The Gospels Matthew

Earthly Possessions or Heavenly Treasures

Discover Jesus as: King Matthew 6 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 116 of 730
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INTRO

We’re in the process of studying the four Gospels––Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They are synoptic Gospels, which means that they all look at stories that Jesus was involved with, but from different angles. Think of it this way: You’re at a Dallas Mavericks basketball game and a call is made from the perspective of the referee, the Maverick player might have a different perspective, and the opponent player might have yet another perspective. The play still happened, but everyone saw it differently.

What we’ll look at over the next several months will be different perspectives of who Jesus is. In Matthew, we’ll see Jesus as a King. In Mark, we’ll see Jesus as a Servant. In Luke and John, we’ll see His identity differently. The joy is to continue to learn something new about Jesus. Yesterday we got stuck on one verse; think of what we learned from it. My prayer is that as you go through the Gospels, even if you’ve read them 100 times, God will continue to give you little golden nuggets that point to Christ.

TEACHING

Matthew 6:1-8: Beginning in chapter 5, Jesus began to unfold His ministry through the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 6 is a description of Jesus talking to the crowd that had gathered, about how to give and pray the right way, so people would not notice you.

Matthew 6:9-18: In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus taught His listeners to pray by giving them the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus explained that all this is based on forgiveness (vv. 14-15) and talked about how His followers should fast (vv. 16-18). The ultimate example is that of Jesus in the wilderness when He fasted 40 days and 40 nights.

Matthew 6: 19-21: Wiersbe points out that “materialism will enslave the heart.”1In verses 19-21, Jesus talked about possessions and recognized that money is not inherently evil (Proverbs 6:6-8). We need money to walk through everyday stuff, and it helps us take care of family (1 Timothy 5:8). Money also brings enjoyment, and having savings is a good thing (1 Timothy 4:4). Our goal should be to have enough money to bless our children, as well as our grandchildren, with an inheritance (Proverbs 13:22; 2 Corinthians 12:14).

On the other hand, money can be bad. The Lord knows when you’ve short-changed or mistreated people with money (James 5:2-5). And, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Timothy 6:10). This means you have a divided heart . . . between the love of money and the love of God.

On the other side, how can we collect treasures for heaven (Matthew 6:20)? Nelson’s Commentary states that “the ultimate destiny of our lives is either earthly or heavenly and the concentration of our efforts will reveal where our real treasure is.”2This means there are rewards for faithful service . . . faithful work that actually deposits into heaven (1 Peter 1:14). So, when we do things in secret while our focus is on King Jesus, that’s when we receive heavenly rewards (Matthew 5:12; 6:6; 10:42).

Matthew 6:22-23: Sorg expressed the “heart is the center of the personality, and it controls the intellect, emotions, and will.”3 Wiersbe added that materialism does more than control the heart, it controls “the mind” as well.4So, we’re moving from enslaving the heart to enslaving the mind with materialism. Jesus said the eye either lets the body be full of light or of darkness (vv. 22-23). So, if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness? Nelson’s Commentary says, “No muscle of your body can relax if your eye is uncomfortable.”5If your eye is bad, it impacts everything. If you let a remote lens of darkness begin to creep in, the things of the world and earthly religion will begin to turn your mind dark. If you protect your eye and your mind from the darkness, then your eye and mind will be light. Understand that the eye is very similar to the heart in Scripture (Psalm 119:10, 18, 148). When you enslave your life with either light or darkness, then that’s how you’ll walk out your life.

Matthew 6:24: Wiersbe finished his quote on materialism this way: “Materialism will enslave the heart, the mind, and the will.”6Jesus said, “No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money” (v. 24). Earthly material treasures become what the Scriptures say is “an idol or god of the human heart that is in conflict with the one true God.”7That means we can become so driven by earthly treasure that we forget about being kingdom-minded. Being kingdom-minded means that what we do, what we have, goes to advancing the kingdom. Tasker described this as a type of slavery mentality and said that “single ownership and fulltime service are the essence of slavery.”8You’ve got to decide if you’re going to go after the will of man or the will of God.

Verse 25 follows: “This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Nelson’s Commentary says, “To set one’s heart upon material possessions or to worry about the lack of them is to live in perpetual insecurity and to deprive one’s self of the spiritual blessings of God.”9God knows what’s on your heart, what you need, so you can begin to walk in “carefulness, cautiousness, and faith,” knowing that God will show up. When we give in to anxiousness, we are assuming that God cannot take care of it and we’ll have to do it ourselves (v. 26). Verse 27 explains why we don’t need to worry. God looks after those who follow Him. In verses 28-29, Jesus reminded His listeners how great God’s care of us is by comparing God’s riches to those of King Solomon (2 Chronicles 9:3-4).

In verse 31, Jesus asked the disciples if they had enough trust in Him to not worry about where the next meal would come from (Matthew 8:26). Constable says that “It is not only foolish to talk like this, but it’s pagan to fret about the necessities of life.10” The fretting disciple lives as an unbeliever (Gentile) who disbelieves and disregards God.”11When we focus on the material things, we become idolaters. But seeking God’s kingdom is putting Him first (Matthew 6:33). Wiersbe said that “the average person is crucifying himself between two thieves: the regrets of yesterday and the worries about tomorrow.”12Constable said that God has given us enough grace “so we can deal with life one day at a time. Tomorrow He will provide enough grace (help) for what we will face th.”13I wrestled with that statement, thinking that I need the grace for tomorrow. But I don’t. God gives us enough grace for today.

CLOSING

So, how do we overcome worry? Wiersbe lays out three words that will give us the victory over worry. First, Wiersbe says to have enough faith to trust God (Matthew 6:30). Second, he says we must trust the Father to care for His children (Matthew 6:32). Third, he says to focus on putting God first as the priority in our lives (Matthew 6:33). Wiersbe summarizes it this way: “If we have faith in the Father and put Him first, He will meet our needs.”14

  1. Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: Matthew–Galatians(Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 1989), p. 27.

  2. Earl Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, and H. Wayne House, eds. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1999), p. 1152.

  3. T. Sorg, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, s.v. “kardia,” pp. 180-184; Thomas L. Constable, Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable: Matthew, p. 207, https://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/matthew.pdf.

  4. Wiersbe, p. 27

  5. Radmacher, Allen, and House, p. 1152.

  6. Wiersbe, p. 27.

  7. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005). p. 1311.

  8. R. V. G. Tasker, The Gospel According to St. Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary(Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdman’s Publishing), p. 76; quoted in Constable,209.

  9. Radmacher, et al, p. 1152.

  10. Constable, p. 212.

  11. Constable, p. 212.

  12. Wiersbe, p. 28.

  13. Constable, p. 213.

  14. Wiersbe, p. 28.

Questions

  1. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said to let your good deeds shine out for all to see, however, in Matthew 6:1, He said not to do you your good deeds publicly. What is the reason for Jesus saying these statements? (Ephesians 5:8-9; 1 Peter 2:12)
  2. Money in and of itself is not evil. Matthew 6:24 says that you cannot serve two masters. What are some practical ways that money can be used for good (Proverbs 6:6-8; 13:22; 2 Corinthians 12:14; 1 Timothy 4:4; 5:8)? How can money be bad? (Luke 12:13-21; 1 Timothy 6:10; James 5:2-5)
  3. Matthew 6 says to store up our treasures in heaven and that God will reward us for certain things. How can we tangibly store up treasures or rewards in Heaven? (Matthew 5:12; 6:6, 15, 20; 10:42; 1 Peter 1:14)
  4. Why did Jesus say in Matthew 6:14 that when we forgive others your heavenly Father will forgive you (Mark 11:25; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13)? Why is it important to God that we forgive others? Are there people in your life that need your forgiveness?
  5. How does Jesus teach each of us to pray in Matthew 6:5-13 (2 Kings 4:33; Ecclesiastes 5:2; Romans 8:26-27)? Jesus mentioned getting away by yourself to pray, but is it also okay to pray in public? Why or why not (Luke 18:10-14; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:16)? No matter where we pray, who should always be the focus of our prayers?
  6. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in Matthew 6 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin Matthew 6:33-34a

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be pro-vided for you. Therefore, don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself.”

The disciples continued listening to Jesus’ teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus taught practical lessons about how to walk with God in giving, praying, fasting, and handling material items. And then Jesus said to these men, “Do not worry about your life.” These disciples had just left their livelihoods and their families to follow Jesus. Can you imagine the thoughts going on in their minds about how they would eat, drink, or even have clothing? Yet Jesus continued to tell them that rather than worry, they were to seek first the kingdom of God and those things would be provided.

As a follower of Christ, you are to seek the Lord and pursue a life with Him above all other concerns in life. Jesus promises that when you seek Him first, all the things you truly need will be provided. Therefore stop worrying and remember—God’s got it! He knows what you will eat or wear even before it happens. When you catch yourself worrying today, stop and say a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness and His promise to provide for you as you seek Him first.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore, don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself.”

— Matthew 6:33-34a

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • Proverbs 3:5-6 — “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.”
  • Philippians 4:6-7 — “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
  • Colossians 3:1-2 — “So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth.”