13 Dec Matters of the Heart #5

Heart Treasures Overview

In this fifth installment of ‘Matters of the Heart,’ Pastor explores the vital concept of heart treasures and where we invest our spiritual focus. Building on previous messages about our physical and spiritual hearts, this sermon examines Jesus’s powerful teaching in Matthew 6:19-21 about storing treasures in heaven rather than on earth. Through the compelling story of Jesus feeding thousands and the disciples’ failure to remember God’s miraculous provision, Pastor illustrates how our hearts naturally gravitate toward what we treasure most. The message challenges believers to examine their priorities, showing how true commitment requires a heart fully devoted to God’s kingdom. Using practical examples from medicine to marriage, the sermon demonstrates that whatever captures our treasure will ultimately capture our hearts. This profound teaching reveals that spiritual maturity isn’t just about receiving a new heart through salvation, but continually surrendering that heart to God and focusing on eternal rather than temporal values.

Heart Treasures Outline

• 0:00 – Series Review: Two Hearts: Recap of physical heart and spiritual heart transformation through salvation
• 3:30 – The Heart That Remembers: Jesus feeding 5,000 and 4,000 – disciples’ failure to remember God’s provision
• 8:15 – Having a Heart for Your Calling: Doctor’s advice about needing a heart for medicine applies to all life pursuits
• 12:00 – Treasures on Earth vs Heaven: Matthew 6:19-21 teaching about where to store our treasures
• 16:45 – Adam’s Lost Dominion: How Adam gave away his kingdom through disobedience and earth’s curse system
• 21:30 – Worship as Worth-ship: What we treasure reveals what we truly worship through our actions
• 25:00 – Commitment and True Desire: Gordy Yeager’s example of genuine commitment versus empty promises

Scripture References

Matthew 6:19-21, Ezekiel 36:26, Matthew 14:13-21, Matthew 15:32-39, Mark 8:17-18

Key Takeaways

• Our hearts naturally follow where we place our treasures, making it crucial to invest in eternal rather than temporal things.
• True commitment to any calling requires having a genuine heart for it, not just going through the motions.
• God wants us to remember His past faithfulness as foundation for trusting Him in current challenges.
• Worship is ‘worth-ship’ – our actions reveal what we consider most valuable in life.
• The new heart we receive at salvation must be continually surrendered to God for ongoing transformation.
• Earth’s curse system brings opposition, but our faith can overcome when our treasure is in heaven.
• Genuine desire is proven by action – if we really want something, we’ll pursue it despite obstacles.

Heart Treasures Notes

This powerful message on heart treasures reveals a fundamental spiritual principle that shapes our entire Christian walk. Pastor begins by reminding us that while we receive a new heart at salvation – God removes our stony heart and gives us a heart of flesh – this spiritual heart requires ongoing surrender and strengthening from God. The transformed heart becomes soft and malleable, which is why new believers often seem more sensitive than before their conversion.The sermon’s central focus emerges from Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 6:19-21 about storing treasures in heaven rather than on earth. This isn’t merely about money or possessions, but about the fundamental orientation of our hearts. Where we place our treasure – our time, attention, energy, and devotion – there our hearts will inevitably follow. This principle operates whether we’re conscious of it or not.Pastor illustrates this through the compelling account of Jesus feeding the multitudes. After witnessing the miraculous feeding of 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, and later 4,000 with seven loaves, the disciples still worried about having only one loaf of bread. Jesus responded with piercing questions: ‘Why is your heart so hard? Don’t you see? Don’t you hear? Don’t you remember?’ Their failure to treasure and remember God’s faithfulness left them spiritually blind to His present provision.The message takes a practical turn with the doctor’s wisdom that becoming a physician requires ‘having a heart for medicine.’ This applies universally – whether becoming a mechanic requires a heart for fixing cars, or any pursuit demanding genuine passion rather than mere external motivation. When trials come – the enormous financial investment, grueling internships, or unexpected challenges – only those with genuine heart commitment persevere.Pastor traces this principle back to Adam’s original dominion. God gave Adam rule over all creation, but through disobedience, Adam surrendered this kingdom to Satan, introducing the earth’s curse system we navigate today. We live in constant opposition, but Jesus encourages us to ‘be of good cheer’ because He has overcome the world. Our victory depends on maintaining heavenly treasure orientation despite earthly pressures.The concept of worship as ‘worth-ship’ provides another crucial insight. Whatever we consider most worthy of our time and attention receives our worship through our actions. Like a woman with a thousand suitors choosing one man, God desires our exclusive devotion demonstrated through consistent choices that prioritize His kingdom above competing interests.The sermon concludes with Gordy Yeager’s practical example of commitment. When someone claimed they ‘really wanted’ to attend Bible study but didn’t show up, Gordy’s response was direct: ‘If you really wanted to go, you’d have gone.’ This illustrates the sermon’s core truth – our treasures are revealed not by our words but by our consistent actions and choices.

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