`The Light That Shines Dark?

I.                   The complexity of scripture

A.    Matthew 22:15-21

  ¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. ¹⁶ And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. ¹⁷ Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” ¹⁸ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. ²⁰ And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” ²¹ They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

B.    Matthew 22:34-40

³⁴ But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵ Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”³⁷ Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

II.                The expectation of Jesus

A.    Matthew 22: 36-40

B.    Matthew 6:19-24

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. ²² “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.²³ But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

1.     If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.

2.     If your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness.

3.     Jesus warned his disciples to take heed to His words so they would not be filled with darkness. (Luke 11:35)

III.             The Evil Eye

A.    An evil eye comes from the heart. (Mark 7:21)

B.    One who hastens to be rich has an evil eye. (Proverbs 28:22)

C.     Desiring or supposing one should receive more than what God’s kindness gives. (Matthew 20:15)

IV.             Proper Application

A.    Desiring to have your needs met is not covetousness. (Matthew 6:11)

B.    Being rich in goods does not imply covetousness. (Proverbs 10:4,22)

C.     Desiring to be rich is what God warns against (1 Timothy 6:6-9)

D.    Not only riches

1.     Where your treasure is, your heart is in the exact same place. (Matthew 6:21)

2.     If your eye is covetous of earthly treasure, you are filled with darkness. (Matthew 6:23)

3.      You cannot be a slave of God and avarice. (Matthew 6:24)