North Anderson Baptist Church
Tony Evans said once - “Many a man or woman will say, ‘I don’t love money.’ Okay, say you don’t love it, but you date it, fantasize about it, romance it, and lose sleep over it. I don’t know, sounds a lot like love to me.”
Does money have a mastery over you? Are you in love with it this way? Can you actually be the Christian God wants you to be if you “love” money? Are you more concerned about money than the Christian witness you have then who is the master of your life?
Matthew 6:19-24 NIV
Jesus has taken us to the point where He wanted us to know about how to worship, pray, give and fast., all for the glory of God. Now He hit His listeners right in the pocketbook when He begins to talk about money. That is awful personal isn’t it? Why should we have to think about money and what we are doing with it or not doing with it, or if we are putting money before God? Remember the title to the series is “A Life That Is Pleasing To God.” How do we please the Lord with the life that we are living here on this earth? Who is in charge of my life? This message is entitled, “Two Masters.”
Matthew 6:19-20 NIV
One's attitude toward wealth is another barometer of righteousness. The Pharisees believed the Lord materially blessed all He loved. They were intent on building great treasures on earth. What is your attitude toward wealth? Does God give money or wealth to just those He loves? Are the poor, those who do not have much wealth, not loved by God as much as those who have much? Is it important to have wealth on this earth? A lot of people talk of wealth and what you can do with that wealth. Jesus speaks in the first two verses about the opposite behavior of how you deal with your treasures. What are those opposites? First, is what you do on earth with your treasures (those things that you put great value in) such as your money, to be used totally as you desire? The second, is what you should do instead of collecting the treasures here on earth, to store treasures (maybe not money but those things that last, like faith and love and kindness etc…) up in heaven instead. What is the benefit of doing the heavenly over the earthly? Jesus says what you store up here on earth for yourself will find itself being subject to rust and the ability to be eaten and destroyed or stolen by thieves before it can be used. “Wealth in Christ's day was partly in fabrics—in rugs, garments, and hangings. Vermin threatened the stored treasure, and thieves could easily break through the mud walls. In any event death soon would overtake the owner. Today Jesus might speak of inflations, depressions, and the uncertainty of fluctuating stocks. He would remind us that "you can't take it with you," and declare again that the mind set on earthly treasure soon becomes overanxious or hard.”
If though, one collects all your treasures in heaven then no one can break in and steal them or they can’t be destroyed. Jesus said in Luke 12:33,
Luke 12:33 NIV
Jesus is trying to help the hearer or the reader, not to set their affections on the things that are on earth that become so important to one that they are the “treasures of one’s heart.” Whatever the “treasures” are they are those things that mean so much to you and you “treasure “ above all else.
Does this mean that one should not have a bank account on earth? Should you not save money and provide for your future? It does not mean that. He wants to know what value do you put on earthly things that take complete control over you and keeps you from the Godliness that focuses on heavenly attributes of God while living here on this earth. Those attributes that could become the instrument of storing those treasures in heaven could be love, praise, kindness, selflessness, worship, compassion, joy, perseverance, righteousness and holiness, as a few examples. You see the things of this world or earthly treasures are but fleeting, they are transient and perishable but those treasures in heaven are sure and solid for the believer. “Jesus made it clear that a right attitude toward wealth is a mark of true spirituality (see Luke 12:13ff;16:1-31). The Pharisees were covetous (Luke 16:14) and used religion to make money. If we have the true righteousness of Christ in our lives, then we will have a proper attitude toward material wealth.” Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) - New Testament - The Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament, Volume 1.
Matthew 6:21 NIV
Jesus says where our treasure is tells us where our true love is. Your heart or your desire will be either on earth or in heaven. Where is your heart dear one? Are you heavenly minded, or earthly minded? “The main question we must ask ourselves is this: "What do I desire? What am I seeking?" The poor seek for riches too! Jesus asks: "What is in your heart? What is your goal? Who is your master; whom do you serve?" Let us turn from the treasure of this world and turn our eyes toward God. And when we do, we shall begin to store up treasure in heaven that will last forever.”
Matthew 6:22-24 NIV
Jesus speaks of health and sickness in these verses. Using the eyes, He says that the eye is the lamp into the soul of man. If the lamp shines bright the soul can be seen to be good and healthy as well as selfless with life is full of God. How is your soul? Is it single-mindedly focused upon God and His work? Do you have something that keeps the soul from getting the full light of the love of God?
Jesus goes on to say that if the eye is bad there is great darkness in the soul, whatever is there, is of the darkness and you become sick. In this condition one’s behavior is not of God but of the things of the world, darkness brings double vision and stinginess when it comes to money or wealth. If we focus our vision on what the world calls success, our perception will be distorted and the light of God's revelation of reality will be blocked out.
But Jesus said, if the eye is showing the light of God then the love of God glows and the heart of the man or woman shows forth a singleness of the heart and life which expresses itself in the unselfishness and love of God when it comes to the money or needs of others. The rich young ruler Jesus spoke about once, was told he must sell all he had and give it to the poor and follow Jesus. But he could not because his eye was dark and his soul was selfish.
In Jesus’ thinking and teaching, He made it clear that God alone is to be worshiped and there is not to be another that comes before Him or takes His place. God stated to Moses many years before Jesus was born that His people, the Hebrews, were to put God before all else.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NIV
Therefore one who follows God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, must have one focus and have his treasure in Him alone.
These verses makes it clear that there are two masters in this life. God is one and should be the only one in your life, but there is another. Jesus called it mammon (or money) while others call it the world or anything other than God.
In reality “a man may do some service to two masters, but he can devote himself to the service of no more than one. God requires the whole heart, and will not share it with the world. When two masters oppose each other, no man can serve both. He who holds to the world and loves it, must despise God; he who loves God, must give up the friendship of the world.” Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary.
“The two masters Jesus speaks of are God and Money. "Money" here means any kind of worldly treasure: land, house, animals, family, education, job, authority, fame. In place of the word "money" we could substitute the word "self."
Every person must choose which master he will serve. In the same way, everyone must choose which kingdom he will live in: the kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness. No one can be a citizen of both kingdoms at the same time.” Interpreter's Bible, The - Exposition - The Interpreter's Bible – Volume 7.
Whichever master we serve we are a slave to them. Paul said that he was a slave to the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 7:22,
1 Corinthians 7:22 NIV
So a slave has really only one master and He is the one that you are to obey. So, when Jesus says that you will love one and hate the other, it is clear that you just can’t serve both masters rightly but you will treat them different. Does God deserve your full measure of devotion?
Of course He does! He has paid the price for our salvation by sending His Son, Jesus to live a perfect life here on earth, then to suffer the terrible pains of death by the hands of men, but after that He was buried, He rose again to show the power and the promise of God. You can live after death and have an eternal home where God reigns and we live in peace forevermore.
John 11:25-27 NIV
My dear friends, do you believe what Jesus said to Martha? Do you believe what Martha said to Jesus? Can you state today: I believe that Jesus is my Savior and Lord and I will say to God today, that I belong to Him! Praise Him for what He has done and for who He is to you!
Lost friend, would you today declare that you are willing to receive Christ as your Master? If you do, He will come into your life to forgive your sin and give you eternal life. Just repent from that sin and turn to Him by faith to have Him cleanse you of ALL sin that you have and He will do it!