Money Matters - Jesus & The Affections of Your Heart - Origin Sermon - 5 March 2023

Okay, thank you so much for sharing together and connecting.

It's so good to see you and to hear the laughter and the

connection that's happening there.

That's a good sign of Health among us when we're able to

laugh together when we share, I'm going to invite us into a

text this morning. It's in Matthew chapter 6.

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 6, beginning in verse 9, 19.

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

And I want you to imagine the, the crowd that was with Jesus,

most often, when Jesus was teaching.

Weider, note, given a note that there was a corralled there and

that perhaps he had gathered his disciples up close to him just

before this text, it's actually part of a larger sermon, we call

it the Sermon on the Mount and in The Sermon on the Mount, just

before his And it talks about the crowds that had been with

Jesus. Can you imagine being in a crowd

that was full of people who needed healing healing from

every disease and sickness? So it's a crowd that should have

been on the way to the hospital. Okay.

There might have been people coughing.

There might have been kids with a rash.

Running around the crowd, probably wasn't as quiet and

complacent as you all are, you know, to just to be quiet and

listen, it was probably a fairly chaotic crowd with kids running

around. I don't think there was a

children's ministry, the kids were hanging out and doing their

thing and moms were nursing and it was just all about.

Full of life in that moment as Jesus was teaching.

In fact, it says that there were people there who were suffering,

various diseases, suffering, pain, demon possession, having

seizures and the paralyzed, and he healed them.

So it was a space in which the power of God was also being

evident when Jesus was teaching. Especially if he wasn't teaching

in the synagogue, unless he was being confronted on the Sabbath

with someone who needed healing. We Jesus was teaching the, the

poor were very much present. In fact, Jesus says of his

mission. The spirit of the Lord is upon

me because he has anointed me to preach.

Good news to the Poor. When he begins his sermon, what

we call The Sermon on the Mount. He leads off and in an

acknowledgement of the poor who are present.

He says, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom

of God. Jesus is sermons, were most

often centered in announcing the reality of the kingdom of God.

But also So showing, so what? So, what shall you do?

Because the king is here, because the kingdom of God is

here, this sermon moves through a series of parts that all seem

to address the major threat to the kingdom of God.

The major threat to the kingdom of God, being present and

realized, in the lives of those who were there was

self-righteousness. Self adulation.

Self-determination. Those are the very things we are

all conditioned to pursue. and yet his sermon seems to be

designed to address them one after another, And when it comes

to the aspects of self-determination, Jesus very

quickly and rapidly gives pictures of the situation to

Treasures to focuses and to Lourdes.

That's where we're going to pick up in the sermon.

Matthew chapter 6, beginning in verse 19, Jesus says, do not

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

store up for yourselves, Treasures on Earth, where moths

and Vermin, destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

But store up for yourselves. Treasures, in Heaven, where

moths and Vermin. Do not destroy 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. If your eyes are healthy, your

whole body will be full of light.

But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of

Darkness. If then The Light Within You is

Darkness, how great is that Darkness?

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and

love the other or you will be devoted to the one and despise

the other. You cannot serve both God and

money. Let's pray together.

Heavenly Father, we take this word that Jesus delivered to a

crowd. And we pray that you would

deliver it again to this crowd and to each of us may you

radically reformed and rearrange how we consider money.

By helping us draw attention today to the issues of the

heart. My treasures and focuses.

And who is Lord. Of this heart.

We ask this in the name of Jesus.

Amen. So, when Jesus moves through

this, he's getting along really quickly and he identifies that

we have two Treasures before us. The reality of the treasures.

Is this that some Treasures Last Heavenly Treasures will last but

there's another kind of treasure and those Treasures.

Don't last, so some Treasures last, some Treasures don't, I

mean, you've all probably experienced this where you had a

favorite sweater and this winter, when winter came, you

went to pull it out and maybe there was a hole in it.

And you're like brats. Oh good thing.

It wasn't rats. It was moths a mod 8 my sweater

and put a hole in it. That was my favorite sweater.

Or maybe you've had the experience of having something

that was really important to you.

Like your favorite mug, it was a treasure.

It broke. Are you lost it?

I know you all. Love your born for more mugs and

you lost it. Those are Treasures.

That can be lost. But there's another kind of

Treasure of Jesus says that can be retained that will last

forever. It's those values than that.

He speaking of that speak to these Treasures, these Treasures

of friendship or character of good works or of the Eternal

relationship with God. These are Treasures that last.

And then there's a second reality of the treasures and

that is that the heart gravitates to your treasure.

The heart is pulled in by the force field of your Treasures.

Jesus is speaking here against the self-determination that

says, I am The Master and Commander of my heart.

And he says, no your Treasures exert a gravitational pull.

On your heart Jesus was familiar with the matters of the heart

throughout the Old Testament. We are told to guard our heart

for from your heart flows, everything the heart was this

picture and metaphor for the sense of will Plus affections.

And he says the heart. Gravitates to your Treasures.

Did any of you all see that terrible film called The Glass

Onion. I'm not Flex.

Did you see it? I mean, did you feel sick at the

end? Did you feel sick about the kind

of relationships that were being expressed among one who has

billions of dollars? In the picture millionaire miles

Braun gathers his closest friends for a weekend and it

turns into a true murder mystery experience.

Fascinating thing watching that film for the therapist, in the

world, the therapists to the Rich and Famous, they watched

the film and were like it rings. True.

Kyle Cockrell is a clay cockerell, this is a writer and

therapists and and this is what he writes.

He says you watch the film and maybe you wanted to be rich.

But trust me, I will never buy a lottery ticket.

Because I don't want that kind of wealth, nor do I want.

What goes with it. He goes on to say that the real

issues for the very rich are well, pictured in that film.

He says everything is about going bigger.

Go bigger. But there's always less

satisfaction. Imagine having everything and

not being able to enjoy it. He says, the film correctly

shows that all relationships are tainted by the power imbalance

created by great wealth. All their relationships are

tainted by great wealth. He goes on to say, then that

every interaction becomes tainted with an ask.

A fear that someone's going to ask.

And then finally, he says, they all become isolated because

wealth, corrupts people because it robs us of our true treasure.

Friendship. How many of you want to be rich?

Okay. There's a few of you are honest.

We do, we want a little bit more and the danger Jesus says, is

that that's the gravitational pull.

Of wealth. And what we set is our

Treasures. And he's warning us, I had no

way what this sermon series or this sermon itself to somehow

be. Something that's against the

rich. Most of us in University are

already in some realm of being rich.

You are in the 1% of the world, getting to study here.

It might not feel that way University is hopefully just a

season of transitional poverty. That's how they write about it

transitional poverty. I had money and then I didn't

the money came in, and the money went out.

I got a bill, it was called student fees.

I had never seen so much money in my account and then it went

out. But Jesus is clear that even in

the setting of the work, we do, even in the setting of the

desire to actually build wealth, he puts a check on it.

And which he wants us to know. Clearly.

It doesn't last. so do you have a true treasure that last The

true treasure. That last is actually pursued by

what you focus on. That's why Jesus goes to speak

about the eyes next. Notice what he said, the eye is

the lamp of the body, if the eyes are healthy, your whole

body will be full of light, but if your eyes are unhealthy, your

whole body will be full of Darkness.

If then The Light Within You, is Darkness, how great is that

Darkness? I imagine that.

It's Jesus said this, he almost said it.

With a sense of Of grief. For on many occasions.

When Jesus saw the true situation of people he was

filled. It says like he's moved in his

guts with compassion for people and he's like, oh how great is

the darkness of someone whose eyes don't see properly?

And what he's talking about? Here is a metaphor for Focus so

if your focus is on that which only brings Darkness, then your

whole body will be full of Of Darkness, your whole life, but

if your eyes are focused on what will actually bring light and

life and love and goodness than your body, your life is going to

be filled with that as well. Two principles to realities.

We will focus on something. Everyone worships.

Something. The second reality is this that

watch you focus on can have a dramatic impact on the condition

of your heart? What you focus on?

Can have a dramatic impact? On your heart.

I had a fellow friend and student here share with me that

he had been listening to music. In another language that his

first language and it was a whole genre of breakup songs.

And he's like, you know, after a lot of listening to that, I felt

sort of low heavy-hearted, right?

What we focus on has a dramatic impact on the condition of our

heart. And if the pursuit of wealth is

simply for the pursuit of wealth, it will focus our life

and create Darkness as what Jesus is saying.

It is good to be good at business.

I'm thankful for accountants I'm thankful for entrepreneurs, I'm

thankful for people who do their work.

Well, The Proverbs are full of Direction on Building Wealth

slowly. But the idea is that as you

build the wealth slowly, you also build the character

required to Bear the weight of the responsibility that

accompanies it. you'll find that within the scripture, but if

your focus Is simply on the wealth, it will hollow out your

life, it will create Darkness inside and Jesus actually treats

it more serious than that. He says it creates evil.

In US. This is the wisdom from Heaven

that are the Earthly wisdom that James speaks of, and James 3.

That Earthly wisdom that is full of envy and selfish ambition.

And there he says, you will find a heart that is filled with

every kind of disorder. In the Hebrew tradition to look

with an evil eye. Was actually look with an

envious. An envious.

I cannot rejoice in others successes.

An envious I says, well, I didn't I get that.

I'm entitled to that. I'm better than them.

An envious eye moves quickly, to actually say, well, what can I

do to eliminate the competition? Like Cain did of Abel.

He eliminated him. As he was competing for the

favor of God. How messed up is that?

And then he speaks of to Lourdes.

Two Treasures to focus has to Lourdes.

Notice what he says, no one can serve serve two masters either

you will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted

to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and

money. To Lourdes but you can only

serve one. You will either hate one and

love the other, you'll be devoted to one or you'll despise

the other two realities of lordship.

The first reality of lordship is this You can't serve two

masters. Now, this is difficult to us

because we're used to having two or three jobs, right?

And we're like, I have two or three bosses in my life.

Some of you have one job in your life.

I've got three bosses. It's a terrible way to live.

But Jesus is trying to say here that in his use of the word

Master. It's actually the word Lord

lordship. You can only have one Lord in

your life. The second reality of lordship

is this in a world where money or the word that Jesus used

madman in a world where Mammon seeks to rule.

Jesus offers another way. Mammon money will always seek to

rule your life whether by giving you plenty or by keeping you

from having a locked, how many of times have you said, well, I

can't do that because I don't have any Money.

Oh, money is your master. You can't do something because

you don't have money. We default to that so quickly

under the guise of, just being realistic, credit cards really

mess with the realities debit cards due to apps on your phone

to, as well, because we don't experience the pain of actually

pulling out that 20 and seeing it.

Disappear. So quickly.

From our hands to there's and then we eat the meal and were

like, where did it go? But Jesus speaks here of monies,

lordship money. Seeks to be lured, the stuff of

Earth seeks to be Lord in our lives.

Now, this is strange because God created us for for

relationships. A relationship with God with

self with people and with the stuff of Earth, but the stuff of

Earth competes for our Allegiance for our affections.

And not only that most of the stuff of Earth and the services

of Earth have now been commodified.

They no longer operate in the realm of relationships.

So often they operate in the realm of commodification and

simple, transactions and money. For some of you money provided a

lift for your family, out of the poverty created, by not being in

the right, family group or the right situation, the right

tribe. And so the commodification

actually provided a way out for you.

And that now you weren't caught in a classism Or a cast.

Money provided a lift. But the danger for most of us is

that money seeks to become Lord in our lives.

By ruling us telling us what we can and can't do rather than

actually centering our life with God and our life with others.

How often have you said? I can't be generous because I

don't have a lot of Money. Oh, all the the questions and

thoughts about how I operate my life.

In regards to money. Can't actually be activated in

my life because I don't have a lot someday when I win the

lottery, I will Help out. Really, you think you will?

Are you helping today? If you're not helping today, you

probably won't. Because you're not building the

character and life, that's ruled by.

Jesus Christ is Lord. You're letting money be your

lord. But the good news of lordship is

that in a world where money seeks to rule, Jesus offers

another way. He's the Lord.

If the Lord Jesus Christ sets your focus, your heart will be

drawn to Heavenly treasures. And you will be Filled.

With light and love and goodness.

But if Your lord is money. And it sets your focus, your

heart will be drawn to Earthly treasures, and will be filled

with darkness and Evil. And envy and the high cost of

greed. Jesus, preached this message as

good news to the poor, and the rich.

It's good news for the poor because there are Heavenly

Treasures. That money can't buy and some of

them are available now. It's good news to the rich.

There are Heavenly Treasures that are available now and money

can't buy them. Money can't buy you love.

So what are you to do? How can you actually move

forward in examining the condition of your heart and your

relationship with money. Going to give you three quick

Solutions. They're actually processes.

But the first one is this you need to open an HSA.

An HSA a Heavenly savings account.

You need to open it. You need to start a life with

Christ Jesus and let him bring the healing and he's opening

that account and HSA in your name and he's filling it with

Grace and then your life of response to Grace means that

your behavior and life begins to change your values, begin to

change once I wanted a Jaguar but now I'm very happy with a

defit. That's true, actually.

It's really true. So let God open an HSA and your

name and fill it. One of the ways you can see if

you're living into your HSA, is if you track your spending, I

know all of you, thought I was going to say, start a budget but

the beginning to actually budgeting is to track your

spending. And there's an app for that more

than one track, your spending and see what you're spending

says about your values and about what you're doing with it.

Second thing to do, it's Jesus can heal your eyes but he's

going to take some time to do it.

So take us up. Take a Sabbath break.

Throughout the scripture, got invited Israel into the gift of

the Sabbath as a day of rest of reconnection and reflection.

Take a Sabbath day where you quit living like a slave, who

has to work seven days a week. Take a Sabbath as one of his

children. Take a Sabbath.

So you can break from the slavish.

Nice. That our bosses and minor Lords

in this world seek to give us and then, finally, Jesus really

is available to liberate us. From the domination of Mammon of

money. So surrender.

Surrender. It's surrendering to him.

He gets to fill your life. I mean, among the disciples,

there were some of them who had plenty, they had jobs and when

confronted with the impossibility of being perfect

before Christ and And feeling like Jesus.

Haven't we done enough? Yet?

They said we've left everything to follow you.

And Jesus promised them. that there were gains to be had in

this world and in eternity, So surrender.

The surrender says it's 100% yours.

Surrender says, I'm 100% yours. This is what breaks the ties of

mammoth. We have to do it every day.

There's bills to be paid. There's a sense of expectation

that some of you carry with your own family about the

expectations of your future, They're very closely tied to

money and Mammon. Jesus offers you a freedom from

that. Jesus offers you a movement into

genuine life so that not just your life as redeemed, but so is

theirs. For they're brought into the

reality of the Kingdom. And the reality of the kingdom

is one of abundance, not just scarcity.

This is the grace that we need. Heavenly Father, we set our

lives before you and we set our hearts.

We pray that you would help us to do life with you to do

business with you to move into this sense.

Of rest. And of Grace that comes only

through surrender to you. Lord you know that our ties to

money are very emotional. That questions and issues of

spending and saving and what we've done with it and

extravagance. Generosity.

Or just getting by, all of these are emotional triggers and our

life. Where we need your healing, we

need your grace. We need your wisdom.

So come Lord, Jesus.