19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where

thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and

vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your

heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-24

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if

your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how

great is that darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both

God and money.

Matthew 6:19-24

If our finances are tangled it will be because our hearts are tangled by greed. And if our hearts are tangled by greed,

we will make very little progress in a Godward direction.

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where

thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and

vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Matthew 6:19-20

“Do not store up for yourselves

treasure on earth”the negative

• Vulnerable to natural decay• Susceptible to loss

“But store up for yourselves treasure

in heaven”the positive

• Invulnerable to natural decay• Not susceptible

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:21

Jesus talked so frequently about money because money is a heart barometer. It’s not just a resource issue; it’s a heart issue.

a practical look at treasure location:

EARTHLY• Imagine being young and

living forever

HEAVENLY• Imagine an immersive

experience of God

a practical look at treasure location:

EARTHLY• Imagine being young and

living forever

• Look down on the poor• Envy the rich

HEAVENLY• Imagine an immersive

experience of God

• Respect the poor• Love the rich

a practical look at treasure location:

EARTHLY• Imagine being young and

living forever

• Look down on the poor• Envy the rich

• Worry about things• Plan how you can accumulate

HEAVENLY• Imagine an immersive

experience of God

• Respect the poor• Love the rich

• Confident that God will provide• Plan how you will give away

Application:Learn to treasure heaven.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if

your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how

great is that darkness!

Matthew 6:22-23

“The argument seems to go like this: just as our eye affects our whole body, so our ambition (where we fix our eyes and heart) affects our whole life. Just as a

seeing eye gives light to the body, so a noble singleminded ambition to serve God and man adds

meaning to life and throws light on everything we do. Again, just as blindness leads to darkness, so an

ignoble selfish ambition (e.g. to lay up treasure for ourselves on earth) plunges us into moral darkness. It makes us intolerant, inhuman, ruthless and deprives

life of all ultimate significance.

John Stott

It is all a question of vision. If we have physical vision, we can see what we are doing and where we are

going. So too if we have spiritual vision, if our spiritual perspective is correctly adjusted, then our life is filled

with purpose and drive. But if our vision becomes clouded by the false gods of materialism, and we lose our sense of values, then our whole life is in darkness

and we cannot see where we are going.

John Stott

Perhaps the emphasis lies even more strongly than I have so far suggested on the loss of vision caused by greed, because according to biblical thought an ‘evil

eye’ is a miserly spirit, and a ‘sound’ one is generous.”

John Stott

But encourage one another daily as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s

deceitfulness.”

Hebrews 3:13

Application:Find some means of holding yourself accountable in the area of finances.

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You

cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:24

“Every treasure will insist you die to purchase it. Jesus alone is the treasure

that dies to purchase you.”- Tim Keller

For some of us, our finances become our God by becoming the thing which gives us significance.

For some of us, our finances become our God by becoming the thing which gives us significance.

For others of us, our finances become our God by giving us a sense of security.

Application:We need to enlarge our generosity

footprint. Some of us should begin by giving in a disciplined way to the church. Others of us should think and pray about

how to get more generous.

Application:

•Let’s learn how to treasure heaven.

•Let’s build some accountability for ourselves in the area of finances.

•Let’s expand our generosity footprint.