Matthew 6

Matthew 6:19

Old Iron Bright iron.—Ezekiel 27:19. Rust.—Matthew 6:19. Today we have two texts and they have both come with me to the pulpit. The first is “bright iron,” and here you have a nice, bright, sharp penknife. The other is the enemy of bright iron. Now, of course, bright iron has just one enemy—that is “rust,” so here is a bit of old rusty iron that once lived on a trash-heap.Which of those two things looks best, and which do you think is of most use? There isn’t much doubt about the answer, is there? But if you don’t take proper care of your penknife it may soon look just like this piece of rusty old iron.What is it that makes iron rust?

Scientists will tell you that it is something in the air that acts upon the surface of the iron, burning or oxidizing it. If there is water present this process takes place more easily, so that if you leave an iron article out of doors on a wet day it will rust much more readily than on a fine day.

If you don’t take trouble to remove the rust it will gradually eat away the iron.Now, people as well as iron can rust. They are not meant to rust; they are meant to be bright and useful; but if they will allow the rust to form, and will not take the trouble to remove it, of course all their brightness and usefulness is spoiled.There are two reasons why rust forms on iron— first, want of use, and second, want of care.1. First, rust forms from want of use. If you lay past an iron or steel article for some time, the chances are you will find it covered with rust when you take it out again. But if you keep on using it, it stays clean and bright. Now it is just like that with the gifts God gives us.

He has given us hands to work with, but if we don’t employ them, they will become clumsy and useless. He has given us minds to think with, but if we don’t cultivate them they will become stupid and dull.

He has given us hearts to love and sympathize with, but if we don’t use them they will become hard and cold.One great enemy of usefulness is laziness. Sometimes we think it is very hard to have to go to school and learn difficult lessons. But it is just by learning these hard lessons that we are keeping our minds bright and free from rust. And when we are learning to do anything with our hands we sometimes grow impatient at having to repeat the same thing over and over again, but it is just that drudgery that is making them clever for more difficult work.I read the other day about a gentleman who was very much interested in a boy. He wanted to help him, so he asked his head gardener to take him into the garden and teach him gardening. Some time after he met the gardener and inquired how his young friend was getting on. “Oh, he’s getting on,” replied the gardener; “there he is at his favorite job, and it just suits him exactly—chasing the snails off the path!” Now, if we are lazy and won’t take pains to learn, the rust will soon grow on us, and rust, you know, clogs wheels and stops progress.

If we are idle we shall never get much farther than that lazy snail of a boy who spent his time chasing his brother-snails off the path.The other great enemy of usefulness is selfishness. You remember the story of the man who had only one talent and who went and hid it in the ground.

That man had many faults, but his biggest one was selfishness. He kept his talent all to himself. Now, God endows us all with gifts, and He means us to use them and make the most of them. To some people He gives strength, to some brains, to some wealth, to some just ordinary common sense and a sound body. But, whatever His gifts may be, He means us to use them for the sake of others. They are not really ours to keep: we have them on trust from Him; and if we allow them to grow rusty from want of use then we are abusing His trust.2. But, second, rust forms from want of care. If you put away your bicycle in the winter, or your skates in the summer, without drying them and rubbing in some grease, you need not expect to take them out again bright and shining.

If you leave your bicycle out in the rain for days on end you must look for rust on the handle-bars. And if we don’t take preventive measures to keep ourselves bright the ugly red rust of all kinds of faults will grow on us.When the Great Eastern was laying the big cable across the Atlantic to America she received frequent messages from the shore. At first these messages reached the ship quite clear and distinct, but gradually they grew fainter and fainter. Then they became jumbled and broken, and at last they ceased altogether.So the men on the ship knew there must be something wrong with the cable, and they hauled it up. They found that a little crack had come on the wire; then rust had got in and eaten away the wire; until at last the crack became too wide for any message to pass. Not until the cable had been mended could any message be sent along.And so if you have been careless and allowed the rust of selfishness, or ill-temper, or pride to grow and spoil your usefulness you must get it put right.

And how shall we get it put right? By taking these faults to God and asking Him for Jesus’ sake to forgive them and help us to get the better of them.Outside a smithy you have often seen bits of old iron—old ploughs, old harrows, odds and ends of all kinds—all more or less rusty.

If you asked the blacksmith what he was going to do with them he would probably tell you that some of the things had been brought to him to sharpen or mend, but others he was going to melt down to make into horseshoes or other useful articles.Some of us may just need sharpening and polishing to get the rust away, some of us may have to begin all over again. But of one thing we may be sure. If we put ourselves in God’s hands, He will do what is best for us, He will turn us out beautiful, spotless “bright iron.”

Matthew 6:20

Heavenly Treasure Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.—Matthew 6:20. There is always a great fascination about the idea of hoards of treasure stored up or hidden until it is found by the bold adventurer who comes in search of it. There are many tales and legends of such treasures. One of the most famous is that of the Nibelungs. The Nibelungs were dwarfs and had a vast hoard of wealth in the inside of a mountain. This wealth was taken from them by the brave hero Siegfried.Some such stories are founded on fact. For instance, those of the sunk treasure-ships and buried gold of the Spaniards. It is still believed that they may be found some day. Not long ago divers were engaged in searching on the west coast of Scotland for relics of a Spanish vessel which sank there at the time of the invasion by the Spanish Armada.

It was believed that the ship had treasure on board, but nothing of value was found. Some other people have been exploring an island in the Pacific Ocean, where they suppose a great deal of money was buried by pirates, but they too have been unsuccessful.If we have a large sum of money to take care of, we put it in the bank. But in countries where there are no banks, other means must be found of keeping it safe. The simplest way is to dig a hole in the ground and hide it there, and this is often done.In the East, women buy rings and other ornaments with their money, and so they carry their fortune about with them. But in Eastern countries wealth consists not only in money and jewels, but in fine embroidery and clothes of rich material. These cannot be buried nor can they always be worn, and if clothes are laid away for a long time it is very difficult to keep them from moths, even more difficult than it is in this country.

There are three enemies, then, to the treasure of the rich man in the East, such a man as our Lord had in His mind when He spoke the words of the text. Clothes are destroyed by the moths, treasure buried in the ground may be spoiled by rust, and thieves may break into the house and steal.

The last was very easy, since the walls of the houses were often made of clay. No burglar’s tools were needed. The thief had only to “dig through” the wall.But treasure need not be money or jewels. Your treasure is what you love and prize most. For one person this may be money, for another it may be fame, for another his collection of pictures, for another his prize dogs. We should say “his heart is set on it,” and wherever it is his thoughts will be.Now Jesus did not mean that it was wrong to save money, or to have beautiful things and care for them.He gave us the eyes to see beauty and the skill to produce it. He knew that it is only wise and right that people should provide for old age or for their children. He knew that money is a great power for good if it is well used.

But He warned us against the danger of putting our heart in these things and making them our treasure.If a man knew that in a short time a certain bank would be ruined, he would not put his money into it. When your mother is buying a suit for you, she asks herself, “Will this wear?” and if she knows the material will soon go into holes she will not buy it. Now all the treasures of which we have been speaking are like that. They will not last beyond this life. So if our hearts are set on such things, if they are all our treasure, some day we shall lose our all.But there are other kinds of treasures, treasures which neither moth nor rust can touch, nor thieves steal. There are treasures of character, treasures of service done to others, treasures of a heart given into Christ’s keeping and of a life used in His service.

These are the treasures that will last for ever and that nothing can destroy.Let me tell you a story.A ship was sailing over the sea, when suddenly it struck on a sunken rock, and in a few minutes it had gone to pieces. Now one man had been asleep, and the part of the ship on which he was lying was carried by the waves to the shore and thrown up on dry land.When the sleeping man awoke he did not know how he had come there, but he saw a great many people round him who said he should be their king.

They brought him royal robes and set him on a throne, and offered him costly gifts. He had servants round him eager to do all he wished. He was filled with wonder to find himself a rich, powerful king.Then an aged counselor came to speak to him. He told him that he would be king only for a time, how long he knew not. For it was the custom in that country to banish the king after a time and make a new one. All round the coast there were islands, bare and dreary, and on each of these might be found a banished king.

When the new king came the old king was stripped of all he had, his servants left him, and he was sent away to one of these islands.The king was filled with sorrow; but the old man said he would advise him what to do, though, he added, he had given the advice to many before, but they would not believe his warning or follow his counsel. What he advised the king to do was this.

While he was still king and had many servants at his command, he should make them build him a palace on the island to which he would be sent, cultivate the barren ground, and make it a beautiful home to which he could retire.The king thought this very good advice, so he sent his servants to build him a palace. In the palace he put all that he would like to have; for he had plenty of money while he was king and could get what he liked.Round the palace he planted trees for shade, and beautiful gardens, and he made fountains to water them. Sometimes when the wind blew from the direction of the island the perfume of the flowers was wafted to the king, and he thought of the happy home waiting for him, and longed to go to it. So that, when at last his people came one day and rudely told him he should be king no more, he did not go with sadness, feeling that he had lost everything, but gladly, knowing that he was going where he would be happier than he had ever been as king.Boys and girls, this story is a parable: it is a picture of what our life on earth should be. If we want to lay up treasure in Heaven—the only treasure that lasts, the only treasure that is worth having—then we must begin here and now. We must ask God to give us hearts to love the things that He loves; we must ask Him to give us hearts to love and to serve Him; for where our treasure is, there will our heart be also.

Matthew 6:24

Two Masters No man can serve two masters.—Matthew 6:24. In the beginning of the thirteenth century, when King John was on the throne of England, there was a great stir in Italy. As you know, the Pope was very powerful in those days, and when the Emperor died his widow asked the Pope to be the guardian of her young son, Frederick, till he was old enough to reign. But one of the Emperor’s generals, called Markwald, claimed that he had the right to be regent. So the Italians, who supported the Pope, and the Germans, who favored Markwald, went to war, and many battles were fought in the south of Italy.At first the Germans gained every fight, but at last a brave Duke called Walter of Brienne came to the rescue of the Pope’s party, and under him it began to defeat the Germans. The Italians hated the Germans and were determined not to have a German as regent. All the brave young men in Italy, especially the nobles, joined the army.

Many saw a chance to win fame and glory in the war, and when a noble set out to join the Duke, a number of men would gather to him as his followers.In the city of Assisi there lived at that time a rich cloth merchant who had a son called Francis. He was a happy, extravagant, kind-hearted young fellow, fond of all the pleasures of the time, but he was also very kind to the poor.

These were the days of knights and tournaments. They were the days when minstrels wandered from place to place singing of warlike deeds—of King Arthur and his Round Table, and of the Holy Grail. And Francis longed to go on some chivalrous enterprise, to do great deeds, and see adventures, and win glory and renown.One day the news of the war came to Assisi, and a noble of the place set out to join Duke Walter with a little troop of men. Here was Francis’ chance. He would go too; he was sure that a great future lay before him. He bought a splendid outfit of clothing and arms, but just before starting he saw that one of the band, a poor nobleman, was very badly equipped.

Francis was as generous as he was ambitious, so he gave the man his own armor, and took the nobleman’s poorer things himself.At last they started. Francis felt he was really on the way to glory.

Later they came near to Apulia, where Duke Walter was, and the young man hoped the Duke would knight him. But he became sick and stayed behind the others at a place called Spoleto. Here as he lay in bed one night, he seemed to hear a voice asking him where he was going. He said he was going to Apulia to be a knight. Then the voice said, “Tell me, Francis, who can benefit you most; the Lord or the servant?” “The Lord,” he replied. " Then,” said the voice, “why do you desert the Lord for the servant, and the prince for his vassal?” Thereupon Francis asked, “Lord, what do you wish me to do?” and the voice replied, “Go back to your home; there it shall be told you what you are to do.”So Francis awoke, and in the morning he rose and went back to Assisi, leaving behind him his hopes and ambitions. Two voices were struggling in him, one bidding him go on and seek worldly success and pleasure, the other bidding him enter the service of a heavenly Master.

He knew he could not do both. It was a wicked age.

The rich cared far too much for pleasure and luxury and the poor were oppressed and trodden down. Francis had been dissatisfied before with the careless life he was living, and now he saw he could not serve two masters. He felt he could not serve God while he was living at home, and mixing with his old, happy, careless companions.So Francis gave up all. He left his home and friends, and forsaking all his old ambitions he went about preaching the gospel. Some others joined him and they made themselves into an Order of Friars, called the Friars Minor, or Little Brothers, afterwards better known as Franciscans. They had no property, no clothes but what they wore, and they lived on broken scraps of food given them in charity.

They had no money except what they worked for, or what was given them. Their business in life was to preach and tell everyone of God’s goodness and of the need of repentance.Yet in all his poverty and hardship St.

Francis, as he was afterwards called, was full of joy and gladness, and he went on his way singing. He told his disciples to be always cheerful. “Let those who belong to the devil hang their heads—we ought to be glad and rejoice in the Lord,” he said.To everybody there comes a choice of master. You cannot serve two masters equally well. You cannot love them both alike. You may not have to choose, like St. Francis, between your home and poverty, but you must choose to which master you will give your love.Will you choose the service of God and of your fellow-men, or will you choose the way of self-will and self-pleasing?

Matthew 6:26

Our Sisters The Birds Behold the birds of the heaven.—Matthew 6:26. You have heard how St. Francis of Assisi left his home and his friends and all his possessions and set out to be a missionary. Today I want to tell you something of his love for all God’s creatures and especially for the birds.St. Francis loved everything God had made. He loved water and fire and light. He could never bear to have a candle extinguished or a lamp put out. He loved the flowers and the beasts and the birds, and he called them his little brothers and sisters. In the convent garden there must always be a place for his “brothers the flowers” as well as for the vegetables and herbs.

If he saw an earthworm lying twisting about in the middle of the road he would lift it and carry it to the side lest it should be crushed. In winter he put honey into the beehives for the bees to feed on. He cared for the young robins, he built nests for the turtle-doves, and the birds trusted him so completely that they would come and settle on his hands and head.Every creature, every work of creation was to St. Francis like the word of God. He held all created things as holy, and reverenced them accordingly. The rocks and cliffs spoke to him of God’s everlasting strength and power; the flowers and birds revealed the Heavenly Father’s beauty and purity and tenderness.

He felt God’s presence everywhere among His creatures.But it is especially of St. Francis’ love for the birds that I wish to speak today, and I want to tell you two quaint old legends about the monk and the birds.One day, it is said, St.

Francis and another Brother came to a place called Alviano to preach, and stopped in the market-place. It was evening and the swallows were circling to and fro among the walls and turrets, and darting with glad little cries in and out of their nests under the eaves.The two Friars, as was their custom, sang their evening hymn of praise, and the people stood round silent and expectant. The swallows alone refused to keep silence. Lower and lower they circled over the market-place, and their twittering and cries increased until they drowned every other sound. At last St. Francis looked up and gently addressed them. “My sister swallows,” he said, “it seems to me that the time has come when I should have a chance to speak; now you have said enough!

Hear therefore God’s word and keep still and quiet while I preach!” Immediately the birds were silent, and they made no sound so long as Francis preached.The other legend tells how St. Francis once preached a sermon to the birds.

One day the monk saw in a field near the roadside some trees; and on the trees as well as on the ground beneath them was a great multitude of birds such as had never been seen in that region.When St. Francis saw the birds he told his followers that he was going to preach to his feathered brothers.He walked into the field and went to the place where they were. As soon as he began to preach, all the little birds that were on the trees fluttered down and sat round him listening. And St. Francis told them that they should always be grateful to God and praise and love Him because He had given them the power to fly, and food, and clothing, and shelter. Then all the little birds began to open their beaks and to beat their wings and to bow their heads reverently to earth.

And they sang a song of praise to show St. Francis that his words had pleased them greatly.Boys and girls, these old legends come to us covered with the dust of ages, and oddly twisted and turned by the fingers of superstition, But at the heart of most legends there is a grand and simple truth.And I think the story of St.

Francis’ life and the quaint tales that are related of him carry some grand truths with them.They tell us of God who puts His heart of love into each thing He creates. They teach us to reverence the creatures He has so wonderfully made, and to treat them always with love and kindness. Above all, they teach us to reverence and praise Him who is so marvelous in all His works and who has given us so richly all things to enjoy.