Matters Of The Heart-7-Kingdom Economics

As we are finishing up on our February series Matters Of The Heart, Pastor Brad teaches us about Kingdom Economics.

TEXT
Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
INTRODUCTION
Good morning, everyone! I’m so glad that you're here!
I hope you’ve been challenged in this series as much as I have! Don’t you ever forget: One of the greatest truths of preaching the Gospel is that when a preacher preaches, they wrestle with the text themselves.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that all of these messages I preach and teach, I preach them and live through them myself first.
This morning, I want to talk to you about another area of our hearts that we must guard.
I want to talk to you about having a generous heart. I’ve entitled this message, “Kingdom Economics”.
TRANSITION
You see, in the Scriptures, Solomon, Paul, Christ, and others talk to us about how we handle our resources.
In the business world, we may call that investing. But in the kingdom of God, we’ll call that stewarding.
Stewardship simply means that everything belongs to God, and we are managers over it.
ILLUSTRATION
In this world, when it comes to investing, we are to be wise, and “count the cost”. However, no investment is without risk.
SHOW PICTURE
Do any of you know this man?
Nope!
That’s what I thought. Most people don’t.
How many people in this room have an iPhone or an iPad? Raise your hand if you do.
Did you know, that when Apple began in 1976, there were three investors?
You probably have heard about two of them—Steve Jobs and Steve Wosniak.
Both families are worth billions of dollars.
However, there’s one guy you probably have never heard of. Let me introduce to you what some have called “The Unluckiest Man In The World”.
Meet Ron Wayne
Ron is the forgotten third originator of Apple - Macintosh.
He even drew the first logo. However, in the beginning, He didn't think the company was a WORTHY investment, so he cashed in his trade for $800, and parted ways.
Had he stayed in the company, He would be worth 35 BILLION dollars today!
Yet, He didn't think it was worth it.
NOTE: How many people miss out on the blessing of God in the area of their finances, because they simply feel like they can't afford it. You may think you can’t afford to be a tither and a giver, but honestly, you can’t afford not to!
When the Bible speaks about investing, it doesn't talk about Apple or iPhones, but it does talk about the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 6:33 tells us “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
In other words, invest yourself in the Kingdom of God. When you put God first in your resources, He promises to prioritize your life.
BUT YET, SO MANY PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO TRUST GOD WITH THEIR FINANCES
Why are people afraid to trust God with their finances? They are tied too much to this world.
They feel insufficient. - Poverty and being rich is more of a mindset than it is a number.

ILLUSTRATION
A pastor friend, Rick Bezet was in Rwanda, a poor nation of Africa on a missions trip.
A young man living outside of a dump asked him, “Sir, are you rich?” “No.”, he replied
“Really?”
You guys have so much money, you have to store it somewhere - a bank
You have so much money, you pay someone too tell you how to spend it - financial advisor
You have a car- yes.
You even have houses for your car? - a garage
So you get dressed nice, and drive the car to a place that cooks for you?- yes
I hear you have rooms to house all of the clothing you have? - closets
We here in America are so blessed compared to other nations of the world.
BACKGROUND
In or text, Christ is challenging the people in their worrying over the temporal things, not to get caught up in this world, because in the end of it, all the stuff we acquire really doesn't mean a whole lot.
When you die, you can’t take the house, the car, the boat, or the bank account with you. The other thing that will truly matter are the things we do for eternity.
That’s why we tithe. That’s why we give to missionaries. That’s why we give $25,000 to translate and print Bibles. It translates to ministry, and ministry translates to souls, which are “true riches”.
APPLICATION
1. Earthly Things Are Temporal
- Don’t misunderstand. God doesn’t mind us having possessions. He just doesn’t want possessions to possess us.
- Peter tells us that the entire Earth will be renovated by fire
- When we die, our stuff down here will belong to someone else. - You truly can’t take it with you.
- Note: Tell story about the rich man who died.
2. Heavenly Things Are Eternal
- We are stewards of things on the Earth.
- What we have been blessed with is only a tool.
* A house can be a tool to host people.
* A phone can be a tool to reach people.
* Whatever you have use it to reach people and to share the message of Christ with others.
3. Where We Spend Connects Our Heart








- If you truly want to know where a man’s heart is, check his spending habits and check his calendar. - The Late Dr. Billy Graham
- If you have stock, you check it.
- If you buy season tickets to college or pro games, your heart is there. You check the scores, follow the trades, etc.
- The same goes for when you are a giver of resources to the house of God. You become connected in a whole different kind of way.
CONCLUSION