Worrying for our treasure
1-20-02 AM
Matthew 6
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Pray
Life sometimes deals us a rotten hand.
We can either let that eat at us, or we can learn from it and move on.
But what happens when we dwell on these bad things that happen to us and our families?
I. What is your treasure.
a. Read 19 through 21 again.
b. Our instructions.
i. Where do we lay our treasure?
1. at home?
a. Can be damaged by moth
b. Stolen by thieves
c. Rust causes corruption. (just look at my truck)
2. In heaven
a. No moths in heaven
b. Thieves aren’t allowed
c. Even old chevy trucks are safe in heaven
c. Why is where our treasure is laid important?
i. Where do you keep your money?
1. In a mattress? (explain)
2. In a coffee can?
3. In a bank?
ii. where do you keep your important belongings?
1. Where they can be damaged?
2. Safely locked up.
iii. Where we lay our treasure is evidence of the motivation of the heart (v v. 21)
d. The meat of our treasure
i. the desires of our heart.
ii. the personal moments of victory, triumphs
iii. our soul
iv. our loved one’s soul
v. our gifts and abilities.
II. We choose our treasures, and where to lay them by the God we choose
a. Read 24
b. Mammon --A Chaldee or Syriac word meaning "wealth" or "riches" also, by personification, the god of riches #Mt 6:24 Lu 16:9-11
c. Our God is what or whom we serve.
i. Money and wealth- mammon
ii. Prestige, power or position
iii. Our thoughts, desires, and concerns
iv. Our beliefs, spiritually, diety
v. Our religion
vi. The Father, creator of the universe, savior of my soul.
d. We cannot serve 2 of these. If we choose to let money, position, thoughts, religion, or anything else to be our lives focus, then that focus is our god. Only one of the things we mentioned can save us from hell, The Father, Jehovah.
e. 1 John gives us clear direction on this issue: 1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
III. Why let worry be our God?
a. Matt. 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
b. History lessons
i. Look at your own past.
ii. How many times have we worried for things but they came to pass in an ordained order even without our help?
iii. We have worried about starving to death, because we have no job, no money, no foreseeable or understandable way to remedy the problem. But years later, we are still here. (not to take away from the fact that everyday, thousands die of starvation)
iv. God has met us at every point of our need, yet we question, “does He still hear me, will He help?”
1. Eli song- “and though you’ve always led me to solid ground, but on the way I still questioned if you’d let me drown”
v. By our worry, and futile attempts at trying to control lives difficulties, we express very loudly our lack of faith, our doubt, that the creator of the universe is really in control.
vi. By this lack of faith and doubt, we limit what God can do in our lives. His willingness surpasses our understanding, and therefore can’t possibly be real.
vii. But His willingness and capability is real. He proved it.
IV. The proof of God and His control
a. The plan of salvation.
i. Created the World, knowing man would fall.
ii. Laid a perfect plan in place.
iii. Spoke the law into existence, that a blood sacrifice from a perfect lamb is the only way for forgiveness of sin.
iv. Sent His son
v. His Son taught the way.
vi. Was arrested for crimes He didn’t commit.
vii. Was punished for those same crimes.
viii. Wore that punishment on His head and back, cross, crown of thorns, stripes.
ix. Died a blameless man, the perfect lamb. His blood was shed.
x. Arose again proving who He was and is.
xi. Promised life to those that believed.
b. The intricacies of creation, how everything was created for support of life.
V. What else do you need? Only Jesus, altar call.
a. Lost
b. Those trying to serve 2 or more Gods.
