Choose Your Master
Matthew 6:19-24
Introduction.
Read Matthew 6:24.
We should have an attitude of service toward others and to God!
Define “mammon” – “treasure, riches (personified and opposed to God)” (Thayer); “Material wealth or possessions especially as having a debasing influence” (Merriam-Webster).
Jesus makes a stark contrast between who we serve: hate vs. love; be loyal vs. despise.
This verse is right after a discussion on building treasures in heaven and the eye being the lamp of the body (Matt. 6:19-23).
How does this relate to what master we serve?
Do we serve treasures on earth?
Do we serve our own lustful desires?
Do we serve God?
Body.
Do we serve treasures on earth? (6:19-21).
The verse (24) says outright that we cannot serve both God and mammon.
Jesus tells us that instead of building treasures on earth, we ought to focus on heaven.
We can build treasures in heaven through charitable deeds, prayer, and fasting.
Earlier in the chapter, He says these things ought to be done in secret, not openly.
How do we know our focus is on earthly treasures?
If you say, “When you put money before God …” most people will nod their head in agreement without realizing that’s exactly what they’re doing!
We have a particular blindness to our own actions.
Signs concerning attending worship.
Are you missing worshiping with the saints to work/earn money?
Sometimes it cannot be helped, but are you working because you absolutely need to to keep your job or provide for your necessities, or just because you want a little extra money?
No justification—“if I work at this time, I can give more.” – to obey [in worship] is better than sacrifice! (1 Sam. 15:22).
Signs concerning our giving.
Are you truly giving as you’ve been prospered?
When you get a raise, do you increase your giving?
When you get a little overtime, do you count that?
Have you considered all your sources of income?
Consider Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5).
Where is your heart?
Is it with God or mammon?
Is your heart with your treasures on earth? Or is it with your treasures in heaven?
Recall: you will hate the one and love the other; be loyal to one and despise the other.
Let us make sure our hearts are in heaven.
Do we serve our own lustful desires? (6:22-23).
The eye is used to focus on many things.
Where do we train our eyes to focus?
Do we focus on riches or on God?
Do we focus on wicked things or on righteous things?
Jesus uses a metaphor of the body and the eye to describe our mind and our heart—we might use the phrase “mind’s eye” to describe such things.
He then describes a good eye and a bad eye.
As the lamp of the body, our eyes direct where we go.
A good eye has 20/20 vision and can see the light clearly and the right path.
A bad eye is blind and cannot see the light.
If we are in a dark enough place for a long enough period of time, we go blind—our eyes go bad!
It is possible if we’ve been blind for so long that we will never see the light.
If we can’t see where to go due to blindness, we both fall into a ditch (Matt. 15:14).
Earlier in this Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about various sins ….
One of the types of sin John talks about is “lust of the eyes” (1 John 2:16).
Our eyes spot the object of our desire, and we covet it.
This applies to things we covet and people we lust after.
If we focus on things that are pure and noble, then this will not be the problem that it is (Phil. 4:8).
If we allow these things to have mastery over us, then we will love this and hate the Lord, we will be loyal to our desires and despise our God.
Do we serve God? (6:24).
Throughout Scripture, our service to God is represented as an all-or-nothing situation.
“Friendship with the world is enmity with God, whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).
“If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).
“Fear God and keep His commandments for this is man’s all” (Eccl. 12:13).
In Romans 6, Paul talks about the dichotomy between being a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness—there is no middle ground.
We must love Him and be loyal to Him, not to mammon.
There is no way that we can serve mammon or our lustful desires and serve God, too.
Paul describes such people as not serving the Lord.
“For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple” (Rom. 16:18).
Instead they serve their own bellies, their own appetites and desires.
As a result, they deceive the hearts of the simple, leading many astray.
The result of serving God is made clear later in the chapter.
Let us not worry about our necessities, for God will provide for them.
Remember to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (6:33).
We do not have to chase after riches or our own lustful desires.
You don’t have to work that extra shift Sunday morning or Wednesday evening—God will provide.
You don’t have to covet after things or lust after people—God will provide as He sees fit.
But we must get our priorities straight and put Him first!
Conclusion.
Ultimately, we must choose our own master.
Will it be the “almighty dollar”?
Will it be our own appetites?
Will it be the One who died for you to set you free from all those things?
I encourage you to make the right choice.
Life will be better free of these things that ensnare us.
We won’t have to worry so much about money or harmful lusts.
Our rewards are in heaven where our treasure has been laid up.
We will be able to enjoy our heavenly treasures for far longer than our earthly ones.
If you want to go to heaven, the only way is through Christ (John 14:6).
You have that option today.
Do you need to step out and make that choice to serve Him?
Do you need to renew that decision this evening?
He loves you and wants you to choose Him as your Master, and so do I.
Don’t delay, serve Him today!