Sermon on the Mount - Part 17

Today I want to look at verses 19-24 of chapter 6, once again focusing on who Jesus was speaking to, and on the context of the entire message. 

Matthew 6:19-24

(19)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,  (20)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  (21)For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(22)“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,  (23)but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
(24)“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

I believe that the Sermon on the Mount can be viewed as the manifesto of Jesus, where He is setting forth the major principles for His ministry, where He is setting forth what true faith really entails. A place where He is not only showing us how to have a relationship with God and what that should look like, but He is also showing us what is not a relationship with God.

In 19-21, Jesus is speaking of focus, you could say He is asking the question, where is your head at? Is it focused on the here and now, on your current circumstance, on life as you know it? If so, you have to know that whatever your circumstances are, they are subject to change in a heartbeat, and you have no control over what might occur. Stuff rots and thieves steal, do you need any more proof that you really have no control? But if you focus on God, if you make Him your treasure, your pearl of great value, then not only will it never rot or decay, but no one can take it from you. If you think about it, God is the only thing in your life that does not change and is not given to chance. Your treasure determines your heart. You can say you love God, but if He is not your true treasure, then your actions will reveal what your treasure really is. Think back to what He said about loving your enemies. If you are focused on the things of earth, you love those who love you. If you are focused on God, then you love even your enemies, for God loved us even when we were His enemies. 

What are you looking at? Are you focused on the things of earth? If so, darkness abounds and you are missing what life is truly about. Sure, you might enjoy a moment of earthly pleasure because you were sold out to Jesus, but in hindsight, you will realize that it was not worth an eternity of pain. Some will only realize this in hindsight. But if you focus on knowing God, and see who He is, and what He has done in His graciousness, then you will find joy in the present and in eternity. This is why, even after being beaten and placed in prison, Paul and Silas were able to pray in sing hymns to God (Acts 16:23-25). They were focused on their treasure, and not their circumstances. It is why Stephen, while being stoned, prayed that God who not hold this sin against those who were stoning Him (Acts 7:54-60). It is why martyrs give their lives even today.  

You have to make a choice, no one can serve two masters. It is not a choice of earthly pleasures or heaven, it is a choice to either make God your treasure or not. Love the things of earth, or love the maker of the things of earth. To love the things of earth is not to love God. This is what the leaders missed, and so many still miss today because they listen to those who preach such nonsense. Any theology that does not have God at the center misses the mark. Any preaching that lures you in with what God can do for you is dangerous. Whether is it speaking of what God can do for me (putting material or fleshly things in the center) or what I can do for God (putting me or my behavior at the center, as if I can earn my way to heaven), or anywhere in between. 

The eye is the lamp of the body. So what are your eyes focused on? Do you have a healthy, God-centered focus, or are you focused on things that will take your eyes away from God? Imagine a ball player trying to it a fastball or curve, while staring at the dugout or at the fans in the stands. He's not gonna hit the ball at all, is he? I want to stay focused, I want to hit it out of the park.

Edited 2/10/2020