,500 we saw this for 13 weeks, 464 00:23:39,500 --> 00:23:43,380 it will be against Christ in the end. 465 00:23:43,380 --> 00:23:47,140 Second, invest in eternal treasures. 466 00:23:47,140 --> 00:23:50,300 Use your time, talents, and treasures 467 00:23:50,300 --> 00:23:51,860 for the kingdom of God. 468 00:23:52,980 --> 00:23:54,100 And here's the thing, 469 00:23:54,980 --> 00:23:57,180 we all can give all three of these. 470 00:23:57,180 --> 00:23:59,300 We see that in the scriptures, 471 00:23:59,300 --> 00:24:01,380 whether it's the two mites of the widow, 472 00:24:01,380 --> 00:24:04,020 or the wealth of the wealthy, 473 00:24:04,020 --> 00:24:06,980 people can give in all of those kind of ways. 474 00:24:06,980 --> 00:24:09,780 Where next week, we're going to see 475 00:24:09,780 --> 00:24:12,740 the treasures of our lighthouse staff. 476 00:24:12,740 --> 00:24:14,660 Love it on our kids. 477 00:24:14,660 --> 00:24:18,420 And I know there are some of you already nervous 478 00:24:18,420 --> 00:24:22,020 about what your kid is gonna be like next week. 479 00:24:22,020 --> 00:24:25,380 We got a little preview of that at Thanksgiving. 480 00:24:25,380 --> 00:24:27,060 And that's just even more exciting 481 00:24:27,060 --> 00:24:31,300 to see that childlike faith of how they worship, 482 00:24:31,300 --> 00:24:33,060 of how they're bringing something, 483 00:24:33,060 --> 00:24:36,260 even as kids, to the king. 484 00:24:36,260 --> 00:24:38,900 They're bringing their time, their talents. 485 00:24:38,900 --> 00:24:41,940 Now, this is the gospel according to Jim. 486 00:24:41,940 --> 00:24:44,980 Those that work in children and youth ministries, 487 00:24:44,980 --> 00:24:46,900 I do not believe your room in heaven 488 00:24:46,900 --> 00:24:48,540 will be by the ice machine. 489 00:24:49,620 --> 00:24:52,700 Because that is a special gift. 490 00:24:52,700 --> 00:24:54,780 So maybe Daniel, we can use that as incentive 491 00:24:54,780 --> 00:24:57,180 for finding youth workers in the future. 492 00:24:57,180 --> 00:25:00,340 Your room will not be by the ice machine. 493 00:25:00,340 --> 00:25:03,220 Stamped, the elders of Munster Church. 494 00:25:04,140 --> 00:25:08,540 But understand that we are to invest in eternal treasures. 495 00:25:08,540 --> 00:25:10,340 Commit to prayer. 496 00:25:10,340 --> 00:25:12,580 Spend time in the word. 497 00:25:12,580 --> 00:25:14,020 Time, talents, and treasures. 498 00:25:14,020 --> 00:25:16,660 Time is with you and Jesus first. 499 00:25:16,660 --> 00:25:18,420 It can't be you and the church first, 500 00:25:18,420 --> 00:25:20,380 because if you don't have it, you can't give it. 501 00:25:20,380 --> 00:25:22,540 Spend time with Jesus first. 502 00:25:22,540 --> 00:25:25,500 Commit to prayer, to reading scripture, 503 00:25:25,500 --> 00:25:27,780 to serving others during Advent. 504 00:25:27,780 --> 00:25:32,380 Talents, leverage your God-given gifts 505 00:25:32,380 --> 00:25:35,020 for the church and the community. 506 00:25:35,020 --> 00:25:37,780 Or that's your talents, leverage your God-given gifts 507 00:25:37,780 --> 00:25:38,900 for the church and the community, 508 00:25:38,900 --> 00:25:42,100 and then finally your treasures to live sacrificially, 509 00:25:42,100 --> 00:25:44,460 to support the ministries around you. 510 00:25:44,460 --> 00:25:45,620 Is Munster Church one of them? 511 00:25:45,620 --> 00:25:47,220 I hope so if you're a member. 512 00:25:47,220 --> 00:25:48,460 I hope it is. 513 00:25:48,460 --> 00:25:51,300 But there are many different kingdom causes around. 514 00:25:52,580 --> 00:25:54,900 Understand that your treasures mean something 515 00:25:54,900 --> 00:25:56,980 for where your treasure is, your heart, 516 00:25:56,980 --> 00:25:59,780 the seed of all that you are will be also. 517 00:26:00,780 --> 00:26:03,300 Examine, invest, and live generously. 518 00:26:03,300 --> 00:26:07,580 Reflect God's generosity, for God so loved the world he gave. 519 00:26:09,460 --> 00:26:12,300 Advent is a time to mirror Christ's sacrificial giving 520 00:26:12,300 --> 00:26:14,620 by the reorientation of our hearts. 521 00:26:14,620 --> 00:26:17,500 Because maybe, just maybe, the last 11 months, 522 00:26:17,500 --> 00:26:20,300 your heart's been pulled all sorts of places. 523 00:26:20,300 --> 00:26:22,580 Your soul's been pulled in all sorts of places. 524 00:26:22,580 --> 00:26:27,220 It's time to right the ship this Advent season, 525 00:26:27,220 --> 00:26:30,300 preparing for the coming of the Christ child. 526 00:26:30,300 --> 00:26:33,100 So what is our gospel focus gonna be for Advent? 527 00:26:33,100 --> 00:26:34,900 The first truth is one we live out, 528 00:26:34,900 --> 00:26:37,700 that Christ is the ultimate treasure. 529 00:26:39,420 --> 00:26:42,700 Our remembering that Jesus left the riches of heaven, 530 00:26:42,700 --> 00:26:45,740 2 Corinthians 8, to redeem us and bring us 531 00:26:45,740 --> 00:26:47,620 into God's kingdom. 532 00:26:47,620 --> 00:26:52,620 You are worth the investment, Jesus says. 533 00:26:55,420 --> 00:26:57,900 And finally, our response to his grace, 534 00:26:57,900 --> 00:27:00,780 his wholehearted worship and generosity. 535 00:27:02,540 --> 00:27:04,020 So what's our challenge this morning? 536 00:27:04,020 --> 00:27:05,540 You're gonna get one each week. 537 00:27:05,540 --> 00:27:06,380 We're gonna get a challenge 538 00:27:06,380 --> 00:27:08,020 or we're gonna get an encouragement. 539 00:27:08,020 --> 00:27:09,980 The challenge, this Advent, 540 00:27:09,980 --> 00:27:13,580 consider what treasures rule your heart. 541 00:27:13,580 --> 00:27:18,380 Recommit to seeking after God's kingdom first. 542 00:27:18,380 --> 00:27:19,860 And then my encouragement for all of us, 543 00:27:19,860 --> 00:27:23,980 as the Magi offered their gold to Christ, 544 00:27:23,980 --> 00:27:27,900 offer your life, your heart, your time, 545 00:27:27,900 --> 00:27:30,980 your talents, and your treasures, 546 00:27:30,980 --> 00:27:32,980 wherever your gold is, 547 00:27:32,980 --> 00:27:47,980 offer that to the king of.