Matthew 6:9-13 - After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive
our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.
The Sermon for this week is: Gaining Mastery Over Mammon - Matthew 6:19-24 - Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart
be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.
If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love
the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
INTRODUCTION
1. In writing to Timothy, Paul described the danger of seeking to be rich...
a. The desire to be rich is filled with temptations which have destroyed many
- 1 Timothy 6:9 - But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into
many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
b. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil which have led many astray - 1 Timothy 6:10 -
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith,
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
2. Jesus also described the difficulty of the rich entering the kingdom of heaven...
a. When the rich young ruler asked concerning eternal life - Matthew 19:16-22
- And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And
he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if
thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou
shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth
up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
and come and follow me. But when the young man heard
that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
b. Jesus said it was difficult, but not impossible - Matthew 19:23-26 - Then said Jesus unto
his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a
rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were
exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them,
With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
3., Jesus taught how it was possible in - Matthew 6:19-24 - Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt,
and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break
through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is
in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold
to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
a. For the rich person to have “treasure in heaven”
b. For us to overcome “mammon”, which can easily enslave us
4. According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, “mammon” is...
a. A Chaldee or Syriac word meaning “wealth” or “riches”
- Luke 16:9-11 - And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness;
that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful
in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
b. By personification, the god of riches - Matthew 6:24 - No man can
serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
5. Thus if we are not careful, wealth and riches can become our “god”...
a. Paul called a covetous person an idolater - Ephesians 5:5 - For this ye know, that no whoremonger,
nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
b. He told the Colossians to put to death “covetousness, which is idolatry” - Colossians
3:5 - Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil
concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
[To prevent Mammon from become our “god”, let’s examine the teachings of our Lord as
found in His sermon on the mount. Beginning with (Matthew 6:19 - Lay not up for yourselves
treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:), we find the
first of three keys to “Gaining Mastery Over Mammon”...]
I. LAY UP TREASURE IN HEAVEN (Matthew 6:19-21 - Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt,
and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart
be also.)
A. WHY IN HEAVEN, AND NOT ON EARTH...
1. On earth:
a. Moth and rust destroy (i.e., material things are perishable)
b. Thieves break in and steal (material things are subject to theft)
2. In heaven:
a. Neither moth nor rust destroys (our treasures are imperishable - 1 Peter 1:3-4 - Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,)
b. Thieves do not break in and steal (our treasures are securely guarded - 1 Peter 3:4-5 - But
let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner
in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands)
B. WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR “HEART” (AFFECTIONS, HOPE, DREAMS) WILL BE ALSO...
1. If your treasure is on earth, your heart will experience much disappointment
a. As things for which you have affection decay or are one day destroyed by fire
b. As things in which you find your primary joy are suddenly gone through things like theft
2. But if your treasure is in heaven, your heart will not suffer great disappointments
a. For your treasure is “incorruptible, undefiled, and does not fade away”
b. Nothing can take your treasure away from you, for it is:
1) “reserved in heaven for you”
2) “kept by the power of God through faith”
3. With treasures laid up in heaven, whatever happens on earth will not devastate you! - cf. the Hebrew
Christians in Hebrews 10:32-34 - But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye
endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly,
whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling
of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
4. When these words of Jesus are taken to heart and applied, how true His words in Matthew 7:24-27
- Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto
a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came,
and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth
these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the
rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of
it.
will be!
a. The “storms” of life will not overwhelm us
b. Because we’ve built our foundation upon the words of Jesus found in our text!
C. HOW CAN WE LAY UP TREASURE IN HEAVEN...?
1. First, by becoming children of God...
a. Thereby becoming “joint-heirs with Christ” - Romans 8:16-17 - The Spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs
with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
b. And the recipients of “every spiritual blessing” in heavenly places - Ephesians 1:13
- In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
2. Then, by using material wealth we may have to bless those around us...
a. As Jesus instructed the rich young ruler - Matthew 19:21 - Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast,
and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
b. As He instructed His disciples, in order to have “a treasure in the heavens that does not fail”
- Luke 12:33-34 - Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not
old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also.
c. As Paul wrote Timothy to charge those rich in this present age, that they may be “storing up
for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” - 1 Timothy 6:17-19
- Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living
God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing
to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal
life.
[Through such generosity and liberality, then, we are well on the way to “Gaining Mastery Over
Mammon.” At the same time, we need to make sure that we observe the second key...]
II.
KEEP YOUR EYE GOOD (Matthew 6:22-23 - The
light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. The light of the body
is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.)
A. IN THE METAPHOR USED BY JESUS...
1. The “body” likely represents the “soul” or “inner man”
2. The “eye” likely represents the “gaze of the soul” or the “heart
of man”
3. The word “good” in Greek means “simple, single, uncomplicated”
4. The word “bad” in Greek means “wicked, evil”
5. And in the Scriptures, the expression “evil eye” is used to mean “envious,
covetous” - cf. Proverbs 23:6 - Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an
evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: ; Matthew 20:15 - Is it not lawful
for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? ; Mark 7:22 - Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
B. AN EXPLANATION BASED UPON THESE DEFINITIONS...
1. If the heart or gaze of the soul be good (“single” in its love of God and the things
of God)...
a. Then one is filled with light
b. In other words, goodness, righteousness, and truth - cf. Ephesians 5:8-10 - For ye were sometimes
darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of
the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto
the Lord.
2. But if the heart or gaze of the soul be evil (full of envy, covetousness)...
a. Then one's soul is filled with darkness
b. The opposite of light: selfishness, wickedness, and falsehood!
C. THUS THE NEED FOR THE WARNING...
1. To guard what goes in your eye
a. I.e., what you allow your eyes to dwell upon
b. Remember, there is such a thing as “the lusts of the eyes” (i.e., materialism)
2. To be rich toward God, free from covetousness - cf. Luke12:13-21 - And
one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him,
Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And
he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the
abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The
ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying,
What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will
I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him,
Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose
shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is
he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
a. Note Jesus’ warning - Luke 12:15 - And he said unto them, Take
heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
b. Also His conclusion - Luke 12:21 - So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
[The third and last key to “Gaining Mastery Over Mammon” is most crucial, and will
make it impossible for one to serve Mammon...]
III. MAKE GOD YOUR MASTER (Matthew 6:24 - No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other;
or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.)
A. NO ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS...
1. A “master” by definition demands “total loyalty”, and we are unable to please
two masters at the same time
2. Such is certainly true with God - cf. Exodus 34:14 - For thou shalt worship no other god:
for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
3. Mammon is evidently no different
B. WE HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN GOD AND MAMMON...
1. When wealth is coveted, and becomes the priority in our lives, it becomes a “god” - cf.
Ephesians 5:5 - For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater,
hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. ; Colossians 3:5 - Mortify therefore your members
which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
2. So the choice is whether we shall worship the One True God, or be “idolaters” following
after a false god!
C. CHOOSE TO SERVE GOD...
1. As Jesus would later say, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” - Matthew
6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall
be added unto you.
2. Do this, and God becomes our Master
3. Since we can’t serve two masters, this effectively eliminates Mammon from being our god!
CONCLUSION
1. These are the three keys to “Gaining Mastery Over Mammon”...
a. Lay up treasure in heaven (by helping others)
b. Keep your eye good (guard what you allow to influence your inner man)
c. Make God your Master (and you will not be able to serve another Master)
2. Why seek to gain mastery over mammon and serve God instead?
a. Because Mammon...
1) Is susceptible to decay and theft
2) Will make us blind, selfish creatures
b. Whereas with God...
1) Our treasures are secure
2) We will be kind, righteous people
3. By gaining mastery over Mammon we will also avoid...
a. Falling into a temptation and a snare
b. Falling into many foolish and harmful lusts
c. Straying from the faith because of greediness
d. Piercing ourselves with many sorrows - cf. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 - But they that will be rich
fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men
in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred
from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But most importantly, Christians will be “storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time
to come”, and “lay hold on eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19 - Charge them that are rich in this
world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things
to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store
for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.). Isn’t that
what we really want?
Matthew 28:19-20 - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mark 16:15-16 - And
he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Prayer:
Lord I truly thank You for giving me the opportunity to present these words to my brethrens. I pray that You will
give them Your eternal blessings and accept them into Your heart - this I pray
in the name of Thy Son, Jesus, the Messiah, Your only begotten son which Ye sent to save mankind from themselves. Amen
Ephesians
6:23-24 - Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
This sermon is in the Public Domain - Free for all to use with the only requirement:
That it never be used for profit.
