WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.679 Great. Yes, we're going to look at God's Word together. Now, I mentioned Christmas. I don't 00:00:08.679 --> 00:00:13.740 know if you feel like that already. We are selling Advent packs. Christmas, it's good 00:00:13.740 --> 00:00:19.839 news that Jesus came. And when we celebrate it, we always say, hey, Jesus, He came and 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:24.719 He changed the world. Although, as you heard from the prayers, actually, how much has the 00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:29.039 world changed, right? Because it's still so full of conflict and suffering. What is the 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:35.479 change that Jesus brought? And the answer is that Jesus came, first of all, to change 00:00:35.479 --> 00:00:43.259 His people. Jesus has changed us. Where do we see heaven on earth? We see it in the church 00:00:43.259 --> 00:00:50.359 with people who are transformed, with people who have encountered Jesus' grace and live 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:55.560 now differently from the world. How can people see that Jesus is real? Hopefully, they can 00:00:55.560 --> 00:01:00.820 see that He is real in our lives as we live differently. That's Jesus' plan. And that is 00:01:00.820 --> 00:01:08.299 what this series is all about, living distinctively, living, yeah, as Jesus wants, different from 00:01:08.299 --> 00:01:14.180 the world. Now, today we're going to look at money. We don't look at that all the time. 00:01:14.300 --> 00:01:18.040 If you're visiting and you wonder, I think it's been one and a half years since we last had 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:24.100 a sermon on money. So, yeah, don't worry if that's your impression of some churches. But 00:01:24.100 --> 00:01:28.840 it is something that actually comes up quite a lot in the Bible. And actually, the passage 00:01:28.840 --> 00:01:33.380 we're going to read in a moment is from, well, the Sermon on the Mount. If you don't know, 00:01:33.420 --> 00:01:38.440 that's Jesus' most famous sermon, right? With love your enemies and those kind of things. 00:01:38.520 --> 00:01:43.600 At the start of Matthew's gospel, yeah, His most famous teaching that everyone admires, 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:48.239 not just Christians, but the whole world thinks, wow, this is the most amazing teaching in the 00:01:48.239 --> 00:01:53.939 world. And it includes teaching on money. But do you know that so much of that sermon 00:01:53.939 --> 00:01:59.259 is about being distinctive, being different from the world? I mean, you read it. And what 00:01:59.259 --> 00:02:05.060 does Jesus keep saying? Well, don't be like the Pharisees. Don't fast like the hypocrites. 00:02:05.679 --> 00:02:11.159 Don't pray like the Gentiles. Don't just love your friends. Everyone does that. Love your 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:17.520 enemies. You know, everyone says you should do this, but I say you should do that, right? 00:02:17.939 --> 00:02:20.979 It's all about living distinctively, all about being different from the world. 00:02:21.740 --> 00:02:27.379 A whole sermon. And it's not just telling us how to live, but of course, Jesus tells us, 00:02:27.719 --> 00:02:32.599 yeah, the gospel. He tells us why we can do that, why we should do that. And so that's what 00:02:32.599 --> 00:02:37.579 we're going to listen to. So Risa's going to come up and read from Matthew 6. So let's open 00:02:37.580 --> 00:02:46.180 that and live together. Good morning, church. Our scripture reading for 00:02:46.180 --> 00:02:53.360 today is from the book of Matthew chapter 6. Starting in verse 19, we read, 00:02:54.360 --> 00:03:00.180 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and wrath rust destroys, and 00:03:00.180 --> 00:03:05.100 where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where 00:03:05.099 --> 00:03:11.039 neither moth nor wrath destroys, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:17.400 is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is 00:03:17.400 --> 00:03:23.439 healthy, your body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:29.419 be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness? 00:03:29.419 --> 00:03:37.500 No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:44.819 devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Therefore, I tell you, 00:03:45.299 --> 00:03:51.239 do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, 00:03:51.659 --> 00:03:58.839 what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the food more than clothing? Look at the birds of 00:03:58.840 --> 00:04:05.480 the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 00:04:06.020 --> 00:04:12.319 Are you not of more value than they? And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single art to 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:19.180 his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they 00:04:19.180 --> 00:04:27.259 grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet, I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like 00:04:27.259 --> 00:04:33.779 one of these. But if God so clothed the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is 00:04:33.779 --> 00:04:41.360 thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you? O you, little faith. Therefore, do not be 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:48.560 anxious, saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek 00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:54.939 after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom 00:04:54.939 --> 00:05:01.779 of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious 00:05:01.779 --> 00:05:08.180 about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 00:05:08.500 --> 00:05:09.779 This is the word of God. 00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:14.120 Great. Thanks for reading, Risa. 00:05:14.120 --> 00:05:20.480 Yeah, this is a familiar passage. Yes, it's so powerful. One of my favorites. 00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:27.780 But first, let's, yeah, before we go into the motivation and everything that Jesus talks about, let's think a 00:05:27.780 --> 00:05:33.980 little bit how distinctive Christian living actually is. I mean, how does the world see money? I think Marco 00:05:33.980 --> 00:05:41.420 mentioned it, right? We often talk about the world idolizes money. An idol, what is an idol? It's a, it's something 00:05:41.420 --> 00:05:46.600 that's the most important thing in your life, right? It has, it's what's on the throne in your heart, the 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:52.120 thing you can't do without. It takes the place of God. And with many people, it seems like that. Now, 00:05:52.520 --> 00:05:58.100 why is that? And there's a writer, Tony Payne, he said, money is basically a kind of liquid kind of 00:05:58.100 --> 00:06:05.939 power. And last week, we talked about power. It's the ability to force or influence people. But that's what 00:06:05.939 --> 00:06:12.180 you do with money, right? So I go to a restaurant, and I can force people to cook a meal for me exactly 00:06:12.180 --> 00:06:18.740 as I want and bring it to my table. It's power, right? I go to an Apple store, and they have to 00:06:18.740 --> 00:06:25.079 give me an iPhone 15 Pro, right? Thanks to my money. It's basically a kind of power, right? You get 00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:30.800 things done. And so, and the thing is, it works everywhere. Maybe last week, yeah, yeah, you have 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:35.379 some influence in your office, but not really in your family. Actually, money works everywhere, 00:06:35.379 --> 00:06:43.219 right? Which is why people love money. They want money. It does everything. Of course, money, 00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:48.240 it's not exactly the same as power. Last week, we talked about mainly how you use it. But money, 00:06:48.339 --> 00:06:54.000 you can earn it. You can give it away. You can save it. All that stuff, it's slightly different. It's 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:59.879 much more of a means, a means to get something. And of course, that's actually what people do, 00:06:59.980 --> 00:07:05.060 right? I mean, to be honest, no one actually wants money. We want the thing that money can buy you, 00:07:05.060 --> 00:07:12.579 right? People want security. They see, okay, my bank account, it's in the six figures. I feel safe. 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:19.259 I feel secure. Whatever happens, I'm secure. Or they want the comfort, the nice, satisfying life. And 00:07:19.259 --> 00:07:27.240 how do you get that? Well, money or status, right? Approval. You know, if I earn enough, then 00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:33.819 yeah, I, you know, people will think well of me. Or maybe even when you're young, my parents, right? 00:07:33.840 --> 00:07:39.699 They will think well of me if I, I'm a doctor or a lawyer and I earn good money and that kind of thing. 00:07:39.699 --> 00:07:47.519 I don't know what it is for you. You know, if, if you would suddenly lose your job or you log into 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:52.099 your bank account and it's been hacked and there's nothing left, you know, what is the thing that you 00:07:52.099 --> 00:07:58.159 fear? Is it, do you fear what people will think of you? Is it, do you fear for your security or for 00:07:58.159 --> 00:08:03.519 your lifestyle? It kind of helps us see, right? Well, what's really going on? But yeah, everyone wants 00:08:03.519 --> 00:08:09.539 money. Everyone needs money and, and, and we need money, right? We can't, you know, live in a monastery 00:08:09.539 --> 00:08:14.399 and just grow our own vegetables and we can't live like that, right? We live here in Hong Kong. 00:08:14.779 --> 00:08:20.519 We need money. We need to save it. We need to spend it. And that's okay because money in a way is, 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:28.659 it's just neutral. It's just a means to an end. And so it's not a bad thing. No, I think the thing 00:08:28.660 --> 00:08:35.100 that's, it's really going on, right? Is it's about our hearts. Money is a means, but how do we use it? 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:41.220 What do we use it for? And then if you look in the Bible, Christian living is, it's very different. 00:08:41.440 --> 00:08:47.759 So let me just give you a few verses that show how in the New Testament Christians used to live. 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:56.000 So first of all, of course, they don't idolize money. 1 Timothy 6, 17, as for the rich in this 00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:01.940 present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, 00:09:02.100 --> 00:09:07.980 but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. Why would the rich be haughty? Well, 00:09:08.019 --> 00:09:13.879 because they get their status from their money, but don't do that. Don't be haughty. Don't set your 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:23.080 security, your hopes on riches. So don't idolize it, certainly. But more than that, how about earlier 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:29.340 in the chapter? Contentment. So Paul says, well, if we have food and clothing with these, 00:09:29.420 --> 00:09:34.020 we shall be content. And with just the basics and that's fine. We don't need anything else, 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:39.220 just food and clothing. Now, I don't know how that's, if that's how you live, right? Certainly 00:09:39.220 --> 00:09:47.580 I don't. The basics, actually, are you okay with losing money? Hebrews 10, 34, some Christians, 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:52.980 they're not doing well now. And the writer says, Hey, few years ago, you were really doing well. Why? 00:09:52.980 --> 00:09:58.740 Well, you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property. People stole your stuff and that was 00:09:58.740 --> 00:10:05.560 fine. So which would include your money, right? People were okay with losing your money. You know, 00:10:05.639 --> 00:10:12.600 your stocks overnight, they go down 20%. Would you feel, yeah, that's fine. Who cares? I don't think 00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:17.580 we are really like that, right? Is that how we live? That money just isn't worth very much. 00:10:17.580 --> 00:10:26.259 And then, of course, going even further, how about giving? Because Christians in the Bible, 00:10:26.400 --> 00:10:33.480 they give generously. One Timothy again, the rich, well, they are to do good, to be rich in good works, 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:41.480 to be generous and ready to share. They give generously. They just have money and others need it. 00:10:41.480 --> 00:10:47.759 Yeah, sure. Here, have it. You need it. Giving, and it just doesn't matter how much. Here, you generously 00:10:47.759 --> 00:10:55.620 giving, and not just generously, giving actively. So this crazy passage from 2 Corinthians 8, 00:10:55.620 --> 00:11:02.240 we want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:09.179 Macedonia. For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty 00:11:09.179 --> 00:11:15.620 have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:22.340 as I can testify, and beyond their means of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of 00:11:22.340 --> 00:11:27.580 taking part in the relief of the saints. So here were poor Christians, and they just gave beyond 00:11:27.580 --> 00:11:32.320 their means. And they were begging, Paul, please, can we give more? Can we join in this giving? 00:11:33.100 --> 00:11:39.060 Right? Giving actively, not just when there's a need, but begging to give away their money. 00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:44.980 Again, how actively are we looking? Yeah, we have a love offering, and people here are so generous, 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:50.740 but that's kind of, hey, can you give to this? Are people actually looking? Right? Are we planning? 00:11:50.740 --> 00:11:55.539 How can I give more to mission? I've got a raise. Great. How can I give this money away? 00:11:56.620 --> 00:12:03.460 I don't think we live like that, right? Many of us, you know, we fall short. We're not like this. 00:12:03.820 --> 00:12:10.740 We don't idolize money, maybe, hopefully, but we are not yet like this. Now, what is the secret? 00:12:11.340 --> 00:12:16.740 How come these Christians in the New Testament fought like this? Well, let's look now to that 00:12:16.740 --> 00:12:22.139 passage in the Sermon on the Mount, because Jesus really tells us, okay, this is how you should 00:12:22.139 --> 00:12:28.600 think about money. And if we get that, then yeah, that will hopefully help us. And what does Jesus say? 00:12:28.700 --> 00:12:34.659 Well, we want to use our money for God. As Christians, we want to use it for God. We want to 00:12:34.659 --> 00:12:41.519 give it, because that has eternal value. It has eternal value. Because let's look again at 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:45.879 Matthew 6. You can open the passage if you've closed it in your Bibles or in the bulletin. 00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:49.519 Matthew 6, verse 19 and 20. 00:12:50.919 --> 00:12:57.659 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:04.519 in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, 00:13:04.519 --> 00:13:10.379 and where thieves do not break in and steal. Right? There's two kinds of treasure. It's all about 00:13:10.379 --> 00:13:15.559 treasure, but there's on earth and in heaven. And the thing is, treasure on earth, it doesn't last. 00:13:15.659 --> 00:13:22.139 Right? It's pretty, it's temporary. Moth and rust destroy it. I mean, we know that things break, 00:13:22.200 --> 00:13:28.039 right? I had to get my car fixed this week to get it road worthy, so keep it driving. All the time, 00:13:28.100 --> 00:13:33.720 all this, you know, things break down. And my kids, oh, dad, my earphones broke again. Can I have new 00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:39.879 ones? These things break, right? That's, they don't last. Your money can get suddenly taken away. 00:13:40.080 --> 00:13:45.019 It can be stolen, right? Thieves, they still exist in Hong Kong. But, you know, the stock market, 00:13:45.139 --> 00:13:50.980 the economy, it doesn't last. And of course, ultimately, there's death, right? Whatever you 00:13:50.980 --> 00:13:56.519 have, when you die, you can't take it with you. It gets left behind. And then what will happen? 00:13:56.519 --> 00:14:03.259 And Jesus says, that's treasure on earth. But compare that with treasure in heaven. In heaven, 00:14:03.419 --> 00:14:09.539 well, no moth, no rust, no thieves. You won't die, right? The idea is this will last forever. 00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:14.980 This is something that has far more value because it will last. It doesn't get taken away. 00:14:15.579 --> 00:14:21.579 So clearly, that's the better deal, right? It lasts. So who cares about treasure on earth? Because, 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:25.500 you know, you will lose it anyway. It's far better to have treasure in heaven. 00:14:25.500 --> 00:14:32.980 And actually, all those verses I quoted, that is the motivation. So let's look at some of those 00:14:32.980 --> 00:14:39.240 verses again. You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property. Why? Since you knew that you 00:14:39.240 --> 00:14:43.980 yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one, right? You've got something much better, 00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:47.980 something that will last. So you didn't mind about the stuff that they took from you. 00:14:49.379 --> 00:14:55.100 For we brought nothing into the world. We cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food 00:14:55.100 --> 00:14:59.460 and clothing with these, we'll be content. Why do we need no more than the basics? Well, 00:14:59.480 --> 00:15:06.040 we can't take it with us anyway, right? So yeah. Or the rich again, they are to do good, 00:15:06.100 --> 00:15:11.659 to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves 00:15:11.659 --> 00:15:16.500 as a good foundation for the future. So that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 00:15:16.500 --> 00:15:22.299 And you can see Jesus teaching, you know, what really has value, what will last. That is, 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:30.700 what drives all this Christian living. Now, I don't know if you like Monopoly. It takes a bit long, 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:36.279 but at some point we discovered Monopoly Deal. Do you know that game? It's kind of fun, right? It's a 00:15:36.279 --> 00:15:42.360 card game. It's quick. But yeah, it's all about money, right? And then you get millions and millions and 00:15:42.360 --> 00:15:48.919 you know, three million and two million and five million and a property on the peak. And it's all 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:54.740 very exciting, right? Except that 10 minutes later, the game is over and it goes into the box, 00:15:55.659 --> 00:16:02.100 right? And then you go into the real world and you need real money. Well, if this passage is true, 00:16:03.180 --> 00:16:07.879 that real money you think is real is the same as this. Because in a few years, you're going to be 00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:16.360 dead or Jesus will return and your money is just as worth as much as this one, right? It is. It's, 00:16:16.539 --> 00:16:24.820 yeah, it's true, right? That's what Jesus says. And so, yeah, I don't mind losing at a game because I'm, 00:16:24.820 --> 00:16:31.720 you know, it's only 10 minutes and then it's worthless. So in a way, that's what should drive us, 00:16:31.779 --> 00:16:37.659 right? We know it's okay if we don't have as much money as we want. It's okay if we lose some, 00:16:37.659 --> 00:16:44.459 it's okay to give it away because it's not worth very much, right? I mean, Jesus says, yeah, 00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:49.620 you want treasure in heaven. It's not that Jesus, yeah, he wants us to be monks. Jesus is a hardcore 00:16:49.620 --> 00:16:54.899 investor and he gives us the ultimate investment tip. Here, here's the thing that will last, 00:16:55.179 --> 00:17:00.179 right? I know the future markets. This is what will be worthless. This will be what is worth 00:17:00.179 --> 00:17:06.599 everything. So invest in this. That is what Jesus is saying, right? Treasure in heaven. Now, 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:11.419 it's something we don't talk much about, right? How often do we talk about treasure in heaven? I mean, 00:17:11.559 --> 00:17:19.279 how do you get it? What do you, what is it even? I mean, Jesus often talks about rewards and I think 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:26.679 it's linked, right? Whoever gives a cup of water to a child, to one who believes in me, will by no 00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:33.799 means lose his reward. The parable of the talents, right? The servants, they get a reward. In the 00:17:33.799 --> 00:17:38.660 Sermon on the Mount, you know, if you love your enemies, you get a reward. If you get persecuted, 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:45.980 you get a reward, right? Spreading the gospel, mission work, giving later, right? The rich young 00:17:45.980 --> 00:17:51.480 man, what does Jesus tell him to do? Well, sell your possessions, give to the poor, you will have 00:17:51.480 --> 00:18:00.680 treasure in heaven. All these things, basically everything about living for Jesus. So clearly, 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:06.680 this is something real. Jesus thinks this is something that should motivate us, something that 00:18:06.680 --> 00:18:12.779 makes a difference. That is, he's not just joking. He's telling us something, look, yeah, this is real. 00:18:13.160 --> 00:18:19.319 It's something you benefit from. I mean, some people, they read verse 19 and they say, okay, 00:18:19.319 --> 00:18:25.619 it's about not being selfish, right? Because verse 19 says, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on 00:18:25.619 --> 00:18:34.079 earth. But then look at verse 20. What does it say? Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven. So this is 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:40.819 definitely something that you yourself benefit from. At the same time, you know, I don't know what you 00:18:40.819 --> 00:18:46.839 think because then you read this and maybe you think heaven will be like being Scrooge McDuck, 00:18:46.839 --> 00:18:52.500 right? And you're kind of, you're swimming in your money and this is basically what you're doing. 00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:58.099 That can't be the case, right? That you, okay, I'm going to serve God and give to the poor, but 00:18:58.099 --> 00:19:01.439 actually I don't care about the poor and I don't care about God. I just want treasure. 00:19:02.179 --> 00:19:08.839 That's not the thing here, right? I think if you read it, if you read it in context, it's much more 00:19:08.839 --> 00:19:14.699 other-centered, much more God-centered. It is about loving others. It's about loving God and yet 00:19:14.700 --> 00:19:21.700 you benefit from it. I mean, so often in the Bible, you know, joy is something you share, 00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:28.400 right? So, you know, I tell someone the gospel and they will be with me in heaven and that's, 00:19:28.600 --> 00:19:33.460 you know, it's not just that's good for them. It's also, you know, I've got joy from them being 00:19:33.460 --> 00:19:38.840 there and us being together and we both together glorify God for what he's been doing through me 00:19:38.839 --> 00:19:45.240 in getting that person saved and, right? Joy is something shared and so the good things we do, 00:19:45.699 --> 00:19:52.139 we, you know, it is for others and yet we also benefit because of the joy or maybe sometimes it 00:19:52.139 --> 00:19:59.539 talks about responsibility, right? The treasure can be like more responsibility and which is a loving 00:19:59.539 --> 00:20:05.359 thing, right? Serving others. It's a God-centered thing because what is the greatest treasure? 00:20:05.359 --> 00:20:12.019 Like Jesus, right? So will you have more joy in Jesus? Will you experience more of Jesus? Will 00:20:12.019 --> 00:20:16.399 you work more closely with Jesus? Something like that. We don't really know. Jesus, 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:24.359 at least Jesus just told us, but he doesn't. But yeah, it's, the idea is it's God-centered, 00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:31.059 it's other-centered and yet it is something that's really great, something we should want as Christians. 00:20:31.059 --> 00:20:41.460 And so Jesus says he wants active investment. Jesus wants you to be active, right? The tense here, 00:20:41.539 --> 00:20:48.399 you can't see it well, but it's a continuous sense. So keep laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven. 00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:56.460 It's not like a one-time deposit. Keep laying up or later in the passage, seek first the kingdom. No, 00:20:56.460 --> 00:21:02.299 no, it's keep seeking first the kingdom. Keep doing it. And maybe you're here, you're not a Christian 00:21:02.299 --> 00:21:07.460 and people call you a seeker because you're seeking. And then at some point, I guess you find 00:21:07.460 --> 00:21:13.420 Jesus and you stop being a seeker. Now Jesus wants us all to keep being seekers all of our life. 00:21:13.420 --> 00:21:19.900 Keep seeking the kingdom. Keep putting God first, which includes, you know, our living for Jesus, 00:21:19.900 --> 00:21:30.060 our time, our energy, our home, and our money. Yeah. So don't cut off money. No, use it for God. Use it for 00:21:30.060 --> 00:21:36.380 the gospel. And then there's more reasons than the value. I'm not going to go into those next few 00:21:36.380 --> 00:21:44.000 verses about, you know, where your treasure is there, your heart will be also, right? It's safe to invest in 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:49.720 Jesus because that our heart will be drawn to him. You know, uh, if we invest in this world, 00:21:49.799 --> 00:21:54.960 our hearts are drawn to this world and we will love this world. And it's like a bad eye that in fact 00:21:54.960 --> 00:22:00.500 changes everything in your life and you get conflict. Jesus says, you don't want that, 00:22:00.500 --> 00:22:06.160 but I don't have time to go into that. Basically you hear it, right? Be a good investor, 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:12.119 maximize your treasure, live for the gospel with, with all your life because later it's worthless. 00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:19.740 I mean, a few weeks ago, if you know, we had this trip in India and, uh, I don't know if we 00:22:19.740 --> 00:22:25.380 didn't know this, but apparently the Indian rupee is a protected currency. So if you're a foreigner, 00:22:25.380 --> 00:22:30.579 you can't take it out of India. You just need to leave it. Now, so, so, so what do you do? 00:22:31.579 --> 00:22:36.980 Well, it's obvious, right? You exchange it. You want to exchange as much as possible. Basically you 00:22:36.980 --> 00:22:42.240 budget, right? Okay. The rest of my time in India, this is how much I need. So that's what I'll keep. 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:47.620 And all the rest I exchange. That makes sense, right? If we were Hong Kongers, that makes sense 00:22:47.620 --> 00:22:54.039 to us. Well, that should be our attitude now, right? Look at your life here. Well, what do you 00:22:54.039 --> 00:22:59.759 need for the rest of your life? And well, the rest, exchange it, you know, turn it into treasure in 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:06.680 heaven, be generous, be rich in good works, support the gospel, support missionaries, love the poor and 00:23:06.680 --> 00:23:12.680 the needy. That's, I think that's what Jesus is saying, right? So basically, yeah, save on your 00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:20.660 expenses here so you can give more to the gospel, give more to treasure. That's, that's what Jesus says. 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:26.840 And now saving, I don't know, uh, some of us, of course, we don't have very much. So it is really 00:23:26.840 --> 00:23:31.900 depends on who you are and you know, there, there's no fixed rules and amounts and everything. 00:23:31.900 --> 00:23:37.380 The Bible doesn't work like that, but you know, have you considered your living standards? 00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:45.500 You know, how much do we really need? Uh, do we need less than what we have now? Well, maybe 00:23:45.500 --> 00:23:51.180 downsize or when you have a raise rather than upgrades, you know, keep it the same and, you 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:57.840 know, increase your giving. Now I don't hear me say you should live as, as poorly and miserly 00:23:57.839 --> 00:24:04.199 as possible. And you can't never spend anything and never enjoy anything. That's not true because 00:24:04.199 --> 00:24:09.839 partly, you know, it's good to enjoy yourself, right? It gives you a break. You can go on holiday 00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:15.220 because if you go on holiday, you get refreshed. And if you'd never go on holiday, you get burnt out. 00:24:15.220 --> 00:24:20.459 And then how can you be rich in good works? And how can you be, you know, be discipling people if 00:24:20.459 --> 00:24:26.299 you're burnt out? You can't, right? So it's good to go on holiday. I guess you could save a lot of 00:24:26.299 --> 00:24:32.019 money by living in a village near the border or something. Yeah. But you have a two hour commute 00:24:32.019 --> 00:24:39.000 each way, each day, and you never can go to CG and you can never disciple people and you can never 00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:44.099 do anything good. And there's a trade off there between what, what is, what is sensible, what's 00:24:44.099 --> 00:24:53.220 reasonable. And, uh, of course, but if you can easily save something, why not? You know, 00:24:53.220 --> 00:24:58.160 you're going to go on holiday. Okay. I can go on a cheaper holiday or on an expensive holiday. 00:24:58.279 --> 00:25:05.100 Which one shall I do? Why not the cheaper one? And I don't know about you, but I mean, if I go on 00:25:05.100 --> 00:25:10.079 holiday one month after coming back, it's like, I've never been away, right? I've completely forgotten 00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:15.160 my holiday. If I'm going to forget it anyway, then why spend too much on it? Right? It's not going to 00:25:15.160 --> 00:25:22.339 last. I hope you get the point, right? Well, why not? Because yeah, if you say, if you can give, 00:25:22.339 --> 00:25:28.539 you can give, you know, to the gospel work here at Watermark, we have missional justice partners, 00:25:29.240 --> 00:25:33.939 maybe missionaries, you know, there's people serving the Lord full time and they don't get a 00:25:33.939 --> 00:25:40.159 salary. They get, they are supported by other individuals in the church. So, uh, if you don't 00:25:40.159 --> 00:25:45.159 know, if you know some, ask if you can support them, you know, uh, or if you don't know any, ask us, 00:25:45.159 --> 00:25:50.740 we can put you in touch. You know, Jesus, this is what Jesus is doing right now, right? What are we, 00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:56.400 why are we still waiting for that treasure later? Well, the gospel is going out. Uh, there's mission 00:25:56.400 --> 00:26:01.059 work. So yeah, that's what he wants us to do. If you don't know anyone, uh, but yeah, 00:26:01.700 --> 00:26:07.759 manage your money well, try to budget, try to save, and then try to give. That's the basic 00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:13.519 application, right? And maybe you've never learned to do that. Uh, can understand, especially when 00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:18.259 you're young. And so actually one thing we're going to do in December, we're going to do a, a 00:26:18.259 --> 00:26:23.359 practical finance course going to be taught by Oscar, who is an elder and a real hero in the 00:26:23.359 --> 00:26:30.059 term kind of with money and finance. But basically it's for kind of university students, for young 00:26:30.059 --> 00:26:36.519 graduates, just learning the basics of budgeting, you know, how to save money. Uh, you know, some 00:26:36.519 --> 00:26:41.680 basics about investing, how to plan to give and those kinds of things, just basic learning how to 00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:46.400 manage your money. Uh, that should be really great. Uh, two Wednesday evenings in December at the 00:26:46.400 --> 00:26:51.519 CC six and 13 December, uh, please join that. Well, we'll put it in the bulletin next week, 00:26:51.519 --> 00:26:57.000 but, uh, yeah, that should be a very helpful, right? If you don't exactly know how to do this 00:26:57.000 --> 00:27:02.640 kind of thing, but, but that is how Jesus wants us to live. You know, don't really care about your 00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:08.320 money and possessions here. It's, it's only temporary instead do as much good as possible. 00:27:08.680 --> 00:27:15.580 That will last forever. Uh, I love this quote by Jim Elliott, who kind of gave up, uh, his life 00:27:15.579 --> 00:27:22.099 in the U S to go and be a missionary and got killed for it. He said this, he is no fool who 00:27:22.099 --> 00:27:29.240 gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Right? He's no fool. He's, he's, that's wise. 00:27:31.059 --> 00:27:32.119 That's how we should live. 00:27:34.599 --> 00:27:39.339 And yet when I hear that, I guess when we hear that, that, that feels so scary, right? 00:27:39.339 --> 00:27:47.259 When I say this, Hey, just, just give and you know, don't focus on money, focus on God's kingdom. 00:27:47.259 --> 00:27:53.079 Don't worry about it. If I use my money for God, right? I mean, if you use your money for God, 00:27:53.159 --> 00:28:01.279 what won't I lose out? Right? What, uh, how about my needs? Uh, you know, will I, can I do this? 00:28:01.279 --> 00:28:07.619 It feels so insecure, right? It feels so unsafe. I know that's how I feel. I think that that's how 00:28:07.619 --> 00:28:13.799 you feel. And that's a real fear. It's understandable, you know, giving money away. It feels risky. 00:28:15.539 --> 00:28:21.420 Well, that's why Jesus goes on in Matthew to that next passage. And he's saying, Hey, 00:28:21.619 --> 00:28:27.460 we can use our money for God. Yes, we can do this. And why? Because he will take care of us. 00:28:27.460 --> 00:28:34.120 We can use our money for God because he will take care of us. Don't be anxious, right? That's in that 00:28:34.120 --> 00:28:41.500 second passage the whole time. Verse 25. Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, 00:28:41.559 --> 00:28:47.799 what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on and all through that 00:28:47.799 --> 00:28:52.799 passage. You know, why are you anxious? Don't be anxious. Don't be anxious. God will take care of you. 00:28:52.799 --> 00:28:59.000 And that is not a kind of no worries, hakuna matata, live on the beach with your guitar. 00:28:59.700 --> 00:29:08.079 And it's also not kind of do crazy, expensive things and God will be your safety net or something. 00:29:08.279 --> 00:29:13.379 You know, there's wisdom. No, what is the opposite of being anxious? Verse 33. 00:29:14.099 --> 00:29:19.319 Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. 00:29:19.319 --> 00:29:27.939 Just focus on God's kingdom and you will get food and clothing and drink and God will take care of it. 00:29:28.679 --> 00:29:33.159 That is what he does, right? Can you store up treasure in heaven? Yes, you can. 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:40.019 Because God will take care of you. And why? Well, all through the passage. Well, he's your heavenly father. 00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:46.420 Father, your heavenly father, your heavenly father, right? Fathers, what do they do? They care for their 00:29:46.420 --> 00:29:51.759 children. They love their children. They provide for their children. That's what fathers do. And this is 00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:58.319 not any father. This is your heavenly father, right? He's the almighty creator who rules every single 00:29:58.319 --> 00:30:05.059 atom in the universe. He can take care of you. He wants to take care of you and he can do it. So, 00:30:05.059 --> 00:30:12.799 yeah, you're free, right? And there's so much evidence of that. Jesus says, come on, look at the birds, right? 00:30:13.099 --> 00:30:19.460 Look at the birds. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. 00:30:19.659 --> 00:30:24.899 And look at the flowers that are here today, gone tomorrow, but they're more beautiful than Solomon. 00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:29.099 And God does all that. God is in the business of providing. Look at that. 00:30:29.099 --> 00:30:36.419 And that's just birds and flowers. Aren't you much more valued than birds? Aren't you much more 00:30:36.419 --> 00:30:44.199 worthy than those flowers? Oh, you of little faith, right? God will take care of you. Or end of verse 25, 00:30:44.599 --> 00:30:51.179 is not life more than food and a body more than clothing? I mean, God gave you life. You are not just 00:30:51.179 --> 00:30:58.839 a bunch of molecules. You're not just some dust. You are alive. God made you alive. And he also made you 00:30:58.839 --> 00:31:03.699 to need food. Do you think he kind of makes you alive and then not give you the food that you need to 00:31:03.699 --> 00:31:11.179 keep living? Of course. God won't back out now, right? He's giving you life. He will give you what 00:31:11.179 --> 00:31:19.519 you need. And so, don't run after money. Verse 31, therefore, do not be anxious saying, what shall we eat? 00:31:19.740 --> 00:31:25.019 Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things. 00:31:25.019 --> 00:31:30.879 And your heavenly father knows that you need them all. And the Gentiles, the people who don't know 00:31:30.879 --> 00:31:36.720 God, that's how they live. Because they don't have a heavenly father. They're orphans. They need to 00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:41.400 look after themselves. And they run after money because they hope that will care for them. And 00:31:41.400 --> 00:31:46.940 they hope money will give them security. They need money. But you don't because you have a heavenly 00:31:46.940 --> 00:31:53.039 father. You are not an orphan. And the God of the universe is your father. And so, you don't have to 00:31:53.039 --> 00:31:59.299 be like them. You can live differently. You are free to do so because you have your heavenly father. 00:32:00.159 --> 00:32:08.019 Isn't that wonderful, right? Back then, of course, food, clothing, they were the basics, right? It was a 00:32:08.019 --> 00:32:13.720 much more basic society. Of course, we have other needs. But doesn't God provide us with everything you 00:32:13.720 --> 00:32:20.860 need. Maybe you're worried about your status, your approval. And, you know, if I, less money, 00:32:20.980 --> 00:32:28.680 less status. Think about the status you have as a Christian through the gospel. You are a child of 00:32:28.680 --> 00:32:34.180 God. You're going to spend forever reigning with Christ. You're going to be judging angels, 00:32:34.180 --> 00:32:40.340 right? Who cares about being a HSBC premier customer, right? Who cares? 00:32:41.680 --> 00:32:46.539 Right? James 1, we saw it a few weeks ago. Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation. 00:32:47.100 --> 00:32:52.620 You know, think of who you are in Christ. Or control. Maybe, you know, control is something we 00:32:52.620 --> 00:33:00.240 often feel we need. Again, you're in Christ. God promises that all things work together for your good. 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:06.620 Everything that happens in life is under control for your good, managed on your behalf by the king 00:33:06.620 --> 00:33:15.019 of the universe, Jesus, who died for you, right? It's okay. And so, yeah, the bottom line, keep seeking 00:33:15.019 --> 00:33:21.339 the kingdom. Keep living for Jesus. Keep doing the right thing. Keep loving others. Keep using your 00:33:21.339 --> 00:33:28.339 money for the gospel. You can't keep it anyway. Use it. Use it for God, and he'll look after you. 00:33:28.339 --> 00:33:32.659 Doesn't mean being completely careless, right? Birds, they still come out of their nest, 00:33:33.099 --> 00:33:36.539 and they look for worms, and those kind of things. You know, you should have a job, 00:33:37.039 --> 00:33:43.519 and you should plan and be wise, but we can live distinctively. We can be radical with our whole 00:33:43.519 --> 00:33:49.980 life and all our money, because he will take care of us, as long as we have our eyes on Jesus, 00:33:50.819 --> 00:33:56.659 right? As long as we have our eyes on Jesus. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 00:33:56.660 --> 00:34:00.640 There's this connection between our treasure and our heart. Yeah, if we focus on this world, 00:34:01.240 --> 00:34:07.840 that's where our heart will go. If we focus on heaven, on Jesus, yeah, that is what we need. 00:34:08.099 --> 00:34:15.079 And so, focus on your father and your loving savior, right? See his, their love, their grace, 00:34:15.240 --> 00:34:22.119 dwell on it. So, you're absolutely sure of grace and love, and that you know that, you know, 00:34:22.119 --> 00:34:27.259 God will take care of you. You know, and you know that being with him forever is the best, 00:34:27.299 --> 00:34:33.179 as we sang earlier, right? That it can't, nothing in this world can compare. Well, so that money just 00:34:33.179 --> 00:34:38.819 loses its appeal. Wouldn't that be such a wonderful, freeing way to live? Just liberating. 00:34:39.659 --> 00:34:43.779 And Jesus doesn't want to burden us, he wants to liberate us. Don't worry about those things. 00:34:43.780 --> 00:34:50.660 Live for me. You can do it. Such a witness to the world, all because of Jesus. 00:34:52.240 --> 00:34:56.680 Well, why don't we take some time to reflect on that? And we're going to reflect on it more in a 00:34:56.680 --> 00:35:01.580 moment as we have the Lord's Supper, but just now, take a minute. Here's two questions. You know, 00:35:01.660 --> 00:35:07.940 how do you value treasure on earth and in heaven? You know, think about it. How do you compare the two? 00:35:07.940 --> 00:35:14.300 What do you value more? And are you sure of your heavenly father's love? And let's think about 00:35:14.300 --> 00:35:19.480 that for a moment as the band comes up and the stewards come up, and then I'll pray, 00:35:19.940 --> 00:35:21.960 and then we'll go to the Lord's Supper. 00:35:37.940 --> 00:36:07.920 Thank you. 00:36:07.940 --> 00:36:19.240 Let's pray together. Our Father, we love you and we thank you. We had no hope and we had to seek 00:36:19.240 --> 00:36:25.920 everything in the things of this world, and yet you loved us. You made us your own, and we are yours. 00:36:26.840 --> 00:36:33.340 Please free us. Free us from shackles. Free us from doubts. Free us from anxiety. That we can just 00:36:33.340 --> 00:36:39.840 live for you. That we would live with our whole lives, and including our finances for you, for what 00:36:39.840 --> 00:36:46.140 you are doing in the world through the gospel, and that we would be a great witness. Lord, we want 00:36:46.140 --> 00:36:52.740 everyone to know you. Your family, there's plenty of space in your house, at your table for others. 00:36:53.160 --> 00:36:58.380 Would you do that? Would you use us for that, and help us to be willing to be used by you, 00:36:58.380 --> 00:37:03.220 to be free to do so. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.