THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. Matt. 5, 6, 7 (36)

January 5, 2019

25-9-18

Key: SCHAFF: “When the Lord open his mouth, we should open our ears and hearts” 

HEAVENLY FOCUS AS OPPOSED TO WORLDLY MINDEDNESS continues Matt. 6:19-24… 4

“We are therefore concerned to be right and wise in the choice of our treasure, because the temper of our minds, and consequently the tenor of our lives, will be according either carnal or spiritual, earthly or heavenly. The heart follows the treasure, as the needle follows the loadstone, or the sunflower the sun. Where the treasure is there the value and esteem are, there the love and affection are Col. 3:2, that way the desires and pursuit go, thitherward the aims and intents are levelled, and all is done with the view. Where the treasure is, there our cares and our fears are, …there our hope and trust are Pro, 18:10-11, there our joy and delights will be Ps. 119:111 and there our thoughts will be, our inward thought, the first thought, the free thought, the fixed thought, the frequent thought, and the familiar thought.” M. Henry.

  1. Matt. 6:22-23 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness.” NKJV
    1. The single or good eye. It gives one image of an object as opposed to an eye which sees double, which gives dim, so that the object is not seen clearly and steadily.
    2. If the light in thee, the lamp of the mind. That is our reason and conscience darkened, blinded, by miseducation, by covetousness, ambition, or other strong passions. Our eyes must be fixed upon God, his kingdom, upon the treasures in heaven, and upon righteousness.
  2. Matt. 6:24 “No servant can serve two masters…” It implies exclusive ownership, and demands exclusive service. According to Meyer “for either he will hate-A and love-B or (on the contrary) he will hold to-A and despise-B”
  3. “You cannot serve God and mammon” –mammon- wealth, riches. “Mammon” and “Caesar’s” are demonic principalities which controls money. Deut. 32:37-38, Col. 3:5-6. What we love we serve and obey. Jn. 14:15, Rom. 6:16. When we love money we worship it and the spirit behind it.
    1. “The love of money is the root of all evils”. 1Tim. 6:10. Money is “mammon of unrighteousness”. Lk. 16:9. “Money in its essential character is evil…In God’s sight money is dirty – Watchman-Nee. Mammon and God are never on the same side. Money is opposed to God. Money leads away from God. 1Tim. 6:10 It is “Caesar’s” Lk. 20:24-25. Money as goal leads to turmoil, anxiety and ends in frustration. Eccl. 2:5-12. God will not use money:
      1. To worry, frustrate and upset us. Matt. 6:25
      2. To corrupt you. Josh. 7:21, 1Sam. 15:9
      3. To build your ego and satisfy every whim and desire. Jas. 1:10-11, 1Tim. 6:6-19
      4. For you to hoard. Ps. 49:10-11, Pro. 11:24-25.

It continues.