Prioritizing God: The True Treasure Over Wealth

Devotional

Sermon Summary

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips


"let's talk about money Matthew 6 do not lay up for yourselves Treasures on Earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal but lay up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven where moth and rust don't destroy and thieves don't break in and steal because where your treasure is there will your heart be also Jesus spoke more about money than he did about sex Heaven hell money is a big deal to Jesus there must be something really dangerous about money" [00:00:29]

"money is dangerous if you have it and depend on it it'll kill you if you don't have it and crave it it'll kill you money can kill us because it shows our heart right where your heart is comes out so he's he's on this again and again and my question is what does it mean to lay up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven rather than Treasures on the earth so let's see if we can get some help from Jesus in his his demand that we lay up Treasures in Heaven" [00:01:25]

"so is meaning fool so is everyone who lays up Treasures for himself and is not rich toward God what in the world does that statement mean rich toward God I've struggled with that for years surely it doesn't mean give God lots of money he doesn't need any money he has to cattle on a thousand hills if I were hungry I would not tell you Psalm 50 no being rich towards God doesn't mean enrich God I think it means count God as your riches" [00:03:09]

"be rich toward God means if you if you're looking about for where to be rich focus on God he's your great reward he's your riches and so laying up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven would be living in such a way as to maximize God as your treasure handle your money in such a way as to show God not money is your treasure I think that's the implication here's another story or little saying that Jesus gave" [00:03:56]

"you can't serve two masters either you will hate the one and love the other or you'll be devoted to the one and despise the other you cannot serve God and money now what does it mean to serve serve money CU I think that will shed light on what it means to serve God how do you serve money you don't you don't do what money says money is not talking to you little dollar bill with the mouth open saying do this and do that" [00:04:46]

"serve money means calculate all your behaviors all your life do what you do to maximize what money benefits can give you what benefits can come to you from money money always be thinking how can I maximize the benefits that come to me from money that would be serving money I think most people would probably agree with that so what does it mean to serve God don't bring in an alien meaning from outside this comparison" [00:05:16]

"if you stick with the comparison serving God would mean do everything you do calculate all your behavior to maximize the pleasures you can get from God all the benefits you can get from God in Christ all that God can be for you not just money be for you so you can't serve God in money that way those are mutually exclusive either you are angling to make God your treasure in everything or you're angling to make money you're treasure in everything" [00:05:50]

"fear not little flock it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom sell your possessions give to the needy provide for yourselves money bags that don't grow old a treasure in the heavens that does not fail for where your treasure is there will your heart be also so did you get the connection between lay up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven and sell your possessions provide yourselves with purses or money bags that don't grow old" [00:06:47]

"so there's the the issue you have providing yourselves money bags and treasures that never fail and giving to the needy and wouldn't you agree that Jesus is saying this is the way you do that sell your possessions and give to the needy thus thus can insert the little word th thus you can discuss whether you think that's a legitimate thing thus provide for yourselves Treasures in Heaven so I I think the answer here of how you provide Treasures in Heaven" [00:07:40]

"you take your money and you show your freedom from it it's not your God it's not your treasure you love people and you want people to love God so you are displaying the love of God by sharing with people more and more and in doing that your joy in heaven in God increases now the motive that Jesus gives for that stunningly is in verse 32 listen to this fear not little flock so we tend to be afraid like if I give this much to the church" [00:08:10]

"fear not little flock and then he calls us flock what is he God is our Shepherd fear not little flock it is your father's so now we have a father and we have a Shepherd good pleasure to give you the kingdom now he's a king I mean that verse is amazing he's piling up pictures of God to take away our fear of giving and laying up Treasures in Heaven he's a Shepherd he's a father he's a king Shepherds Shepherds know everything the Sheep need to know" [00:08:57]

"keep your life free from the Love of Money this is Hebrews 13 keep your life free from the love of money for he has said I will never fail you I'll never forsake you therefore we can confidently say the Lord is my helper what can man do to me oh Father make these people free from the fear of giving make Christians the most lavish generous free givers at Great risk to themselves than anybody else on the planet do it for Christ's sake I ask in his name" [00:10:05]

Ask a question about this sermon