Choosing What to Love

Matthew 6
Broadcast Featured Image

Pastor Colin addresses the concept of money and its influence on the soul. He clarifies that the church is not in any financial crisis, but discusses the biblical perspective on money because it significantly affects one’s inner life. Money, as noted in scripture, can either become a tyrant over the soul or be mastered and used to strengthen devotion to God.

The sermon explores two passages: Deuteronomy 6 and Matthew 6. In Deuteronomy, Moses speaks to a new generation about to enter the Promised Land, urging them to remember God when they prosper and warning them about the potential corrupting power of wealth. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, reinforces that one cannot serve both God and money, highlighting the inherent conflict of interests.

Pastor Colin illustrates this spiritual conflict with stories and analogies, emphasising that money can become a master of the soul, drawing attention away from God. He encourages a reorientation where money is viewed as a servant and used to reinforce love and commitment to God. He underscores the biblical principle that where one’s treasure is, there their heart will be also.

Finally, the sermon concludes with practical advice on managing money in a way that honours God, urging us to spend, save, and give according to divine priorities. Pastor Colin prays for deliverance and joy in households, marriages, and personal lives, as believers strive to make Christ the true master of their lives.

1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,040 You are listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,040 –> 00:00:16,580 To contact us call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 or visit our website openthebible.org. 3 00:00:16,580 –> 00:00:17,580 Let’s get to the message. 4 00:00:17,580 –> 00:00:19,379 Here is Pastor Colin. 5 00:00:19,379 –> 00:00:26,139 I invite you to join me again this morning on another journey into the secret life of 6 00:00:26,139 –> 00:00:27,600 the soul. 7 00:00:27,660 –> 00:00:31,660 This morning, we’re going to talk about the subject of money. 8 00:00:31,660 –> 00:00:34,919 Now I need to stay up front that we’re not doing this because the Church is in some kind 9 00:00:34,919 –> 00:00:36,160 of financial crisis. 10 00:00:36,160 –> 00:00:41,419 In fact, the generosity of the congregation indicates that many have learned to live by 11 00:00:41,419 –> 00:00:44,599 the principles we’re going to talk about today. 12 00:00:44,599 –> 00:00:49,160 But we are going to talk about this subject from the Scriptures for this reason, that 13 00:00:49,279 –> 00:00:56,279 Bible makes it repeatedly clear that what you do with your money will have a profound 14 00:00:57,480 –> 00:01:02,759 effect upon the life of your soul. 15 00:01:02,759 –> 00:01:09,480 Money is presented to us in the Bible as a power – a power that seeks to master your 16 00:01:09,480 –> 00:01:16,480 inner life, a power that, if you allow it to, will become a tyrant that will make a 17 00:01:17,080 –> 00:01:24,080 slave of the members of your soul. If, however, you manage to master money, if your soul, 18 00:01:27,900 –> 00:01:34,900 by the power of the Spirit, gains mastery over it, then you can use it as your servant 19 00:01:36,239 –> 00:01:43,239 in such a way that it will enhance and even strengthen your devotion to God. 20 00:01:43,639 –> 00:01:48,440 Now, we’re going to be looking at two passages of Scripture today. The first has been read 21 00:01:48,440 –> 00:01:52,800 to us from Deuteronomy in chapter 6, and then we’re also going to turn to the teaching 22 00:01:52,800 –> 00:01:56,760 of Jesus that we find in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew in chapter 6. 23 00:01:56,760 –> 00:02:00,699 But if you’d like to follow, I’d be grateful if you would have your bibles open at this 24 00:02:00,699 –> 00:02:07,699 point at Deuteronomy, as we begin our journey into the inner life together. 25 00:02:08,419 –> 00:02:15,020 The atmosphere must have been electric as the old man rose to speak for the last time. 26 00:02:15,020 –> 00:02:20,979 He had seen after all miracles of God’s grace as they had crossed the Red Sea. God had provided 27 00:02:20,979 –> 00:02:26,979 for 2 million people food every day for nearly 40 years in the wilderness. They had faced 28 00:02:26,979 –> 00:02:31,179 disappointment of course – Moses had brought them to the edge of the Promised Land, and 29 00:02:31,179 –> 00:02:36,059 their courage had failed, and for the next 38 years they had wandered round in the wilderness 30 00:02:36,580 –> 00:02:42,020 with people getting older and going nowhere, until eventually a whole generation had passed 31 00:02:42,020 –> 00:02:48,539 away. Now a new generation was about to enter the land that God had promised to give them, 32 00:02:48,539 –> 00:02:55,539 but Moses was now old, and before he died, he seized this one last opportunity to talk 33 00:02:56,580 –> 00:03:03,320 to a generation born and raised in the desert about what now lay ahead of them, and what 34 00:03:03,320 –> 00:03:09,940 he said in that final speech is recorded for us in this book of Deuteronomy. Remember that 35 00:03:09,940 –> 00:03:16,619 everyone in this vast audience on the verge of the land of Canaan, everybody under the 36 00:03:16,619 –> 00:03:23,619 age of 40 had actually been born in the desert. Many of the rest had been children or teenagers 37 00:03:25,899 –> 00:03:31,500 at the time when they had left Egypt. Most of the others who were older than that had 38 00:03:31,500 –> 00:03:37,419 already died. So Moses is now speaking to a community of people who have only ever known 39 00:03:37,419 –> 00:03:43,460 life under canvas. The only food that they have ever eaten or tasted is the food that 40 00:03:43,460 –> 00:03:50,259 is miraculously provided by God. But now they stand on the verge of the promised land. They’re 41 00:03:50,259 –> 00:03:57,259 about to be given this most wonderful gift in which they will enjoy freedom and prosperity 42 00:03:57,559 –> 00:04:03,979 in a beautiful place that is the promise of God to them. It was more than most of them 43 00:04:03,979 –> 00:04:09,720 had ever dreamed of or imagined and certainly more than any of them had ever experienced 44 00:04:09,720 –> 00:04:16,119 before. So Moses tells them what lies ahead. God is going to give this land, this beautiful 45 00:04:16,119 –> 00:04:20,279 land flowing with milk and honey, to you. God will give it to you. Your enemies will 46 00:04:20,279 –> 00:04:25,440 flee from you. There’ll be some battles, but largely what is going to happen here is 47 00:04:25,579 –> 00:04:31,739 will abandon their homes. They will leave their fields. They will walk away from their 48 00:04:31,739 –> 00:04:36,339 vineyards. The Lord will give these things to you. You will walk in and you will take 49 00:04:36,339 –> 00:04:41,339 possession of them. Of course they had a system for apportioning 50 00:04:41,339 –> 00:04:46,859 out the land to each of the tribes and to each of the families so that they took possession 51 00:04:46,859 –> 00:04:52,040 of the land in an orderly way. It wasn’t to be one national scramble. But imagine what 52 00:04:52,040 –> 00:04:57,220 it must have been like as the diagrams have been drawn and the plots have been allotted 53 00:04:57,220 –> 00:05:01,820 and you with your family come to the brow of the hill and looking over the top of you 54 00:05:01,820 –> 00:05:08,820 hill there down in the valley you see a house with some fields and you say that’s it. That’s 55 00:05:08,820 –> 00:05:14,260 going to be ours. You go down the side of the slope, you come up to the little house, 56 00:05:14,260 –> 00:05:20,299 you walk and you go inside and there’s no one there. The whole place is deserted, furnishings 57 00:05:20,359 –> 00:05:21,600 just left. 58 00:05:23,600 –> 00:05:25,420 While you’re looking round, the kids go outside 59 00:05:25,799 –> 00:05:29,859 into the fields and they’re running around to the marvel of all of this, they’ve been 60 00:05:29,859 –> 00:05:36,839 in the desert for so long, they come back and they’re shouting, we found a well! They’ve 61 00:05:36,839 –> 00:05:42,000 found some soft fruit, they wonder what it is. Can we eat it? Yeah, sure! You taste it 62 00:05:42,000 –> 00:05:49,000 and you taste a grape for the first time in your life. My, you see, we’ve moved a 63 00:05:49,880 –> 00:05:56,320 long way beyond manna now. Now the children have moved on and they’ve found some animals, 64 00:05:56,320 –> 00:06:02,940 some sheep and some goats. Dad, are these animals our animals? Yeah, I guess they are. 65 00:06:02,940 –> 00:06:07,980 At the bottom of the little garden there’s a shed and dad goes in and to his absolute 66 00:06:07,980 –> 00:06:13,440 delight finds a full set of power tools! Well, sorry. Well, the equivalent, you know what 67 00:06:13,440 –> 00:06:22,140 I mean. Hey, says dad, I could start a little business with these. Now says Moses back in 68 00:06:22,140 –> 00:06:28,500 the desert, in just a short period of time that’s what it’s going to be like. God is 69 00:06:28,500 –> 00:06:35,820 going to give you, chapter 6 in verse 11, houses that you did not build, wells that 70 00:06:36,059 –> 00:06:43,440 you did not dig, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant. Suddenly you’re going 71 00:06:43,859 –> 00:06:49,420 to be put in a situation, in which the good, by the goodness of God, you will have the 72 00:06:49,420 –> 00:06:56,299 capacity and the opportunity to produce wealth. And that is exactly what happened, over the 73 00:06:56,299 –> 00:07:00,859 next few years after this long period in the desert with very little happening, they took 74 00:07:00,859 –> 00:07:10,100 possession of the land and an economy gets going. They harvest the fields, the animals 75 00:07:10,440 –> 00:07:17,440 are bred. Dad uses his power tools in the shed and creates a little business. And under 76 00:07:18,299 –> 00:07:27,019 the blessing of God, wealth is created. God blessed these people with more gifts than 77 00:07:27,559 –> 00:07:33,480 they could ever have imagined, and if their parents could have seen it, they would never 78 00:07:33,480 –> 00:07:40,000 have believed it. Well, now, says Moses back in the desert. 79 00:07:40,000 –> 00:07:45,959 This is what is going to happen, and when it does, let me give you a warning. 80 00:07:45,959 –> 00:07:51,540 Look at chapter 6 and verse 12. Be careful that you 81 00:07:51,540 –> 00:08:01,480 do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt and out of the land of slavery. 82 00:08:01,480 –> 00:08:04,420 You see what he’s saying? You’re suddenly going to be put into a new 83 00:08:04,440 –> 00:08:08,540 situation in which you have the capacity to produce wealth. Your life is going to 84 00:08:08,540 –> 00:08:12,079 be entirely different from anything that you have experienced before, and as soon 85 00:08:12,079 –> 00:08:18,920 as you have money, you’re gonna have to be very careful. Because money is a power 86 00:08:19,100 –> 00:08:26,200 that can choke the life of the soul, it can thwart your love of God, it can give 87 00:08:26,200 –> 00:08:36,099 you a sense of independence even from him. It can seduce your soul so that 88 00:08:36,099 –> 00:08:45,020 having once walked with God, you now are at a distance from him. Money is a power, 89 00:08:45,020 –> 00:08:52,940 it exercises influence over the soul. It has, as we think about the members of the 90 00:08:52,940 –> 00:08:58,460 soul we’ve been meeting, it has the part to absorb the mind. And often the pattern 91 00:08:58,460 –> 00:09:03,539 is that the more that we have of it the more of our mind is focused around it. It 92 00:09:03,539 –> 00:09:14,900 can draw the heart, it motivates the will, it fires the imagination, it consumes 93 00:09:15,099 –> 00:09:20,820 the memory, and it can dull the conscience. In other words Moses is 94 00:09:20,820 –> 00:09:29,419 saying money has the potential to take the place of God in your life. It can set 95 00:09:29,419 –> 00:09:36,539 itself up as it were as a rival God making offers, making promises, making 96 00:09:36,539 –> 00:09:42,020 demands upon the soul. It seeks to exercise power upon the soul so when you 97 00:09:42,119 –> 00:09:49,380 have it says Moses you’re going to have to be very careful. Now Jesus takes up 98 00:09:49,380 –> 00:09:53,559 this same theme in our Lord’s wonderful teaching in the Sermon on the Mount if 99 00:09:53,559 –> 00:09:58,940 you turn over now to Matthew and chapter 6 and we’re looking 100 00:09:58,940 –> 00:10:05,900 at verse 24. Seeing that money is a power that exercises influence over the soul 101 00:10:06,080 –> 00:10:15,799 Our Lord Jesus says, Matthew 6 24, no one can serve two masters for either he will 102 00:10:15,799 –> 00:10:21,739 hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despised 103 00:10:21,739 –> 00:10:30,559 the other you cannot serve both God and money really Christ is saying the same 104 00:10:30,559 –> 00:10:34,619 thing here as Moses was saying in the desert money is a power he is saying it 105 00:10:34,619 –> 00:10:40,500 will try to master you it’ll make promises and it will make demands it 106 00:10:40,500 –> 00:10:45,599 will attempt to take the place of God in your life and if it does it will keep 107 00:10:45,599 –> 00:10:53,340 you from fulfilling the purpose of God because no man can serve two masters 108 00:10:53,340 –> 00:11:00,080 before I went to a seminary I worked at a home for mentally handicapped children 109 00:11:00,380 –> 00:11:06,080 and young people in Scotland it was a wonderful year and I thank God still for 110 00:11:06,080 –> 00:11:11,979 the opportunities that I had when I was there it was a community in a rural part 111 00:11:11,979 –> 00:11:17,359 of the country of around 50 residents and then another 50 who came in each day 112 00:11:17,359 –> 00:11:23,940 on the buses for the school it was run by two twin sisters who gave their lives 113 00:11:24,020 –> 00:11:29,200 to the work. Both of them had their own agendas 114 00:11:29,200 –> 00:11:34,520 one of the joys of working there was the sheer variety of opportunities there was 115 00:11:34,520 –> 00:11:39,780 a craft centre there was a sawmill there was a school then of course there was 116 00:11:39,780 –> 00:11:43,760 food to be prepared there was a laundry to be maintained and run there was 117 00:11:43,760 –> 00:11:47,299 maintenance and painting to be done on the various houses about a dozen 118 00:11:47,299 –> 00:11:51,659 different buildings on a hillside in a beautiful setting and apart from that 119 00:11:51,760 –> 00:11:57,299 one of the sisters was running a distribution network in which some 120 00:11:57,299 –> 00:12:03,219 American preachers would you believe sent tapes to them which they copied and 121 00:12:03,219 –> 00:12:07,719 then distributed throughout the United Kingdom. So there was no lack of variety 122 00:12:07,719 –> 00:12:12,780 and no shortage of activity. Now the routine in the morning was fairly simple 123 00:12:12,780 –> 00:12:17,539 the staff in their various houses we got the kids up we got them dressed and 124 00:12:17,559 –> 00:12:21,859 organized and then brought them over to the dining room for breakfast. Then we 125 00:12:21,859 –> 00:12:27,940 waited to see which of the two sisters would arrive first one lived up the hill 126 00:12:27,940 –> 00:12:34,460 and one lived down the hill and whichever one arrived first determined 127 00:12:34,460 –> 00:12:41,219 the priorities for the day. After you would assign to a particular task life 128 00:12:41,219 –> 00:12:46,099 became even more interesting. I remember vividly and this was certainly not 129 00:12:46,179 –> 00:12:50,479 unusual one particular morning when I was up a ladder painting one of the 130 00:12:50,479 –> 00:12:57,919 houses on the outside when the other sister came over oh she said some 131 00:12:57,919 –> 00:13:02,820 friends have arrived with a catch of fish we were very near the coast in 132 00:13:02,820 –> 00:13:07,020 Scotland and some friends from time to time if they had had a good catch they 133 00:13:07,020 –> 00:13:11,659 would bring barrels literally of fish enough to keep this community of a 134 00:13:11,659 –> 00:13:19,580 100 going for several meals and these fish had arrived and she would say could 135 00:13:19,580 –> 00:13:27,440 you just drop what you’re doing and could you cut the fish so you say well 136 00:13:27,440 –> 00:13:35,640 your sister said it was really important that the painting was finished don’t you 137 00:13:35,640 –> 00:13:45,400 worry about her I’ll have a word with her later you go and cut the fish so 138 00:13:45,400 –> 00:13:52,919 having Julie washed one’s brushes and cleanse one’s hands one went to cut the 139 00:13:52,919 –> 00:13:57,919 fish all of this made for excellent variety but over the course of a year 140 00:13:57,919 –> 00:14:03,659 when it happened more than once in a day it’s somewhat diminished the sense of 141 00:14:03,760 –> 00:14:10,520 focus in actual fact it was unsustainable and here’s the most 142 00:14:10,520 –> 00:14:18,919 interesting thing what I noticed was that very quickly one or other of the 143 00:14:18,919 –> 00:14:26,859 sisters came to have the stronger say in what you did it was almost as if the 144 00:14:27,179 –> 00:14:31,739 staff became without it ever being recognized invisibly divided between 145 00:14:31,739 –> 00:14:38,099 them some worked more with one sister on her projects and the others worked more 146 00:14:38,099 –> 00:14:42,659 with the other and every time a new member of staff came on board the rest 147 00:14:42,659 –> 00:14:50,500 of us would all watch with fascination to see which sister would win now that 148 00:14:50,500 –> 00:14:58,299 is exactly what Christ is talking about here no man can serve two masters no 149 00:14:58,299 –> 00:15:07,000 human soul can fulfill two fundamentally different agendas money he says we’ll 150 00:15:07,000 –> 00:15:13,059 try to master your heart and if money masters your heart then your soul will 151 00:15:13,059 –> 00:15:17,299 shrivel of course because we’ve seen that whatever takes the place of God 152 00:15:17,419 –> 00:15:23,500 diminishes the soul you will find says Jesus that your soul is torn between 153 00:15:23,500 –> 00:15:28,940 these competing claims and it is unsustainable until you make a decision 154 00:15:28,940 –> 00:15:35,619 as to where authority lies now once we’ve understood that power struggle 155 00:15:35,619 –> 00:15:45,659 there are two very obvious conclusions number one don’t let money be your 156 00:15:45,900 –> 00:15:52,940 master we’re using the analogy of the soul being like a boardroom where six 157 00:15:52,940 –> 00:15:56,700 appointed board members debate the decisions in the direction of your inner 158 00:15:56,700 –> 00:16:04,179 life so come with me again today into the board room of the soul and see if 159 00:16:04,179 –> 00:16:12,179 something like this has not happened to you mind calls the meeting and the other 160 00:16:12,260 –> 00:16:16,059 board members heart and will and conscience and memory and imagination 161 00:16:16,059 –> 00:16:20,719 Julie turn up and take their seats around the polished oak board table I’ve 162 00:16:20,719 –> 00:16:27,919 called the meeting says mind because we are at last in the happy situation of 163 00:16:27,919 –> 00:16:33,520 having some money and I’d been thinking says mind about 164 00:16:33,520 –> 00:16:40,500 how we should handle it yes as imagination I’m very pleased at this 165 00:16:40,799 –> 00:16:46,340 now that we have a little money I have been able to contemplate says 166 00:16:46,340 –> 00:16:51,820 imagination all kinds of things that previously were outside of my reach it 167 00:16:51,820 –> 00:16:59,380 has opened up all kinds of new avenues of interest for me yes says heart I’ve 168 00:16:59,380 –> 00:17:03,559 been talking with imagination and the two of us have now come up with a list 169 00:17:03,559 –> 00:17:10,800 of things that we are both set on the past round photocopies of this lengthy 170 00:17:10,800 –> 00:17:18,219 document to the members of the board it’s called the wish list the other 171 00:17:18,219 –> 00:17:23,400 members of the board leaf through the pages of this hastily prepared document 172 00:17:23,400 –> 00:17:31,359 is all of this really necessary asks conscience change days says memory in 173 00:17:31,359 –> 00:17:36,000 the past when imagination got going on this kind of thing mind used to tell him 174 00:17:36,000 –> 00:17:42,260 not even to think about it it’s out of our league yes there’s mind and I think 175 00:17:42,260 –> 00:17:46,640 we should be still a little careful not to get too carried away even now we do 176 00:17:46,640 –> 00:17:51,359 have more than we used to but we certainly don’t have enough to fund all 177 00:17:51,400 –> 00:18:03,319 yes says heart but we can work towards it I agree says imagination let’s 178 00:18:03,319 –> 00:18:11,280 dream big you’ve been strangely quiet Will says mind you know if we’re going 179 00:18:11,280 –> 00:18:18,140 to fund the wish list we’ll need your support you would have to be absolutely 180 00:18:18,300 –> 00:18:24,380 committed to driving to raise the money in fact we can’t commit to a project 181 00:18:24,380 –> 00:18:29,119 like this around this board table unless the whole board is unanimous 182 00:18:29,119 –> 00:18:38,520 will looks at heart and has never seen heart Luke so happy hearts eyes are 183 00:18:38,520 –> 00:18:46,199 dancing as he looks through the wish list and will finds it hard to resist 184 00:18:46,660 –> 00:18:55,819 I’ve never seen heart Luke this happy says will if hearts for it and for it 185 00:18:55,819 –> 00:19:00,760 I’ll support the list. 186 00:19:00,760 –> 00:19:04,680 Okay says mind the wish list is approved and we are all 187 00:19:04,680 –> 00:19:10,219 committed to it will you need to start working on raising the money. Mind will 188 00:19:10,219 –> 00:19:15,560 worry about maximizing its power heart and imagination will determine the 189 00:19:15,560 –> 00:19:18,880 spending priorities conscience and memory you don’t need to worry too much 190 00:19:18,880 –> 00:19:22,800 about this project you can focus on some other things. Now let’s move to other 191 00:19:22,800 –> 00:19:27,680 items on the agenda. Over the next few years board meetings 192 00:19:27,680 –> 00:19:33,880 gradually begin to change more and more time in board meetings is spent 193 00:19:33,880 –> 00:19:40,780 considering the wish list that didn’t exist before they had some money but now 194 00:19:40,780 –> 00:19:45,959 it’s really the central thing in the agenda and interestingly enough it seems 195 00:19:45,959 –> 00:19:49,780 that almost every time the board meets something else is added to the wish list 196 00:19:49,780 –> 00:19:54,400 in fact heart and imagination now we’re reading some magazines they never 197 00:19:54,400 –> 00:19:57,739 received before and I find all kinds of interesting things to add to the list 198 00:19:57,739 –> 00:20:02,280 and Will has eyed a few items as well after all he’s working so hard on the 199 00:20:02,280 –> 00:20:07,439 fundraising side why shouldn’t he? And even memory has recalled a few things 200 00:20:07,560 –> 00:20:12,920 he did not have when he was young and so he’s put them in for good measure 201 00:20:12,920 –> 00:20:19,979 Will looks increasingly anxious at board meetings he’s throwing all his energy 202 00:20:19,979 –> 00:20:25,699 into raising the money to support and fund the wish list but it’s harder than 203 00:20:25,699 –> 00:20:32,380 he thought he reports that he was hoping for a promotion soon and has been driving 204 00:20:32,459 –> 00:20:38,160 for it but it hasn’t come and sometimes he wonders if he should maybe go and try 205 00:20:38,160 –> 00:20:44,099 something else he’s feeling pressure the other members of the board keep telling 206 00:20:44,099 –> 00:20:48,459 and he does have to come up with the funding for the wish list which they’ve 207 00:20:48,459 –> 00:20:54,579 all approved the members of the board notice that mines report is getting 208 00:20:54,579 –> 00:20:58,900 longer as he seems to be becoming more and more anxious about what’s happening 209 00:20:59,420 –> 00:21:06,079 money and every time the board meets they check off some items from the wish 210 00:21:06,079 –> 00:21:13,000 list that have now been attained at the beginning when they did that heart was 211 00:21:13,000 –> 00:21:19,680 filled with joy but the members of the board have noticed that as time has gone 212 00:21:19,680 –> 00:21:25,459 by heart seems to have less pleasure in the 213 00:21:26,060 –> 00:21:29,339 the new things that are achieved that the others have worked so hard to obtain 214 00:21:29,339 –> 00:21:37,579 and most interesting of all every time an item was obtained and checked off the 215 00:21:37,579 –> 00:21:45,420 wish list imagination lost interest in it completely as time went on it seemed 216 00:21:45,420 –> 00:21:50,500 that the list had mastered the soul 217 00:21:51,099 –> 00:21:56,800 you know says memory one day I’ve been talking with conscience and the two of 218 00:21:56,800 –> 00:22:01,680 us are concerned that more and more time in our board meetings is being taken up 219 00:22:01,680 –> 00:22:06,920 with this wish list well that’s what we’re here for says heart I’m not so 220 00:22:06,920 –> 00:22:11,680 sure said conscience I’m not so sure either said memory 221 00:22:11,680 –> 00:22:15,040 you know there was a time when we had excellent meetings before there ever was 222 00:22:15,040 –> 00:22:26,579 a list heart you were happier then than you are now the truth is that all of us 223 00:22:26,579 –> 00:22:29,939 have become slaves to this list and there is no room for anything else 224 00:22:29,939 –> 00:22:37,699 something has gone terribly wrong in this boardroom no one to ask honestly 225 00:22:38,040 –> 00:22:47,920 has that happened in your soul is there a dream list that has somehow captured 226 00:22:47,920 –> 00:22:56,119 your inner life and its your master it drives 227 00:23:00,239 –> 00:23:05,439 you know if you’re married I want to challenge you to talk about this issue 228 00:23:05,439 –> 00:23:14,060 before today is done together you see when a couple marry God makes two one 229 00:23:14,060 –> 00:23:22,780 and what can sometimes happen is that the wish list of the one drives the 230 00:23:22,780 –> 00:23:31,180 other and that can happen in more than one direction she has a dream list and 231 00:23:31,680 –> 00:23:43,560 he loses his soul trying to fulfill it he has a dream list and she loses her 232 00:23:43,560 –> 00:23:57,319 soul waiting while he fulfills it either way when the list is your master you 233 00:23:57,359 –> 00:24:04,540 lose your soul it will increasingly dominate your life and it will 234 00:24:04,540 –> 00:24:12,239 increasingly erode your love for God that’s why Moses back in the desert was 235 00:24:12,239 –> 00:24:19,400 saying to these people when you get a little money be very careful they’re 236 00:24:19,439 –> 00:24:27,680 very careful so why Jesus said so clearly you can’t serve two masters 237 00:24:27,680 –> 00:24:36,300 money has the power and the potential to seek mastery of your life and it will do 238 00:24:36,300 –> 00:24:41,560 that unless there is some point where you come to say I will not allow the 239 00:24:41,560 –> 00:24:48,520 list to dominate my life this is one of the greatest battles of the soul it will 240 00:24:48,599 –> 00:24:52,819 determine in many ways the direction and the outcome as well as the priorities of 241 00:24:52,819 –> 00:24:59,439 your life don’t let money be your master 242 00:24:59,859 –> 00:25:10,119 the second thing briefly is this make very sure that money is your servant now 243 00:25:10,119 –> 00:25:18,719 remember money is a power and remember that with any power a power that can 244 00:25:18,719 –> 00:25:26,880 destroy if it’s rightly channeled can also be a great benefit what if we were 245 00:25:26,880 –> 00:25:33,520 able to take this power that wants to become a tyrant over me and what if I 246 00:25:33,520 –> 00:25:39,000 could channel that power so that instead of drawing my heart away from God it 247 00:25:39,000 –> 00:25:47,219 actually reinforces my love for God wouldn’t that be good and that’s exactly 248 00:25:47,219 –> 00:25:54,619 what Jesus says you can do in Matthew 6 in verse 21 statement you know well 249 00:25:54,619 –> 00:26:02,880 where your treasure is there your heart will be also now notice the way around 250 00:26:02,900 –> 00:26:10,359 it is notice what he’s saying your heart follows your treasure it’s true the 251 00:26:10,359 –> 00:26:14,280 other way round as well of course but what Jesus is saying here is your heart 252 00:26:14,280 –> 00:26:21,839 follows your money so if you want to move your heart move your money and your 253 00:26:21,839 –> 00:26:27,359 heart will go with it now the Bible gives us two wonderful 254 00:26:27,359 –> 00:26:31,959 illustrations of the connection between these two things one is negative and the 255 00:26:32,040 –> 00:26:35,699 other is positive you know them both well the negative one of course is the 256 00:26:35,699 –> 00:26:39,560 story of the rich young ruler remember he came to Jesus because he wanted to 257 00:26:39,560 –> 00:26:45,479 have eternal life Jesus saw that his heart had a fundamental problem that it 258 00:26:45,479 –> 00:26:52,079 was mastered by the wishlist and so Jesus applied this principle to him move 259 00:26:52,079 –> 00:26:58,380 your money and that will change your heart Jesus said to him go sell what you 260 00:26:58,380 –> 00:27:03,780 have give to the poor and then come follow me address the money release the 261 00:27:03,780 –> 00:27:15,839 heart but he wouldn’t move his money and so he couldn’t change his heart so he 262 00:27:15,839 –> 00:27:21,500 went away sorrowful but then there’s another story that was very different 263 00:27:21,500 –> 00:27:25,239 the story of Zacchaeus this man had lived for money it had been the master 264 00:27:25,739 –> 00:27:44,020 and then one day Jesus came to his time and his curiosity was arised he wanted 265 00:27:44,020 –> 00:27:47,300 to see Jesus he climbed the tree and Jesus stopped right underneath it and 266 00:27:47,300 –> 00:27:54,000 said Zacchaeus I must stay in your house today Christ came into his home and I 267 00:27:54,079 –> 00:28:00,000 wish I could have had that conversation don’t you but something happened within 268 00:28:00,000 –> 00:28:07,920 the man’s soul and he said to Jesus here and now he said Luke 19 I give half my 269 00:28:07,920 –> 00:28:13,719 possessions to the poor and if I have cheated anybody out of anything I will 270 00:28:13,719 –> 00:28:20,900 pay back four times the amount then notice what Jesus said I wish we could 271 00:28:20,939 –> 00:28:31,040 have heard the expression he said today salvation has come to this house and I 272 00:28:31,040 –> 00:28:35,599 think it probably sounded like this Jesus here’s what I’m going to do I’m 273 00:28:35,599 –> 00:28:41,319 gonna give half my money to the poor and if I’ve cheated anybody out of anything 274 00:28:41,359 –> 00:28:47,420 I’ll give them back four times as much Wow 275 00:28:47,500 –> 00:28:56,319 salvation has come to this house today and it had moved his money that had 276 00:28:56,319 –> 00:29:02,839 mastered his heart and when he moved it it released his heart. You’re saved from 277 00:29:02,839 –> 00:29:10,760 a tyrant today you’re a free man Jesus was saying to him salvation has come to 278 00:29:10,760 –> 00:29:21,619 your house now we want to put the issue of money way way down the list of the 279 00:29:21,619 –> 00:29:32,000 road of the Christian life come to Jesus we want to say give him your heart but 280 00:29:32,000 –> 00:29:35,939 you see the Bible is making it clear that you can’t separate your heart from 281 00:29:36,000 –> 00:29:45,640 your treasure and if Christ doesn’t get your treasure he doesn’t get your heart 282 00:29:47,380 –> 00:29:52,199 so try in these final moments to come with me into the inner life one more 283 00:29:52,199 –> 00:29:59,199 time remember that in our picture there are these six members of the board but 284 00:29:59,199 –> 00:30:04,520 there is an empty chair into which the spirit of God himself may come and 285 00:30:04,540 –> 00:30:13,640 preside. The spirit of God enters the soul and takes his place chairing the 286 00:30:13,640 –> 00:30:21,199 board. That’s what conversion is that’s what salvation brings to us. God coming 287 00:30:21,199 –> 00:30:28,880 into the soul and assuming the directive position in your inner life. The new 288 00:30:28,880 –> 00:30:36,260 chairman convenes the meeting I want to talk with you board members today about 289 00:30:36,260 –> 00:30:41,719 what’s been going on here, frankly all of you look a bit exhausted, 290 00:30:41,719 –> 00:30:48,199 what’s been happening? Well says Will I’ve been putting my strength into 291 00:30:48,199 –> 00:30:51,800 trying to support hearts wish list it’s not been easy has been pretty draining 292 00:30:51,800 –> 00:30:56,880 let me ask you a question says the spirit of God. 293 00:30:56,900 –> 00:31:05,099 Suppose you members of the board at the end of your term of service had 294 00:31:05,099 –> 00:31:08,920 fulfilled everything on this wish list 295 00:31:08,959 –> 00:31:15,800 but that was all you had gained, would any one of you be satisfied with 296 00:31:15,800 –> 00:31:25,359 that? Well no says Will. I really want to count for more than that there was life 297 00:31:25,359 –> 00:31:32,680 before the wishlist and there must be life after. Heart, you had pleasure in 298 00:31:32,680 –> 00:31:36,420 this wishlist at the beginning and you worked on it with imagination, it seems 299 00:31:36,420 –> 00:31:41,520 that pleasure is diminishing am i right? Yeah that’s true but the wish list is 300 00:31:41,520 –> 00:31:51,439 still important, says heart. I don’t want to give it up. I’m not comfortable with 301 00:31:51,439 –> 00:31:54,400 the way things are around here any more, says conscience, none of us are 302 00:31:54,479 –> 00:31:59,400 functioning as we used to do. Well, says the spirit of God, here’s a 303 00:31:59,400 –> 00:32:04,199 proposal. The wish list has become the master of the soul so we’re going to 304 00:32:04,199 –> 00:32:13,719 take it and we’re going to table it. It cannot be the agenda of our life. There’s 305 00:32:13,719 –> 00:32:21,439 a new chair and I’m writing a new agenda. Instead of letting the wish list drive 306 00:32:21,439 –> 00:32:29,040 our pursuit of money, we’re going to take the money that we are given and we’re 307 00:32:29,040 –> 00:32:34,260 going to make it our servant. Well, how are we going to decide what to do with 308 00:32:34,260 –> 00:32:41,040 it, says imagination, who for once was stuck for an idea. We will use it 309 00:32:41,040 –> 00:32:48,660 according to the master’s priorities. That means that we will take whatever we 310 00:32:48,859 –> 00:32:52,800 are given, and we will divide it in three ways. We will spend some, we will save 311 00:32:52,800 –> 00:33:02,140 some, and we will give some. Hart looks askance at the thought of giving. How 312 00:33:02,140 –> 00:33:09,939 much should we give. Yes, says conscience, he’s hoping for a number. He’d be much 313 00:33:10,079 –> 00:33:17,079 easier if there was a number. We’ll give, says the Spirit of God, until 314 00:33:21,819 –> 00:33:28,819 it affects Hart. I’m not sure I’m happy about that, says Hart. I do have the list 315 00:33:31,680 –> 00:33:38,680 of priorities, you know? Let me make this promise, says the Spirit. 316 00:33:40,760 –> 00:33:43,660 Speaker You have found diminishing pleasure in the 317 00:33:43,660 –> 00:33:50,660 pursuit of your own wish list. You will find increasing pleasure in following the master’s 318 00:33:53,219 –> 00:34:00,219 priorities. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 319 00:34:00,219 –> 00:34:07,439 Father, we bow in your presence and acknowledge the power of money. 320 00:34:30,899 –> 00:34:38,300 And not even so much the notes themselves but the wishlist that they support. 321 00:34:41,780 –> 00:34:47,219 What a tyrant it becomes in our souls and even in our families and even over our marriages. 322 00:34:51,500 –> 00:34:55,719 Thank you that salvation can come to this house today. 323 00:34:56,620 –> 00:35:03,580 Thank you for the freedom of operating under the Master’s priorities, taking 324 00:35:03,580 –> 00:35:14,879 what we’re given and dividing it as he shall direct. Grant we pray that we may 325 00:35:14,879 –> 00:35:19,620 be those who have learned to give in such a way that it reinforces and 326 00:35:19,959 –> 00:35:25,280 expresses our love for you. 327 00:35:28,659 –> 00:35:36,899 May there be deliverance in some souls today. May there be deliverance, 328 00:35:36,899 –> 00:35:44,739 salvation in some marriages today. May there be liberty come to some 329 00:35:44,739 –> 00:35:53,219 households today. May there be joy in all the places of the soul, 330 00:35:53,219 –> 00:36:00,399 as Christ is truly Master and Lord, and joy is found in 331 00:36:00,399 –> 00:36:08,020 stewarding all that he trusts to us, for Jesus’ sake. 332 00:36:08,560 –> 00:36:11,560 … 333 00:36:11,560 –> 00:36:15,060 You’ve been listening to a sermon with Pastor Colin Smith, of Open the Bible. 334 00:36:15,060 –> 00:36:23,739 to contact us call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 or visit our website opensmithbible.org

Details

Sermon Series
Date
Primary Audience

Monthly Offer

Get your free copy of ‘The Advent of Glory’ by R. C. Sproul when you set up a monthly gift of at least £5, or a one-off gift of at least £50…

Donate

Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

Linked resources

No linked resources found.

Search

Search

Header Submit Search