Sermon on the Mount: Where your treasure is...

Introduction

I am a worrier.

I tend to worry about finances — what I can afford, what might happen next month, next year, or years down the road. Worry often disguises itself as responsibility. But if left unchecked, it grows. What begins as concern can turn into stress… then anxiety… and sometimes even depression.

Jesus knows this about us.

In the Sermon on the Mount, He speaks directly into our worry — especially about money and security. He does not dismiss our fears. He addresses them with truth, compassion, and authority.

In this post, we’ll explore what Jesus teaches about wealth, fear, and where our trust truly belongs.

Treasure in Heaven

Money itself is not evil. But the love of money — and the trust we place in it — can quietly take over our hearts.

We worry about money:

• Accumulating it

• Protecting it

• Losing it

• Comparing ourselves to others based on it

We often say, “Money can’t buy happiness,” yet we frequently treat money as though it can buy security, identity, and peace.

Jesus speaks directly into this tension:

Matthew 6:19–24

“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. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 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. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 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.”

Jesus is not condemning wealth — He is confronting misplaced trust.

Having wealth does not make you a better Christian or make you a better person. Having little wealth does not make you more spiritual or less valuable.

Jesus makes one thing unmistakably clear: our hearts cannot be divided.

Only one Master can truly lead us.

Only one can provide lasting security.

Only one is worthy — and spoiler alert - it is not money.

When our treasure is stored on earth, our hearts remain anxious and vulnerable. But when our treasure is stored in heaven, our hearts are anchored in eternity.

Not Simply - Don’t Worry

After addressing our divided loyalties, Jesus moves directly into our anxiety. In Matthew 6:25–34, He tells us not to worry about our lives — what we will eat, drink, or wear. He points to the birds of the air and the flowers of the field as reminders of God’s faithful provision.

His message is not careless optimism. It is relational trust.

Jesus invites us to shift from fear to faith. He reminds us that our Heavenly Father knows exactly what we need.

Matthew 6:25-34

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Jesus does not simply expected to stop worrying, He calls on us to cast our worries in Him.

Matthew 11:28–30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”

Remember: out of all of God’s creation, you are uniquely loved. When we hand Him our worry, we are saying: God, I trust You more than I trust my anxiety.

Where Trust Replaces Fear

Worry grows when we try to control what was never ours to control.

Peace grows when we surrender.

Jesus does not promise a life without financial uncertainty. But He promises His presence. He promises provision. He promises faithfulness.

When we seek first His Kingdom, security shifts from temporary things to eternal truth.

A Prayer for Trust

Father, You know my tendency to worry. You see the fears I carry about money, security, and the unknown. Help me to store my treasure in heaven and not in temporary things. Teach me to trust You fully. When anxiety rises, remind me that You are my provider and my peace. I surrender my stress and fear to You. Fill me with rest and confidence in Your faithful care. Amen.

Encouragement

If you are struggling with worry today, you are not weak. You're human.

But you do not have to carry that weight alone.

Jesus invites you to release what is crushing you and receive His rest instead.

Peace is not found in financial certainty — it is found in spiritual surrender.

You are deeply loved.

You are seen.

And your Father knows exactly what you need.

Seek Him first — and let Him carry the rest.

I encourage you to read this aloud and with your heart...

Father, I confess that I often seek security in things that cannot truly save me. I chase control, stability, and reassurance in places that leave me anxious.

Today, I choose to seek You first. Align my heart with Your Kingdom. Help me trust You more than my fear, more than my finances, more than my circumstances.

Teach me to place You at the center of my life and to rest in Your faithful provision. Amen.