Stepping Down From the Bench--Sermon on the Mount Series

            During my senior year of high school, I worked at a Mr. Goodcents restaurant for several months, and one day I had an experience that helped me learn a good lesson. I was standing at the counter waiting on some customers, and I had one of those moments when I just knew I was about to be robbed (if you’ve ever worked at a place with a cash register, you know what I’m talking about).

            I looked out in the parking lot, and a man was coming in to the store, and he was huge! He had tattoos all over his arms and several piercings, and I was sure he was going to rob the store. After he came in, he placed his order and I started making his sandwich, and at that time I used to wear a gold cross on a necklace. When I started making his sandwich, he said to me, “Hey, I like your cross.” I was thinking, “Here! You can have it—just don’t kill me!”

            But after he said that, he turned and walked down to the other end of the counter, and on the back of his shirt was Matthew 7:1—“Judge not, that you be not judged.” He started talking to one of my co-workers who was a Christian and I found out that this guy was a new Christian and actually attended my co-worker’s church!

            Now, I am quite certain that every person in this room knows Matthew 7:1—even if you didn’t know it was Matthew 7:1, you’ve heard the verse, “judge not, that you be not judged.” Surveys have shown that in our country this verse is the most widely-known verse of the entire Bible. However, I don’t think its any exaggeration to say that this verse is also the most widely misunderstood verse of the entire Bible.

            Today, we’re going to learn what Jesus actually meant when He said, “judge not, that you be not judged.” It turns out that if we simply read the verses that come after Matthew 7:1, we get a great commentary on what Jesus is trying to tell us (imagine that—if we keep a statement in context, it helps us make sense of it!). The points of my outline are going to serve as a paraphrase or commentary on these words, so hopefully these points themselves will give you a better idea of what Jesus is telling us. Let’s first read the whole section for today so we can get a sense of where we are going [READ Matt 7:1-6].

I. There is a Judge, and you are not Him. (v. 1)

            Verse one contains the famous statement, “judge not, that you be not judged.” When most people in our country today hear those words, they hear them in light of the popular idea that standards of what is right and what is wrong are simply matters of opinion. I may have very strong opinions about right and wrong, but according to this popular idea, they are nothing more than just my opinion—they are not standards that other people are obligated to live by.

            So with that idea in the background, when people in our country today hear these words from Jesus, they interpret Him to be saying, “Don’t evaluate the behavior of others, and certainly don’t ever tell them that they are wrong.” If there is one universal standard of right and wrong that our society buys in to, it is “don’t ever tell others that they are wrong.” Of course, no one ever stops to think about how that could always be wrong if there are no such things as universal standards of right and wrong!

            Jesus certainly did not buy in to this idea that statements about right and wrong are simply matters of opinion. Somehow, it escapes people’s notice that Jesus is giving us a command with these words—in other words, He is presuming to tell us what is right and what is wrong. In Jesus’ worldview, standards of right and wrong come from God. His commands show us the dividing line between right and wrong.

            With that idea in mind, we’re “getting warmer” in our search for what Jesus is talking about. God is the final judge of right and wrong, and ultimately, the only perfect judge of right and wrong. That is His position, His role, so Jesus is telling us not to take upon ourselves a role that rightfully belongs to God. We see this same thought expressed in commands that tell us not to take revenge.

            For example, Romans 12:19 says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” When I take revenge against someone else, I am trying to administer justice, but that is not my role. That is not the proper part for me to play in this world—that role belongs to God.

            That thought also helps us clarify what Jesus means when He says, “do not judge.” It is very important to realize that Jesus is not saying, “do not evaluate someone else’s behavior.” If that were the case, there would be many other biblical commands that we couldn’t possibly carry out—including the command of v. 6, as we’ll see in a moment.

            I think the illustration of a trial-by-jury is very helpful for us in clarifying what Jesus is saying here. In a trial-by-jury, the jury’s role is to consider all the evidence presented in a case and then determine if the defendant broke the law. It is the judge’s role, then, to administer justice—to determine the appropriate sentence and see that it is carried out.

            In our lives, the Bible does call us to play the role of the jury. We can observe behavior, look at the evidence of God’s word, and determine whether the behavior violates the standards of God’s Word. What Jesus does not leave open to us is trying to play the role of the judge—in others words, acting like we know what someone else deserves and trying to make sure that they get it. We are to have a different response, as we’ll see in a moment.

The Lord then goes on in v. 2 to mention a strong deterrent against judging others.

II. If you try to be the Judge, He will use your own standards against you. (v. 2)

            Let’s read v. 2 again [READ v. 2]. It seems that God’s attitude toward us is, “Okay, if you think you are fit to be a judge, then let’s see how you measure up to your own standards.” I think if we’re honest with ourselves, we really don’t want God to deal with us in the same way that we often deal with other people.

            When we try to act like we know what other people deserve, we do so with such a pitifully small amount of information. We may not know how hard someone fought against a temptation, or what the circumstances were that made a temptation look so appealing. It is far better for us to extend mercy to other people than attempt to take justice into our own hands. As Jesus had already stated that day, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy (Matt 5:7).” And after giving us His model prayer, the Lord said, “if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matt 6:14-15).”

            So this is the third time that Jesus has mentioned this same idea in this sermon—and He’s not bluffing about this. When we stand before Jesus to answer for our lives, He will adopt the same posture toward us that we adopted toward others. If that’s the case, my friends, then I don’t know about you, but I want to be very merciful and forgiving rather than judgmental.

Jesus then goes on to criticize the hypocrisy that feeds a critical, judgmental spirit.

III. Focus on and deal with your own sins first, then help your brother (vv. 3-5)

            We really get a glimpse of Jesus’ sense-of-humor in these next verses [READ vv. 3-5]. Let’s allow the full weight of this comparison to sink in. Think about how invasive you have to be to find a speck of dust or a tiny splinter in someone else’s eye. You really have to invade their personal space! The point is that you really have to put out effort to see a speck in someone else’s eye; you have to be looking for it.

            I hate to say it, but we’ve all known people like that—people who are always on the lookout to find fault with others. Their life verse is Luke 17:3—“if your brother sins, rebuke him!” They’re the self-appointed fruit inspectors who are always looking for tiny bruises on everyone else’s spiritual fruit.

            To them and us all Jesus says, “Why do you look so closely for a tiny fault in someone else and look right past the log that’s in your own eye? And what makes you think you’re qualified to help someone else with their minor problem when you have a major problem that you’re not paying any attention to?” That’s the irony of a judgmental spirit—it puts our attention on everyone’s business but our own. We also end up applying standards to everyone else that we do not apply to ourselves. That’s why Jesus calls this attitude hypocrisy.

            We’re supposed to attend to our own business first. We should root out our own faults and be on the lookout for our own failures. Notice the situation that results if we will do that: “then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Remember—Jesus is not telling us that its wrong to assess the behavior of others. If I notice a fault in someone else, after I have assessed myself, then I will be in a position to help them. Notice that Jesus is talking about help, not condemnation.

            This is where we find an unusual twist on the trial-by-jury illustration that I used earlier. We can play the part of the jury, but after we’ve determined guilt or innocence, we’re supposed to step out of the jury box and offer help to the defendant. We’re like a brother or sister helping a sibling fix something before Mom and Dad get home.

As v. 6 tells us however, we do have to use wisdom when we seek to help others.

IV. Use wisdom when deciding how to interact with others (v. 6)

            Let’s read v. 6 again [READ v. 6]. Let’s get a few things straight as we think about this verse. First of all, Jesus wasn’t hurling insults at anyone—he wasn’t calling a particular person or group of people “dogs” and “pigs.” He was simply using those animals as an illustration to teach a lesson.

            Second, when you hear the word “dog,” don’t think of a cute, cuddly house pet. Dogs were not common house pets in Israel at that time—they were wild animals. When Jesus said, “do not give dogs what is holy,” he was probably making a reference to the meat that the Jewish people received from their sacrifices in the Temple. With certain sacrifices, the person who offered it would receive some of the meat and take it home to eat it. This was very special meat; it wasn’t something you would just give to a wild dog roaming around the streets—it wasn’t appropriate for them.

            Likewise, no one would think about tossing pearls out to pigs (this is probably another example of humor from Jesus). Pearls are not appropriate for pigs, and they might be angry that you tossed them something they couldn’t eat.

            When we consider this statement in its context, its clear that Jesus is telling us that we have to use some wisdom when we consider how to help others. He has just told us that after we remove the log from our own eye, then we are in a position to help others—but even then we must not rush into a situation without using wisdom. I love what one commentator had to say about this verse: “Since we’ve just been told to love our enemies and not to judge, we might fail to consider the subtleties of the argument and become undiscerning simpletons. This verse guards against such a possibility.”¹

            Many verses of Scripture tell us about the need to exercise wisdom as we seek to help others. For example, Proverbs 9:7-8 says, “He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, and he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.” Before we approach someone with the intent to help them, we have to consider if they are likely to receive it graciously. We might be wasting our efforts and inviting trouble for ourselves if the person has given a clear indication that they don’t want to hear what we have to say.

            In the New Testament, we find verses like 1 Thessalonians 5:14—“And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” Before we can carry out those commands, we have to determine which of those categories a person falls in. Are they idle—are they not doing someone they can do and know they should do? Are they fainthearted—are they capable of overcoming something, but just wearied by the struggle? Are they weak—are they incapable at the moment of bearing some burden by themselves? You can see that this requires wisdom; otherwise we might help someone who is just being idle or we might admonish someone who truly is weak.

            As Jesus once told His disciples before He sent them along to minister without Him, we must be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16).” Our passage today has taught the same lesson in reverse order. Verses 1-5 tell us to be innocent as doves. We must not take upon ourselves a role that rightfully belongs to God. When it comes to obeying God, our attention must be given to rooting out the sins from our own lives. Then, if we happen to notice an opportunity to help a brother, we can pursue that opportunity.

            Verse 6 then tells us to be wise as serpents. Jesus is not calling us to be naïve or careless about our interactions with other people. Instead, they should be properly motivated and properly thought out—then we will be prepared to act with wisdom and innocence.

Notes:

1. Paraphrase from a statement by D. A. Carson in Matthew, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 185.

Walking Away From Worry--Sermon on the Mount Series

            By the grace of God, human beings have accomplished some amazing things during our history. We have explored outer space and put a man on the moon. We have developed techniques and tools that allow us to operate on the heart and the brain. We have found ingenious ways to combat belly fat. We have created useful inventions like the light bulb, the computer, and the Snuggie.

            But despite all that we’ve achieved, no one has ever found a way to turn worry into something productive. Like the people of old who labored to find ways to turn lead into gold, people all over the world have indulged in worrying in a vain effort to improve or sort out their circumstances. As far as Scripture is concerned, we will probably find a way to turn lead into gold before we ever find a way to make worry a useful or beneficial thing.

            Today we’re going to take a look at a very familiar passage of Scripture that contains some very precious words from the Lord. The lesson will be nothing new for most of us—we know we’re not supposed to worry—but perhaps we can gain some fresh insights today that will help us gain the upper hand when we face the temptation to worry.

Why does the Lord tell us not to worry?

1. Worry blows things out of proportion (Matthew 6:25)

            As we start to look at v. 25, notice that it begins with the word “therefore.” That word tells us that the Lord is about to make a point based on what he had just talked about. Jesus had just told us in v. 18 not to lay up treasures here on earth, and now He’s going to make this point about anxiety because it is one of the main factors that make us tempted to lay up treasures on earth. If we indulge the temptation to worry, then we will be tempted to lay up treasures on earth, and that will affect our ability to serve God with the kind of freedom that Jesus calls for here.

            The first reason we shouldn’t worry is that worry blows things out of proportion, and it does so in two ways:

            1. It turns healthy attention into harmful distraction

            Jesus states, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.” Its important to note that the Greek word translated “anxious” in this verse is used elsewhere in the Bible to describe an appropriate degree of concern about something. For example, in Philippians 2:20, Paul told the Philippians that he was planning to send Timothy to them, and here’s why: “For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.” Those words “genuinely concerned” translate the same Greek verb that we find in Matthew 6:25. Paul was obviously talking about a good trait in that verse—he wasn’t going to send Timothy because Timothy was a worry wort!

            So that Greek verb can describe an appropriate concern about something, and that’s important to understand. There is an appropriate degree of attention that we should give to questions like, “What will I eat?” Worry, then, seems to simply be a good thing gone bad. It is observation that has become obsession; it is forward-thinking that has turned into fear, so our healthy attention actually becomes a harmful distraction.

            2. It turns lesser things into ultimate concerns

            Jesus goes on to say this at the end of v. 25, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” The answer of course is, “yes.” Getting dressed is just one part of caring for the body; eating and drinking are just one segment of life. But when we indulge in worry, all of life starts to revolve around something that is only supposed to be one segment of life.

            I’m sure we’ve all experienced how this works. When you give in to worry about one detail of life, it starts to dominate everything else. When you’re worried about basic needs like getting food, for example, it dominates your thinking even when you need to be thinking about other things. It consumes your energy and leaves you with no energy for the other things that you need to be doing.

            To borrow an old saying, its like the tail begins to wag the dog. One area that’s really just a portion of your whole life begins to dominate your whole life in a way that its not supposed to.

2. Worry is unobservant (v. 26)

            Worrying causes you to overlook the way that God works in the world every single day. Let’s read v. 26 [READ v. 26]. Notice that Jesus doesn’t say that birds don’t work for their food—He just emphasizes that they don’t work for it in the same way that we do. They don’t produce lots of food all at once and then store it up and try to preserve it. Birds go out day by day and look for their food for that day, and God is faithful to make sure that they get it.

            This is a process that repeats itself every single day—for who knows how many birds, not to mention other animals—and yet we often look right past it. Worry gets us distracted with other concerns, and we fail to see the obvious—that God provides for His creatures. And notice how Jesus makes an argument from the lesser to the greater. The birds are simply God’s creatures, yet He is faithful to feed them. We, on the other hand, are His adopted children; we are of more value than they are, so we can be even more confident about God’s faithfulness to provide for us.

3. Worry is unproductive (v. 27)

            Let’s read v. 27 [READ v. 27]. Jesus could have used a lot of comparisons to remind us that worry doesn’t accomplish anything, but I think its fascinating that He chose to talk about our health and well-being. I think he may have been giving us a clue about the power that worry has to actually damage our health and well-being.

            Worrying leads to the release of certain hormones in the body, and when we get an excess of those hormones, it can lead to a weakening of the immune system, digestive disorders, muscle tension, short-term memory loss, coronary artery disease and heart attacks. Worrying will never add an hour to your life, but it just might take some away!

            Worrying accomplishes nothing, and on top of that it drains our ability to accomplish other things. So when we invest our minds and our energy in worrying, we get no good returns from it, and its more than likely that we will get bad returns from it.

4. Worry reveals a faith in need of growth (vv. 28-30)

            Look at vv. 28-30 [READ vv. 28-30]. Once again, Jesus points us to nature as our school teacher to give us a lesson that should be quite clear if we would just pause and “consider” the world around us, as Jesus says in v. 28. Again, Jesus uses an argument from the lesser to the greater—God delights to adorn plants with beauty that cannot even be matched by the wealthiest man in the history of Israel, yet they are such temporary things. Should we not then be confident that God will clothe us, since we are so much greater than flowers and grass?

            The Lord gives us a gentle rebuke when He calls us people of “little faith.” I picture Jesus speaking those words with a bit of amazement. These lessons that Jesus draws from nature are around us all the time. The natural world is constantly reminding us, constantly teaching us about God’s loving care, yet its as if we’re walking through the world in a trance because we fail to consider—we fail to observe—all that happens around us on a daily basis. If we are ignorant about these things, it is a self-imposed ignorance, because our professors—the birds and the flowers—are constantly teaching us their lessons. If our faith is small, it is because we are not feeding our faith with insight into what happens all around us every day.

5. Worry imitates a bad example (vv. 31-32)

            Follow with me in vv. 31-32 [READ vv. 31-32]. Remember that the word “Gentiles” refers to all non-Jewish people. In a religious sense, it means that these people do not know the one true God, the God who spoke through Moses and revealed Himself to the Jewish people. You may remember that when we talked about prayer a few weeks ago, I mentioned that the Gentiles had no concept of having a personal relationship with the gods that they worshiped. They had no reason to think that their gods cared about them or even paid attention to their lives.

            Its understandable, then, why they would be consumed with worry about their basic needs—they had no expectation of help from their gods. In light of those beliefs, the grace and goodness of our God shines out all the more. God has adopted us into His own family, which means that He has committed Himself to do all of the things that a Father should do for his children—love us, teach us, protect us, discipline us, and yes, provide for us.

            When Carmen and I were going through the process of getting approval to adopt, we had to show that we were as prepared as we possibly could be to take care of a child. We had to go through a physical exam, a review of our finances, background checks, an interview about our family background and our emotional well-being. Now do we think that God would adopt us and then fail to follow through on what He has committed to do? Would He say, “Wow, I didn’t realize how hard this was going to be! I really wasn’t prepared to take care of all of these children. I just can’t do it!” Of course not.

            Do you see, then, how unbecoming it is for us to worry about these things just like people who have no relationship with God? That is not at all the kind of example we should follow.

The remedy: Give your attention and effort to obeying God (vv. 33-34)

            Look at vv. 33-34 [READ vv. 33-34]. Notice the exchange that Jesus is calling us to make. In v. 32, He said that the Gentiles “seek” after the basic necessities of life. Their attention and energy are given over to pursuing those things because they have no promise of help from their gods.

            So instead of seeking those things, Jesus tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. We have to exchange one focal point for another. Its like the illustration that speakers use at times when they tell you not to picture a pink elephant in your mind. You can’t help but picture a pink elephant unless you get your mind wrapped up in something else.

            When we confront worry, we can’t just put off worrying—we have to put on something else in order to keep that worry at bay. Its similar to what Jesus said about God and money in that we have two distinct choices before us: are we going to give our energy and attention to shoring up our basic needs, or are we going to give our energy and attention to obeying God and trust Him to shore up our basic needs?

            Don’t you see, my friends? God has our basic needs covered, so we are set free to focus on other things. We are empowered to live like no one else because everyone else is held back by worries about their basic needs. Without the knowledge of the promises that we have from God, it only makes sense that others are consumed with obsessing over food and drink and clothing, but armed with these promises, we are at liberty to invest our energy and effort in greater pursuits.

            But, worry does remain a strong temptation for us. All that we have learned about worry today will help us form a strategy for walking away from worry and pursuing obedience to God instead. If worry blows things out of proportion, we can walk away from worry by keeping things in proportion. For one thing, we can kick some false guilt out the door by remembering that there is an appropriate degree of attention that we must give to our basic needs or to working through problems that we encounter. We don’t need to think that such things shouldn’t occupy our attention and energy at all, but when they start to dominate our attention and energy at the expense of other things, then we can know that we’ve crossed the line.

            If worry is unobservant about God’s work in the world, then we can walk away from worry by being more observant about God’s work. We should consider God’s work in nature, as Jesus tells us here. We should remember what God has done for us in the past. Frequently, when we worry, its because we’ve just plain forgotten how God got us out of a similar jam in the past. Write these things down; find some way to remind yourself about them.

            If worry is unproductive, then invest your attention in something that is productive. Prayer is an obvious choice, especially when we make sure to give thanks for everything we can think of. Also, we sometimes worry about a situation simply because we don’t have much information about it. If we will take the steps we can to just gain some more information, we might gain some insight that will put our worries to rest.

            If worry reveals a faith in need of growth, then do things that will help your faith grow. For one thing, we can’t very well trust God to keep His promises if we don’t know what he has promised to do for us. We have to feed our faith with the Word of God and then exercise our faith by obeying what we read. If you want to make your muscles stronger, what do you do? Give them the proper food and then put them to work. If you want to make your faith stronger, what do you do? Give it the proper food and then put it to work.

            If worry imitates a bad example, then imitate a good example. Sit down with that godly person you know who just radiates peace of mind and talk to them. Be like Jacob wrestling with God, and tell that person, “I won’t let you go until you bless me! I want to know how you do it.”

            Praise God that we don’t have to be imprisoned by worry. We can walk away from it to give our energy and attention to greater things.

Serve the Master, Not His Tools--Sermon on the Mount Series

            There was once a man who worked for a wealthy landowner, and one day the landowner came to him and said, “I’m going to be away for a few months, and while I’m gone I want you to clear the trees off of this portion of my property.” Then the landowner gave the man an axe and left to go on his trip.

            The next day the man woke up and started to get to work. He took the axe and went out to the edge of the trees and began to decide which one to cut down first. He also began to look at the axe, and he noticed that it was a very fine piece of craftsmanship. The blade was perfectly sharpened, and it really had a nice shine to it when you held it in the sunlight. The handle was perfectly carved to fit in a man’s hands.

            The man began to think, “If I use this axe to cut down all of these trees, the blade will grow dull and lose its shine. The handle may get rough and start to splinter.” So instead of getting to work, he went back home, and each day he would think about cutting down the trees, but he couldn’t bear to think of the wear-and-tear that the axe would endure, so he would just stay at home and polish the blade and sand down the handle.

            After a few days, it dawned on him that others might realize what a beautiful axe he had, and he began to worry constantly about robbers. He would lay awake at night to keep watch, and pretty soon he was too tired each morning to even think about cutting down the trees.

            Then one day, the landowner returned and was very upset to see that the land had not been cleared. He went to the man to ask him about it, and the man said, “Sir, this axe you gave me is so beautiful that I couldn’t bear to put it through that kind of wear-and-tear.” The landowner was irate, and said, “You fool! I was planning to use this land and all of that wood to build new homes for all my workers—including you!” And the landowner left in a rage.

            The man was left alone to think about what he had missed out on, but he thought to himself instead, “At least I still have my axe!” But when he looked at it, he realized that his daily sanding on the handle had made it so thin that it couldn’t support the weight of the axe head any more. If he tried to use it, it would have snapped like a twig! Not only had the man missed out on the good plans of his master, but now even his beloved axe was useless.

            This little story of mine describes a temptation that we all face with the tools that God gives us to do His work, but in particular it describes the temptation that we face with our money and possessions. Money and possessions have a very seductive power to them, and it is very easy for us to fall in love with and begin to serve these tools rather than God, the master who gives them. Today, we’re going to receive a strong challenge from the Lord Jesus to remember to serve the Master, not His tools.

            As we jump back into our study of the Sermon on the Mount at Matthew 6:19-24, we’re going to read about some teaching from the Lord on money and possessions. Just prior to this section, the Lord had been discussing the proper way to fast, and it may seem odd that Jesus would move from a discussion of fasting to a discussion about money, but remember that from the beginning of chapter 6, Jesus has been encouraging us to not to prize the fleeting praise of other people, but to seek the far more valuable and lasting rewards that come from obeying God from a sincere heart. It is along those same lines that Jesus is going to command us to think about our money. As we go through this section, I want you to remember our overriding lesson to serve the Master, not His tools.

1. Pursue the things that have lasting value (vv. 19-20)

            In vv. 19-20, Jesus reiterates the lesson that He has been stressing since the beginning of chapter 6—we should pursue those things that truly have superior value, such as praise from God rather than praise from other people. Now he challenges us to consider the lasting value of the things we treasure [READ vv. 19-20].

            Here Jesus draws upon the common-sense principle that it’s better to invest in things that have lasting value rather than things that wear out or are insecure. When you buy a house, for example, it’s better to buy a home that is likely to keep its value, or even increase in value. When you buy a car, it’s wise to purchase one that has a good re-sale value. With any purchase you make, it’s always wise to buy something of good quality that it will last.

            So here Jesus commands us—and notice that it is a command—to lay up treasures in heaven, which will last, rather than treasures on earth, which are subject to decay or robbery, as He mentions. Rather than stockpile the treasures of this world, like money and possessions, we should invest in a greater share of the treasures of heaven, such as praise from God and the chance to occupy an honored position of service under King Jesus.

            Now in just a moment, we’ll wrestle with the question, “How do I know if I’m laying up treasures on earth?” Where is the line, for example, between saving and doing what Jesus warns us about here? We’ll deal with that in a moment, but first, notice that it is not only wise to invest in heavenly treasure because it is lasting, but also because there is a profound moral principle at work in this discussion.

2. Remember that what you value will own your heart (v. 21)

            Jesus simply says in v. 21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The heart can be used as a metaphor for everything that goes on inside of us—thinking, feeling, worshiping, aspiring. Here we might simply paraphrase Jesus’ words by saying that your whole life will get wrapped up in whatever it is that you treasure. It will occupy your thoughts and squeeze out thoughts of other things. It will shape your goals and aspirations and tug at your emotions.

            So when we consider what we will treasure, we are really considering what it is that will form the core of our lives. It is obvious, then, why this is such a monumental decision. If we treasure those things that are considered valuable in this life, then those are the things that we will pursue; but if we treasure those things that are valuable from a heavenly perspective—again, things like praise from God and a greater opportunity to serve Him—then those are the things that we will pursue.

            We often try to kid ourselves, however, by attempting to have our heart in two places at once, thinking that we can somehow treasure the things of this world and the things of heaven in an equal balance. But Jesus is about to warn us that such a case of divided loyalties really results in no loyalty to one master or the other.

3. Beware of a faulty perspective (vv. 22-24)

            In vv. 22-23, Jesus uses a metaphor to warn us about having a faulty outlook when it comes to serving God or serving money [READ vv. 22-23]. The idea of this metaphor is that our outlook gives us a proper insight on things so that we see them clearly. If our outlook on a matter is faulty, then we will not see the matter clearly or correctly. We will be in the dark, so to speak, and if we do not see one matter clearly, that can produce a snowball effect that clouds our insight on other matters. That’s why the Lord says, “If the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” A faulty outlook can quickly expand.

            The Lord then plainly and bluntly tells us in v. 24 what our outlook on serving God and serving money should be [READ v. 24]. Notice that Jesus did not say, “It is hard to serve two masters,” or “its pretty tricky to serve two masters, so be careful how you do it.” No—he simply says that it is impossible to serve two masters. It simply cannot be done.

            Jesus was speaking during a time when slavery was still commonly practiced, and that’s the picture that he’s drawing on. If you are a slave to some master, that’s not an 8-to-5 sort of thing. You don’t clock in and clock out with the idea that some of your time is your own. You are at the beck-and-call of your master at all times, so how could you possibly be at the beck-and-call of two masters? If you’re serving one at the moment, then you are not available to serve the other—but that’s not how the master/slave relationship works.

            So here, Jesus portrays our money and possessions as being a rival master to God, and He tells us that we must make our choice. They cannot both be number one; we cannot be at the beck-and-call of both. Remember—the choice is really between serving God or serving the tools that He has given us to do His work. We are in the same position as the woodsman who was given the axe. Will we use the tool to serve our true master, or will we fall in love with the tool and begin to serve it?

            Now in our society—which is, on the whole, the most affluent society that the world has ever seen—a passage of Scripture like this should make us pause. It should make you pause no matter what your economic standing is, because as Jesus makes clear, this is a heart issue—it is not about how much money you may or may not have.

            So how might we diagnose these problems within ourselves? How do we know if we’re “laying up treasures” on earth? How do we know if we’re serving money rather than God? Let’s deal with each of those questions in turn.

How do I know if I am “laying up treasures on earth?”

            We might wish that there were simply a dollar amount we could appeal to that would make the answer to this question very cut-and-dry, but that simply is not the case. There are some questions we can ask ourselves, however, that will begin to help us draw a conclusion.

1. What is your goal for the money you save (or the possessions that you hang on to)?

            Are you holding on to these things in order to use them for some kind of biblically-permissible purpose, like taking care of your family or having something on hand to give to people in need? Or, are you saving for biblically unacceptable reasons, like winning the envy and admiration of others or trying to find a sense of security in life?

2. How tight is your grip on the things you have?

            Are you obsessing over them? Are you constantly thinking about them? When you become aware of a legitimate need, does it take the “jaws of life” to get your wallet open, or do you have a ready willingness to give? We don’t cling tightly to things that we don’t value, so this idea of clinging to something can be a helpful gauge. The tighter you cling to something, the more value you place upon it.

How do I know if I am serving money as my master?

1. What are you willing to do to make money?

            If you are willing to do something unethical or illegal, then you are clearly serving money rather than God because you’re breaking God’s commands. We also need to consider this question not only in the light of one-time decisions, but patterns of behavior as well. I once heard it put like this—if someone came up to you and offered you $100,000 for your children, you would be furious and insulted. But that is precisely the kind of deal that many people make when they work so hard to make money that they leave no time, no energy, and no attention for their kids. Now of course, I’m talking about the person who is working that way to gain excess, not the single parent who may have to work two jobs just to keep the electricity on. If you are willing to put your family on the back-burner in pursuit of excess, you are serving money.

2. Where do you find comfort when you think about the future?

            Do you find comfort in your nest egg, in the FDIC, or in the promises of God? Do you have a sense of peace because you’re in good hands with Allstate, or because, like a good neighbor, State Farm is there? I think we can only find comfort when we believe that our master will take care of us, but who or what are you trusting to take care of you?

            In 1 Timothy 6:17, Paul writes, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”

3. Are you content in your current financial state?

            First Timothy 6:6-10 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

            Contentment is a very helpful gauge in this area. Now this doesn’t mean that we can’t seek to improve our financial situation—we must simply ask ourselves again about our motives for doing so. Those who are serving God as their master should be able to be content with the most basic of life’s necessities. If a gnawing desire for more is present in your heart, that is a sign of a lack of contentment. If our souls feel unsettled until we get the latest version of our cell phones, that is a bad sign.

4. Are you thankful for what you have?

            Contentment and gratitude are like two peas in a pod. If you are not thankful for what you currently have, that is a bad sign.

5. Do you find yourself looking for ways to spend your money on yourself or to meet the needs of others?

            When you dream about what you’re going to do with your money, who plays the starring role in your dreams? Is it only and always—you? Is your financial planning all about how to make your life more comfortable? Do other people fail to even enter your plans? If so, then you are likely serving money rather than God, because here is our master’s command for those who have excess: “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life (1 Tim 6:18-19).”

            Possessions are to be a pathway, never a destination. They are to be a means, never an end. They are a tool, not the final product. They must take their proper place in line rather than becoming the bottom line. Your possessions should be at your service, not the other way around. Ultimately, they are to be at God’s service, since they are simply His tools that He gives us to carry out His work.