Radical Values
Sermon Notes
What does Jesus say about money, possessions, and what truly matters? In Matthew 6:19–24, Jesus shows that money isn’t just a financial issue—it’s a heart issue. He warns that we can’t serve both God and money, and calls us to pursue a greater treasure: one that never fades, never rusts, and can’t be stolen.
Whether you’re saving for the future or simply trying to make ends meet, this message invites you to see money the way Jesus does—not as a master to obey, but as a tool to serve God and others.
Key Takeaways
True treasure is not found in possessions but in a heart that values what lasts forever.
Jesus teaches that where your treasure is, your heart will follow. Invest in eternal things, not temporary ones.
A generous heart fills life with light, while greed and comparison lead to darkness.
Serving money creates anxiety and striving. Serving God brings peace and freedom.
Generosity is not loss; it is joy. When we give freely, we live fully.
Discussion Questions
What kind of treasures tend to capture your attention or affection most easily?
How do you see the connection between your heart and your spending, saving, or giving habits?
When has generosity brought you unexpected joy or peace?
What does it mean for you to serve God, not money, in your current season of life?
How can you begin storing up more treasures in heaven this week?
Transcript
In Matthew 6:19–24, Jesus gives one of His most familiar and most confronting teachings. He talks about treasure, not coins or gold, but the things that capture our hearts. Every one of us has wrestled with money in one way or another. We’ve worried about it, wanted more of it, or wondered how to use it well.
Jesus knows that money has power, not because it’s evil, but because it reveals what we trust and what we love most. That’s why He begins by saying, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, but store up treasures in heaven.” He’s not just talking about budgets or possessions. He’s talking about allegiance.
Pursue Heavenly Treasure, Not Earthly Gain
Jesus isn’t against treasure. He’s against wasting it. Earthly treasures fade, rust, and break down. They wear out or get stolen. But heavenly treasure, what we build through faith, generosity, and love, lasts forever.
He invites us to invest in what will endure beyond us. Every act of kindness, every gift given in secret, every sacrifice made in obedience to Him becomes treasure that cannot be lost. What we treasure reveals what we trust. If your treasure is rooted in this world, your heart will stay here too. But if your treasure is found in heaven, your heart follows Him there.
Pursue Light, Not Darkness
Next, Jesus talks about the eye being the lamp of the body. At first it sounds confusing, but He’s pointing to something deeply practical: your focus determines your direction. A healthy eye is generous. It looks outward with compassion. A bad eye is greedy. It looks inward with comparison.
If your gaze is fixed only on yourself, your life will slowly fill with darkness. But when your eyes are fixed on God and others, light floods in. The way we see determines the way we live. Generosity isn’t just about money. It’s about the posture of your heart and the perspective you bring to the world.
Pursue God, Not Money
Finally, Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters.” It’s impossible to serve both God and money because each one demands your ultimate loyalty. Serving money means shaping your choices around what benefits you most. Serving God means shaping your life around what honors Him most.
It’s not a call to poverty; it’s a call to trust. Money makes promises it can’t keep. It tells us it can provide security, status, or peace, but those things can only be found in Jesus. The world says, “Get more, keep more.” Jesus says, “Give more, live free.” The more we cling to money, the less freedom we have. The more we open our hands, the more peace we experience.
The Treasure That Lasts
Money is temporary, but generosity is eternal. Every dollar given in faith, every act of love, every unseen moment of obedience, that’s treasure in heaven. That’s what truly lasts.
Jesus isn’t trying to take something from you. He’s trying to set you free. Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. And Jesus wants your heart to be whole, free, and full of light.
Radical Living
This teaching isn’t about guilt. It’s about freedom. The world trains us to chase comfort, success, and accumulation. But Jesus flips that script. He teaches us to live differently, to store up treasure in heaven by giving ourselves away here on earth.
To follow Him means choosing what lasts over what fades, and what gives life over what drains it. The radical life Jesus calls us to isn’t about how much you can keep. It’s about how much you’re willing to give. Because when you live with open hands and an open heart, that’s where true joy begins.
