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Introduction
It was Zig Ziglar that said “Money is NOT the most important thing in life, but it is reasonably close to oxygen.
When you need it.
You really do need it.”
How many of you know what he’s talking about?
We often hear that “money can’t buy happiness.”
Ziglar goes on to say that “Money bought me a nice house, but it won’t buy me a home.
Money will buy you a companion, but it won’t buy you a friend.
Money will buy you a good time, but it won’t buy you peace of mind.
Money will buy you a bed, but it won’t buy you a good night’s sleep.”
Ziglar was a motivational speaker on wealth and success.
But he was also a Sunday School teacher at Prestonwood Baptist Church in the Dallas area.
He certainly had a good understanding of our text today.
What he’s saying here is that there are higher priorities than money in life.
We are continuing our lesson in the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus moves to teaching about money and warns against the troubles that money can bring in life.
Let’s pray...
Father God,
We praise your holy name, most high in the heavens.
You alone are worthy of all praise, God.
We are blessed to call you Father.
I thank you Father for allowing us to come into your presence this morning, for allowing us to lift praises before you in voices united for you.
Father, I ask that you would unite us for your purpose.
I ask that you would allow us to impact Los Fresnos with the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Father, I ask you to give me clarity of mind, precision of speech, and a heart for your people as I bring your message today.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.
Amen.
I. How Do We Use Money?
Money is NOT necessarily a bad thing!
God made all things good (Gen 1:31).
And God knows that we need things in life (Matt 6:32) and He has supplied us with the things that we need in life (1 Tim 6:17b).
But 1 Tim 6:17a also tips us off to the fact that money can be a potential trap.
How many of you know that money comes and money goes in this life?
[How many of you have money going before it is coming?
In other words, you run out of paycheck before payday!
I know the feeling!]
Now let me just add this open disclosure before I go any further...
I am no expert on money!
I have had my own battles with money throughout my life.
But I’m not here to be an expert on wealth and success today.
I’m here to bring you God’s word and specifically the words of Jesus Christ today.
You know many times as I study in preparation for these messages on Sunday morning, the Lord has to work in my heart and in my life so that I can bring His message before you with integrity and honesty.
I have to humbly submit myself to God’s word daily so that I can fully understand His message and unpack it properly for you all, week after week.
And that’s not just a pastor thing, by the way.
It’s a Christian thing.
We should all be seeking to understand God’s messages for our daily lives.
This is what Paul meant when he wrote to the young pastor, Timothy...
Remember that Jesus is teaching his disciples about the regular, corrupt practices of the Pharisees.
Luke 16 tells us that the Pharisees were lovers of money.
But more specifically Jesus is guiding them to a better understanding about how to live their lives as Christians… living as images of Christ himself.
And of course it means that this message still applies to us today.
Jesus taught a LOT about money...
Why do you think Jesus was so concerned about money?
He taught on money almost as much as he talked about the Kingdom of God.
Jesus knows that money is important.
As we say, “Money makes the world go around.”
But then again, in Luke 12:15 Jesus tells us that we must be on guard against greed.
Economist John Kenneth Galbraith wrote, “What is not in doubt is that the pursuit of money, or any enduring association with it, is capable of inducing not alone bizarre but ripely perverse behavior.”
This is one of the most misquoted and misunderstood verses by the world.
It is often quoted as being “the love of money is the root of evil.”
Even the economist that I just quoted said in his book, “That the love of money is the root of evil can, conceivably, be disputed...” Of course it can be disputed.
Money is not the root of all evil.
Money is A root of evil.
So is sex.
So is power and authority.
So is fame and the adoration of man.
But the actual text cannot be disputed...
“The love of money is a root of all sorts of evil...” What sorts of evil springs out of the love of money?
jealousy, greed, materialism
lies, falsehood
theft, misappropriation
murder, assault, war
…and many others, I’m certain.
And Paul goes further, saying “some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Did you know that the love of money could lure you away from faith?
Now, don’t get me wrong… Everybody that has money is NOT evil and faithless.
I can name for you countless business men and women that have experienced success and have gained wealth without losing their faith in God.
Many of them are solid supporters of the church and Christian ministries throughout the world today.
But I believe it to be true that most, if not all business people who have experienced success have also experienced some level of temptation by the possession of wealth.
Some have learned how to withstand that temptation and will do the right thing in response.
But for some the love of and pursuit of wealth will choose to do the wrong thing.
I can think of one Christian business man that I encountered who took money from investors for a building project and used the funds on a separate project.
He was investigated by the FBI and eventually went to jail.
He made this choice along with his business partner (another Christian business man) knowing that it was illegal, but felt it was the only way to get himself out of a difficult situation.
This man paid the price by spending 5 years in prison during the prime years of his sons growing up.
He left his wife, who had not worked in years, penniless and jobless, and effectively a single mother while he served his time in a federal prison.
On a smaller scale, people are asked all the time to break the law or cut corners or do something that is considered unethical in order to save money or make money.
II.
Battle of the Heart - Matthew 6:19-21
What we can see here in Jesus teaching is that we are in a battle.
I call this the battle of our life, because we all have to handle and deal with money every single day.
Jesus first says that this is a battle for our heart...
There are two kinds of treasure outlined here...
A. Treasure on Earth - v19
Treasure on earth is our material wealth.
It is houses, cars, property, trips and vacations.
These are the things that we flaunt in front of others to show that we are wealthy and successful.
These are also the things that we covet and desire and yearn for, so that we too can experience the happiness that these things are supposed to produce.
B. Treasure in Heaven - v20
Jesus further tells us to store up our treasure in heaven.
We are so accustomed to thinking of earthly treasure that we seldom consider treasure in heaven.
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