The Principle of the Heart
[INTRODUCTION]:
Matthew 6:19-24 NKJ
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy
and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in
and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The lamp of
the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of
light. 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! 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.”
Today, as we conclude our series on The Treasure Principle, I want to talk with
you about what I call “THE PRINCIPLE OF THE HEART”.
I’ve always been fascinated with what the Bible calls THE HEART.
Obviously when Jesus refers to the heart He’s referring to the core of who we
are. He’s talking about our Spirit Man – the very essence of who we are that
connects with God.
Proverbs 4:23 NKJ
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23 NLT
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Some Things to Know About the Heart:
• What happens in your life is determined by what happens in your
heart.
• The enemy’s number one goal is to defile your heart.
• The condition of your heart determines the condition of your
character.
• What you believe in your heart determines your eternity.
• If you can believe God’s word in your heart nothing is impossible.
• What you do with money shapes your heart.
Now it makes sense to me why, as we follow the life and journey of Jesus and
His encounters with people in the Bible, we see countless references that deal
with money.
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN:
Matthew 13:44 TLB
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure a man discovered in a field. In his
excitement, he sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field—
and get the treasure, too!”
[EXAMPLE]: Confederate money.
WIDOW AND TWO MITES:
Mark 12:41-44 NKJ [READ]
Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the
treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and
threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples
to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put
in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of
their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole
livelihood.”
• It’s not the amount. It’s the percentage.
RICH YOUNG RULER:
Matthew 19:21 NKJ
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to
the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
ZACCHAEUS:
Luke 19:8 NKJ
Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods
to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I
restore fourfold.”
• Giving is the sign of a transformed heart.
WOMAN AND ALABASTER OF OIL/JUDAS:
Matthew 26:14-15 NKJ
Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said,
“What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to
him thirty pieces of silver.
• Money can defile even those closest to Jesus.
JESUS PARABLE OF RICH MAN:
Luke 12:13-21 NKJ [READ] and [COMMENT]
Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the
inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an
arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of
covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he
possesses.” Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain
rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I
do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull
down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my
goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many
years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This
night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you
have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward
God.”
[EXAMPLE]: John D Rockefeller – one of richest men in the world, “HOW MUCH
DID HE LEAVE?”
ANSWER: “ALL OF IT!”
I THINK IT’S PRETTY CLEAR THAT GOD WANTS US TO UNDERSTAND THE
PRINCIPLE OF THE HEART AND HOW MUCH MONEY PLAYS A PART IN
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM!
[TRANSITION]
“WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS THERE WILL YOUR HEART BE ALSO.”
Think about that for a moment. Why do you think Jesus made that statement?
What do you think He means when He says, “LAY UP FOR YOURSELVES
TREASURES IN HEAVEN”?
OBVIOUSLY HE’S TALKING ABOUT USING YOUR MONEY FOR SOMETHING
THAT EFFECTS ETERNITY. [EXPLAIN]
What Giving Does for Your Heart:
- Giving reveals the TRUST LEVEL of your heart.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJ [READ]
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in
all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:9-10 NKJ [READ]
Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase;
so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
3 Levels of Giving:
- LOWEST LEVEL: asks “WHAT CAN I AFFORD?” – What can I give without
giving anything up? - MIDDLE LEVEL: asks “WHAT CAN I SACRIFICE?” – What can I give only if
I give something up? - HIGHEST LEVEL: asks “WHAT CAN I TRUST GOD TO DO THROUGH
ME?” – What can I give only if I give something up and trust God to be my
source?”
[SHARE] conversation with someone about “WHAT GOES ON INSIDE A
PERSON WHEN THEY ARE PROCESSING GIVING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL”.
[SHARE] MY STORY OF GIVING TO BUILD THIS BUILDING.
- Giving reveals the LOVE LEVEL of your heart.
1 John 2:15-17 NLT [READ]
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world,
you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving
for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our
achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this
world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But
anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
Matthew 6:24 NLT [READ]
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will
be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and
money.”
I’m realizing more and more that one of the key errors in the PROSPERITY
GOSPEL is the MOTIVATION of why to give. [EXPLAIN]
I REALIZE MORE AND MORE THAT THE WHOLE REASON WHY JESUS
GAVE UP SO MUCH BY GOING TO THE CROSS AND DYING FOR US WAS
BECAUSE HE WAS MOTIVATED BY LOVE.
John 3:16 NKJ
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Every time we give we are laying down a portion of our lives for someone else.
[EXAMPLE]: Possibly [TELL] story of young man in Connections Homes. - Giving reveals the ETERNITY LEVEL of your heart.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 TLB
Tell those who are rich not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will
soon be gone, but their pride and trust should be in the living God who always
richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do
good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in
need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By
doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven—it is the
only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life
down here as well.
[TELL] story of William Borden – Yale Graduate (1887-1913)
He was an heir to great wealth who got radically saved and gave up a life of ease
to move to Cairo, Egypt, to reach the Muslim people with the gospel. While he
was there he took all of his money and used it to support the work of missionaries
around the world, meanwhile, preaching the gospel in a nation where his life was
in constant danger. After only 4 months he contracted spinal meningitis and died.
His body was buried there in Cairo in a dusty grave off the back of a side street
with this caption: “APART FROM CHRIST, THERE IS NO EXPLANATION OF
SUCH A LIFE.”
RIGHT DOWN THE STREET: Egyptian National Museum. King Tut buried.
Tutankhamen, the boy king, was buried with solid gold chariots and thousands of
gold artifacts. His gold coffin was found within gold tombs – within gold tombs –
within gold tombs. The burial site was filled with tons of gold. The Egyptians
believed in an afterlife where they could take earthly treasures, but the treasures
remained there for 3,000 years until discovered by Howard Carter in 1922.
CONTRAST: BORDEN’S GRAVE WAS OBSCURE, DUSTY AND HIDDEN IN A
BACK ALLEY LITTERED WITH GARBAGE. KING TUT’S TOMB GLITTERED
WITH UNIMAGINABLE WEALTH. YET WHERE ARE THESE TWO YOUNG
MEN NOW? ONE WHO LIVED AS A KING IN OPPULENCE NOW LIVING IN
THE MISERY OF A CHRISTLESS ETERNITY. THE OTHER WHO LIVED A
MODEST, EVEN SACRIFICIAL, LIFE ON EARTH IS NOW LIVING IN THE
PRESENCE OF THE LORD.
The Dot The Line
0——————————————————————->
Life on earth. Life in heaven.
ARE YOU LIVING LIFE ON THE DOT OR LIVING LIFE ON THE LINE?
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” – Jim
Elliott
[CLOSE]: WE ARE GETTING READY TO CELEBRATE OUR 25TH
ANNIVERSARY NEXT YEAR, SO I’VE BEEN THINKING A LOT ABOUT
WHAT’S NEXT FOR VICTORY.
COLLEEN AND I HAVE DECIDED WE WANT TO LIVE ON THE LINE – NOT
THE DOT – FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES.
THAT’S WHY WE ENJOY EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO STRETCH OUR FAITH
IN GIVING TO BUILD OUR TREASURE IN HEAVEN INSTEAD OF HERE ON
EARTH.
[TALK] ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF TODAY AS WE PREPARE TO GIVE
OUR FIRST LEGACY OFFERING TOWARD THIS NEW BUILDING.
[EXPLAIN] WHAT I CAN SEE FOR THE FUTURE AS WE EXPAND OUR
FACILITIES TO REACH MORE PEOPLE.
[TALK] ABOUT PLEDGE CARDS AND [TAKE UP OFFERING].