A Lasting Treasure

Jeffrey Dampier won $20 million in the Illinois lottery in 1996. His death came nine years later in Tampa, Florida where he had become a popcorn entrepreneur. Dampier was running Kassie's Gourmet Popcorn in Tampa was he kidnapped in 2005 by his wife’s sister, Victoria Jackson, and her boyfriend, Nathaniel Jackson (not related). Prosecutors said the two bound Dampier’s hands with shoelaces and forced him into a van. As they drove around, Nathaniel Jackson handed the gun to his girlfriend and said, "Shoot him or I'll shoot you," prosecutors said. Victoria Jackson squeezed the trigger, firing once in the back of Dampier's head. Authorities said Dampier had an intimate relationship with Victoria, and showered her with presents from his lottery earnings before she killed him.

Many people think that having more money will give them the relationships, the happiness, or security that they need; but that’s not really the case is it? Billie Bob Harrell Jr. won $31 million in 1997, however soon his marriage would fall apart and before he took his own life he told his financial advisor, “Winning the lottery was the worst thing that ever happened to me.”

Now, this isn’t a lesson on the lottery. I’m sure that if I won millions of dollars, though I don’t play the lottery, I have an idea of what I’d do with it, but in reality none of us really know how we’d behave with that kind of money. However, today as we look in Matthew 6:19-24, we will find that Jesus is going to use mammon, or money, as to illustrate the daily objects that we can make idols in our lives and as we look at this passage, we will ask ourselves three questions from the text, which is “Where is your treasure? How do you see things? and Where do you stand?” when it comes to the things that go in and out of your daily lives. Afterword, we will have a discussion on the matter.

Where Is Your Treasure?

Hollywood comedy filmmaker Tom Shadyac was just stepping into his moneymaking prime in the early 2000s when he began having a nagging feeling of emptiness. After a serious bike accident, the feeling only became more intense. He says, “I was standing in the house that my culture had taught me was a measure of the good life. … I was struck with one very clear, very strange feeling: I was no happier” He sold his sprawling mansion and luxury cars and bought a mobile home and new bike. Tom doesn’t seem to be molded by a biblical worldview, but in his recognition of the emptiness of riches, a biblical truth is still registering for him. Wealth does not equate to happiness and fulfillment. True contentment can be found only in and through Jesus—in riches or in want. Our truest treasure will always be built in God’s kingdom (Matthew 6:19–24).

As we look here in verse 19, Jesus is calling for us to make wise investments with our lives, our affections, our commitments. Simply put, with ourselves. It is with this in mind that Jesus sets up two things for us. He makes it clear that we will either invest in things that aren’t safe. Things that can get eaten up, things that can get soiled, or things that can get stolen. Which are the things of this world. Or, we can invest in what is safe. In what can’t get taken, or soiled, or eaten. But what is eternal and worth more than we could ever imagine.

Now, when we hear this, it sounds pretty simple right? If my financial advisor called me tonight and said, “Hunter, I’ve been looking at the market and I am absolutely certain that if you invest in Apple you will receive far more than you invested into it in the future. Guaranteed.” Don’t you guys think that’d probably be a good idea? Yeah, so do I. But the thing is is that this text isn’t talking about a financial advisor calling you about what you can pull out of the market in a few years, this is God calling us to place our commitments and affections on what we cannot see over what we can see now.

Jesus is teaching us to ask ourselves, “Where do my values lie?” and He does that by teaching us "That the place where we choose to store up what we value most shows what are values are deep down.”

The other day I was listening to a podcast on finance and this woman started talking to a guest on her show about how she only wants to invest in companies that align with her values. Well, the same things applies with us here. Were do your values lie? As you look back at your money spent, or your time spent, or your conversations made, what do they say matters to you the most? Jesus is sweeping through our hearts with the question, “Where does your treasure lie? Because you’ll invest in what you love.”

How Do You See Things?

Now, I want you to notice verse 22 as He switches things up and begins speaking about the eyes, light and the body. Notice how Jesus mentions light lighting up the body? See, in that time, men thought that sight was from your eyes releasing light and that light would bounce off of the object you see, it would then mix with whatever other light is bouncing of that object, like the sun, and then your eye was receive it back and you would be able to process what you saw.

Jesus picks up on that here and he is saying that we humans were mean’t to see things as they truly are and we should take it to heart. We should see that God has made us and everything around us and we should take that to heart and let it shape our lives. But the thing is, is that we are just like verse 23. We are blind but we think we’re not. We think we can see things properly and that we know how it really is, but Jesus is saying, “If you really did, your affections and your commitments would be toward what really matters.”

So, how do you see things? Do you see them with heavenly lenses on or are you only looking at the world through the looking glass of what satisfies us here and now?

Where Do You Stand?

Lastly, Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world, shines light into darkened eyes as He draws a line in the sand. He makes it clear for us that we can’t serve God and serve money, or women, or popularity, or whatever it might be. He makes it clear that we can serve one or the other, but we can’t serve both of them. Why? Because God isn’t interested in sharing custody of His children. He is a jealous God and with Him there is no fence sitting.

Notice how what He initially called “earthly treasure” in verse 19, is now spoken of as a slave master here in verse 24. You see, people hate Christianity because they think it’s just a religion of rules and they don’t want to be bogged down and enslaved to it. The reality is that you will all serve something. You will be under the bondage of trying to please everyone or you’ll be free to please Christ. You’ll be in bondage to pornography or you’ll trust Christ’s promises. You’ll be enslaved to money and you’ll run wherever it commands you or you’ll live for Christ. There is a choice, but whatever it is, you will be the servant of the God who’s yoke is light or you’ll serve an idol who does not care for you.

Where do you stand? It was Joshua who said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Will you serve Christ over the things calling for your attention day in and down out?

Some Discussion Topics

Is Jesus Teaching Us That It’s Wrong To Have Money?

No, He is teaching us that the issue is not money, but our idolizing of it. God gives good gifts and our sinful nature wants to take those gifts and make them into god’s themselves.

Money is a good gift, but a bad god.

Money is a gift from God and when He gives it to us we should thank Him for providing for us. It allows us to buy food and clothing and to have a home to live in. It also sheds light on the condition of our heart (Paul David Tripp Illustration). It also lets us contribute to the work of Christ around the world.

Some dangers are that it can consume us. It can pull us away from focusing on God, it can cause us to look down on others, it can tempt us to forget God.

What are some other benefits and dangers of money?

What are some practical ways we can use money as Christians?

Or better put, how does the fact that we are children of God impact how we handle our money?