Buried Treasure

Introduction:

Connection:

Have you ever gone on a treasure hunt? Or have you ever gone geo-caching? Isn’t it thrilling? You’re given instructions as to where something is buried or hidden, and you have to travel to go and find it, following instructions, looking for hints and clues, and then when you find it—there is a deep excitement—as you dig it out to enjoy! Treasure is valuable to our hearts—it wins our heart’s affections.

Theme:

Buried Treasure

Need:

We need to know where our heavenly treasure is, so that we can joyfully devote ourselves to finding it, and digging it out to heartily and happily enjoy in part now, and fully in glory.

Purpose:

To exhort the people of God to bury true treasure in Christ, to shine the light of the Spirit, and to serve our Supreme God; to rebuke us for setting our affections upon earthly hopes, sinful snares, and vain idols; and to comfort us in the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven and the Eternal Treasure of Christ Jesus.

Recap:

Last Sunday Elder Dave finished a series on Giving, Praying, and Fasting from Matthew 6—which leads us to pick up where he left off in the Sermon on the Mount, looking at: Treasure, Light, and Devotion. Remember that the Sermon on the Mount is Christ’s proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom, and the Law of that Kingdom that we must obey as we follow our Reigning King in all things.

Text: Matt. 6:19-24 ESV

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

(1) We need to Lay up Treasures in Heaven in order to Win our Hearts - v. 19-21.

Matthew 6:19–21 ESV

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

(1) We need to Lay up Treasures in Heaven in order to Win our Hearts - v. 19-21.

Jesus begins this portion of his sermon with a negative commandment, forbidding something—which is followed by a positive commandment, requiring something! Firstly, he forbids burying earthly treasure:

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,

What does it mean to lay up for yourselves treasures on earth? It’s not that Christ is forbidding us from enjoying the good gifts of God on earth (his first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding)—nor is Jesus forbidding us from wise saving and planning for our futures and families (which is commended throughout all of Scripture). Rather, Jesus is forbidding the storing up or hoarding up of earthly possessions—and prizing them as treasure—as our hope, security, contentment, and prize.

You could literally translate the Greek of this phrase as: stop treasuring up treasures on earth! Don’t store up earthly vanities and luxuries, in selfish pride and indulgence. Don’t bury earthly treasures—why would we?—earthly things are passing away, they are temporal, they are a mist and a vapor (as we studies in Ecclesiastes last year), they do not satisfy, and thus they are a pitiful and poor treasure for our hearts which were made for eternity, not for temporal fixes. We were made for more.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 ESV

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

Why is earthly treasure so vain and fleeting? A striving after the wind? Because it can’t hold its value… Jesus says that the earth is a place:

where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,

If your treasure is going to rot away, if it’s going to corrode and fall apart, if it’s capable of being stolen and ruined—then it’s entirely unstable. It’s not true and abiding treasure—it’s not eternal and satisfying treasure. There is no guarantee with earthly possessions—none whatsoever.

Think about your best possessions. Take a moment. Think of those earthly things that are most precious to you. Maybe your house, maybe your land, maybe your vehicle, maybe your investments, maybe your collections…. whatever it might be … Jesus says that all it takes is moth, rust, or a theif—and it’s gone, forever.

Your house could collapse tomorrow. So it’s foolish to make it your heart’s treasure.

Your land could burn to bits or be flooded tomorrow. So it’s foolish to make it your heart’s treasure.

Your vehicles could break down or be wrecked tomorrow. So it’s foolish to make it your heart’s treasure.

Your investments could plummet with a market crash tomorrow. So it’s foolish to make it your heart’s treasure.

Your collections or sets of various kinds could be stolen tomorrow. So it’s foolish to make it your heart’s treasure.

Jesus is saying: the wise will lay it to heart—earthly treasures are not worthy treasures. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. ………………..

This is the negative command, whereby Jesus forbids us from storing up treasures on earth. But he doesn’t forbid us from storing up every kind of treasure…. which leads us to his positive commandment, requiring something of us! He says:

20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

Jesus isn’t against burying treasure! Jesus isn’t against storing good things up for the future! But Jesus warning us that only one kind of treasure will suffice: not earthly treasure, but heavenly treasure; not temporal treasure, but eternal treasure; not vain vapors, but enduring investments.

What does he mean by laying up treasures in heaven? I don’t know about you…. but I can’t take a train to heaven, bury my goods, and then come back? So …. how do we do this, Jesus?

Well, I know the one who has made it to heaven already, Jesus Christ who was raised from the dead to enter into the glory of His Father, who is seated at the right hand of God, and who can make some deposits for us. :)

There is only one way to store up treasures in heaven—through the High King of Heaven—by faith, through righteousness, through worship and service, through obedience and mission—as we seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and God’s Righteousness.

Only one life, twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last - CT Studd. That’s PRECISELY the point of our text.

As we serve our God—we are depositing treasures in heaven (both the LORD himself who is our portion, and the mysterious rewards that Jesus has already spoken of). And this place, heaven, which one day is coming to earth—this is a place:

where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

You don’t need insurance for the treasures that are stored in heaven! You don’t need to take any risks here. You don’t need to worry about corruption or decay or destruction or thievery. There is no expiration date in glory!

1 Peter 1:3–5 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Praise be to God! But you do need to worry about laying up the treasure itself. You will only receive the treasure in heaven, that you bury now by faith in Christ. Are you living by faith? Trusting in the Gospel? And serving the king?

If so, then your Father who sees in secret, will reward you—what exactly will that be? We don’t know. But it will be part of that joy unspeakable and full of glory that is coming our way, in the NHNE, in the Everlasting City of God!

So how do we do this? How do we practically lay up our treasure in heaven, and not on earth?

Doriani: We lay up treasures in heaven by investing in God’s causes and God’s people. The effects of such investments last forever. We store treasures in heaven by worshiping God, growing in knowledge and grace, and growing in love for God and neighbor. Financially, we store treasures in heaven by using money for kingdom causes, by giving money to the church, to missions, to Christian schools, to the poor [and justice].

By living in true humble godliness, and Christian obedience—by faith and not by sight—we store up treasure in the age to come:

1 Timothy 6:17–19 ESV

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

How do we store up heavenly treasures? Well, in a very real sense, by giving away our earthly treasures. Enjoy what God has gifted you with—but be godly, rich in good works, and extraordinarily generous! Faithful sacrifice is always reward by our gracious God, in the present life in part, but in the next life in full. He will pay you back one hundred fold.

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose - TBD

And Jesus closes this section with a piercing word. Our treasure reveals our hearts:

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Henry: Where your treasure is, on earth or in heaven, there will you heart be. We are therefore concerned to be right and wise in the choice of our treasure, because the temper of our minds, and consequently the tenor of our lives, will be accordingly either carnal or spiritual, earthly or heavenly. The heart follows the treasure. … The heart is God’s due (Prov. 23:26), and that he may have it, our treasure must be laid up with him, and then our souls will be lifted up to him.

Brothers and sisters, we want to be rich in heaven, not rich in earth—we want to be rich toward God, not rich toward self—we want to be rich in glory, and not rich in mist.

And this word from Jesus calls us to self-examination. How is your heart doing, in the Lord? How are your affections? How are your joys and delights? How is your contentment and satisfaction? How is your communion with God? I can answer those questions for you: show me where your treasure is, and I’ll show you where your heart is, and how your heart is doing. Show me where your treasure is, and I’ll show you how your walk with Jesus is going.

If we try to fill the eternal hole in our hearts with temporal things—we self-harm our very spiritual walk with the Lord, by taking our heart away from the One whom it was made for, the One who is unsearchable in His riches of grace and bounties of infinite love. So…

Colossians 3:1–2 ESV

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

We must treasure Christ, who is altogether lovely!

We must treasure Heaven, which is vastly glorious!

We must treasure the Kingdom, which is eternal!

We must treasure the Church, the apple of God’s eye!

We must treasure Faith and Love, the fruit of the Spirit.

We must treasure our Father’s House, which is prepared for us!

Let us bury our true treasure above, delighting in the Lord, and hoping in the NHNE, when all things shall be made new—where rubies are common place, where the streets are made of gold, where darkness is no more—and where corruption and death is a bygone memory.

There, brothers and sisters, in HIM, we must bury our true treasure indeed—and our heart will follow suit. Our treasure preaches what we value and esteem as precious.

And believe me, brothers and sisters, to you who believe Christ is precious indeed! So let’s stop giving our heart to vain things, and offer our hearts to the Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ. And then, and only then, will we actually be able to enjoy temporal gifts, instead of turning them into vain treasures of earth!

(1) We need to Lay up Treasures in Heaven in order to Win our Hearts - v. 19-21.

Let us guard and keep our hearts—by treasuring Christ and all that is in Him and through Him. May God enlarge our affections for heavenly things. But we also need to take care that we shine the light of Christ, and not the darkness of Satan. So secondly, this morning:

(2) We need to Be Full of Light in order to Chase away the Darkness - v. 22-23.

Matthew 6:22–23 ESV

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

(2) We need to Be Full of Light in order to Chase away the Darkness - v. 22-23.

I just want to briefly touch on these verses this morning. I want you to notice the point of the illustration that Jesus is giving. The eye is the member of the body through which light comes. And in this way, your eye is akin to your heart, your mind, your will, and your affections. What you gaze upon—reveals what you delight in—where your treasure is. And so…

If your eye and heart are healthy, you will be full of brilliant light, reflecting the beauty and holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But if your eye and heart are wicked, then you will be full of darkness, and vanity, and selfish pride, captive to the evil one and his schemes.

And Jesus warns—if your eye (which is meant to bring in light)—leads your entire soul into darkness (which can be done via lust, coveting, idolatry, pride, disobedience, and discontentment), then Jesus says: how great is the darkness!

How great is the darkness when people are enslaved to material things.

How great is the darkness when people are addicted to fleeting pleasures.

How great is the darkness when people are bound to pornography.

How great is the darkness when people are enslaved to gambling.

How great is the darkness when people are set on storing up earthly treasures.

How great is the darkness when people are focused on the glory of man rather than the glory of God alone!

How great is the darkness when people choose to live in sin, blinding themselves to the light of Jesus Christ.

In Scripture, light stands for God’s purity and beauty—and darkness stands for mankind’s sinful depravity:

Proverbs 4:18–19 ESV

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

And so the words of the prophet indeed prove true, as do all the words of the LORD our God:

Isaiah 5:20 ESV

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Brothers and sisters, let us guard the lamp of the body, the eyes and the heart—and let us pursue the light of the World, Jesus Christ, and his beautiful face shining upon us as we walk as children of the light—shining into this dark world with the hope of the Eternal Kingdom and City of God! In that place, darkness shall be no more.

JC Ryle: Let our motto be that of Paul: “One thing I do” (Philippians 3:13). Then we shall be happy Christians: we shall feel the sun shining on our faces; heart, head, and conscience will all be full of light. Commitment is the secret of happiness in religion. Be committed to Christ and “your whole body will be full of light.”

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. If you are a Christian, then you are the light of the world. So let’s shine with the reflected rays of the Sun of Righteousness, confessing our sin, clinging to the Cross, walking in the Spirit, and in the fellowship of the saints. Here is true light indeed.

(2) We need to Be Full of Light in order to Chase away the Darkness - v. 22-23.

But there’s one last thing that Jesus mentions by way of our heart’s supreme allegiance and devotion. Not only do we need to store up treasures in heaven, and be filled with the light of the Spirit, but we also need to be supremely devoted to our God:

(3) We need to Devote Ourselves to Loving God in order to Crush Vain Idols - v. 24.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

“No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.

(3) We need to Devote Ourselves to Loving God in order to Crush Vain Idols - v. 24.

What’s the point that Jesus is making here? There is only one Lord, one God, one King, one Judge, one Lawgiver, one Creator, one Supreme—and therefore—we should only serve One Master.

Divided loyalties prove a divided heart—and a divided heart proves a lack of supreme love for the Lord our God (which breaks commandments 1-4 of the Decalogue all at once)—which breaks the greatest commandment (as we fail to love God alone with all our heart) and it reveals our spiritual slavery.

DA Carson: Both God and Money are portrayed, not as employers, but as slave owners. A man may work for two employers; but since “single ownership and full time service are of the essence of slavery” (Tasker), he cannot serve two slave owners. Either God is served with a single-eyed devotion, or he is not served at all. Attempts at divided loyalty betray, not partial commitment to discipleship, but deep-seated commitment to idolatry.

You remember, brothers and sisters, what the Book of James says, don’t you?

James 4:4 ESV

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Jesus, and James, are both saying—you can’t have it both ways. You can’t be a Christian and a Pagan, you can’t be a slave of God and a slave of sin, you can’t be a servant of Christ and a servant of Satan, you can’t be led by the Spirit and led by the flesh. How can it be? If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation! The old has passed and the new has come. A new principle of supreme love for our Triune God has been implanted within you, if you are saved. If you have been redeemed then you are a new man! You are forgiven, cleansed, washed, sanctified, adopted, and made new. And so we must walk in Christ, putting on the new man, walking as bondservants of the Lord Jesus Christ—our sole Master and King!

And then, swinging all the way back around to the topic of money, and treasure, and finances—Jesus says: you cannot serve God and money. In other words, you can’t get it both ways: you can’t bury treasure on earth and in heaven. Its one or the other. It’s heaven or hell. It’s salvation or damnation. Its life or death. So brothers and sisters, we must heed those ancient words of the Lord our God, who calls us to love Him with will all our heart, soul, mind, and strength—and to serve Him alone.

Deuteronomy 30:15 ESV

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.

Joshua 24:15 (ESV)

choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

1 Kings 18:21 (ESV)

And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.”

Henry: God requires the whole heart, and will not share it with the world. When two masters oppose each other, no man can serve both. He who holds to the world and loves it, must despise God; he who loves God, must give up the friendship of the world.

Jesus says—you will either be devoted to serving God or sin, devoted to loving God or money—you can’t have both—so take your pick.

And so I say unto you all, you must choose either to remain in your sin, and bury treasures on earth, which stores up wrath for the day of judgment—or—come to Jesus and find life, peace, forgiveness, and eternal life, storing up treasures in heaven, which can never fade away. Only a fool would remain in his sins.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, let us cling to Jesus Christ alone, our only comfort in life and in death! He alone is worthy! Worthy is the Lamb who was slain! Above all else, Christ Himself is our most precious treasure—have you deposited your living hope and eternal life in Him? Then take heart, and serve Him as Lord for all of your days! And instead of being a friend of the world—let us walk as children of Abraham, of whom it was spoken to him, and to us:

Genesis 15:1 (ESV)

“Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

Genesis 17:1 (ESV)

“I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,

And when we fall, we get up again, we return to the Lord, who has promised grace upon grace to those who belong to Jesus. Blessed hope indeed. So let’s find the joy of the LORD as our strength—and let’s reject all other vain idols and masters.

(3) We need to Devote Ourselves to Loving God in order to Crush Vain Idols - v. 24.

So let us summarize this passage with our conclusion for this morning:

(C) Burying Treasure in Heaven leads to Hearts that are Brightly Devoted to God.

We began our service in Ps.73: whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

Bavinck: “For the saint, heaven in all its blessedness and glory would be void and stale without God; and when he lives in communion with God he cares for nothing on earth, for the love of God far transcends all other goods”

This is the heartbeat of what Jesus proclaimed in our text. May it be written on our hearts indeed, and may it spring forth in supreme love for the High King of Heaven, so that we can sing in sincerity:

Riches I need not, nor man’s empty praise, thou mine inheritance, now and always; thou and thou only, first in my heart, High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art!

Treasure is valuable to our hearts—it wins our heart’s affections. So let’s find our treasure in Christ alone! And let our lives be a living sermon to that which is most precious to us—sunday services, prayer meetings, evangelism days, mens and womens fellowship, the pursuit of justice—let us shine with the light of Jesus Christ!

(C) Burying Treasure in Heaven leads to Hearts that are Brightly Devoted to God.

Amen? Let’s pray.

Discussion Questions:

(1) What are some ways in which we can lay up treasures on earth? And how can we free our hearts from them?

(2) Why must we lay up our treasures in heaven? What does this mean? And why does our heart follow our buried treasure?

(3) How do our eyes lead to light or darkness in our entire being? And how can we guard our eyes from sinful temptations?

(4) Why can’t someone serve two masters? And why is God alone worthy of absolute and supreme devotion and love?

(5) What buried treasure on earth do you need to dig up and burn or give away? And what holes do you need to dig to bury treasure in heaven through Christ? (Go home and ponder in your hearts).