Time for an Eye Examination

Scripture Text

Matthew 6:19-24

Intro: Our spiritual vision is critical to our well being. Jesus says we are to give ourselves an eye examination to see if our spiritual vision is what it needs to be.

I. There are two treasures. Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV)
¹⁹  "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Jesus speaks of two treasures that mankind can choose from. He gives His advice on which is the wisest choice. Each person will make a choice. Then Jesus tells us our choice will be determined by our spiritual eyesight.

II. There is the good eye. Matthew 6:22 (NKJV) "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. The eye is a gate that gives entrance to the mind of man. What man looks at is what he thinks about, and what he thinks about is what he actually becomes (Proverbs 23:7 says “As a man thinks so he is.”). If a person’s spiritual eye focuses upon Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world, then their mind and heart will be full of light. Therefore, the deeds of their body will be deeds of light. Singleness of the eye and heart means that a person sets his attention upon the Lord Jesus for the purpose of doing His will. If a person's eye is good and healthy, then he is able to focus upon the heavenly treasures and grasp the truth. A good eye seeks the treasures of heaven which are eternal: Eternal treasures are incorruptible and secure. Matthew 6:20 (NKJV) 

 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. They cause a person’s "whole body to be full of light."  Matthew 6:22 (NKJV) "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.

Eternal treasures consume a person’s whole being in all the meaning and   purpose and significance of life. Eternal treasures cause a person to love and to serve God and draw a person near to God. Matthew 6:24 (NKJV) "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. A person's heart is precisely where his treasure is. If his healthy spiritual eye is on treasures in heaven, then his heart is on heavenly treasures. Matthew 6:21 (NKJV) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.      

III. There is the bad eye. Matthew 6:23 (NKJV) But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  A bad evil eye is one that focuses upon anything that is not of God. If the eye is unhealthy, it is not able to focus upon the true treasures of heaven. It is blind and in darkness. If a person’s focus is on treasures of this earth, his heart is on earth. A bad eye is not able to focus upon the true treasures; it’s not able to focus upon the things of God. A bad eye is blind and in darkness. So it is with the heart.  An unhealthy heart is like an unhealthy eye. It is in darkness, unable to see the heavenly treasures. Christ says that a person is not to set his heart upon earthly treasures. Why? Such a person focuses his eyes (heart, attention, mind, thoughts, energy, and effort) on evil. What does Christ call earthly treasures evil? Earthly treasures are evil because they are deceiving; they are not true treasures at all.

1. Earthly treasures are corruptible; they age, die, waste away, deteriorate, and decay. (V:19) (2.) They are insecure; they will be stolen or taken away or left behind. (V:23)

 3. They cause a person's heart to be full of darkness (V:23).

 4. They will consume a person (V:24).

 5. They cause a person to hate, despise, and reject God and alienate a person from God (V:24). Then the shadows of darkness set in upon him. He becomes deceived.

6.  He is deceived in that he becomes covetous and greedy (to get more and more).

 7. He becomes apprehensive and fearful (of losing everything).

 8. He begins to complain about his situation in life and hold grudges against others.

 9. He becomes a cold hard hearted person. He is close-minded to the things of God.

Conclusion: The choice is clear. A man either serves God or material things.

 There are only two treasures: the earth and its treasures or God and His treasures,    physical and material things or spiritual and eternal things.

Every man without exception will commit his life to one of two treasures: mammon or God. He will focus his heart, eyes, mind, attention, thoughts, hands, and energy upon earthly things or upon heavenly things. He cannot "serve God and mammon."

Invitation: Has your eye focused on Jesus and His salvation or are you still blind to your need for His forgiveness? If you have never stopped and confessed your sins to Christ and asked Him to forgive you, now is the perfect time.

         If you know Christ as your Savior, is your eye good and focused on Him and the treasures of Heaven? Are you living for Christ each day and serving Him in some way? If not, now is the time to correct you vision! Don’t live another day with bad eye sight!

God’s Wisdom for 2020

Scripture Text

Prov. 3:5-10

Intro: There are some things we must prioritize to have a successful year from God’s point of view. God through Solomon gives us His wisdom for successful living.

I. Trust in God. Proverbs 3:5 (NKJV)  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;  a. Your trust in God for this coming year must be with all your heart. In other words rely wholly and securely upon God's promises and divine intervention for help and relief in all your affairs and dangers. We must not listen to the competing voices for our attention. God’s word is forever settled in Heaven. [Ps.119:89]
 b. Don’t depend on your own understanding. All the wisdom a person may acquire can never replace the need for full trust in God's superior ways. There must be a healthy distrust of self, an acknowledgment that we do not know what is best for us, that we are not capable of guiding ourselves. Jeremiah 10:23 says: “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”
 c. Seek God’s will in all you do. Proverbs 3:6-7 (NKJV) 6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. ⁷  Do not be wise in your own eyes. a. Don’t be conceited and think you know it all. There must be an acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ. We must pray daily for His guidance. Every area of our lives must be turned over to His control. We must have no will of our own, only a single pure desire to know His will and to do it. If these conditions are met, the promise is that God shall direct our paths. He may do it through the Bible, the advice of godly Christians, through circumstances, by the Holy Spirit as we read His word, or through a combination of these. But if we wait, He will make the guidance so clear that we can’t miss it.

II. Fear the Lord.  Proverbs 3:7-8 (NKJV) ⁷  Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. ⁸  It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.   a. Means specifically a sense of respect, awe, and submission to His deity. Proof of our fear of God means we turn from and hate all evil and arrogance.  Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. [Prov.1:7] When we fear the Lord we will obey His word. It’s the wise thing to do. We recognize He is in control of everything and we live accordingly.  b. Consequences of fearing the Lord. [Prov.3:8] Health in one's bones suggests that spiritual and physical health is related. When we reverence and serve the Lord and obey His word it not only makes us spiritually healthy but also physically healthy. 

III. Honor the Lord.  Proverbs 3:9-10 (NKJV) ⁹  Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; ¹⁰  So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.  a. We can honor the lordship of Christ in the stewardship of our possessions. We give to God first before anything else because we recognize that all we have belongs to Him. We are stewards, responsible for our use of what God has given us. It is our privilege to choose a modest standard of living for ourselves and then put everything above that to work for God, and trust Him for the future. [V:10] When we do, He will not let us suffer lack. Sometimes our blessings may be of a spiritual nature as well as physical, but it is still true that we cannot out give the Lord. He has promised to meet all our needs according to His riches in glory. [Phil. 4:19]

Conclusion: If we follow Solomon’s advice in these scriptures this year we will be pleasing to God our Father and we will be successful in all we do.

 Invitation: It is impossible to please God unless you first confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and then invite Him into your life to take charge of you and lead you in the way you should go. If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, call on Him now!