Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

WHO’S YOUR MASTER?

Jesus says we can have only one master.

We live in a materialistic society where many people serve money.

They spend all their lives collecting and storing it, only to die and leave it behind.

Their desire for money and what it can buy far outweighs their commitment to God and spiritual matters.

Even Christians spend a great deal of time trying to create heaven on earth.

Whatever you store up, you will spend much of your time and energy thinking about.

Don’t fall into the materialistic trap, because “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).

Does Christ or money occupy more of your thoughts, time, and efforts?

Ask yourself, “Have I taken Christ or [mammon] as my master?”

[LASB]

Main Thought: Choose you this day whom ye will serve; Who is on the Lord’s side?

Sub-intro:

Context - Having considered the Lord’s Blueprints for a Blessed Life, and how the Disciple Relates to His Community, we continue Jesus’ teachings on how the Disciple relates to God in His Communion, by Almsgiving, by Prayer, and by Fasting, following as Jesus gives His explanations and inferences on how being right from the inside-out leads to unfeigned and faithful service to God, for the furtherance of His Kingdom and will.

Let’s consider the following-

Body:

I. Whom Do You Serve?

Him or You? (Matt.

6:19-24)

A. Your Passion: Which of Two Treasures?

(Mt.

6:19-21)

1. Earthly (Mt.

6:19)

a. Moth & Rust Corrupt

ADEL on Rust

  RUST, n .

[Sax.

rust; D. roest; G. Sw. rost; Dan.

rust; W. rhwd; Gr. ερυσιθη; probably from its color, and allied to ruddy, red, as L. rubigo is from rubeo.

See Ruddy.]

1.

The oxyd of a metal; a substance composed of oxygen combined with a metal, and forming a rough coat on its surface.

All metals except gold are liable to rust.

2. Loss of power by inactivity, as metals lose their brightness and smoothness when not used.

3. Any foul matter contracted; as rust on corn or salted meat.

4. Foul extraneous matter; as sacred truths cleared from the rust of human mixtures.

5.

A disease in grain, a kind of dust which gathers on the stalks and leaves.

Ed.

Encyc.

[Noah Webster, Noah Webster’s First Edition of An American Dictionary of the English Language.

(Anaheim, CA: Foundation for American Christian Education, 2006).]

b.

Thieves Steal

Note - “dig through”

2. Heavenly (Mt.

6:20)

a. Incorruptible

b.

Un-steal-able

3. The Principle - Heart Determines Treasure (Mt.

6:21)

The Jews were very familiar with the phrase treasure in heaven.

They identified such treasure with two things in particular.

(1) They said that the deeds of kindness which people did upon earth became their treasure in heaven.

The Jews had a famous story about a certain King Monobaz of Adiabēne who became a convert to Judaism.

‘Monobaz distributed all his treasures to the poor in the year of famine.

His brothers sent to him and said, “Thy fathers gathered treasures, and added to those of their fathers, but thou hast dispersed yours and theirs.”

He said to them, “My fathers gathered treasures for below, I have gathered treasures for above; they stored treasures in a place over which the hand of man can rule, but I have stored treasures in a place over which the hand of man cannot rule; my fathers collected treasures which bear no interest, I have gathered treasures which bear interest; my fathers gathered treasures of money, I have gathered treasures in souls; my fathers gathered treasures for others, I have gathered treasures for myself; my fathers gathered treasures in this world, I have gathered treasures for the world to come.”

’

Both Jesus and the Jewish Rabbis were sure that what is selfishly hoarded is lost, but that what is generously given away brings treasure in heaven.

That was also the principle of the Christian Church in the days to come.

The early Church always lovingly cared for the poor, the sick, the distressed, the helpless and those for whom no one else cared.

In the days of the terrible Decian persecution in Rome, the Roman authorities broke into a Christian church.

They were out to loot the treasures which they believed the church to possess.

The Roman prefect demanded from Laurentius, the deacon: ‘Show me your treasures at once.’ Laurentius pointed at the widows and orphans who were being fed, the sick who were being nursed, the poor whose needs were being supplied.

‘These’, he said, ‘are the treasures of the Church.’

The Church has always believed that ‘what we keep, we lose, and what we spend, we have’.

(2) The Jews always connected the phrase treasure in heaven with character.

When Rabbi Yose ben Kisma was asked if he would dwell in a pagan city on condition of receiving very high pay for his services, he replied that he would not dwell anywhere except in a home of the law, ‘for’, he said, ‘in the hour of a man’s departure neither silver, nor gold, nor precious stones accompany him, but only his knowledge of the law, and his good works’.

As the grim Spanish proverb has it, ‘There are no pockets in a shroud.’

[William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Third Ed., The New Daily Study Bible (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2001), 278–280.]

B. Your Vision: Which of Two Eyes? (Mt.

6:22-23)

1.

The Principle - Eye Determines Light (Mt.

6:22-23a)

a. Good Eye - Plenty of Light (Mt.

6:22)

Note - “single”

Pure; simple; incorrupt; unbiased; having clear vision of divine truth.

Matt.

6. [ADEL]

b.

Bad Eye - Full of Darkness (Mt.

6:23a)

Note - Old Proverb: The eye is the window of the soul; rather, how well one can see the purpose and will of God with discernment; e.g.

inside-out.

2. The Problem - Darkened Eye Means Great Darkness (Mt.

6:23b)

C.

Your Mission: Which of Two Masters - (Mt. 6:24)

1.

Two Options

a. Regarding Affection/Love

Hate One, Love Other

b.

Regarding Devotion/Loyalty

Devoted to One, Despising the Other

2. The Principle - Cannot Serve God & Mammon

Application: Negatives - Gehazi (2 Ki. 5); Achan (Josh.

7); Positives - Moses (Heb.

11); Paul (Phil.

1:21)

Points to Live By

How can we develop a single-mindedness on heavenly treasures?

Give yourselves first to the Lord

Paul writes to the Corinthian church about giving and commends to them the example of the churches in the region of Macedonia (2 Cor.

8:1).

Although they were poor they were nevertheless generous in their giving (v.

2).

The main reason for this act was because they “gave themselves first to the Lord” (v. 5).

This is the place to start.