Where is your treasure?

Matthew 6:19-24

Have you ever gone on a treasure hunt? I have, they call it Geocaching now, I remember my oldest daughter and I went on a hunt when we were in Phoenix, I love the thrill of finding clues to the treasure and the anticipation of what might be in the buried. Treasure hunts remind me of one of my favorite books growing up. It was written by Robert Louis Stevenson back in 1881, its about a man named Jim Hawkins and his search for the buried treasure of the dreaded pirate Long John Silver. Now I won’t ruin the book for you and tell you how it ends, but it’s a great book if you are looking for an escape. Getting back to the treasure hunt my daughter and I were on, we finally found where X marked the spot if you will. We were so excited… We couldn’t wait to open the little chest and see what was left behind. You see, it is a tradition with Geocaching that when you find the treasure, you take something from the box, BUT you must leave a small treasure for the next person to find. Much to our dismay, when we opened the little treasure chest, it was empty…You could imagine my daughters disappointment to see nothing but an empty container, but how much more devastating it is to an adult who works their whole life, who strives for the best, who sacrifices important relationships and opportunities and time, all the while pursuing the wrong treasure. Today, Jesus reminds us why ‘what’ we treasure is so important. So let me ask you this morning, “what do you treasure”?

Let’s Pray

Matthew 6:19-24 ““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust 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 good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, 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 he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

So my initial question is “What do you treasure?” While we are thinking about the answer to this question, Jesus begins this passage by telling us exactly WHERE our treasure is. It’s either on earth, or it’s in Heaven. There are those that are currently chasing the things that God has created rather than the Creator Himself. Let me ask you another question, what fills up your day? What type of things are you doing in your day to pass the time? Does God fill your day or does his stuff fill your day. What choices are you making throughout the day? You know, your choices matter! How you spend your money, how you use your time, who you spend your time with, how you use your energy—it all MATTERS!

Paul Tripp, in his book, “Journey to the Cross - A 40 Day Lenten Devotional said, “Treasure decisions have huge consequences here and now AND in the life that is to come.”

Looking at the scripture this morning, I believe that there is something that we can do in our life treasure hunt; we can make the choice to make a “Heart shift”, a heart shift that will help us in our thinking about the treasures of our lives. Rather than asking the question, “what do I treasure” perhaps we should be asking “What does God treasure?” And if that question (what does God treasure?) becomes our foundational question in making decisions, in our relationships, in our behavior, in our actions, do you know what happens? We start changing our thinking from “how am I going to spend my time” to “how am I going to use every second to bring Glory to God?” We change from “how am I going to treat that person” to “how would God want me to treat that person?” Do you love Jesus? WOW, I’m only 8 minutes in and some of you are already asleep, let me ask that again, Do you love Jesus? Good. Then what we treasure should line up with what God treasures.

If we did this, everything we value, everything that we say and do, everything that we spend out time on changes from being earthly treasures and turns to treasures that are in Heaven.

Do not store up, maybe a better way to put this is “Stop storing up”. For the next several weeks, we are in the season of Lent. Sometimes people look at lent almost like a new years resolution. You remember, it’s those things you say at the beginning of each year, I am going to get in shape this year, or I’m going to stop eating so much sugar this year, or I’m going to read through the entire Bible this year, but then shortly after we make that resolution, what happens? Right, we are right back doing what we said we were not going to do. During Lent, we say that we are going to give up something, more often than not it’s something physical, I’m going to give up Big Mac’s for lent, or I’m going to give up driving over the speed limit for lent, or perhaps, I’m going to give up coffee for Lent, (not sure that one is possible) but here is my thought, maybe we should give up something spiritual for Lent. Let me explain. What if we gave up making excuses why we don’t have time to do a devotion in the morning, or we gave up walking the other way when we see a friend that we know needs the love of God. What if… we gave up making excuses of why we can’t be used by God and just let him use us the way that He wants. Don’t you think that this would be a better world. The thing is, if we do give up those things, it can’t be just for the 40 days of Lent, it has to be something that we give up for good so that God can use us.

Do you know what doesn’t line up with what God treasures? Money, toys, entertainment, clothes, stuff…all of the created things of this world don’t line up with what God treasures. Why? Because they will not last. Look at verse 20. What happens? Moths. Rust. Thieves. These things won’t last. And if you think the money you leave behind will last—it will be a wealth legacy for my children, for others—I want to remind you that money will not save their souls. Only Jesus will.

What do you treasure? Because what you treasure is what holds your heart. It motivates you and it moves you to sacrifice. What have you given up for what you treasure?

Matthew 13:44-46 ““The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl.

In teaching about the kingdom of heaven, what do these two men have in common? It’s that when they found the treasure, they sold everything they had so they could focus on the treasure they found (refer to vs. 44, 45). “We all make sacrifices every day for things we think are valuable, things that we think will carry our happiness, satisfaction, and joy. No one lives a sacrifice free life”

But we’ve got to go back to our original question, “What do you treasure?” Are you sacrificing for the right and holy and sacred treasure that God has for you—that is, His kingdom—those eternal realities that we can know in a now-and-forever relationship with Jesus Christ? Or are your making sacrifices for the things that could disappear—that will disappear—because they are the things of this earth? There is a song that we sing that simply says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of Earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace” It’s curious to consider that often, we might sacrifice the same things for bad treasure as for good. The difference is that only one treasure meets our need, and that’s Jesus. And the devil is going to do everything he can to convince you that the sacrifice isn’t worth it. But name that for what it is: a lie. You will never regret matching up your heart and will with God.

Spiritual warfare can be difficult when it comes to treasure. One of Satan’s greatest schemes is to take good things (gifts that God created) and convince you that they are more important than God—things like ministry and calling, or family and relationships, career, or good works. None of those realities are in and of themselves bad. In fact, they are good. But when they take the place of God and become the thing that you treasure—the thing that captures your heart—WATCH OUT! Satan has taken that good thing and fashioned it into an idol in your heart. Charles Spurgeon said: “If you love anything better than God you are idolaters: if there is anything you would not give up for God it is your idol: if there is anything that you seek with greater fervor than you seek the glory of God, that is your idol, and conversion means a turning from every idol.” Is there anything in your life that has become an idol? Something you treasure above God? Because, let me remind you, when Jesus is our Savior, He’s first—Jesus is the treasure! He is our first love! For everything and everyone else we should pray and ask, “Lord, how can I be a good steward of the good things you have brought to my life?”

When we dedicate a baby in The Salvation Army, we say to the parents: In the dedication of this child you desire to give him/her fully to God. You wish to thank God for entrusting this precious life into your hands, and you want him/her to be nurtured in all that is pure, lovely and honest. To this end you promise that you will keep from him/her, so far as you are able, everything which is likely to harm him/her in body, mind or spirit. You also promise that, as he/she grows in wisdom and stature, you will teach him/her to seek Christ as Saviour, and support him/her in the commitment of his/her life to the service of God. You must be

to him/her an example of a true Christian. In this dedication, we see a perfect, wonderful and good gift from God, whose parents and family and friends would do anything for! The parents recognize their child as a good, holy gift, and say to God, “We entrust this child to You! We commit to being parents who will be good stewards of this gift. We will love and treasure this child like You do, and teach him/her Your ways.”

God wants each of us to bring that kind of dedication to every area of our lives, to every area of our hearts. Look back Matthew 6:22-23, where we said our eyes are important. Unlike the parable of the hidden treasure in the field, we’re not looking down in the field for God’s kingdom, we’re looking up!

Paul writes in COLOSSIANS 3:1-3:

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

LOOK UP! Where’s your treasure? Where do you need to make adjustments in your life to line your heart up with God?

CHALLENGE

How does the way you spend your time/money/energy reveal what you truly treasure? I would encourage you this week to search your heart and see what it is that may be taking the place of your full commitment to God. Is there anything in your life right now that you wouldn’t give up for Him? As I stated earlier, this is the season of Lent, we normally give up something for the 40 days, why don’t we give up trying to do things on our own and rely entirely on the strength that God provides for us. This week pick one thing that you can “give up for God” that will have eternal implications. As the saying goes, let go and let God.

Let’s Pray.