Matthew 6:16-34

We see all the way through that pride is the real thing that Jesus is addressing in almost every line.

You see, we humans have a powerful, intelligent, and highly imaginative nature that’s capable of great achievement, however that wonderful nature has been corrupted. It was corrupted way back in the time of our original ancestors. And what was it that corrupted that nature? Sin! And what is sin? Pride!

It was founded at the source of all evil, Satan. Satan who was the pinnacle of God’s creation, was a created being of great beauty.

Ezekiel 28:15 says (God speaking to Satan),

You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. 

And, in Isaiah 14:13-14 we read,

For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ 

 

I will! I’m as good, if not better, than the Almighty God who created me. That belief has reached right down through every human that’s ever existed and that’s what’s corrupted our original nature that knew and loved God.

What Jesus is showing us here in this sermon is that behind everything we do is this pride which demands that we be recognised by others, that we be seen for the wonderful, righteous person we believe we are.

This is the very reason why so many people today reject the salvation through Christ that’s a free gift to all who’ll receive it. They simply believe they don’t need it because they’re “good” people and God will secure their eternity based on that “goodness”. To believe this is disastrous.

 

Now we’ve arrived at Matthew 6:16 and Jesus is still speaking to Jewish people who are still under the law, which as we’ve said a number of times, has not yet passed away. But from this verse there’s a turning point where the words have a valuable life application for us today as well.

Jesus starts by talking about fasting,

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

 

From this verse we can see that Fasting was practiced three thousand years ago, before Christ, as well as during Christ’s life on Earth.

Back then, people weren’t distracted by things like social media, video games and the huge range of technology and entertainment that distracts us today.

There’s so much today that keeps us always busy focusing on the now and how happy we’d like to be.

The difference in bible times was that the bulk of their entertainment was centred around feasting, around food.

Food was the centre of hospitality, of family. In those days the food was the distracting force when someone really needed or wanted intimacy with God.

Fasting wasn’t some magic ritual in itself.

And when they were fasting it wasn’t out of obedience to some form of command but rather it was a way of just getting away from the frequent food activities and the distractions that came along with it and focusing on God.

It was never as if someone could reject eating a hamburger or a chocolate bar and God would suddenly get really excited and say okay now that they’ve starved themselves for a little while, I’ll pay attention to their prayers.

Now let’s be really clear here. It’s perfectly okay to fast!

If a person feels led to fast they’re free in Christ to do that.

But we need to understand that it’s not a command from God and you are not going to receive any more answers to your prayers by fasting than someone who has never fasted a day in their life.

It would be helpful to realise that if we’re going to fast it should be for the right reason and that reason is focus. Focus on God.

3 or 4 thousand years ago, the reason for fasting was to get a pinpoint focus on God. It wasn’t to starve themselves.

In today’s world, we have much more than food to disrupt our focus on God.

Social media and television are some of the greatest distractions.

For me personally, politics and world affairs and government can easily become a major distraction.

I often need to fast or avoid the endless bombardment of politics and especially the political views of others who, in most cases, don’t even believe there’s a God!

I want and need to keep focused on the One Who really matters, Jesus Christ.

There’s a lot distracting every one of us today and maybe we’d be better served by fasting from those very real distractions.

 

Romans 14:17 tells us that the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and the peace and joy in the Holy Spirit and it’s safe to say it’s equally not about avoiding food and drink.

It’s about Christ and especially in the midst of the turmoil of this current world He’s where we need to keep our Focus.

We should be very weary of those who use this verse in Matthew to suggest that there’s a legal requirement for fasting.

Jesus is not trying to enforce some sort of law here in this verse. He’s just saying that if they’re going to fast do it for the right reasons. Don’t do it to show off to others and trying to convince others of our great religious fervour as did these hypocrites who’re hearing themselves described here.

 

In verses 17 and 18 Jesus advises to do anything necessary to avoid this attitude of publicly displaying their (and at the same time our) greatness for others to see,

But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

 

Verses 19 to 21 bring us to Jesus giving the Word on laying up treasures in heaven,

 

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

Now, we could say that this’s a follow on from the last 2 verses about fasting because the underlying theme that our Lord’s trying to get across is again, motivation.

You see, when we look closely at the word “treasure” as Jesus uses it here we can see that it means a lot more than money. It means the things that capture us and that cause us to obsess over.

Many people use this verse to try and get us to believe that having money or material things is wrong and we should give it all away. We should notice that those people, more often than not, don’t practice it themselves.

This is definitely not what Jesus is teaching us.

It’s about our motivation and where our heart is.

A person can have great earthly material wealth but regard it as rubbish when compared to God and eternity.

King Solomon who’s still regarded as the wealthiest man ever to have lived puts his wealth into perspective at the twilight of his life in the book of Ecclesiastes.

He says in Ecclesiastes 2:11,

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

He then finishes off his revelation of how unimportant his earthly wealth really was with verse 8 of chapter 12 of Ecclesiastes where he states,

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “All is vanity.” 

He regarded his wealth as simply pride and admiration of his own appearance and achievements. In other words, meaningless!

Likewise, a person can be in poverty, without 2 cents to rub together, and yet his whole life can be one of obsessing and lusting for that which he doesn’t have. He can even commit crimes or dishonesty to try and satisfy that yearning.

What we do and, more importantly, our motivation for doing it, is very important to God.

In 1 Corinthians 10:31 Paul says,

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

 

So, what’s Jesus teaching His audience and us today?

Well, notice that teaching not to store up treasures on earth He didn’t say anything about giving it away did he?

That’d be like writing some heavenly check for treasures in the kingdom. You see, this is about where we’ll really find fulfillment that lasts. When our heart, our motivation is centred on Jesus Christ we’re storing up spiritual treasures.

Jesus is not talking about giving all your stuff away. He’s talking about an attitude. He’s talking about walking in the Spirit. Having nice ‘stuff’ in no way means we’re not able to store up treasures in Heaven.

Boats, cars and houses, holidays, entertainment, and travel are not bad or forbidden, but they are temporary and one day, much sooner than later for many people, they’ll be gone. They rust and rot. Money, phones, TV’s, and “things” are all temporary. They can be stolen and destroyed in an instant. All these things can bring us earthly pleasure, but it’s a temporary pleasure that’ll soon fade and disappear. None of these things are a source for real, lasting joy and peace.

 

At times the great apostle Paul was doing pretty good where material goods were concerned. He said he had PLENTY. At times he was WELL FED and said he was quote ‘living in PLENTY’. Paul also said there were other times when he was in need. He was hungry, and quote ‘lived in want’.

I’m sure that Paul would have preferred to be always living with plenty and well-fed, but the source of Paul’s joy wasn’t based on his earthly prosperity or lack of it. His earthly circumstances weren’t the source of joy and peace. His source was Jesus. It was spiritual joy bought about through an intimate knowledge of, and his relationship with, Christ.

Because this was Paul’s stored up treasure, he was able to be content even when he went without. That was the secret!

Now, let’s not make the mistake of thinking that Paul would choose to struggle.

He was willing to, but that’s not the same as wanting to. Paul knew he wasn’t in control of everything.

We shouldn’t try to create a new doctrine out of these verses in Matthew 6. It’s all about understanding the difference between spiritual fulfillment that lasts forever over the temporary fulfilment of earthly goods.

Now, in relation to rewards and treasure in heaven, Colossians 3:24 gives us a hint as to what that reward and that treasure is and I read,

knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Our inheritance!

When we understand and value the glory that awaits us, we’re better able to endure whatever comes our way in this life. We can give God praise even during trials because we have His guarantee that we ‘ll receive all He’s promised. 2 Corinthians 4:17 says it like this,

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

 

Verses 22 to 24 are still dealing with our treasure and where our focus lays,

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

 

You see, it’s a follow on from the end of the last verse where the Lord says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Here, He’s trying to teach us that by expanding on how what our eye sees or in other words what we focus on most will affect every part of us.

Mamon is not money. At least it’s not money alone. The Greek word here is mammōnas and it refers to personal property, wealth, or possessions, especially those things that a person trusts in, rather than God. It also means, surprise, surprise, treasure.

So, Jesus is saying that you can’t serve God if your total focus is on worldly, earthy treasures.

 

Now to Matthew 6:25-35 which is the end of chapter 6 the Lord deals with anxiety. So much space is given in the word of God to this subject which should show us the weight of importance that God places on it.

We’ve also got to remember that Jesus didn’t speak in chapter and verse. He just spoke. Sometimes we get off the track of the real context in the Word because we tend to think of each verse as a sort of concept in its own right This can be true in places like the Proverbs but mostly we need the entire context in order to make sense of the teaching. This is why we bang on so much about the whole Counsel of God.

 

Let’s read the whole section and let’s also keep in mind how closely this teaching is tied to the last verses on focus on treasures because this is also vital to be able to “get” what the Lord’s saying.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;

and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

 

Keep in mind that Jesus is still talking to pre cross Jews, not the post cross Church.

However, this teaching on worry can very well apply to us, the Church, today.

Philippians 4:6-7 back this up.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

 

The peace of God? That passes all human understanding! Will guard our hearts and minds! How desperately I want that always.

 

As we’ve already said this verse, Matthew 6 verse 25, follows on from the previous verses because Jesus opens with “Therefore”, meaning because of what I just got through saying.

Snot to worry about their life or what they’re going to eat or drink or wear because life’s much more than these things.

Then Jesus brings their attention to how the birds don’t worry about storing up wealth or provisions. God provides for them. But the key here is if God does this for the birds which have only small value to Him compared to those in the audience, how much more will he provide their needs.

He emphasis this thought by drawing attention to the beauty of the flowers and how even Solomon’s magnificent trappings couldn’t compare with their beauty.

Jesus again repeats the appeal not to worry and aligns worry to those who have little faith. Little faith in what? Well, God’s provision of course. They don’t really believe He’s there and willing and able to provide.

He refers to those that take concern for these things as “The Gentiles”. You see He’s speaking to Jews under the law.

To use this teaching for the Church today we’d compare this to unbelievers, those outside the Body of Christ.

Jesus then makes a wonderful promise to His audience.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

His righteousness, not their own. Seek His righteous, God’s righteousness.

Remember Abraham in Genisis 15:6

And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Abraham’s belief is what made Him righteous. Belief in what? Well, the Lord’s promise that his descendants would number as the stars and that a seed would come through Abraham who would be the redeemer, the Christ who, through his sacrifice, would bring the righteousness of God to all who would receive it.

Jesus repeats his appeal to not worry three times in this passage and couple it to not worrying about what might happen tomorrow.

Jesus’s audience here are still mostly unaware of the soon to come events at the cross of Calvary. It was coming soon but it hadn’t happened yet so that righteousness He told them to seek was still future even though their belief in it’s coming would be accounted as righteousness just as with Abraham.

All this is aligned to belief, faith!

We today as Christian are not seeking “His Righteousness”. We’ve already found it and we’re partakers of it as 2 Corinthians 5:21 says,

 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

And 1 Corinthians  1:30

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 

And Romans 3:21-22

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.

 

Worry, anxiety, and depression. We should address this here.

They’re words that are used so much today. Even young children seem to be taking on these words because they’re so deeply embedded into our modern society.

For the unbeliever, those who have not accepted Christ or who reject the counsel of God, there’s only the things of this world for them to focus on. There’s only their own wit and ability. There’s only their own, highly limited understanding of all things to rely on. It’s great when things go right. Happiness follows. Then, as always happens sooner or later, things go wrong. Happiness leaves.

Because this world is a rollercoaster ride of good and evil, lust and temporary satisfaction, the average person rides that roller coaster emotionally.

Emotions are dictated by whatever’s going on at the moment. Things are good for an hour or two, so the emotion of happiness comes. We’re happy. Then something happens, something not so good or downright evil. Maybe we even get jealous or angry or disgusted at the actions of those around us. Maybe the government does something that we strongly believe is wrong. Unhappiness comes. Anxiety comes. Depression comes.

The world today tries to medicalise it. It’s a medical condition and all we need to do is take the right medication and we’ll be happy again.

It’s all about happiness today and yet so many are unhappy. Why? Because the happiness the world seeks is not lasting. It’s very fleeting. Because it relies on emotions, and emotions are always changing, so lasting happiness is elusive, hard to find. So, the world deceives itself into thinking that it couldn’t possibly be anything lacking in me that’s causing my state so I must have a medical condition. The pharmaceutical world has been only too happy to provide an answer in medication.

Now we fully understand why the world and those that are focused only on it fall into this state, but Christians?

 

As Christians we should be able to understand that for the unbeliever there is nothing but the things of this world to focus on and that shallow happiness they constantly seek never lasts.

Their treasures are the things of this world and that’s where their heart is.

We, on the other hand, should have no reason for prolonged anxiety or depression. Our happiness is deeper. It’s a joy, a state that relies on much more than the changing circumstances of the world.

Notice that Jesus simply tells us not to worry about our life?

He suggests here that it’s our choice and that we can simply “not worry”. He didn’t class worry as a medical condition. Instead, he regarded it as something that’s within our ability to control.

Because of the context of this verse, where it’s placed, and its relevance to those verses around it, we can easily see that where our focus is or where our treasure is dictates whether or not we worry.

 

Now, let’s be real here.

Because our Lord’s telling us not to worry, does it mean that when we do we’re rejected by God? If we get concerned about something in our life have we backslidden or have we separated ourselves from God?

Nothing is further from the truth.

If Christians never worried there’d be no reason for the Lord to tell us how to get out of it.

Romans 8:35 says this,

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

Then Paul answers his own question in verses 37 to 39,

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (not apart from Him, through Him).

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Can you and I think of anything left out here that might separate us from God’s love?

 

And then, the wonderful Romans 8:28,

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

 

All things even those things that we see as bad and those things that we struggle with.

So, my Christian friend, when you fall into anxiety and worry, which we all do, the way out is clear and simple.

It’s not a handful of medications that’ll set you free it’s simply focus. Where is your focus. Where is your treasure, what you hold dear? Is your treasure, your focus on this world? Are you conformed to this world? Do the things of this world spread themselves like a veil over the things of God so you can’t see them? The result is that it’s all about the world, the circumstances of life, what am I going to do?

 

Romans 12:2 has the answer, and that answer is simply an expansion of all we’ve heard Jesus teach. Let me read,

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 

The renewing of our minds is a change in what our treasure is.

Just like the Pharisees and the scribes and the people under the law who Jesus spoke to in the sermon, are you relying on your ability and your greatness to navigate through life in this world?

Well, the answer is in the true meaning of the word repentance which is to simply turn. You’re going one way, just stop and turn. Turn your focus back from the things of this world and let your treasure be the things of the Lord.

But how you say?

Simple!

Pick up the Bible. Maybe start with Romans and get your vision back onto what Jesus accomplished on that horrific cross for you personally.

He is God and yet He died an agonising death for you according to the entire weight of thousands of years of scripture, He was buried then rose again the third day, again according to scripture. And He did it for you and me so that we’d not need to die an eternal death but instead partake in His riches in glory, His eternal inheritance.

As a result of this, one day soon our earthly body will perish, and we’ll immediately see Him face to face. Then there’ll be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There’ll be no more pain, for the former things will have passed away.

Is it really possible to tangle ourselves up in anxiety and worry when we really see this and when we just relax in the wonder, the mercy and grace of our wonderful Lord?

When that becomes our treasure that’s where our heart will be.

Just like the hymn says,

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Look full in His wonderful face.

Then the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His gory and grace.

Next time friends we’ll move to Matthew chapter 7 and the last chapter of the sermon on the mount and again there are some surprises here. Until them may God reveal to you the real treasure of this life, to know Him through Christ our Lord.