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Where Your Heart Lives 

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-34 (KJV) 

Opening Statement 

Welcome, friends. Pull up a chair and let’s sit a spell. You know, we spend an awful lot of our days running around trying to secure our lives—making sure the bills are paid, the pantry is full, and the rainy-day fund has a little something in it. There’s nothing wrong with being responsible, but sometimes that responsibility turns into a heavy weight of worry that sits right on our chest. In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks to us straight about money, stuff, and the anxiety that usually tags along with them. He isn’t trying to scold us; He’s trying to free us. He wants to lift our eyes off the rust and dust of this world and point us toward a Father who knows exactly what we need. Let’s walk through this together. 

Part 1: The Treasure Chest (Verses 19–21) 

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

Commentary: Back in Jesus’ day, folks didn’t have savings accounts or safety deposit boxes. Their “treasure” was often tangible stuff: fine wool clothing or grain stored in the barn. But there was a problem. Moths would eat the clothes, and “rust”—which in the original language actually refers to anything that “eats” or consumes, like vermin or mildew—would ruin the grain. And thieves? Houses were often made of mud brick, so a determined thief could literally “dig through” the wall to steal what was inside. Jesus is reminding us that anything we hoard down here is vulnerable. It can rot, rust, or be taken away. He’s inviting us to invest in the only place that is 100% secure: Heaven. 

Cross-References: 

• Proverbs 23:4-5: “Labour not to be rich… for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” 

• 1 Peter 1:4: Describes our inheritance as “incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.” 

Life Application: We might not have mud walls, but we have stock market crashes, inflation, and unexpected repairs. Jesus is telling us that if we wrap our hearts around things that can perish, our happiness will perish right along with them. “Laying up treasure in heaven” isn’t a mystical mystery; it means using our resources for Kingdom work—helping the poor, supporting the gospel, and showing mercy. When you invest in people and God’s work, that’s an investment that never loses value. 

Reflection Question: If you looked at your bank statement from last month, what would it say about where your heart is currently located? 

Part 2: The Lamp of the Body (Verses 22–23) 

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 

Commentary: Now, this might sound a little strange to our modern ears, but Jesus is using a common saying from His time. To have a “single” or “good” eye meant you were generous and looked out for others. To have an “evil eye” meant you were stingy, greedy, or envious. It’s about spiritual vision. If your eye is “single”—focused on God and generous toward folks—your whole life is filled with light and clarity. But if your eye is “evil”—focused on hoarding and envy—you end up in spiritual darkness, unable to see what really matters. It’s like spiritual double-vision; you can’t keep one eye on God and one eye on greed without getting dizzy. 

Cross-References: 

• Proverbs 22:9: “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.” 

• Deuteronomy 15:9: Warns against having an “evil eye” (being grudging) toward a poor brother. 

Life Application: Think of your “eye” as your attitude toward what you have. A stingy spirit shuts out the light of God. Have you ever noticed that the most generous people you know seem to be the happiest? That’s because they aren’t clutching their possessions with a death grip. Having a “single eye” means living open-handed, trusting that God is the owner and we are just the managers. 

Reflection Question: Do you find yourself looking at others with envy for what they have, or looking for ways to share what you have? 

Part 3: Choosing Your Boss (Verse 24) 

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

Commentary: Jesus draws a line in the sand here. He says we cannot serve God and “mammon.” Mammon is an old Aramaic word for wealth or property, but Jesus treats it like it’s a person—a rival god trying to enslave us. He uses the illustration of a slave who, by definition, can only belong to one master. You can’t clock in for God and Mammon at the same time. They give conflicting orders. God says, “Give,” and Mammon says, “Keep.” God says, “Trust,” and Mammon says, “Worry.” You have to decide who’s running the show. 

Cross-References: 

• 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is the root of all evil…” 

• Joshua 24:15: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve…” 

Life Application: It’s easy to think we can handle both—that we can chase wealth with all our might and still follow Jesus. But eventually, the two will clash. Serving money doesn’t mean you have a lot of it; it means money calls the shots in your life. Freedom comes when we declare that money is a tool, not a master. We use money to serve God; we don’t use God to get money. 

Reflection Question: When you have a tough decision to make (like taking a new job or buying a home), whose voice is louder: your financial security or God’s leading? 

Part 4: The Cure for Worry (Verses 25–32) 

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? … 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek🙂 for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 

Commentary: When Jesus says “take no thought,” He isn’t saying we shouldn’t plan or work. The Greek word here (merimnao) implies being pulled apart or distracted. He’s talking about anxious, fearful worrying. He points to the birds. They don’t have barns, yet they don’t starve. He points to the lilies (v. 28), which are dressed better than King Solomon just by God’s grace. If God takes care of birds and grass—things that are here today and gone tomorrow—won’t He take care of you, His own children? Worrying acts like we are spiritual orphans, like we don’t have a Heavenly Father who knows exactly what we need. 

Cross-References: 

• Philippians 4:6: “Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication… let your requests be made known unto God.” 

• 1 Peter 5:7: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 

Life Application: Worry is practical atheism—it’s living as if God doesn’t exist or doesn’t care. Jesus asks, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” (v. 27). Worrying doesn’t change the outcome; it just chokes the joy out of today. When you feel anxiety rising up, look out the window. Watch a bird. Look at a flower. Let creation preach a sermon to you about God’s faithfulness. 

Reflection Question: What is one specific worry you are carrying right now that you need to hand over to the Father, trusting that He values you more than the sparrows? 

Part 5: The Priority and the Promise (Verses 33–34) 

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.  

Commentary: Here is the golden key to the whole passage. Instead of chasing after security like people who don’t know God (the “Gentiles”), we are to chase after God’s Kingdom—His rule, His way of doing things, His righteousness. It’s a matter of priority. When we take care of God’s business, He takes care of our business. Jesus ends with a bit of practical wisdom: Don’t borrow trouble from tomorrow. God gives grace for this day. If we drag tomorrow’s problems into today, we overload our strength. 

Cross-References: 

• Psalm 37:25: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” 

• Lamentations 3:22-23: “His compassions fail not. They are new every morning…” 

Life Application: “Seeking first” means giving God the first part of your day, the first part of your income, and the first place in your decision-making. It means when a problem arises, our first reaction is prayer, not panic. And regarding verse 34, try living in “day-tight compartments.” You have enough strength for today’s challenges. Trust God to show up tomorrow when tomorrow comes. 

Reflection Question: If you honestly evaluated your schedule and your bank account, what would they say you are seeking first? 

Closing Statement 

Friends, Jesus isn’t dismissing our needs. He knows we need food on the table and clothes on our backs. But He loves us too much to let us be crushed by the weight of worry. He invites us to trade our anxiety for trust. He invites us to loosen our grip on earthly treasures so our hands are free to receive Kingdom blessings. As you go about your week, remember: You have a Father who feeds the birds. You are worth so much more to Him than they are. Let’s seek Him first, and watch how He takes care of the rest. 

Amen. 

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