Text: Matthew 6:19-34
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave instructions for the life of a disciple. In our text, He described the life of a disciple as a focused life. The Lord does not expect His people to drift aimlessly through life. We are to live with focus and determination. However, we must also be careful about what we focus on – it is possible to focus on the wrong things.
Our Focus Affects Us in Eternity (Matthew 6:19-21)
- Jesus spoke of storing up treasures in two places – on earth (Matthew 6:19; cf. Luke 12:15-21) and in heaven (Matthew 6:20; cf. 1 Timothy 6:18-19)
- Where our treasure is, that is where our heart will be (Matthew 6:21) – matter of priorities [will discuss this more later]
- It also means that this affects our eternal souls (1 Timothy 6:17-19) – we must understand the difference between life and “life indeed“; if we focus exclusively on the things of this life, we will miss out on eternal life (cf. Matthew 16:26)
Our Focus Affects Us Here on Earth (Matthew 6:22-23)
- Jesus said the eye is the lamp of the body (Matthew 6:22) – the eye is what we use to focus; it is the input through which we bring things into our hearts
- “If your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light” (Matthew 6:22) – focus on things that are good and right (Philippians 4:8)
- “If your eye is bad, you whole body will be full of darkness” (Matthew 6:23) – if our focus is not where it ought to be, our heart will become corrupt; if our heart is corrupt, our whole life will be corrupt (cf. Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 15:18-20)
- “How great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23) – having the wrong focus is worse than we realize; not something to be taken lightly
Our Focus Affects Our Relationship with God (Matthew 6:24)
- Jesus said we cannot serve two masters – there is a limit to what we can focus on; especially true when the two masters are opposed to one another; we cannot ride the fence, but must make a choice (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:9)
- “You cannot serve God and wealth” – impossibility; Jesus mentioned wealth because that fit in the context, but the same is true for any other master
- God expects us to be wholly devoted to Him (Matthew 22:37-38) – everything else (like wealth) must fit within that (Proverbs 3:9), not the other way around
- If we turn our focus away from God to other things, we cannot serve God acceptably (cf. 1 Kings 11:4, 9)
Our Faith Reflects Our Faith and Priorities (Matthew 6:25-34)
- What we focus on now reflects our faith (Matthew 6:25-32) – life is more than food and clothing (Matthew 6:25); God has proven that He will care for His own (Matthew 6:26, 28-30); worrying does us no good (Matthew 6:27); God knows what we need and will provide (Matthew 6:32-33; cf. 6:8)
- What we focus on now reflects our priorities (Matthew 6:33-34) – we are to seek first His kingdom (Acts 2:47; Ephesians 4:16) and His righteousness (Romans 1:16-17; 1 John 3:7); worrying about tomorrow prevents us from doing what we should do today (Matthew 6:34)
Conclusion
- Rather than drift aimlessly through life, God wants us to live lives of focus and determination
- But we must focus on the right things – focus on those things that are spiritual and eternal
- If we trust in God and put the things of God first, He will reward us – this must be our focus
