There Our Hearts Will Be: Week 1
For the month of October we are focusing on a sermon series titled “There Our Hearts Will Be” which is taken from a small part of a sermon Jesus preached which can be found in Matthew 5, 6, and 7.
The text for the first week of the series is Matthew 6:16-21.
Pastor Chad explains that this scripture is a little chunk about spiritual things that we do. He wonders is this why we do spiritual things? Or maybe it is when we should do spiritual things? Or maybe it is how we should do spiritual things?
To review the text, Pastor Chad says, if you are going to give or help, don’t brag or blast a trumpet. If you do these things, you will have your reward immediately and the impressions of others. However, if you do these things Jesus’ way, you will have a heavenly reward.
Pastor Chad then brings verses three and four to attention.
But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:3, 4
Are we pursuing people’s praise or are we doing it humbly and honorably in Jesus’ name?
Pastor Chad has noticed as we grow older we seem to grow out of our need for attention. We discover that people don’t appreciate it when we draw attention to ourselves anyways. When you brag about yourself, people aren’t all that impressed. Your credibility tends to go down.
However, when you catch someone doing something for others, that’s when their credibility goes up.
We should be looking for people to serve without expecting a return, reward, or praise.
As for the initial question at the start of the sermon, Jesus says when you pray, give, and fast, not if.
It is expected.
It’s not an option.
When you do these things, do it with the right heart.
It is all three, why, when, and how, simultaneously.
Then, Jesus’ sermon seems to change gears, Pastor Chad points out, in verses nineteen through twenty-one.
19 ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21
Be careful with what you are pursuing with your life, money, and time, Pastor Chad says.
He then shares about time he recently spent on his porch doom scrolling through Facebook Reels. He said usually his suggested reels are about highland cows and farming and occasionally have there is some church content. On this particular occasion, a reel appeared of a man with dreadlocks and a hat on backwards, and he was telling a story of him and his family at the zoo. While most of the animals had meager enclosures, the lion had a large elaborate enclosure that put the rest to shame. He said they were fortunate enough to see this magnificent beast on this zoo visit, and it really became clear to him why Jesus is called the lion of Judah. Pastor Chad paused right here and said he got excited at this point because the man just told this catchy story and he could feel the shift from story telling to powerful preaching. He said that the man continued to liken Jesus to this lion behind glass. We love to see the lion behind the glass and hear the trainers talking about it, but don’t let that lion out from behind the glass. What would it be like if the lion got out and was in your living room? He goes on with rhetorical questions about where the lion could show up in your life.
Then Pastor Chad said, “Either he’s in your living room affecting your life, or you just like going to listen to the zookeeper [motioning to himself] talk about the lion [Jesus].
Pastor Chad continued in the sermon with this point, “The real currency of our lives is our time, not money”.
He then encouraged the congregation to think about their calendars. Is there any evidence of eternal treasure in it?
Or do you have an idolatrous relationship with your job? Wealth? Sports?
Does your time reflect what most Americans are after: the pursuit of comfort and consumption?
Maybe we aren’t all that busy but instead our time is filled with distractions.
“You can’t save time. You can only spend it.” Have you been investing in the eternal stuff like serving, giving of yourself, caring for the vulnerable, spiritual growth?
The truth is, the average time spent on screens is two and a half hours a day. What if we redirected one of those hours each day into something eternal?
Auditing our finances will also reflect where our hearts lie.
Pastor Chad recounted a conversation with someone on the A/V team who said he recently audited all of his TV subscriptions and found that he was spending over $200 a month.
So, Pastor Chad put forth a challenge to take a look at your own subscriptions on your TV, phone, etc, and see how some of that money can be spent on something eternal instead.
He couldn’t let the sermon end, however, without giving credit where credit is due. Pastor Chad said FCC is already so great at investing in eternal treasures and not bragging about it. He recalled a memory from when he first began serving at FCC Sedalia when him and his wife encountered a group of ladies from FCC out at dinner. He said they had just finished visiting the Veterans Home in Warrensburg reading scripture, praying with, and visiting the veterans there. He kept waiting for this to be announced in service or written about in the newsletter or bragged about in some way, but the trumpets never sounded.
This church is very good at this stuff, he said. This church is good at generous living and is loyal and committed to the eternal kingdom.
So the challenge is put to your, Church, try investing your time in the kingdom, and watch your heart fill up instead of drain out. Live like someone has let the lion out of the cage.
