Matthew 6:18-34
I. \\#Matt 1:1-3:17\\ The Presentation of the King
A. \\#Matt 1:1-2:23\\ The Offering of the King
1. \\#1:1-17\\ The King is Offered to the Reader
2. \\#1:18-25\\ The King Is Offered to Joseph
3. \\#2:1-12\\ The King Is Offered to the East
4. \\#2:13-23\\ The King Is Offered to Herod
B. \\#Matt 3:1-17\\ The Announcement of the King
1. Announced by John
2. Announced by the Father
II. \\#4:1-7:29\\ The Person of the King
A. \\#Matt 4:1-4:29\\ Powerful but humble
1. \\#4:1-11\\ Powerful but humble before Satan.
2. \\#4:12-17\\ Powerful but humble before government.
3. \\#4:18-22\\ Powerful but humble in the selection of His
disciples.
4. \\#4:23-25\\ Powerful but humble in ministry.
B. \\#Matt 5:1-7:29\\ Wise and Godly
1. \\#5:1-2\\ The Setting
2. \\#5:3-12\\ Be All You Can Be
3. \\#5:13-16\\ Do the Work
4. \\#5:17-19\\ Honor the Law
5. \\#5:20-6:18\\ Do It Better-Grace Always Exceeds the Law.
a. \\#5:21-48\\ Grace exceeds the Law in our dealings with people.
(1) \\#5:21-22\\ Keep It Civil
(2) \\#5:23-26\\ Make It Right
(3) \\#5:27-32\\ Keep It Pure
(4) \\#5:29-30\\ Control Your Vessel
(5) \\#5:31-32\\ Make It Work
(6) \\#5:33-37\\ Keep It True
(7) \\#5:38-42\\ Go the Second Mile
(8) \\#5:43-48\\ Love Them Anyway
b. \\#6:1-18\\ Grace exceeds the Law in our dealings with God.
(1) \\#6:1-4\\ Give unto God Alone
(2) \\#6:5-15\\ Pray unto God Alone
(3) \\#6:16-18\\ Fast unto God Alone
6. \\#6:19-34\\ Invest For Eternity
a. \\#19-20\\ An Investment Strategy
b. \\#21-24\\ Investment Truths
c. \\#25-34\\ Trust God Alone
I. \\#6:19-34\\ Invest For Eternity - This is a section, like \\#5:38-42\\, which
may be difficult for some to accept.
A. \\#19-20\\ An Investment Strategy
1. \\#19\\ "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth" Treasures
invested on earth will get eaten up "by moths," corrupted by "rust,"
or stolen by "thieves."
2. \\#20\\ "But lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven" - These things
cannot take our heavenly treasures.
3. This strategy seems to be extreme in that the command is DO NOT LAY UP
TREASURES ON EARTH. Instead, Christians are to invest into the
heavenly.
a. Does that mean that it is wrong for Christians to invest
financially?
b. In the text, no exceptions are given. In fact, the remainder of the
section reinforces the thought.
c. However, let’s come back to that question later.
B. \\#21-24\\ Investment Truths
1. \\#21\\ Where your treasure has been invested, is where the love of
your heart is.
a. Whether you agree with this verse or not, the meaning of the verse
is clear and easy to understand.
b. Those whose treasure is in this world will love the world.
c. Jesus ties the investment of our treasures to the love of our
heart, making them one. This union is important because it
continues to emphasize the command to invest only in the heavenly.
2. \\#22-24\\ You cannot split the love of your heart.
a. \\#22\\ The "eye" is being used as a symbol for the investment of
treasures and the love of the heart.
(1) A "single" eye represents having a single investment and a
single love.
(2) It is the eye with a single focus.
(3) Having a single investment and a single love produces a "whole
body… full of light," that is, a person without sin. (i.e.
Light represents the absence of sin.)
b. \\#23\\ The "evil eye" represents the opposite.
(1) In the context, it would represent the person who invests in
the earthly and so has a heart in love with the worldly.
(2) "thy whole body shall be full of darkness" - Speaks of the
entire life being given to sinful influences.
(3) "how great is that darkness!" - This additional statement
emphasizes how great the sin will be in that person’s life.
(4) The fact that Jesus went out of His way to give that
additional emphasis means the danger of sin entering into the
life of those who invest into the world is exceedingly great.
3. \\#24\\ "No man can serve two masters"
a. The fact that Jesus uses the term "masters" denotes that the
worldly and the heavenly are both seeking control over the
follower of Jesus.
b. There is no common ground between the world and the heavenly.
(1) The two are opposite and enemies of one another.
(2) "either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else
he will hold to the one, and despise the other."
(a) God did not create us with the ability to be loyal
to two such extreme masters, the world and heaven.
(b) Because our hearts are involved, the extreme devotion
that we show to our first love would make the care
shown to the second love seem like a hate.
(3) "Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
(a) Jesus summarizes by saying that we cannot belong to
both the heavenly and the earthly.
(b) Our allegiance and our love must be to one of the other.
C. \\#25-34\\ Trust God Alone - This section continues from the command not to
lay up treasures on the earth.
1. \\#25\\ "Take no thought for you life"
a. Jesus is saying that we are not to be concerned about the affairs
of this life.
(1) "thought" means care, concern, or worry.
(2) The same word is used six times in the remainder of these
verses \\#Matt 6:27. 28, 31, 34\\.
b. It becomes clear that He is speaking about the essentials of life
for He goes on to mention:
(1) "what ye shall eat"
(2) "what ye shall drink"
(3) "what ye shall put on"
c. The implication is that if we invest our treasures into the
heavenly instead of the earthly, we will not need to be concerned
about food, drink, or clothes for our God will provide these for
us.
2. \\#26, 28-30\\ Examples of those who need take no thought.
a. \\#26\\ "Behold the fowls of the air"
(1) Birds do not "sow… reap, nor gather," but God takes care of
them.
(2) "Are ye not much better than they?" The idea is that we are
more valuable to God than the birds.
(3) Jesus is implying that because we are of more value to God, He
will provide for us.
b. \\#28-30\\ "Consider the lilies of the field"
(1) \\#28-29\\ "they toil not, neither do they spin" but they are
arrayed with glory.
(2) "which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven" - Jesus is
implying that because we abide longer and have a greater
purpose, God will provide for us.
(3) \\#30\\ "shall he not much more cloth you, O ye of little
faith?"
(a) Jesus brought the disciple’s faith into the conversation.
(b) Trusting God to provide is a matter of faith.
(c) All issues of faith require that God has told us what He
wants us to do, then we trust Him.
(d) God is giving those very instructions in this passage.
Now we must decide whether we will trust Him or not.
3. \\#27\\ The futility of being concerned over this world’s needs.
a. "Which of you by taking thought can add… unto his stature?"
(1) The notion is, "What effect does being concerned have?"
(2) Can a man change his height by being concerned over it.
b. Someone is probably thinking, "I can’t control my height, but I can
most certainly control my finances."
(1) The implication is that you cannot.
(2) Jesus is saying that no matter how much "thought" we give to
our future and providing for it, we have no more control over
it than we do our height.
c. No doubt many would disagree with this statement but it seems clear
that is what Jesus is indicating.
4. \\#31-33\\ "Therefore take no thought" - The command is repeated
from \\#25\\.
a. Do not be concerned about…
(1) "What shall we eat?"
(2) "What shall we drink?"
(3) Wherewithal shall we be clothed?"
b. \\#32\\ Why?
(1) "For after all these things do the Gentiles seek":
(a) "Gentiles" denotes those who do not have a relationship
with God.
(b) Since we do have a relationship with God, we do not need
to be concerned for these things.
(2) "for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all
these things." - And God knows what you need.
c. \\#33\\ Instead…
(1) "But seek ye first the kingdom of God"
(a) Seek to do God’s business.
(b) This is the only means given in the text to indicate how
we are to lay up treasure in heaven.
(2) "and all of these things shall be added unto you." - Put God
first then God will put us first.
5. \\#34\\ "Take therefore no thought for the morrow"
a. This command is given yet again. This is the third time
\\#25, 31\\.
b. "for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself"
(1) This one part of this section might indicate that many of the
things we spend our time being concerned about will out with-
out our help.
(2) Some things that we think are problems are not.
c. "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
(1) This is not permission to worry about today.
(2) Jesus is saying that worrying about anything does not good,
but to worry about the future does LESS good than NO good.
Let’s go back to the question asked earlier, "Is it wrong for Christians to invest
financially in this world or for the future?"
1. If the only text we had was this section, I would say yes. However, it is
not.
2. The whole Bible, but especially Proverbs, teaches us the important of hard
and faithful work so that we do not come to poverty.
3. Rather, what I think Jesus is strongly saying is that it is wrong to let
money, investments, or the hope of gain control us in any way.
4. If, while we are serving God with all of heart, mind, and soul, we have
opportunity to invest and amass money, there is no harm; but there is
always the danger of money becoming our "treasure."
5. That should never be the case.
6. The Christian’s treasure is Christ, and should always so.
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