“Where Is Our Real Treasure?” Heart vs. Habit p.4

Pastor Jim Lowe III

Sunday Morning, 9:30am Stream 03/03/24 (1st Sunday Message) (Final Version)

hashtags:

#guidinglight #pastorjim #givingthanks #hearinggod #hearing #voiceofGod

#faith #whatdoesGodsay #forgiveness #Godworks #savedtoserve #overflow #protector #Expectation #worry #Favor #deliverance #listeningears #Godspeaks #blessings #servingGod #heartafterGod #treasure #tithesandofferings #money

{All scriptures are “NIV84” unless stated}

Message Title:

“Where Is Our Real Treasure?” Heart vs. Habit p.4

2 Timothy 3:1-5

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self- control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

These things describe people in the last days. These things describe the “hearts” of people.

People who would be focused more on self than on God.

People who would be more concerned about things about them than things of God.

V. 5

5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

Having a FORM of Godliness… but no power.

We’ve talked about if this applies to us…       

Ae WE putting our own things above God? 

Are OUR feelings going before God?

Are we secretly having a form of Godliness but denying it’s power?

Are Our Hearts In The Right Place?

When we think about our hearts…what are they focused on? Because THIS is what separates us from others.

V. 5

5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

The bible tells us to have nothing to do with those type of people. Don’t look like them…

Don’t act like them… Don’t BE them!

These things can keep our hearts from God! What’s one of the biggest?

Verse 2

2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money…

What Is Keeping Our Hearts From God?

Chasing The Wrong Treasure!

We are conditioned to spend MOST of our lives going after financial security. Why?

Because many of us know what it’s like to NOT have.

many of us want us to not have our family go though that again.

We know that there are many things we want in life…

and many of those things have a cost associated with it. a financial cost.

5 Needs We Have That Cost Money:

{Things we need}

{food}

{clothes}

{home}

{education?}

We may not even agree on this…

We feel many of these are necessities. They have a cost

In most cases we need money for these things

5 Desires We Have That Cost Money:

{Things we want}

{vacation}

{retirement}

{multiple cars}

{multiple homes}

These things cause us to look at our money and have a desire for more. How much money is enough?

For Many The American Dream Is The Pursuit Of Wealth

For many…if we don’t have it… we can just buy it!

Some of us are even good at making money. but getting it can cause us to want more.

We think about it.

We stress about it.

We work for it.

We save it.

It’s something we desire.

The bible talks a LOT about this desire for money.

One of the things it wants us to do is to change out perspective on money.

Matthew 6:19-21

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

This tells us about treasures.

There Are 2 Types Of Treasures:

• Treasures On Earth

• Treasures In Heaven

The bible says don’t focus so much on the treasures of the earth. but focus on the treasures in heaven.

We may have a desire for the treasures on earth… But focus on the treasures in heaven.

This causes us to have to think about what’s actually important.

As we discuss Heart vs Habit…

we need to LOOK at our hearts… but to look at our hearts…

we have to look at what we treasure.

Matthew 6:21

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Where your treasure is…

That’s where your heart is… Also means where your heart is…

is determined by what you treasure more.

This leads us to ask the question:

Where Is Our Real Treasure? God Or Our Money?

If we are looking to get our hearts in the right place. we have to examine ourselves.

what do we value most?

What can we learn from the bible?

First the bible talks a LOT about money.

it considers the topic to be very important.

Why because many of us hold money close to the heart. So let’s look at what the bible says.

{Concerning Our Finances}

• Everything Belongs To The Lord

ALL of this belongs to God. Everything belongs to the Lord!

Psalm 24:1

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

We tend to think of the things we have as “ours.” But the bible tells us they belong to the Lord.

Job 41:11 (NCV)

11 No one has ever given me anything that I must pay back, because everything under the sky belongs to me.

The Lord created it all.

No one gave him a loan to do something.

He takes his time to remind us of what is his! Lord what about our house?

It’s the Lord’s.

What about our cars?

It’s the Lord’s…

What about our treasured possessions?

It’s the Lord’s…

Well, if God owns all of that… what about these bills?!?

it all belongs to God!

Since Money Belongs To The Lord, He Can Tell Us How To Get It!

Proverbs 10:22

22 The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.

ESV, KJV, NKJV = Makes one Rich AMP = TRULY Rich

This means the owner is willing to share what he has.

Psalm 107:38

38 He blesses them also, so that they are multiplied greatly, and allows not their cattle to decrease.

Their wealth doesn’t decrease. Their value doesn’t decrease.

This is the blessing of the Lord… and he offers it to us!

Since It Belongs To The Lord, What Does He Say?

Matthew 6:25-33

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Don’t spend time worrying about your life.

Don’t you know God values you more than the things you worry about?

Matthew 6:26

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Don’t worry!

GOD owns everything…

Matthew 6:28

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Will God not meet the needs you have?

God Says He Will Meet Your Needs! Stop Worrying! Trust Him!

Matthew 6:31

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

There are things we need… finances are one of them!

The Lord KNOWS The Things You Need!

“The Lord Knows What I Need!”

Matthew 6:33

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

God tells us to put him first.

If The Lord Is Not A Priority, It’s Time To Make Him One!

{1. Everything belongs to the Lord}

{Concerning Our Finances}

• Our Money Is A Way To Honor The Lord!

Colossians 1:16

16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

ALL things were created by him. They were created by him.

They were created FOR him!

For His Glory!

We all…

our finances…

Was created for God’s glory!

It can be a form of worship!

In biblical times…

you would bring a portion of what you earned as a sacrifice to God

to honor and thank him for blessing

In the bible Cain and Abel had different jobs. those jobs didn’t return “money”

but they returned a harvest.

Genesis 4:3-4

3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock…

There was a tradition to honor God with what what produced. The bible even tells us to do so!

Proverbs 3:9-10

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

If you are willing to honor the Lord with your wealth. God will make sure to continue to give it to you!

If You Take Care Of God’s Business, He Will Take Care Of Your Business!

God is trying to make sure that we love him above all. If it comes between God and our money?

where is the true treasure?

Where is the true love?

It is not evil to HAVE money.

If you have been blessed to have money… that’s not a sin.

The SIN is to love it.

ESPECIALLY more than God!

1 Timothy 6:10

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

What is something that drives some people away from the faith? People eager for money.

Matthew 6:24

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

{In Closing:}

• The Lord Wants To Be The Thing We Desire Most

• He Created All Things For His Glory

• Honoring The Lord With Our Finances Is A Way To Worship Him!

We cannot serve both God and money.

When we have offering…

this is a chance to PROVE God comes first.

you are showing God you are taking care of HIS business.

When you take care of his… he will take care of yours.

Don’t Get Distracted From The Real Treasure Chasing The Wrong One!