The Heart of the Matter
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The Heart of the Matter
Happy New Year from Pathway Church! I’m Jeff, one of the pastors, and it’s a joy to welcome you—whether you’re here live, online, at the Classic venue, or Moon campus. We’re kicking off our Generous series, emphasizing “us” as a community growing in generosity. Inspired by a chaotic money giveaway in Florida, we’ll explore what Jesus teaches about money and the heart in Matthew 6.
A Chaotic Giveaway with a Generous Intent
A number of years ago, a wealthy real estate investor, nicknamed “the money man,” decided to host a big money giveaway at Baywalk Mall in St. Petersburg, Florida. He announced the event well in advance, and on the day of the giveaway, the mall was packed with people filling the courtyard below a balcony where he stood. His plan was unconventional—he loaded $10,000 in $2 bills into a t-shirt cannon and fired it out over the crowd. You might imagine the scene: bills fluttering down, people reaching up excitedly. But instead of a joyful moment, chaos erupted. The crowd pushed, shoved, and clawed at one another to grab the money. By the end of the day, 12 people were taken to the hospital. A mall spokesperson later reflected that they might need to reconsider how such events are handled, while the money man himself explained his intent: he simply wanted to be generous and encourage others to embrace generosity as well. While his execution may have missed the mark, I admire his heart. His desire to spark a spirit of generosity among others aligns with a core value Jesus Himself emphasized throughout His teachings.
The Generous Series
Jesus spoke about money more than almost any other topic because He knew how closely it’s tied to our hearts. In fact, the way we handle our resources often reveals what we truly value. This new year, we’re launching a brief sermon series called Generous, with a focus on the “us” part—how we can grow in generosity both as individuals and as a church community. Today, we’ll dive into Matthew 6:19-24, where Jesus gets to the heart of the matter, teaching us that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. He provides three key steps to help us align our lives with His call to generosity, and we’ll explore each one together.
1. Admit Your Perspective
In Matthew 6:22-23, Jesus says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Here, Jesus uses the metaphor of the eye to talk about our spiritual perspective. Having healthy eyes means seeing things as God sees them—adopting His viewpoint on life, including how we handle our resources. It’s about aligning our vision with His kingdom purposes, seeking first His righteousness in every area of our lives. When we do this, our whole life is filled with light, meaning we live in a way that’s fully integrated, not compartmentalized. Too often, we fall into what I call a siloed spirituality. We might give God our Sunday mornings or our prayer time, but we hold back other parts of our lives—like our finances—for ourselves. Jesus calls us to be all in, where our faith touches every aspect of who we are, including our wallets.
I see this kind of wholehearted generosity in my own life with my granddaughter. She completely has my heart—there’s no effort required to be generous with her. On Christmas Eve, right here at Pathway in our photo booth, I watched her light up with joy, and I’d do anything to keep that smile on her face. I don’t have to think twice about giving to her or spoiling her a bit—it’s natural because she’s fully in my heart. That’s the kind of relationship Jesus wants with us. When He has all of us, generosity flows effortlessly. But when our eyes are unhealthy—focused on materialism, greed, or self-centered pursuits—we’re filled with darkness. We miss the needs around us, or even if we see them, we lack the desire to act because our hearts aren’t aligned with God’s. Admitting our perspective means honestly assessing whether we’re seeing through God’s eyes or our own.
2. Assess Your Loyalties
Jesus continues in Matthew 6:24 with a stark warning: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” This is a challenging truth, but Jesus doesn’t hold back. He’s telling us that our money often reveals where our true loyalties lie. If you want to know what you value most, look at where your money goes—your spending habits tell the story. Are you investing in God’s kingdom, or are you prioritizing your own comfort and security? Jesus says you can’t walk the fence on this. It’s not a spectrum where you can be a little bit for God and a little bit for money. It’s an on-off switch—you’re either serving God or serving wealth.
This isn’t a new theme in Scripture. When we studied Revelation, we saw again and again that God calls for our total allegiance. In James, we were reminded that a divided heart leads to instability in our faith. Jesus’ words here are pointed: if you love money, you’re either hating God or despising Him. That’s hard to hear, isn’t it? We don’t like to think of ourselves that way, but every day, people—including some of us—make choices that prioritize money over God. Maybe it’s the fear of not having enough, or the cultural pressure to accumulate more. But Jesus forces us to confront this reality and assess where our loyalties truly lie. Generosity isn’t just a financial discipline—it’s a litmus test for our spiritual health. If we’re struggling to give, it might reveal a deeper disconnect in our relationship with God.
3. Align Your Treasure
Finally, Jesus gives us a clear call to action in Matthew 6:19-20: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on Earth where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Jesus points out something obvious but often overlooked: earthly treasures don’t last. Think about all the things we invest in—our clothes, phones, cars, homes, TVs, RVs, or whatever “V” you’ve got. They’re all temporary. They wear out, break down, or lose their value over time. I was struck by a comment from a California resident affected by the recent wildfires. Their house was destroyed, and they said, “I just lost everything that means anything to me.” Now, I might have misunderstood their intent, but if everything that matters to us can be lost in a fire, we’re storing our treasure in the wrong place.
Jesus invites us to store up treasures in heaven instead—investing in things that have eternal value, like people, ministry, and the gospel. These are the things that moth and rust can’t touch, that thieves can’t steal. God has entrusted us with resources not so we can hoard them for ourselves, but so we can partner with Him in His kingdom work. Too often, we take what He’s given us, say “thank me very much,” and go on about our business, ignoring His call to invest in what lasts. But Jesus reminds us in verse 21, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If you’re waiting to feel ready to give, you might never start. Instead, take a step of obedience—invest your treasure in God’s purposes—and watch how your heart follows. Malachi 3:10 challenges us to test God in this: bring the tithe, and see if He won’t pour out blessings beyond what you can imagine.
A Challenge for the New Year
Paul echoes this call in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, urging the rich to be generous and to store up eternal treasure by doing good and sharing willingly. At Pathway, we’ve seen God’s faithfulness through your generosity. A month ago, we faced a significant year-end deficit, but you stepped up, and we not only closed the gap but started 2025 with a surplus. Imagine what we could do if we all embraced generosity together—supporting more missions, providing scholarships for kids to attend camp, meeting community needs, and seeing more people come to Jesus. This isn’t a pipe dream; it’s what God desires for us as a church. Start by praying through Matthew 6:19-24, asking God what He’s calling you to give. Take that step of obedience, and trust Him to provide.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness and abundance. Help us see our resources as Yours, aligning our hearts with Your kingdom. Give us courage to obey, trusting Your provision. May we experience the fullness You have for us as a generous church. In Jesus’ name, amen.
SERMON DETAILS
Speaker: Jeff McNicol
Series: Generous
Sermon Title: Use It or Lose It
Date: Jan 12, 2025
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Matthew 6:19-24
1 Timothy 6:17-19
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