PASSAGE: Matthew 6:19-24
SERIES SUMMARY
As Jesus steps onto the scene of history, Matthew paints a picture of him that invites our participation in what Jesus is doing. The portrait is that Jesus is the True King who is bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth. This good news is not reserved for especially religious people in a distant future; it’s good news, right now, for ordinary people who come to Jesus in faith.
And while Jesus inaugurated the kingdom among us through teaching and serving in dozens of ways, he ultimately brought heaven to earth by embracing the cross as his throne and wearing thorns as his crown. In doing this, he broke the powers of the kingdom(s) of this world and opened up God’s new world through his resurrection. Now, because of these things, discipleship to Jesus is about praying and living “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” It is about whole-life transformation and embodying kingdom realities. It is about becoming people who naturally live out what Jesus taught. Today, because of Matthew’s witness and Jesus’ ministry, the kingdom is coming in our own lives, “on earth as it is in heaven.”
PASSAGE GUIDE
In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus confronts one of the most hidden spiritual dangers in ordinary life: the tendency to treat money and possessions as merely practical when they are actually deeply spiritual. In a culture shaped by consumerism, we rarely recognize greed in ourselves because the pursuit of comfort, security, and more feels normal. Jesus therefore presses beneath spending habits and financial goals to expose a deeper issue. Money is not just about what a person owns, but about what a person loves, trusts, and is becoming.
Evaluation #1: Jesus begins with treasure. Earthly treasure is fragile, temporary, and unable to secure a life, while heavenly treasure is lasting and secure. The point is not that possessions are automatically sinful, but that building life around accumulation reveals a misplaced heart. Treasure does not merely reflect the heart; it also forms it. Whatever a person continually pours attention, energy, and resources into will slowly capture deeper affection and shape the direction of the whole life.
Evaluation #2: Jesus then turns to the eye to show that desire also affects perception. A healthy eye is clear, focused, and generous, while a bad eye is distorted by greed and self-interest. When a person fixes attention on wealth, comfort, and accumulation, that gaze darkens the inner life. It becomes harder to see people clearly, harder to recognize genuine need, and harder to perceive what truly matters in the kingdom of God. What feels wise and ordinary can actually be spiritual blindness.
Evaluation #3: Jesus speaks of masters and makes the issue unavoidable: no one can serve both God and money. Financial idolatry often develops gradually, as desire becomes love, love becomes trust, trust becomes obedience, obedience becomes service, service becomes slavery. Yet the passage is meant to free, not merely expose. The call is to honest examination, renewed surrender, and practical generosity so that money is no longer used to secure identity and safety, but to serve God’s kingdom. Jesus invites His people to place their treasure where it lasts, fix their gaze where there is real light, and live under the good rule of the only Master who can truly satisfy.
*We are a church located in Greenville, South Carolina. Our vision is to see God transform us into a community of grace passionately pursuing life and mission with Jesus.
SUGGESTIONS FOR COMMUNITY GROUP QUESTIONS
Remember, these are “suggested” questions. You do not have to go through every single one of them. You do not need to listen to both sermons at both campuses to participate in the discussion.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (Read Matthew 6:19-24)
*Remember the text is the focus, the sermon is a commentary, discuss and apply in the group.
- What did the Spirit bring to mind or highlight for you from the text (not the sermon/pastor)?
- What are some ways consumer culture trains us to believe that security, joy, or meaning can be purchased?
- Why do you think Jesus speaks so directly about money and possessions in the Sermon on the Mount?
- In Matthew 6:19-24, what contrasts does Jesus make between earthly treasure and heavenly treasure?
- If someone examined your spending, saving, and giving patterns, what might they conclude you value most?
- Why is greed often harder to recognize and confess than sins like anger, lust, or pride?
- Jesus says no one can serve two masters. In day-to-day life, what does it look like to functionally serve money instead of God? And vice versa?
- Which of Jesus’ three examinations presses on you most right now: the heart examination of your treasure, the vision examination of your eye, or the loyalty examination of your master? Why?
- How can we respond when God exposes misplaced treasure in our lives?
- How are Jesus’ three examinations opening a door for you into a different kind of life, one where your treasure is stored somewhere that lasts, your eyes are fixed on what gives real light, and your master is the One who laid down everything for you?
HIGHLIGHTS
- Examining where our treasure is will show us where our heart is, and Jesus is after our heart, so let the examination begin.
- Where, when you honestly look at the actual evidence of your life, is your treasure?
- What does my gaze reveal about the condition of my inner world?
RESOURCES