Calvary Church
The Choice is Yours - Now & Forever Series - Dustan Bell
‘We see a growing church, meeting in many locations around the world, helping people to know Jesus, find community and make a difference.’
Locations & Times
Calvary Port Moresby
7 Mile, Jacksons Parade, Port Moresby 121 National Capital District, Papua New Guinea
Sunday 10:00 AM
“The Choice is Yours”
Matthew 6:19–24
“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.
The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
In his book, “Money, Possessions and Eternity”, Randy Alcorn points out three couplets contained in these verses.
Jesus speaks of two treasuries:
· On earth
· In heaven
Two perspectives:
· A good eye
· A bad eye
Two masters:
· God
· Money
Jesus’ point seems to be that if you and I don’t choose wisely, we’ll spend our lives:
· Investing in the wrong treasury
· Adopting the wrong perspective
· Serving the wrong master
Reality #1 - We will spend our lives investing in one of two treasuries.
Matthew 6:19-20
“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.
Ecclesiastes 5:15
“Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labour that he can carry in his hand.”
Jesus is not saying it’s wrong to have money or to make money. This teaching is not about wrong or right. It’s about wisdom and foolishness.
Jesus is urging us to think about which treasury we’ll invest our resources into.
· Treasury on earth
· Treasury in heaven
· Things of temporal value.
· Things of eternal value.
· Treasures that will ultimately be lost.
· Treasures that will ultimately last.
God will not make your money choices for you, but Jesus would urge you to invest into the treasury that will never be lost.
Our faith determines our eternal destination - where we will be. But our works determine our eternal rewards – what we will have there.
Three truths about eternity
a. We will each stand before Christ for judgement.
Christians won’t face judgement for sin, but we will face a judgement of works.
Romans 14:10,12
For we will all stand before God’s judgement seat … each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Knowing I’ll stand before Jesus on that day ought to motivate the way I live today.
b. God will reward each of us according to our works.
2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Hebrews 6:10
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
c. Eternity will reveal the true value of our life’s work.
There will come a day when our works are tested. Some of our works will be revealed as having eternal consequence. Other works will be revealed as having no eternal value whatsoever.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Where we spend eternity depends on our faith. How we spend eternity depends on our works.
Matthew Henry
It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day.
John Tillotson
He who provides for this life but takes not care for eternity is wise for a moment but a fool forever.
When Paul wrote to the Philippians to thank them for the generous offering, he encouraged them that their giving was credited to their account. (Philippians 4:16-18)
We can’t buy heaven, but we can build up rewards in heaven, by directing our treasure now toward things that are close to God’s heart.
Reality #2 - We will spend our lives seeing with one of two perspectives.
Matthew 6:22-23
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Jesus is addressing the way we look at life, because how we see life will shape how we use money.
If I have no eternal perspective, of course I will use money on the here and now. But people who know Jesus, who have eternal perspective, will see money with a different set of eyes.
If we’re not living with eternity in mind, we bind ourselves to making foolish decisions in this life.
Psalm 39:4
Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.
James 4:14
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
The heroes of the faith lived as “aliens and strangers on earth” who spent their days focused on a “better country – a heavenly one. (Hebrews 11:13-16)
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
John Wesley
“I value all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.”
Reality #3 - We will spend our lives serving one of two masters.
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Despise = “to think little or nothing of”
If in all my financial transactions, I think little or nothing of God, I’m probably not serving Him.
The simplest way to set this in right order is to make my money serve God, by directing it toward His priorities.
If Jesus urges us to make eternally wise money decisions, how ought we live?
1. Invest money in things of lasting value
Horace Bushnell
One more revival; only one more is needed; the revival of Christian stewardship; the consecration of the money power of the church unto God; and when that revival comes the kingdom of God will come in a day.
2. Invest money in things of lasting impact
God supplies ‘seed for the sower and bread for food’ (2 Corinthians 9:10). When we receive income, we must choose what is bread for food and what is seed for sowing.
Bread for food – what I need for daily life. The impact of this money stops once it’s consumed.
Seed for sowing – what I give. The impact of this money continues to multiply.
Psalm 90:17 (Literal Translation)
Make permanent the works of my hands.
Moses prayed he would do things here and now that would matter long after he was gone and would bear fruit forever.
3. Invest money in things of lasting reward
Randy Alcorn
Whatever treasures we store up on earth will be left behind when we leave. Whatever treasures we store up in heaven will be waiting for us when we arrive.
God will not make our money decisions for us, but wisdom would say:
· Manage money in light of eternity;
· Leverage money now to resource God’s purposes on the planet;
· Trust that God is not unjust – He will reward generously those who honour Him.
Matthew 6:19–24
“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.
The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
In his book, “Money, Possessions and Eternity”, Randy Alcorn points out three couplets contained in these verses.
Jesus speaks of two treasuries:
· On earth
· In heaven
Two perspectives:
· A good eye
· A bad eye
Two masters:
· God
· Money
Jesus’ point seems to be that if you and I don’t choose wisely, we’ll spend our lives:
· Investing in the wrong treasury
· Adopting the wrong perspective
· Serving the wrong master
Reality #1 - We will spend our lives investing in one of two treasuries.
Matthew 6:19-20
“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.
Ecclesiastes 5:15
“Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labour that he can carry in his hand.”
Jesus is not saying it’s wrong to have money or to make money. This teaching is not about wrong or right. It’s about wisdom and foolishness.
Jesus is urging us to think about which treasury we’ll invest our resources into.
· Treasury on earth
· Treasury in heaven
· Things of temporal value.
· Things of eternal value.
· Treasures that will ultimately be lost.
· Treasures that will ultimately last.
God will not make your money choices for you, but Jesus would urge you to invest into the treasury that will never be lost.
Our faith determines our eternal destination - where we will be. But our works determine our eternal rewards – what we will have there.
Three truths about eternity
a. We will each stand before Christ for judgement.
Christians won’t face judgement for sin, but we will face a judgement of works.
Romans 14:10,12
For we will all stand before God’s judgement seat … each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Knowing I’ll stand before Jesus on that day ought to motivate the way I live today.
b. God will reward each of us according to our works.
2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Hebrews 6:10
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
c. Eternity will reveal the true value of our life’s work.
There will come a day when our works are tested. Some of our works will be revealed as having eternal consequence. Other works will be revealed as having no eternal value whatsoever.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Where we spend eternity depends on our faith. How we spend eternity depends on our works.
Matthew Henry
It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day.
John Tillotson
He who provides for this life but takes not care for eternity is wise for a moment but a fool forever.
When Paul wrote to the Philippians to thank them for the generous offering, he encouraged them that their giving was credited to their account. (Philippians 4:16-18)
We can’t buy heaven, but we can build up rewards in heaven, by directing our treasure now toward things that are close to God’s heart.
Reality #2 - We will spend our lives seeing with one of two perspectives.
Matthew 6:22-23
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Jesus is addressing the way we look at life, because how we see life will shape how we use money.
If I have no eternal perspective, of course I will use money on the here and now. But people who know Jesus, who have eternal perspective, will see money with a different set of eyes.
If we’re not living with eternity in mind, we bind ourselves to making foolish decisions in this life.
Psalm 39:4
Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.
James 4:14
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
The heroes of the faith lived as “aliens and strangers on earth” who spent their days focused on a “better country – a heavenly one. (Hebrews 11:13-16)
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
John Wesley
“I value all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.”
Reality #3 - We will spend our lives serving one of two masters.
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Despise = “to think little or nothing of”
If in all my financial transactions, I think little or nothing of God, I’m probably not serving Him.
The simplest way to set this in right order is to make my money serve God, by directing it toward His priorities.
If Jesus urges us to make eternally wise money decisions, how ought we live?
1. Invest money in things of lasting value
Horace Bushnell
One more revival; only one more is needed; the revival of Christian stewardship; the consecration of the money power of the church unto God; and when that revival comes the kingdom of God will come in a day.
2. Invest money in things of lasting impact
God supplies ‘seed for the sower and bread for food’ (2 Corinthians 9:10). When we receive income, we must choose what is bread for food and what is seed for sowing.
Bread for food – what I need for daily life. The impact of this money stops once it’s consumed.
Seed for sowing – what I give. The impact of this money continues to multiply.
Psalm 90:17 (Literal Translation)
Make permanent the works of my hands.
Moses prayed he would do things here and now that would matter long after he was gone and would bear fruit forever.
3. Invest money in things of lasting reward
Randy Alcorn
Whatever treasures we store up on earth will be left behind when we leave. Whatever treasures we store up in heaven will be waiting for us when we arrive.
God will not make our money decisions for us, but wisdom would say:
· Manage money in light of eternity;
· Leverage money now to resource God’s purposes on the planet;
· Trust that God is not unjust – He will reward generously those who honour Him.