Confronting Our False Gods: Learning to Rightly Treasure God

CONFRONTING OUR FALSE GODS: LEARNING TO RIGHTLY TREASURE GOD) Matthew 6:19-24 – MHAFB, 3 Mar 19 Series: Life of Jesus Topics: Life of Jesus; Teachings of Jesus; Treasure; Pleasing God; Materialism; Wealth; Idolatry; ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Opening of Worship Passage: Psalm 115:1-9, “1 Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory because of your faithful love, because of your truth. 2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in heaven and does whatever he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. 5 They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. 6 They have ears but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. 7 They have hands but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk. They cannot make a sound with their throats. 8 Those who make them are just like them, as are all who trust in them. 9 Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield.” (CSB) Songs: Blessed Be Your Name, Be Thou My Vision, All Heaven Declares, Behold Our God, He Will Hold Me Fast (offertory special) Slide, Psalm 119:105: Introduction 1. Attention: Okay you Bible scholars (which I encourage you all to be!) a. What do these names have in common? Chemosh (Moab), Dagon (Philistine), Ra/Osiris (Egypt), Nisroch (Assyria), Marduk (Babylon), Molech/Milcom (Ammon), & Ashtoreth/Baal (Canaan) i. Yes! They are a selection of the near 30 false gods that God’s people in the Old Testament were tempted to worship. b. In worshiping these gods… i. People attributed honor, reverence, and worth to these supposed beings 1. And even to the objects, the idols, that supposedly bore their resemblance. ii. They tried to serve & love these gods because they treasured them— 1. They valued them and placed their trust in them for their greatest security & pleasure c. Such false god worship has been a struggle for humans since the time of our first fall into sin! 2. Big Picture: But I’m sure glad that Americans don’t struggle with false gods, aren’t you? … Wait, we do? … How do Americans struggle with the worship of false gods? a. Sometimes false god worship takes a religious form with actual idols (like the supposed gods as vishnu, buddha, the horned god, and more) i. Living in the San Francisco region the past decade I saw much of this due to the diverse culture & influx of Eastern immigration in that region b. But more often in America, our false god worship takes on a much sneakier form... i. And consequentially many Americans & even Christians have fallen into many various forms of idolatry & false god worship ii. There are other things that we treasure—things we serve, love, and trust for our security & pleasure c. Slide, Title: And so today we are in Matthew 6:19-24, “Confronting Our False Gods: Learning to Rightly Treasure God” i. Slide, Thesis: As we do this, I hope that we will each better understand that… 1. Trusting, serving, & loving God must be our greatest treasure in life 3. Verses: To do this, we’re going back into Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount a. Context: While the sermon started in Matthew 5, as you see, we’ll be in 6:19-24 i. Just prior to today’s verses, in 6:1-18, Jesus talks about prayer & fasting 1. For both prayer & fasting Jesus teaches how to do it rightly & in away that your heavenly Father will reward you (vv4, 18) 2. And for both He warns against doing it for the treasure of being noticed or honored by people (vv1-2, 5, 16) ii. Then in vv19-24 Jesus begins to further expand on how we must guard what we treasure in life 1. In this, Jesus shifts from the unrighteous treasure of human notice & honor (vv1-2, 5, 16) to the unrighteous treasure of earthly wealth (vv19, 24) 2. And with this, He teaches us that trusting, serving, & loving God must be our greatest treasure in life b. 3 Slides, Verses: Passage: So, join me now in Matthew 6:19-24 as we read… Matthew 6:19–24 CSB 19 “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t 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. 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. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! 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. 4. Transition: To work through these verses, let’s first start by considering... Slide, Main Point 1a: Earthly Treasures 1. Explain: a. There are many things that people treasure in their life; i. For such reasons, Jesus here talks about treasureS in the plural sense b. Generally speaking, good and bad treasures are those things which you... i. MP1b: …Greatly prize & value in life 1. Often they are valued to such an extent that you will sacrifice other worthwhile things to attain what you treasure! ii. MP1c: …Trust for your security and pleasures c. So, thinking quietly in your own heart—what are some of the things that you treasure? 2. Illustrate: Let’s consider American culture: What are some of the greatest earthly treasures for the people of our nation? a. Examples: Physical appearance, Pleasures or Comfort, Physical appetites or highs, Entertainment, Politics, Cultural groups (ethnic, patriotism, etc.), Sports teams, Science, Pets, Family, Social Action, & even religion! b. Jesus mentions several specifically in this chapter i. Pride: Notice & honor from people; pride, status, ego, position, 1. Maybe this comes out with our frequent selfies, or seeking more “likes” and “followers” ii. Mammon: This is a fairly unique word that Jesus used which was translated simply as "money” 1. This actually refers to wealth & possessions of all sorts! 2. In a broader sense we might think of this as referencing materialism 3. Notice how Jesus personifies this wealth as a false god—something that people serve & can be a slave to a. Have you ever been enslaved to the desire to get more stuff? b. Do your credit cards or loan payments agree with your self-assessment? c. Too often we are ensnared to such materialism with its deceptive promises of contentment & security! (Mt. 13:22) i. Our temptations through the desires of our eyes, desires of our flesh, & our boastful pride of life all play into this! 4. MP1d & e: Interestingly earthly treasures become false gods when we treasure them above God 3. Expand: Since the fall, all humans, from all cultures have struggled with such earthly treasures & ‘false gods' a. MP1f & g: Through the teachings of Jesus we see that we must confront & remove these false gods, learning to rightly treasure God i. Let us beware the lure of mammon and any other earthly treasure! b. Remember, these treasures will not last & bear no ultimate benefit! i. Whether they are destroyed by moth or rust, stolen by thieves, or some other means… ii. Every such earthy treasure will not ultimately help us. 4. Transition: So, these are the negatives treasures, but what are the positives treasures? a. Let us now talk about… Slide, Main Point 2a: Trusting, serving, & loving God 1. Explain: a. MP2b: In a very general sense, God is our ultimate treasure; it is He Whom we ought to... 1. ...most you greatly prize & value, making sacrifices to know & love Him more 2. …place our trust for security and pleasures b. But within the context of these verses, three ways of responding to God are also seen as treasures, trusting, serving, & loving God i. There are three things that Jesus not only taught us to do, but things that He also lived out! ii. So, let’s look at each of them… c. MP2c: Trusting God: While this word is never dropped in our text, is a foundation for everything in it. i. And how I am using this word, it is synonymous with ‘believing God’ or ‘having faith in God’ ii. He who does not trust in God would not trust any of Jesus’ words here! 1. Why would he postpone the immediate gratification of worldly treasures for a supposed ‘treasure in heaven’ a. He wouldn’t place his treasures in the hands of one whom He doesn’t have confidence in! 2. And why would he ever move to serve this God, except perhaps out of an ambiguous fear? 3. Furthermore, getting him to love this God would simply be impossible! iii. MP2d: It all starts with trust, our faith in God— 1. Consider how the author of Hebrews puts it, esp. in how it relates to the ‘trust & treasures’ highlighted by Jesus— a. Hebrews 11:6, “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (CSB) 2. Did you catch that? If you want to please God, you must trust (have faith in) Him-a. This will lead you to draw near to Him, believing He exists & rewards those who seek Him! b. There are great treasures to be found in trusting God! iv. But now, let’s move on to... d. MP2e: Serving God: Here is a term that is lifted straight out of the text that references the ‘loyal servant obedience' i. In v24 Jesus says, 1. “No one can serve two masters,” and “You cannot serve both God and money.” ii. MP2f: This highlights the fact that we cannot have ultimately divided loyalties 1. If you treasure God... a. You greatly prize & value Him, b. making sacrifices to attain Him, c. placing your trust for your security & pleasures in Him 2. You can’t do the same thing for wealth or any other false gods we’ve mentioned today. iii. MP2g: God calls on us to have an undivided heart of trust & service to Him iv. Illustration: Jesus powerfully highlights this with the imagery of a slave & a master 1. A master requires total allegiance from his slave 2. Slaves who had more than one master were in a very unfortunate situation! 3. How could he ultimately please & ultimately serve both masters? 4. In the end, neither would be satisfied, or only one would be satisfied! a. But both would *never* be satisfied! 5. Have any of you ever had two jobs & run into this situation? v. Christians are called out of these divided hearts 1. We are called to the treasure of exclusively serving God 2. And in this same verse, Jesus reminds us that such service to God is not heartless or merely out of a sense of obligation… 3. For as v24 shares in it’s entirety, “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.” a. Hate or love, devotion to or despising—How will you respond to Go? b. And this brings us to our final great treasure to discuss this morning— e. MP2h: Loving God: i. The Greek words Jesus uses here for... 1. MP2i: Devotion: refers to having a strong attachment to God, clinging and holding fast to Him 2. MP2j: Love: the word is the familiar agapa; which is the devoted love that keeps loving, no matter what ii. Thus Jesus is calling on us to have an ever-more undivided heart of loving devotion & devoted love of God 1. Such love can only come when we have first understood that He loves us (1 John 4:19) 2. It means that we have entered a loving relationship with the Creator of the universe, the great Redeemer of mankind! 3. And this indeed a great treasure greater than all! 2. Transition: Now, let’s begin to close this off… Slide, Conclusion-a: Conclusion 1. Reiterate: Trusting, serving, & loving God must be our greatest treasure in life a. Each of us have things that we treasure-i. Those things which we greatly prize & value in life , making sacrifices to gain them, & placing our trust for security & pleasures w/in them. ii. Jesus again calls upon us to confront any false gods & learn to rightly treasure God b. And in this we looked at three key ways to treasure God-i. We trust in Him ii. We serve Him iii. We devotedly love Him 2. Apply: So, how does this actually effect our daily life? a. Con-b: Devalue earthly treasures! i. Con-c: Or put in a more powerful way, remove the false gods that have crept into your life! ii. Each of these are temporal and transient! iii. Consider what your heart & mind prize & value over God— 1. What things do you make more sacrifices to gain? 2. What things do you place your trust in for security & pleasures? iv. Is it... 1. Social status (Mt. 6:1-18)? 2. Wealth (Mt. 6:19-24)? Jesus’ focus here & a warning throughout in the Bible, such as 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) 3. Family (Mt. 10:37)? Something you may remember from last week’s sermon 4. Something else? v. We considered many of these earlier—allow the Spirit of God to convict you & lead you to devalue those things which you have raised to a position that detracts from God b. Con-d: Enlarge your heavenly treasures! i. In contrast to the temporal & transient nature of earthly treasures, heavenly treasures are eternal! ii. How can you trust, serve, & love God more? iii. But also realize that the totality of heavenly treasures exists beyond this! 1. Con-e & f: ‘Heavenly treasure’ are those good things you can do now that have eternal results 2. There are many things that God has entrusted to us that have such a nature about them; although you could summarize them as… a. Con-g: Who you are: How can you make sacrifices to gain more godly character, strong faith, or the fruits of the Spirit? b. Con-h: Who you impact: What people has God placed in your life that He is calling on you to share His good news to or to bring to maturity as a disciple? 3. Our lives are full of opportunities to take part in things that have a lasting, enduring impact— a. But will we truly value & pursue such opportunities? c. Con-i: Pursue an undivided heart! i. Con-j: Do not ultimately pursue both heavenly & earthly treasures! 1. We are masters at doing this & then defending it to ourselves & others, too! ii. But remember again the clear words of Jesus in v24, “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.” iii. Or consider how He shares in v21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 1. Your heart here, referencing that on which your life centers, the focus of your thoughts & will 2. You cannot center your life on God & then on the worldly treasures that are opposed to God! iv. And consider even the way Jesus puts it in vv22-23, 1. While Jesus’ previous illustration was on the center of your life—your heart a. Now Jesus’ illustration is on the focusing agents of your life—your eyes b. Con-k & l: We are to ultimately have our hearts centered on & our eyes focused on heavenly treasures! 2. Elsewhere in the Scriptures we are warned about temptation from the “desires of the eyes” (1 John 2:16), this was something that tempted Eve into sin (Gen. 3:6) & also something that Satan used to tempt Jesus in the wilderness (Mt. 4:8)! a. The Greek word for "healthy” here refers to something that is simple and genuine i. If your eye is simply & genuinely focused on heavenly treasures—your whole body is full of God’s light! b. However, when your eye is bad & you fall for the temptation of letting earthly treasures cloud your vision… i. That which should now be light within you is now darkness! ii. And how great & terrible this would be! 3. No, we must instead have an undivided heart with undivided vision! 3. Appeal: a. May the Lord help us to keep our eyes in check by His Spirit and have the genuine focus on His heavenly treasures i. May He gives us the strength & ability to have a pure heart that desires Him above all else. b. Let your relationship with God define, limit, & enrich every other part of your life! i. Learn to trust Jesus when He says “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” (John 10:10, CSB) ii. Follow Him in a godly self-denial of all things that compete for His place as the ultimate treasure in your life. 4. Conclude: Pray with me... a. God, we know that service to you is no part-time endeavor i. On the contrary, it is something that calls for our fullest devotion...