The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 6 Part 11 Let us have our eyes focused on God

Our hearts must focus on the LORD of glory so that all our lives are devoted to Him.

Matthew 6:19-21  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20)  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21)  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

After exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisee's fasting rituals Jesus began showing the necessity of being born again.

We learned how hoarding riches and trying to accumulate more and more possessions is a spiritually fruitless endeavor.

Physical, temporal things can never satisfy the soul like pursuing the things of God.

We noted some of the heavenly treasures that we may pursue with vigor.

In this lesson, we see that Jesus continues to show us where our focus must be.

As Paul put it, we must seek those things which are above, where Jesus Christ is enthroned at the Father's right hand in heaven.

The eye gate is the doorway to our soul and it must be single so that we are not distracted from God's will for us.

Matthew 6:22-23  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23)  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 

"The light of the body is the eye" which simply means the eye is to the body what the sun is to the universe in the day time, or a light to a house at night.

This is the idea that our eye takes in its surroundings and directs our thoughts and actions.

Therefore, it is very important that we are not worldly minded but focused upon heaven.

The phrase "If therefore thine eye be single" means our vision is simple, clear. 

As applied to our eye it means having a general soundness and not looking two ways or being distracted. 

King Solomon described what it means to have our eyes be single.

Proverbs 4:25-27  Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26)  Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. 27)  Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. 

Our eyes looking right on is the idea of looking straight ahead and not looking to the left or right and becoming distracted or diverted from what God has for us to do.

Thus, Solomon warns us to consider where our feet are taking us, so that we do not fall into sin.

Maintaining a singular focus upon God and His Word will help us live a life that is anchored to the scriptures. 

A "single" eye results in a life seeking to live for the glory of God while an evil eye leads to sin.

Matthew 6:22-23  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23)  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 

Having a singular focus will help us not turn to the right or the left hand, which means being diverted or distracted from Great Commission living. 

In classical Greek ,these words are used figuratively to denote the simplicity of the mind’s eye, singleness of purpose, looking right at its object, as opposed to having two ends in view.

If our vision (focus) is in the right place, then "thy whole body shall be full of light " or rightly illuminated. 

As with our eyes, the man who looks with a good, sound eye, walks in light, seeing every object clearly. 

He has a simple and persistent purpose to serve and please God in everything and will make the whole character consistent and bright.

We are commanded to walk as children of light.

Ephesians 5:8  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 

Christ spoke to His church through His apostles and here, Paul teaches us that we must learn to walk as children of light whereas before we were born again, we walked in darkness.

God is light and we must walk in the light with Him.

1 John 1:5-7  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6)  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7)  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 

The apostle John also spoke to this issue of walking in light which is what Jesus means when He tells us that our eye must be singularly focused on God.

God is light and there is no darkness in Him. 

We must walk in the light as God is in the light so that our fellowship may be sweet and prolonged. 

This is why we must dedicate ourselves to studying the scriptures.

The Bible is a lamp to our feet illuminating immediate spiritual perils to avoid.

The Bible is a light to our path, showing us the way that God wants us to walk through this life (See Psalm 119:105).

When we read our Bible, God's eternal truth shines brightly into our heart, giving us the light of His truth so that we might walk uprightly before Him (See Psalm 119:130).

Thus, when we walk in the light we have fellowship and communion with God. 

There is great blessing for Christians who walk with a single focus on the presence of God.

Psalm 89:15-18  Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. 16)  In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. 17)  For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted. 18)  For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king. 

What is the path to a blessed life as a believer in Christ? 

It is being with the people of God who walk in the countenance of His light.

If our eye be single as Jesus said, then we will have joyful hearts that are enraptured with the glory of God and who look to Him for their defense. 

The Father of lights is the source of every good and perfect gift and there is no darkness in Him.

James 1:17-18  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18)  Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 

Our heavenly Father is the source of every good and perfect gift that we receive.

There is no darkness in our Father, no shadows of turning away from His children.

Our Father's heart is always the same toward His children and never changes.

He will always love us, provide for us and care for us.

Matthew 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

The importance of having a single eye focused upon the things of God cannot be overstated.

If our eye is not single, we will be in trouble because no man can serve two masters.  We will be serving God or serving the Devil. 

We will love one master and hate the other one, or we will follow one and despise the other one.

Notice Jesus says that we cannot serve God and mammon, which is another word for riches or wealth.

Mammon is a Syriac word, a name given to an idol worshipped as the god of riches. 

It is not known whether the Jews ever formally worshipped this idol, but they used this word to denote wealth. 

The meaning is, we cannot serve the true God, and at the same time be totally absorbed in obtaining the riches of this world. Pursuing riches will interfere with pursuing God (See Luke 16:9-11).

1 Timothy 6:9-10  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10)  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

Paul warned about Christians who try to pursue getting richer.

Those who dedicate their lives to pursuing wealth will fall when tempted and waste their lives trying to satisfy fleshly lusts.

Loving money is the root of all evil and leads to a life filled with sorrow and regrets.

Bob