Sermon: Rooted in the Sermon on the Mount – The Perils of Heaven on Earth – Mt 6.19–24 (1/11/26)
Introduction
Tonight
Four week intense study...
Abortion...
Categories of people...
Hold a position but don't really know why...
Hold a position but couldn't defend it...
Skeptical of the various positions...
Why study?
This issue goes to the root of what it means to be a person.
Theology of living a life that honors the Lord.
When you understand the underlying theology and truth it clears up issues touching on all hot button issues such as justice issues, racism, poverty issues, homosexuality, transgender...
As Christians, we should be able to give an answer for the hope that is within us...
Children, grandchildren, workplaces, school (students and educators)...
Plan...
Building to week 4...
Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 6.
Today we will continue our focus studying the Sermon on the Mount.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus covers many topics such as...
Topics
Anger
Lust
Prayer
Anxiety
Hypocrisy
And many more...
And all of that matters.
But in the middle part of Matthew 6, Jesus turns to something that quietly shapes ALL of those areas:
MONEY
Treasure
Money is rarely just about money.
It is often tied to some of the deepest struggles people face...
Whether we have a lot of it or very little of it.
Before we read what Jesus says in Matthew 6, listen to what Paul says about money...
Scripture
1 Timothy 6.10 | For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (CSB)
Many people have pierced themselves with many griefs.
Some have pierced themselves through and they know it.
Pierced themselves with anxiety.
Pierced themselves with regret and fear.
Pierced themselves with broken relationships.
Some have pierced themselves through and they don't know it yet.
But I have some very good news!
In just six verses, Jesus gives us wisdom that can make us PIERCE-PROOF.
Jesus doesn’t just warn us about the dangers connected to money...
He shows us how not to be wounded by those dangers.
Jesus teaches us how to BE rich!
Not how to GET rich, but how to steward the treasures we have in a way that protects our hearts and honors God.
The Bible does not teach us how to GET RICH, by some worldly measurement.
The Bible teaches that we ARE RICH in grace and mercy...
And the Bible teaches us how to BE RICH, live in the riches of grace, mercy, and security the Lord has given to us.
We are going to read and walk through these six verses together.
And let me say this up front...
This is not a message on the church needing you to give more money.
So, you can put down your guard.
But this is truth we all need...
Young and old...
Financially wealth and just barely getting by...
Scripture
Matthew 6.19 | “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. (CSB)
Don't store up for yourselves treasures...
The Greek word for treasures is θησαυροὺς.
As in Roget's Thesaurus, a treasury of words.
It refers to something of value.
When the wise men visited the baby Jesus, they brought "θησαυροὺς."
Matthew 2.11 | Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (CSB)
But here is the really interesting thing to know about how this verse begins.
The Greek word translated "store up" is θησαυρίζετε.
This is the same word in verb form.
The way this would have been heard by Jesus's first audience is...
DO NOT TREASURE YOUR TREASURES.
Jesus is not condemning having treasures.
He is not criticizing:
Saving
Investing
Preparing for retirement
Planning to give legacy gifts to family or organizations
Jesus is not addressing the possession of treasure, but the position of treasure.
Jesus disapproves of a certain attitude about treasure.
Don't treasure your treasures.
What does it mean to treasure your treasures?
We will revisit this later in the message, but for now...
To treasure your treasures is to rely on your possessions for security, joy, or identity in ways that belong to the Lord alone.
To treasure your treasures is to look to what you own to do what only God can do.
1 Timothy 6.17 | Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. (CSB)
On earth...
EARTH is the important qualifier.
We will see in a moment that we are to treasure certain treasures.
The warning here is against treasuring EARTHLY treasures.
Where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
Here he gives us one reason we should not treasure our treasure.
Earthly treasure is fragile and temporary treasure!
Fragile...
A million things can happen that would cost you your treasure.
Temporary...
Even if your treasure survives a lifetime, it is so temporary.
It's like taking your nest egg, and spending 100% of it on fresh bananas.
Some people...
Some people could afford to buy a grocery bag of bananas.
Some people could afford to buy a pick-up truck load of bananas.
Some could afford to buy a dump truck load of bananas.
Some maybe could afford to buy a freight train load of bananas.
But in a week, we would all be in the same boat...
We would all see our wealth rot...
We would all be penniless...
In just a few years, our fortunes, big or small, will be destroyed by the MOTH OF DEATH.
Matthew 6.20 | But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. (CSB)
Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...
Greek
Same Greek words as we saw in the previous verse.
Treasure your treasure...
The difference is the location of the treasure.
Treasure your treasure in heaven.
Note that Jesus does not merely permit heavenly treasuring...
He commands it!
In heaven...
It seems there are two different places we can STORE our treasure.
Earth
Heaven
We will learn in a moment exactly what it means to store treasure in heaven and how to do that, but for now, I just want you to see how wealth is measured.
There is a TEMPORAL measurement...
How many bananas do you have?
That is not unimportant, but it is temporary.
Blessings...
The Lord has blessed some with great wealth.
That is generally good.
Most of us would love to have a little more wealth.
The Lord has blessed some with very little wealth.
Some of you are thinking, "Pastor, that is not a blessing!"
It is.
It is a different kind of blessing.
We will circle back to this.
There is an HEAVENLY measurement...
This is very important!
Blessings...
Some Christians have a great heavenly wealth...
Some Christians have very little heavenly wealth...
And just as someone's level of wealth changes their earthly life, so one's heavenly wealth affects his heavenly life.
How?
Responsibility
Joy
Honor
Capacity for service
That is why Jesus commands us to store up treasure in heaven.
We see this in other places in the Bible as well...
Colossians 3.23 | Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, (CSB)
Colossians 3.24 | knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ. (CSB)
Matthew 25.21 | “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’ (CSB)
Where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.
Where earthly treasure is temporary, heavenly treasure is eternal and everlasting.
Treasures...
One more word about heavenly treasures before we move on...
Don't think of heavenly treasure as just earthy treasures reproduced in heaven.
Jesus does not just want to BAPTIZE OUR MATERIALISM and change the source of our joy from THINGS on earth to THINGS in heaven.
Sometimes I will hear people talk about their excitement for heavenly riches and they mention gold and jewels and mansions...
That thinking is wrong!
That is still materialism...
That is still seeking happiness in things.
There will certainly be great heavenly wealth for those who invested in gospel on earth...
But the heavenly wealth will be far greater than eternal versions of earthly treasures.
Illustration
I remember as a nine-year-old kid, I believed the truest measurement of wealth was whether you had an Atari game console and a stack of game cartridges.
Now, 47 years later, my wealth has multiplied many fold.
It doesn't feel like it some days, but I have way more money now than I did when I was nine.
But I don't own a single game console.
You see, at this stage in life, I don't measure wealth by game consoles and game cartridges.
If I wanted a game console, I could buy one today.
What is valuable to me now is completely different...
It is better.
And Jesus is telling us that the same transformation must happen eternally.
Heavenly wealth is not...
Shinier gold...
More sparkly jewels...
Bigger mansions...
Those are the ways 9-year-olds measure wealth!
Heavenly wealth is something so much better and more rewarding.
Matthew 6.21 | For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (CSB)
New motivation...
In the previous two verses, we learned the first reason we should value heavenly treasure over earthly treasure...
Namely, earthly treasure is temporary.
Now we learn an arguably even more important reason to value heavenly over earthly treasure...
While earthly treasure is temporary, heavenly treasure is FORMATIVE.
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The treasure you treasure will redirect your heart!
The location of the treasure you treasure will redirect your heart!
TREASURE TRAINS YOUR HEART.
Redirecting the heart...
Have you ever seen someone teach this verse by tying a string around a stack of money with the other end of the string tied to a helium filled heart shaped balloon?
They move the money around and note how the heart-balloon follows.
That is not a bad illustration, but it is also not exactly what Jesus is saying here.
Jesus is saying more than that.
That illustration suggests the heart naturally follows money.
Jesus is saying something more searching:
The heart follows what we intentionally value.
What is Jesus saying in this verse?
A. You get to decide what is valuable to you.
I remember years ago spending more than an hour being shown someone's SPOON collection.
All I could think was I WILL NEVER GET THIS HOUR BACK.
Obviously these spoons were extremely valuable to this person, but I was thinking if this lady were to gift me her entire spoon collection and I took these home today, I wouldn't even bring them in the house.
I would take them straight from my car to my trash dumpster.
Why were those spoons so valuable to her?
Those spoons were priceless to her, not because of what they were, but because of what she DECIDED they were worth.
You get to choose what is valuable to you.
Do you spend three hours doing your hair and make-up every morning?
That is a choice.
Do you check your stocks four times a day?
That is a choice.
Are you tracking all the football players who went into the portal last week?
That is a choice.
Do you dust and mop your home twice a day?
That is a choice.
Do you check social media while sitting on the commode?
That is a choice.
Do you daydream about your golf swing?
That is a choice.
B. Whatever you decide to value, your heart (affections) will change and follow.
If I choose to value success and the approval of man, then that will change my heart.
If I choose to value leisure, comfort, and luxury, then that will change my heart.
If I choose to value that God would be glorified in and around me, then that will change my heart.
If I choose to value the eternal souls of people around me, then that will change my heart.
When the Puritans taught this verse, they taught it as a diagnostic tool.
If you want to know the true love of your heart, just look at what you value most in life.
Follow your time, your money, and your emotional energy...
They will lead you straight to your heart.
Think about it like this...
Which loss would grieve you more:
The loss of everything you own...
Or the knowledge that the Lord is displeased with you?
Your heart will always move in the direction of what you decide is most valuable.
Matthew 6.22 | “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.(CSB)
Matthew 6.23 | But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! (CSB)
In these verses, Jesus does not change the subject...
He changes the metaphor.
In the first three verses, Jesus frames this as what you TREASURE.
In these two verses, he frames this as what you FOCUS ON.
What you consistently focus on determines whether your inner life is filled with light or darkness.
If the light within you is darkness...
This phrase points to spiritual self deception.
If our focus is on the material world, what we believe to be wisdom and truth will lead us into darkness.
Matthew 6.24 | “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (CSB)
The most important thing to notice about this verse right now is just how emphatic Jesus is.
He does not say...
It would be hard to serve two masters...
It might not be a good idea to serve two masters...
You should be careful to balance things wisely when you serve two masters...
He says serving two master is IMPOSSIBLE!
Why is Jesus so emphatic?
He will hate one and love the other...
That may not be our intent...
That may not be our plan...
But that will inevitably be the outcome.
More on this in a few minutes...
How to BE Rich?
In these six verses, Jesus does not say that money is evil.
He says money is powerful!
Powerful enough to reveal...
What we love...
What we trust...
Who we serve...
Powerful enough to...
Train your heart...
Claim your allegiance...
When we put this all together, three unavoidable truths rise to the surface...
If we understand these three truths, we can handle money without being HANDLED BY MONEY.
We can BE rich well.
I. Treasuring treasure corrupts contentment.
From the most practical perspective, what we need the most is not more wealth but more contentment.
Happiness, joy, love, and even peace and security...
Those are not the function of more money.
Those are the function of more CONTENTMENT.
In fact, studies consistently show that once basic needs are met, additional income has little or no positive effect on things such as...
The happiness, strength, and health of marriage...
The godliness or spiritual maturity of your children...
Freedom from stress, depression, loneliness, insecurity...
Emotional resilience in times of hardship...
Protection from anxiety about the future...
The depth and stability of close friendships...
Discontentment often rises with wealth.
Here is how Solomon, the wisest man, said it...
Ecclesiastes 5.10 | The one who loves silver is never satisfied with silver, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. This too is futile. (CSB)
So, what is the problem?
The problem is not wealth (treasure).
The problem is treasuring wealth (treasuring treasure).
Matthew 6.19 | Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. (CSB)
Matthew 6.21 | For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (CSB)
Why does treasuring treasure lead to discontentment?
Earthly treasure is fragile, so it breeds anxiety.
Treasured things demand constant comparison.
Treasuring treasure trains the heart to trust treasure instead of trusting God.
That is why Jesus said it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Earthly treasure relocates hope into the future.
If I just get/accomplish BLANK, then I will be content.
Raise
Retirement number
Promotion
Spouse
Win
Recognition
How to stop treasuring treasure?
Remember the lady with the spoons?
How did she fall in love with spoons?
Not all at once...
One spoon at a time...
She started by noticing spoons...
Looking for spoons...
Thinking about spoons...
Talking about spoons...
That’s how treasure captures the heart.
Not through one big decision...
But through a thousand small ones...
To stop treasuring treasure, you have to change your focus.
Regularly thank the Lord for the non-material blessings he has given you.
Daily declare your hope and confidence in the Lord.
Take your daily needs to the Lord.
Matthew 6.11 | Give us today our daily bread. (CSB)
Give money away generously and freely.
Let's talk about tithing for a minute.
Tithing is the biblical practice of giving 10% of your income and your increase to the Lord through his church.
We could talk about this as...
An instruction and a command...
Something that God promises to honor...
Critical to the spread of the gospel...
Window into God's place in your life...
That is what Jesus focuses first on here...
I have two very different but very much the same conversation with people about tithing.
Sometimes...
Sometimes a person will make an appointment with me to come tell me they cannot tithe because they don't have enough money.
Sometimes a person will make an appointment with me to come tell me they cannot tithe because they have too much money.
What is the problem these two different people face?
They face the exact same problem!
They are both focused more on gaining worldly wealth that honoring the Lord.
They are both treasuring treasure!
But let me just talk about it as it relates to contentment.
The most shocking thing about tithing, and you hear this from people all of the time, is that it is easier to live off 90% than it is to live off 100%.
Marriages are happier...
Emotional health is stronger...
Long term hope is brighter...
Why?
Not because the math works better...
But because the heart works better.
Not because tithing makes life easy...
But because it retrains the heart to trust God instead of money.
Because there is something about voluntarily giving a big chunk of your money away every month that creates contentment.
In a lesser way this would also be true if you put 10% in a barrel in your back yard and burned it each month!
That buffer or margin is your declaration that I am depending on God not money.
When the monster of more screams you need more and more and more to be happy...
Your tithe says...
NO! In fact, I'm choosing to live off LESS.
The angel of LESS always beats the monster of MORE!
It all comes down to this...
Matthew 6.33 | Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. (CSB)
Seeking first the kingdom doesn’t eliminate needs, but it eliminates anxiety about them.
Remember...
Attention always precedes affection!
And affection always shapes contentment!
II. Gospel generosity relocates our treasure to heaven.
Let's revisit verse 20...
Matthew 6.20 | But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. (CSB)
Treasure your treasures in heaven...
There is only one faithful way to understand this verse...
Jesus teaches that how we steward what God gives us, including our money, has real and lasting consequences in heaven.
Let that sink in for a minute.
Our salvation is not based on our faithfulness.
But in ways the Bible does not fully explain, our reward is based on our faithfulness.
Obedience
Stewardship
Devotion to Christ
Here is the great sin many Christians fall into...
We try really hard to create heaven on earth...
The perfect life...
The perfect house...
The perfect everything...
And three things happen...
1. We feel the pressure of limited resources and limited time.
2. We lose the longing for heaven.
3. We fail to store up treasures in heaven.
Which we are commanded to do in this verse!
Gospel generosity relocates our treasure to heaven.
III. You cannot play on both teams.
Look back to verse 24...
Matthew 6.24 | No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (CSB)
First, notice how black and white Jesus declares this truth...
Scripture
No one can serve two masters...
You cannot serve both God and money.
Jesus does not allow for exceptions, balance, or neutrality.
Jesus is not comparing two employers.
You can serve two employers.
He is describing slavery to two owners.
Two masters who both demand ultimate loyalty.
Jesus is talking about choosing which master will define your life.
What does it mean for something to define your life?
Here is the diagnostic question to ask:
DO I USE MONEY TO SERVE GOD OR TO PROTECT MYSELF FROM NEEDING HIM?
At the deepest level, everyone ends up on one team or the other.
Either your life is surrendered to the Lord, and money becomes a tool.
Or your life is oriented around money, security, and control...
And Jesus becomes the tool.
Jesus warns us that a “middle path” is an illusion.
Either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.
Divided allegiance always resolves itself, not gradually, but decisively.
Which team will you and your family choose?
Your answer makes all the difference!
Conclusion
Let me close by saying this clearly:
This sermon has not been about money.
It has been about treasure, treasuring treasure.
And ultimately, it has been about what you believe is worth your life.
Jesus once told a short story that brings all of this into focus.
Matthew 13.45 | “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. (CSB)
Matthew 13.46 | When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.(CSB)
Notice what the man does.
He does not hesitate.
He does not negotiate.
He does not diversify.
When he sees supreme value, the decision becomes clear.
That pearl is not money.
It is not comfort.
It is not security.
That pearl is Jesus himself.
And this is the heart of the gospel.
Jesus is not one treasure among many.
He is the treasure that makes every other treasure small.
He is better than money.
Better than control.
Better than the life we keep trying to protect.
Some of you are realizing this morning that you have been trying to serve two masters.
Using Jesus to secure a life built on money.
And Jesus says lovingly, but firmly:
You cannot play on both teams.
But here is the good news.
Jesus does not call you to lose everything.
He calls you to trade lesser treasures for the greatest one.
What feels like surrender is actually freedom.
What feels like loss is actually gain.
So here is the question as simply as I can ask it:
Is Jesus your greatest treasure?
Not a helpful addition.
Not a spiritual backup plan.
But the priceless pearl worth your whole life?
Because when Christ becomes your treasure...
Money loses its power...
Contentment begins to grow...
Your heart finally finds rest...
Jesus is not asking for your money this morning.
He is asking for you.