Hope Church LV Sermons
Security :: A Clear Eye
[Music] Can I honestly trust God? How can I feel safe? Where can I go for help? Does God genuinely care about me? Is security really possible? Where can I go to find the answers? [Music] This summer was kind of a milestone for me personally. This summer I finished 20 years in full-time vocational ministry. It was the summer of 1990 that I began my first stop in full-time ministry. God had called me while I was in college and I surrendered to the door for me to begin to serve in the church there. So this summer I celebrated that 20th year for me and the work that God has called me to do, but I must be honest with you this morning. The last 24 months of my life, the last 24 months of that 20 years, has probably been the most difficult of those 20 years of full-time ministry. The last 24 months we have seen our country go through what is the greatest economic downturn in my lifetime, for sure, probably in most of our lifetime. And our city, as we very well know, is in the top five cities in the world as the city is affected by that economy. The last 24 months of my life, I have walked through the hurt and the pain and the turmoil and the struggle and the disappointment and the discouragement of this situation with literally hundreds of families here in our church and in our city. There was honestly a point for me where I dreaded, and I know you're going to think, "Listen, but I dreaded even coming here on the weekend sometime." Because I knew when I came, I would wind up in that lobby after the service was over with another family in tears in their eyes. Just hurting. Another family. There was a run there where every weekend, six, seven, eight families a weekend. Pastor, this is our last weekend in Las Vegas. We've lost our home. We've lost our job. We estimate somewhere between 250 and 300 families and our church alone are gone from Las Vegas. We know the statistics of what's happened in our city. There were weekends people would come in the complexity of the situation because as I met with people and as I walked through it with different individuals and families, granted there's some people that are in the situation they're in because of bad financial decisions. But there's some people in the middle of this current economy that are some of the best financial stewards I know from a biblical perspective and their lives have still come apart at the seams because of the situation of this economy. It's an uncontrolled, it's an abnormal situation. And in the middle of the complexity of that situation and all of those questions that people would ask, you know, I wanted to be able as the pastor. I mean, I'm the fix it. God, that's the way I'm wired. I want to make it better. And unfortunately in seminary, I missed a class where they gave you that box, you know, where you could take the lid off and give that stuff that makes it all better. I missed that day. I know I should have, I should have went to class that day. But, you know, we don't have that box. And in those moments of pastor asks, what do I do and not knowing the answers all the time, not knowing what to say, the only comfort we can find in those moments is when we don't know the answer, we absolutely know the one who knows the answer. We have watched 24, 36 months of great uncertainty, great insecurity. But God is still on his throne. He's never wavered for one moment. He's never been worried about the situation. It's under his control. And as we continue today, our study through the Sermon on the Mount, we're walking, and we have been. This month, a year ago, we began a study together through the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, 6, and 7. And we're in the middle of chapter 6. And you can go and take your Bible, turn to Matthew chapter 6. As we continue our study through the Sermon on the Mount, there could not be words more relevant written for us if they were written in today's newspaper than what we find in Matthew chapter 6. There are people who like to question the relevance of the Bible in our modern culture. I find it somewhat humorous that we would question the relevance of a book authored by a person that exists outside the parameters of time, as though in some way he couldn't see forth into 2011 to understand the complexity of our day. Listen, the author of the Word of God is God himself. He exists outside the parameters of time, and the word that he inspired is as relevant for us today as it was for Noah when he was building the ark. The words of Scripture that we read in Matthew chapter 6 could not be more current for us if Jesus had written them this morning. Jesus speaks about security. Security as it pertains to our treasure. Security as it pertains to our wealth. Security as it pertains to the issue of worry. Travis began this series last weekend by looking at verses 19 through 21. I want to read those again. He began to speak about the issue of treasure. Listen what he said. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. I mean, is that relevant or what? If we hadn't learned anything in the last 24 months, let me tell you what we've learned. Don't put your confidence in treasures on earth because they will get eaten up. They will go away. They will dissolve. They will be stolen. He says, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." Why? Because they are neither moth nor rust destroys and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Then Jesus begins to speak about the issue of wealth. Skip down to verse 24. Look at it. No one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Some translations say mammon. It's a transliteration of the Greek word mimonai that is here. It just has to do with that issue of wealth or money or material possessions. You can't serve God and money. Then Jesus begins to talk about worry. Look down to verse 31 and 32. Do not worry then. Saying, "What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? What are we going to wear?" Yeah, so some of those conversations around your kitchen table in the last 24 months. That's pretty relevant stuff, huh? What are we going to do? How are we going to pay the bills? Verse 32. For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things. I love the next phrase. For your heavenly Father knows. Look at me. I want everybody to look this way. If you don't hear anything else I say today, I want you to leave with this ringing in your ears. Your Father knows. He knows you need all these things. And He is not worried. So why are you? He knows. Say that with me. He knows. He knows. That's what Jesus said. Listen, why are you having conversations around your kitchen table? What are we going to do? Your Father knows. He knows. You need all these things. Jesus says don't worry. Don't worry. The Father, He's got it. Don't worry. Now, in the middle of this passage of Scripture that is filled with these incredibly relevant verses, there are two verses that almost feel like they've been sticky-noted in. It's almost like how did those get in there? And it's where we are this morning, verse 22, the eye is the lamp of the body. So then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If that light is in you, is darkness, how great is the darkness? See what I mean? That blessed you, didn't it? What in the world? In verse 24, He jumps back on subject. No one can serve two masters for either. He will hate the one and love the other. He will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God wealth. Now, it seems like verse 21 ought to jump right to verse 24. Verse 22 and 23, it's like somebody just slid those in there. What does that have to do? Well, we're going to answer that this morning. But before we do, I want to kind of give you some introductory statements answering the question, what is wealth? Because in this verse, verse 24, Jesus uses this word wealth and in America, if we're not careful, we hear the word wealth and we kind of turn our ears off. Because when we hear the word wealth, we think about what Webster defines wealth as. If you look up in Webster's dictionary, the word wealth, here's definition number one, abundance of valuable material possessions or resources. Wealth. Webster defines it like the politicians do. Those making $250,000 a year or more, right? Wealth and abundance. And so we hear a verse like this one that talks about wealth. And if we're not careful, we can assume here God must be speaking to somebody else. Because I'm not wealthy. So this is for the wealthy people. This isn't for me. He's talking to people that have a lot. But the word wealth here is not the word that we think of when we think of wealth. It's not referring to someone who has an abundance of material possessions and resources. The Greek word here that's used for wealth is really better defined as everything you own or possess, material possessions. It's really anything that can be called mine. And all of us in America fit in this category of wealthy. Let me give you some boxes to put that in. Randy Alcorn says this, look at this quote on the screen. If you have sufficient food, decent clothes, live in a home that shields you from weather. That means it doesn't have to have electricity and plumbing. It just shields you from weather. And you own some kind of reliable transportation. It does not have to be motorized. You're in the top 15% of the world's wealthy. Now think about that, 7 billion people in the world. You got food, decent clothes, you live in a home that shields you from weather, and you can get from A to B with something that's got wheels on it or legs for and they walk. You're in the top 15%. Here's some perspective when we're sitting around our table with a woe is me mentality. Look at what he goes on to say. Add some savings, two cars in any condition, a variety of clothes. Here's what that means. You're going to stand in your closet in the morning and make a decision about what you're going to wear. When you own your own house, you've reached the top 5% of the wealthiest people in the world. The median household income of Las Vegas is $53,000 per year. That means the average household, over a 40 year working span, if they start working at the age of 25 to 65, that household, just making the median of $53,000 per year and their lifetime will manage over $2.1 million. More resources than most of the world. There's more resources than some countries have, $2.1 million. Here when Jesus is talking about wealthy, here's what I want you to understand. He's talking about us. We all fit into this category and Jesus gives us some general principles about wealth and I want to give those just quickly before I dive into these verses. These are just kind of foundation, they're not really the sermon, but they're worth coming for. All right. Let me give them to you there. Number one, it all belongs to Him. Say that out loud with me. It all belongs to Him. The Bible says in the Old and New Testament, the earth is the Lord's and all it contains. It means that everything on the earth, the earth in its entirety, the whole universe, it all belongs to Him. Let me give you a biblical reality. According to the Bible, everything you and I have ultimately belongs to God. Everything you possess, everything I possess, it all belongs to Him. I know what we think, our flesh kind of kind of raises its head up against that statement and says, "Now hang on, pastor, I've worked hard in my lifetime, I've sacrificed, I've gone to school, I've put in extra hours, I've worked overtime, I've done all that. I've saved, I've been a good steward." Children of Israel begin to think that way. Listen to what the Bible says to them in Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse 11. Listen to it. Look at it on the screen. "I'm aware that you do not forget the Lord your God. Otherwise when you have eaten and are satisfied and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud. And you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, otherwise you may say in your heart, "My power and the strength of my hand made this wealth, but you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you the power to make wealth." You ever thought, "Who let you get up in the morning and have breath in your body to go to work?" It all belongs to Him. Now when we understand that, there's freedom in that, because now my wife and my children, they don't just depend on me, I don't just depend on me, the people around me don't just depend on me. No, we look to Him because it all belongs to Him. Let me give you the second one. He's entrusted some to me. Say that out loud with me. He's entrusted some to me. The Bible says in Matthew 25, "For it," talking about the kingdom of God, "for it is just like a man about to go on a journey who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them." The word "intrust" means to deliver over to the care of someone. Let me give you the principle of entrustment. It is caring for that which belongs to another as though it belonged to me in trustment. Caring for that which belongs to another as though it belonged to me. It all belongs to Him, but He's taken some of that which belongs to Him, and He's put some of that into my hands. He's put some of that into your hand and listen, don't misunderstand what I'm saying. It's not mine. It's His. He's just entrusted it to me for me to care for it on His behalf. I don't need to make the mistake and assume that it's mine. It all belongs to Him, but He's entrusted it. I am to care for it as though it belonged to me, but I understand that it really belongs to somebody else. Here's the third one. What He's entrusted to me. I am to use for Him. Say that out loud with me. What He has entrusted to me, I am to use for Him. Here's the principle. I am not an owner. I am a steward. I'm not the owner of all that I have. I'm the manager of all that I have, understanding the ultimate owner is God Himself. I'm just stewarding. I'm just watching over it on His behalf, and I'm to use it for Him. Now when you get that, it changes the question. Here's the question we like to ask, and listen, it even sounds spiritual. Lord, how much of what is mine would you like me to give to you? We may not use those words, but that's how we pray about it, right? How much of what's mine is like my little girl, my six-year-old daughter will go through the drive through McDonald's and I'll pay for a happy meal and put it back there with her and she'll open that box and I'll get the wonderful aroma of those french fries and I'll say, "Sweetheart, would you hand me a french fry?" No! It's my happy meal. Hey, at what point did it become with what money did you buy that happy meal? I want you to know the french fries, the box, and even the toy belongs to me. What do you mean? That's my happy meal. God, how much of mine, and then like my little girl, we'll reach in and find the little french fry we can find. When we understand, we ask a different question. Here's now the question, God, how much of your stuff do you want me to use on me and my family? God, how much of what belongs to you, all of it, do you want us to set our standard of living on? William Barclay writing about these verses, this is what he said, "One thing emerges from all this. The possession of wealth, money, material things is not a sin, but it is a grave responsibility. If a man owns many material things, it is not so much a matter for congratulation as it is a matter for prayer, that he may use them as God would have him to." Now, in the middle of all of that, Jesus drops these two incredibly strange verses. Let me read them again. The eye is the lamp of the body, so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. The light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness? When I read those this week for the first time, not for the first time, but for the first time in preparation of this week, I'd read them before, but like you, I'd skipped over them before. I didn't have that option this week. We came together as a study team on Wednesday morning real early and we pulled these out and we read them together in our group and two thoughts went through my mind when I read them. Number one, I have absolutely no idea what that means. I hope that encourages you that sometimes I read the Bible and go, "I have absolutely no idea what that means." Second thing that went through my mind was, "How dare Travis stop his message last week at verse 21." No sure end on where your treasury is there, your heart will be also, right? Well, I just felt led to the Lord to end it right here. You take them. But two things helped me begin to understand these verses. First of all, the principle of colloquialism. You know what a colloquialism is, right? It's a phrase or a word that has local or regional meaning, but it doesn't mean something outside of that particular locale. For example, I grew up in Alabama. We got a bunch of them. I mean, in Alabama, we say things like if somebody is playing in a sport, basketball or football or whatever, and it's somebody that you don't expect to do very good, but they don't get to play very often, but then they go in, they do something big, have a big moment. In Alabama, we'll say, "Man, hey, even a blind hog will find an apron every once in a while." Now, in Alabama, everybody knows exactly what you mean when you say that, or we'll say things in Alabama like one of my favorites is this, we'll say, "Hey, I'm fixing to go to mom and M's and dig in." Now, you have no idea what I mean when I say that, but here's what I just said. I'm about to get in my car and drive to my parents' location and I'm going to enjoy scrumptious meal with them, but in Alabama, we say I'm fixing to go to mom and M's and dig in. Now, you don't understand that, but as soon as I say in Alabama, they know exactly what I'm talking about. Well, when I first got here to Las Vegas, I had to drop some of these in my preaching in my first few months of preaching in Las Vegas. Now, I got up in the service one day and I said, "Man, he was looking at that like a calf looking at a new gait," and they reacted about like you did. Now, see, I grew up in an agricultural setting and when you build a new gait into a fence and a pasture, a cow will not go through it, a cow will stand there and he'll just look at that gait and he will not, he's so confused. And so in Alabama, when you're talking about confusion, you'll say, "Man, he looked at that like a calf in a new gait." I said that out here in Las Vegas after the service, a man came up to me with the most distressed look on his face. He said, "Pastor, I need to ask you a question, what did you mean when you talked about a Catholic looking at a new gait?" I said, "Wow, I have got to change some of my colloquialisms." Hey, when Jesus, that really happened, I'm telling you the truth. When Jesus said this, it was a colloquialism. It doesn't mean anything to you and I when we first hear it, but when the Jews heard it that he was speaking to, they immediately knew what he meant. Let me show it to you. Turn over to the book of Proverbs, chapter 22. I love to read the book of Proverbs. I do it every day. I try to read the proverb that corresponds to the day of the month. In Proverbs, chapter 22, I want you to see something. This is going to get just a hair technical for a minute, but it's very important that you see this. Look at it on the screen. He who is what, generous will be blessed for he gives some of his food to the poor. Now, how many of you have a Bible in front of you this morning that has the cross references down the center of the Bible? If you have one of those kind of Bibles, raise your hand. Hold it up for a minute. All right, that's what I thought. A lot of you have that kind of Bible. In the cross references, often you'll find a little number where you'll identify a word and when you look into the center and the column and the references, it'll give you the literal translation of that Hebrew or Greek word. Look in your cross references that the word "generous," and what does it say that the Hebrew word translated "generous" really literally is? Set out loud. A good eye. The word "generous," the principle of generosity, the way that the Jews would colloquially express that term was by saying, "Man, He's got a good eye." When they said, "He's got a good eye," immediately they knew He was talking about somebody who's "generous." Now, we hear it today and they don't mean much to us like a hog of trying to find an apron, right? It doesn't connect. But in that day, they understood immediately and He didn't just use it on the positive side. Proverbs 28, verse 22, "A man who has an evil eye hastens after wealth." You see it? Look at Proverbs 23 and verse 6. Proverbs 23 and verse 6 says, "Do not eat the bread of a what?" Set out loud. Selfish man. You've got that cross-reference Bible again. There's a little number there beside the word "selfish." Look over in the center and what does it say? The word "selfish" in Hebrew literally is translated as. Say it out loud. An evil eye, right? So the Hebrews, the Jewish culture, would call someone with a good eye, someone that was generous. That was somebody with a good eye, a clear eye. Say who was selfish, that was somebody with an evil eye. So in Jewish culture there was a direct link between the eye and personal financial management. When you understand that, now it makes sense why Jesus drops these two verses in. I mean, it doesn't make sense without understanding that. When you understand that, now it goes, "Oh, that's why He used those phrases here." The good, clear eye was someone who lived generously. They held what God had given to them loosely, looking for an opportunity to invest it in God's activity. The evil or bad eye referred to someone who was selfish. They held it tightly, not wanting to share in God's activity. Now this principle carried over into the New Testament writers. Let me show it to you. James chapter one and verse five. Look at it on the screen. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all what's the next word, generously. In the Greek language, the word generously here is the exact same Greek word that is translated in Matthew chapter six, clear eye. Same Greek word. The New Testament, James was the leader of the church in Jerusalem, predominantly made up of Jews. And James uses that same colloquial expression to refer to generosity. Paul, Paul was trained in Jewish thought and in Jewish language and Jewish culture. Paul was one of the elite of the elite, Paul in Romans. Listen to what he writes in Romans 12-7. He said, "If serving in His service and His serving, He who teaches in His teaching, He who exhorts in His exhortation, He who gives with what? Liberality." The word liberality, same Greek word that's used in Matthew chapter six for clear eye. Same word. Now the second thing that I had to do to understand these verses is I had to act them out. Sometimes you just got to think outside the box and I went over to my closet and I grabbed a flashlight. I said, "All right, the Bible says the eye is the lamp of the body." Now I understood now this reference that the eye connected the link to the eye was how we manage what God's given us. But then He said the eye is the lamp of the body. So I thought that okay, I'm going to substitute the word "eye" with this flashlight. This flashlight is the light in this room. Now when I say that, this flashlight is the light of what does that mean? It means that this flashlight enables me to see what is inside this room. Now we got something. A good eye means I'm living generously with what God's given me. An evil eye means that I'm living selfishly and Jesus said the eye lets you see what's on the inside of the body. Let me give you the life application. Here's the summary statement. What I do with what He has entrusted to me reveals my heart towards Him. I got to be honest, I'll never read those two verses the same way again. The eye, how I manage what God's entrusted to me, do a hold it tightly, do a hold it loose. My response to what God's given me, let me tell you what it tells us. It tells you what's on the inside of the body. Shows my heart. Let me say it another way. You want a real measure of your heart for God. You just look at how you handle what He's entrusted to you. Pull out your checkbook register. Go online and check your spending. How much of it's about you and how much of it's about Him. Hey, Jesus said it, not me, right? These are the days that I'm glad I get to be the delivery boy and not the editor, amen? I'm just throwing the newspaper on the front step. I didn't print the thing. Let's get real honest for just a second, all right? How many of us, and I don't want you to answer out loud, I don't want you to get that honest, how many of us have struggled in the last couple of years to continue to obey the principles of giving and tithing during this current economic situation? Now, if we're going to be honest, I'm up here, so I'll be on, listen, my flesh. When things get tight, you know what our flesh does? The flesh wants to do this, let's hang on, let's shore up the tent pegs, right? Now when everything's great and the checks are rolling in and the economy's good and the job's secure and my house is worth more this month than it was last month, you know why we're that way? Because our security, it's not in him, it's in our current economic situation. If my current economic situation changes my attitude towards the principles of Scripture, my faith's not in him, it's in me. You see, if I think differently today about the way I give because it's tighter than I felt two years ago, you know who I'm trusting? You know what that tells me about my heart towards him? We don't have time to read it this morning, I wish we did, but you go home and read it this afternoon. First Kings, chapter 17, verses 8 through 16, great story, Elijah, the prophet of God, comes to the widow at Zarephath. He says, "God sent me here, you're supposed to feed me." She said, "Elijah, it's me and my son. We've only got enough flour and oil to make one more cake and we'd already decided when we made that, we just have to die because there's nothing left." Did Elijah say, "You better make that one for me." Her current economic situations had no way, it didn't add up, and yet she did it. And the Bible says, every morning she went back to that jar of flour and that bad of oil, and guess what, there was enough in there again to make cake for that day. And she'd use the last of it, and she'd go back the next day and guess what, there was enough in there again to make enough for that day. What's the point, listen, my current economic situation does not dictate my ability to obey the principles of Scripture. God does, and I can trust Him. And the way I respond, the way I respond and handle what He's entrusted to me is a great indicator of what's on the inside. Let me give you another life application. I got two more, we're going to mention them quick, all right? Here's the second one. It's impossible to be walking with God and not be faithfully managing what He has entrusted to me. Jesus said it, listen, carefully, listen, you cannot, let me give you another translation of that, it's impossible. You cannot serve God and money. My decision making cannot be driven by material possessions and then me say, well, I'm really serving God. You see, we like to compartmentalize our lives. We have our spiritual life and it's night and neatly packaged over here and it's church on Sunday and small group night of the week and put a bull around that and keep it over in that corner. And we have our financial lives and we have our work and business lives and we have our relaxation lives. What Jesus says, no work like that. God's God of everything, church life, financial life, home life, job life, relax safe. God's God of everything and if He's not God of everything, listen, He's not God of anything. There's only room in my life for one God and it's not possible for my life to be faithfully devoted to Him if my life choices are being driven and directed by material possession. Why did Jesus talk more about money in the Bible than He did any other subject? Let me tell you why, because it's a great barometer of my heart before God. Its currency is something that's cross-cultural. Every culture on the planet has to deal with this issue. Let me give you the last life application principle I'm doing this morning because we themed this series, security. How does all this fit into the context of security? Here it is. Security is found only when I'm faithfully walking with God. We didn't read it this morning. We're going to dig into it next weekend, verse 25. Jesus says, for this reason, I say to you, what are you worried about? He said, if you're storing up your treasure in heaven, if you're living as a faithful manager of what God's given to you, what are you worried about? Your Father knows. Now listen, if I'm trying to fix my current economic situation with my ideas, plans and agendas, and I'm ignoring God's principles, there's probably a little room for worry. You see, the way that God's peace is not with my plan, it's with his plan. But when I'm following in his plan, Jesus says, don't be worried. Your Father, the one that it all belongs to, he knows. Let's pray. For Jesus, would you speak to us today? Spirit of God, would you have your way? Set us free. As we sit this morning, and as you sit before the Lord, just in prayer in this moment, talking to Him, asking God to apply these truths to your heart. I want to ask you a couple of questions. Here's the first one. Who is God of your life? Maybe you're here today, and you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. You've never embraced Him. You've never experienced His forgiveness and His grace. As you're sitting before the Lord this morning, in just a moment, we're going to stand and we're going to sing a song of worship. When we stand to sing, we have some pastors here at the front. We have some prayer volunteers at the back. If God has spoken to your heart today and you want to give your life to Jesus Christ, listen, I invite you. You leave your seat. You come right down to here to one of these pastors, or go right to the back to one of these volunteers, and you say to them, I need Jesus, and they'll take the Bible, and they'll show you how you today can experience God's forgiveness and be saved. But if you're already a follower of Jesus Christ, have you allowed money and material possessions and the decision-making process, have you allowed that to begin to dictate and drive the decisions and choices of your life? Hey, you can't serve God and money. His only room for one God. Maybe you're in the middle of a difficult situation and you just need prayer. You can come to one of these pastors or one of these volunteers and they'll pray with you. One question, what are you doing with what he's entrusted to you? Are you trusting him? When's the last time you just went before him and said, "God, hey, the whole happy meal is yours?" God, it's all yours. It may be God, forgive me for acting like it was mine. Who are you trusting? Your current economic situation or your father who knows? Lord, as we listen to you, would you speak to us? your way. It's in the name of Jesus we pray.