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.