God's Financial Plan

God’s Financial Plan

The Christian Perspective of Material Possessions

Matt. 6:19-34

There are three divisions to this passage

1. Verse 19-24 - The principle of Christian Perspective of Material Possessions.

2. Verse 25-30 - Examples to encourage us to trust God with all necessary material possessions.

3. Verse 31-34 - Conclusion.

I. Matt. 6:19-24 - Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 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! 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. There is nothing wrong with having material possessions.

1. Jesus says lay not up treasures, making a distinction between having things, and placing an undue importance upon them.

a. Gen. 3:17-19 - It is necessary to work for this is part of the curse.

b. The goal of your life is not to get rich, but to be obedient to God and His commands.

2. Jesus says it is more important to lay up our treasures in heaven than upon the earth.

3. Abraham was a very rich man, but he trusted Christ first.

4. I Kings 3:11-14 - Solomon didn't ask for riches, but for wisdom to know how to go in and out before the people of Israel. God not only gave him wisdom, He gave him great riches, and (if Solomon was obedient) would give him long life.

B. God doesn’t intend for us to not pay attention to the responsibilities of provision.

1. Prov 27:23 - Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. Christian people ought to be take care of the affairs of this world, but not so busy that the things of God are forgotten or overlooked.

2. Proverbs 23:4,5 - Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. 5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

3. There is a balance in looking after material things and looking after spiritual things.

a. I Tim. 5:8 - But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

b. The person who refuses to take care of the material needs of their family will not take care of their spiritual needs.

C. Compare the risk involved with earthly and heavenly treasures.

1. Earthly treasures will rust and decay and thieves will break through and steal them. There is no way to stop this from happening.

2. Heavenly treasures will never fade in brilliance. There are no thieves in heaven. There is absolutely no risk involved with heavenly treasures.

D. Your heart will be focused on what you believe is important.

1. It is important to notice that our minds control our heart. Our heart doesn't control our mind.

2. If we place undue importance upon material possessions, our mind will turn our heart away from Christ and heavenly values.

3. Our possessions will control us instead of us controlling our possessions.

E. The light of the body is the eye.

1. What you see is what you want.

2. If you put your eyes attention upon material possessions, that is what your body will want.

3. If your eyes are single (focused only on heavenly things), your body will be full of Christian values.

F. Matt. 6:24 - You cannot serve earthly material possessions and Christ at the same time.

1. Many people try to put their religion in one "box" and their secular life in another "box".

2. This will not work.

3. Their secular life will not reflect Christ and their religious life will reflect materialism.

4. Men must see Christ in all our lives. They should not see us.

II. Matt. 6:25-30 - Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

A. The word "therefore" begins this section. When the word "therefore" is there, you need to see what it is there for.

1. Jesus wants us to understand that our life is more than making a living and supplying for our families.

2. Many people are very honest in trying to supply for their families, but they are missing the point that they ought to show their families true values: Jesus Christ and His ability to take care of them in all situations.

B. The word "thought" in verses 25, 27, 28, 31, and 34 doesn't mean "to think".

1. It means to be anxious or careful.

2. In other words, don’t be worrying about how to supply for your family.

3. Jesus Christ is telling us not to worry, or be overly concerned or anxious about material possessions.

C. Verse 26, 27 - The example of the fowls of the air. This is talking about food.

1. Matt. 10:29-31 - Jesus says that men don't place much value upon sparrows, but He knows when one of them dies.

2. When was the last time you counted the hairs on your head? We don't ever do that, but Jesus knows.

3. If Jesus knows that small detail about us, don't you think He also knows when we need food?

D. Verse 28-30 - The example of the lilies of the field. This is talking about clothing and shelter.

1. God dresses up the flowers of the field, and He will also dress us very well, if we will only trust Him, and serve Him before we try to cloth ourselves.

2. It is a great matter of faith to trust God with supplying our physical necessities.

3. It is a very important matter of faith to look for a church in a given locality before looking for a job in that locality.

4. It is a very important matter of faith to decide you will not work on Sunday, even if it means that limits your job opportunities.

5. Never fear: God will always supply your needs if you will put him first.

6. Jesus says we have "little faith" when we don't trust Him with food, shelter, and clothing.

E. When Christ compares saved people to the fowls of the air and the lilies of the field, He is showing us the proper prospective of our lives.

1. We believe we are in-disposable and that we will live on this earth forever.

2. Christ is saying that we, like birds and grass, are disposable and will soon perish from off this earth.

3. If we look to our death and desire to leave an heritage to our children, we must understand that the best inheritance we can leave is a Godly one.

a. Eccl. 2:18,19 - Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. 19 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

b. Proverbs 27:23,24 - Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. 24 For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?

c. Material riches passed on in an inheritance will probably not last, but a spiritual inheritance will last a lifetime, and be passed down to the next generation!

III. Verse 31-34 - Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

A. Verse 31 - Because of all the above things, we ought to trust God for our material possessions.

1. The person who says they are trusting Christ for their material needs, and not working, are not trusting Christ for their material things.

2. Whenever a person trusts Christ, they will always be active.

3. Inactivity is seldom trust.

B. Verse 32 - If we don't trust Christ to supply our material needs, we are acting like lost people.

1. Lost people don't trust Christ for anything.

2. How can we expect Christ to supply material things when we haven't trusted Him with spiritual things?

a. Many saved people believe they must supply their material things, then try to supply spiritual things.

b. God says to seek spiritual things first, then seek material things.

C. Verse 32b and 33 - It is very important to understand that Christ already knows that we have need of certain material possessions.

1. Christ doesn't want us to do without the necessities of life, He wants us to trust Him to supply them for us.

2. Verse 33 is a promise that God will supply for us.

3. The word is shall, not maybe!

D. Verse 34 - There is no need to worry about tomorrow, you have enough to worry about today.

1. You will also have enough to worry about tomorrow.

2. We ought to live one day at a time, don't try to worry about all your life today.

3. It is not wrong to plan, but it is wrong to plan without Christ.

4. Just live one day at a time, trusting Christ each day.