Where Your Treasure Is.....

I want to start off first thing today, reading from the gospel of . So, if you have your Bibles, please turn with me to this passage and read along with me.

Matthew 6:19–23 NLT

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

This is a fairly familiar passage to many of us and I will come back to it in a few minutes.

I have really been thinking a lot over this past week about “what we treasure”, or another way of saying it, is “what we value.”

Do you ever stop and really think about what and how and why we value things, people, places, etc.

In other words, why and how do we assign degrees of value to certain things, that we will not assign to others?

Many people in the philosophical realm ascribe to the belief that society and one’s cultural beliefs, are the determinants of one’s value system.

And yet another realm in philosophy and economics, clings to the concept that, large and in part, we, as individuals, determine or decide the value of our goods, our services and our time.

And as individuals, we then make our own choices and use our own beliefs to ascribe, or assign values to things in our own lives.

When you and I are making decisions about the value of things in our lives, we then call this function, “subjective value”.

And my subjective value in comparison to yours, about objects, money, time and family, is going to vary per person, right?

Some of you may place great value upon a particular brand of clothing and yet, I am more inclined, because of my thought patterns, to say that most of the clothing comes from a factory in China, or Indonesia, or Taiwan and the clothes are all about the same and so I do not see the value in spending $85 on a shirt when I can go to the VF mall next door and get one of the same style and color for $25!

I value things differently than you!

You like potato and I like potahto You like tomato and I like tomahto Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto. Let's call the whole thing off!

It’s OK to look at the value of something differently in the natural/physical sense, because we look at things with different mindsets and value based structures, right?

It’s like the older gentleman who was telling his neighbor, "I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it’s state of the art and the best brand name around. It’s perfect!" "Really," answered the neighbor. "What kind is it?" "Twelve thirty."

In talking about the value that people place upon things, listen to a few of the crazy things that people have purchased off of the well known auction website, eBay:

A grilled cheese sandwich with the face of Virgin Mary

Sold for a staggering $28,000 in 2004, the grilled cheese sandwich is said to have magical powers and was left untouched by mold for more than a decade, according to the woman who made it.

A haunted rubber duck

Another haunted item actually sold on eBay: a rubber duck that, according to its owner, had the power to possess children. The seller said that he would “not be responsible for the duck after shipping. He will not field questions or help to explain its unusual mystique”. The duck sold after a week, making him a profit of $107.50.

A Dorito shaped like the Pope’s hat

The item was sold for $1,209 in 2005.

Britney Spears bubble gum

A woman sold a piece of bubble gum that Britney Spears had chewed and spat out at a concert at Wembley Arena in 2000. The winning bid was $14,000.

Justin Timberlake’s half-eaten French toast

The toast was sold for $1,025 in 2000 when the singer left it behind after an interview with a New York radio station.

A ghost and his walking cane

A woman told the story on eBay of her 6 year old son who was afraid that the passing of his grandfather, the woman’s father, would leave his ghost in the house and he was thus scared. So, the woman told him that she would sell “grandpa’s ghost” on eBay and thus get rid of him. Since eBay stipulates that you must actually be selling a good or service, she included the grandfather’s walking cane as part of the package. In the end, the “ghost” and his cane, went for, $65,100!

And this last one is more in line with the value system that I am looking at today, our eternal value system. An 18 year old girl, who was trying to earn money for college, auctioned off and sold her virginity to the highest bidder!

Fortunately, the winning bidder was a businessman who kindly gave to her the money that she needed without actually taking the service offered!

But I want to look at VALUE today and what we, (you and I), truly VALUE in our individual lives!

You know, as a society, we look at the value of an object through the lens of price/cost.

This value system, based upon the cost of the item, came about because, as our nation grew, early on, people demanded more and more goods for their homes and for their lives.

Well, until the end of the 19th century and going into the 20th century, there was not a way to mass-produce quality goods for public demand, so, you had skilled artisans who handmade things for people to purchase and these handmade items were of a higher quality and people recognised this quality and were willing to pay for it.

At the turn of the “industrial revolution”, however, companies could mass produce quality items at a fraction of the cost, in comparison to individually made items, and thus sell them for less.

Today, that has escalated into everything, pretty much being mass produced and with a lower cost associated with it.

But, with this lower cost and mass production scale, there has also come about the mind-set, that lower price and even, “free”, equates to cheaper quality and thus, LOW VALUE!

In other words, once something is everywhere and easily accessible and with little to no cost, then it is perceived as having no real value any longer.

Case in point, when Christopher Columbus, early on in his explorations, encountered and brought back to the Europe, the pineapple, people went nuts over it.

However, since it was very costly to retrieve and bring this fruit back to Europe, and since it was in extremely HIGH DEMAND, it became very expensive to purchase one.

In fact, only royalty could afford them. A single pineapple, in the 17th century, in current US dollars, was selling for, just under $7,000!

A Scottish earl, in 1761, built an actual temple in honor of this amazing fruit, called the Dunmore Pineapple. Also, the south tower of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, was topped with a depiction of the pineapple, because of people’s love and value for it!

Then, at the end of the 19th century, two things changed: 1) Large commercial plantations of pineapples emerged all over Hawaii and 2) The advances of steam ship technology, made the cost of transporting pineapples to Europe low and the availability of the fruit high!

Do you know what happened to the value of the pineapple in Europe?

It absolutely plummeted. No one, especially in royalty, desired it any longer and it was no longer served at social gatherings.

Today, at Food City, you can buy a whole pineapple for under $4.

What happened with this once highly sought after and highly valued item?

It became COMMON and to many people’s eyes, once something is common it becomes less valuable.

Same fruit, same flavor, same shape and smell and color, but dramatically decreased in its value, because it was no longer hard to get!

I know that you didn’t come here this morning to receive a lecture on economics and the how’s and why’s of the law of supply and demand, but please, indulge me just a little longer, as I am making a point about this.

I watched a young man this past week in a video, speak about his purchase of a set of shoes. He stated that he had been wanting this particular pair of shoes for some time and had thus saved up to get them.

When he went to the store to purchase them, he was astoundingly shocked to find that the shoes were on sale for only $20 a pair.

He thus bought a pair and left in great joy!

He wore the shoes for a couple of weeks and loved them so much, that he decided that he should go back and buy several more pairs at that price, so as to have an ample supply of them for the long haul.

When he returned to buy more pairs of this particular shoe, much to his chagrin, he was saddened to see that the price of shoes had returned to their original $80 price.

He purchased a pair at this price anyway and left with them.

Over the next few weeks, he noticed that he seemed to take better care of and value the $80 pair, more than the $20 pair; EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE THE EXACT SAME BRAND AND STYLE OF SHOE!

Same color, same style, same size and fit and comfort, same manufacture and brand and logo, etc. Nothing was different except the price paid.

His point was this, we tend to value the things in life more, which we have invested more into.

“We tend to value the things in life more, which we have invested more into.”

Now take that statement and let’s place it alongside of the passage that we opened up with and the words of Jesus.

“We tend to value the things in life more, which we have invested more into” and “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Do you see it? Whatever you treasure, whatever you find of the greatest value in life, there you will find your heart. (That is, you will find your will, your thoughts and mind and your emotions, all tide up in and INVESTED in that thing; that treasure!)

You find the greatest value in that which you have invested the most into!

Jesus said not to store up for ourselves treasures here on earth, where moth and rust can come and destroy and thieves can break in and steal, but rather, we should store up for ourselves treasures in heaven.

And what is this treasure that we are to invest ourselves into that carries over into the eternal?

Is Jesus telling us that we can do something here that will translate into riches in the eternal kingdom of heaven? That is, can we literally do something here that assures us riches of material things such as gold and crowns of gold laden with jewels and luxurious mansion and the like?

This is the way that mankind has translated it and the way that many teach it, but it is far from what we are to focus on.

Jesus said in verse 24 of that passage in Matthew, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

Here is the point of what He is saying to us. You will either treasure your relationship with God and revere it as supreme, over everything else in your life, or you will try to combine it with equal, if not more zeal, for the cares of this world. In doing so, you are ultimately putting God second and thus you despise Him and would rather have the world and the things of this world!

Is Jesus saying that it is wrong to have things? No, in fact, we are to work in this life on earth in order to provide for ourselves and our families and to be able to help each other, just as the Proverbs gives accolades to the ant for its diligent work in storing up for itself provisions for the winter months.

Proverbs is speaking of provisions for life and living, here on earth, not for feeding our desires for wealth and notoriety and the like and also for desiring to have these things in heaven as well.

The main PRIZE stored up in heaven for the believer is clearly described by Paul in . In this passage the Apostle Paul tells us that he freely gave up everything in this life, (his accolades and power and earthly authority and wealth), he gave these up and counted them as manure, for the prize, the treasure, the very thing that he found the most value in for all eternity; Jesus the Christ and and an eternal relationship with Him.

Jesus, Himself, is the prize that is be our goal in this life, to spend an eternity with Him! The things that we strive to attain here in this life and on this earth, will stay here and never enter into eternity with us. You will work your whole life to acquire things here, only to die and then hand them all over to someone else.

It is what the great and wise Solomon called, “Vanity of vanities.”

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Ecclesiastes 2:1–11 NLT

I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

Now listen to the wisdom of Solomon in his closing statements of Ecclesiastes, in the 12th chapter, verses 13-14. He says, “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.”

What we are doing right now, is determining what awaits us in the eternal! Whether good or bad!

If our desire, here on earth, in this life, is to do the things that are pleasing to God in His eyes and within His will, then those things will translate into rewards that will be with us throughout eternity.

If it is truly your will, here on earth, to serve Him, totally and completely, then you will have the desire of your heart given as a reward for all eternity!

This can be, in part, getting to hear the Lord say to you before all the heavenly host,as you stand before Him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” and then, your heart’s desire on earth is fulfilled in heaven, as you receive “your full reward” , as John says in and are given your place of servitude to Him and within His eternal Kingdom and with all fullness of joy that will go with it!

Now some of you may say, “Well that doesn’t sound like a REWARD, being a servant for eternity!”

Understand this: everything that you and I are doing as true followers of Jesus , here on earth, right here and RIGHT NOW, is mirroring our life in the eternal and what we will do for eternity.

And if you truly VALUE the treasure of serving the Lord here on earth, then being placed in an eternal position, near Him and serving under Him, with all fullness of joy, will be the greatest reward known to mankind!

If you do not treasure serving Him here and doing His will, COMPLETELY, then you will lose that reward for eternity.

There is another possible reward that we will face in heaven and that is, getting to see the souls of people brought into the kingdom through our work as a servant while on earth!

It is the parable of the “talents” that Jesus gave.

“To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.”

Your treasure is thus, likened to your attitude toward your possessions. If the desire of your heart is to invest your time and resources while here on earth, into COMPLETELY doing the will of God, then it will translate into your treasure in heaven!

You see, we are called to be SERVANTS of God; sons and daughters yes, and yet still “servants” of the kingdom.

Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, came to this earth to be a servant to all.

If the Son of God came to be a servant to those around Him, and thus show us that a humble servant was what is truly valued in the kingdom of heaven, why would we ever think ourselves to be above or any better than that of a humble servant?

And why would we thus invest our lives into anything other than a life pursuant to the one which He has modeled and called us into?

Our value of the kingdom and our relationship with Jesus should not vary day to day based upon how much of Him we will allow in to our daily lives. We should run on a full tank of Holy Spirit and the Word.

We shouldn’t be like one of the statements that the comedian Jeff Foxworthy made about value, ““You might be a redneck if... the blue book value of your truck goes up and down depending on how much gas it has in it.”

There are many reasons that we all can give as to why we invest our lives into so many other things than our relationship with Jesus, but I will say to you today, that probably the biggest hindrance and also the root to every sin that we have ever or ever will commit, is the PRIDE of self!

Listen to me carefully church, this one thing, PRIDE, is the blinders upon many of our eyes that keeps us from seeing and valuing the true treasure of the kingdom and serving the Lord in the manner to which HE has called us to!

When pride rears its ugly, filthy head, openly and defiantly, without any hesitation, inside of a building such as this in which we gather to worship and praise the Lord, then I know that it is operating unbridled in people’s lives.

When visitors come into a church and walk in and sit down in the sanctuary for the first time and make ready for the service, only to have someone from the church walk up to them and say, “Excuse me, you’re sitting in my seat”, then there is a huge problem that exists!

It shouldn’t matter if your belongings were already there, release the seat to them in humility, gather your belongings, thank them for coming and then go find another seat, there are plenty to go around. No one has an assigned seat in the church house. Be a blessing to that person instead of pouring out the curse of pride upon them. When a person’s actions are the one and only cause of someone else never coming back into the church building again, then it was wrong and it was the sin of rebellion being unleashed in the church! Keep in mind exactly what Jesus, himself said, “But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

As the shepherd of this flock, understand my heart folks, I love each one of you and I want to see each of you living within all of the blessings of the kingdom and truly investing your lives into it, as it is the greatest of all treasures, BUT I will not tolerate open PRIDE being displayed in the body of Christ is NOT GOING TO BE TOLERATED!

God is clear that HE opposes pride in our lives and that He wants us to walk in humility, esteeming others needs before our own. When you refuse to do that, then you are acting in rebellion and the Word of God says that REBELLION is as the sin of witchcraft!

This is something that is not going to be tolerated, at least as long as God allows me to shepherd His flock!

Folks, walk in love and humility, always seeking to do the will of God and not our own! AMEN?!

Our values can change in the natural sense, as things happen that will draw, or allure us in different directions, that is, towards other treasures.

For example, there was a sheriff in a small town in Texas, where a series of bank robberies had taken place and a large sum of money had been removed from that small western town. The sheriff got a lead that the robber was just across the Mexican border and in a small tavern and that his name was Jose Rivera. So, the sheriff went into Mexico and into that certain small town and into that certain tavern and walked up to bar tender. The bar tender asked him, “Can I help you”, to which the sheriff, (who, by the way, was a rather large and intimidating man) said, “I am looking for a man who has robbed several banks in my town and his name is Jose Rivera.”

The bar tender, who could have really cared less and saw no value in helping the sheriff said, “Do you see that man at the end of the bar, at the corner table?” The sheriff answered, “Yes, what about him?”

The bar tender said, “That is Jose Rivera; the man that you are looking for. But I must warn you, he doesn’t speak any English.”

The sheriff said to the bar tender, “No, but you do, so you will interpret for me!”

They walk to the corner table and the sheriff says to the bar tender, “Ask him if he is Jose Rivera?”

The bar tender looks at the man and says, “He want’s to know if you are Jose Rivera?”

The man answers, “Yes, what about it?”

The bar tender turns and says to the sheriff, he says, “Yes, what about it?”

The sheriff says, “Tell him that I need to know where every penny is located from all of the banks that he has robbed from us. I need to know where he has stashed every cent of that money and if he doesn’t tell me where it is and how I can find it, and get it back, then I am going to shoot and I mean shoot and I mean to shoot to kill!”

The bar tender to Jose and says, “He says that if you do not tell him where every penny is, of all of the money is that you have stolen from all of the banks from where he lives and how to find it, then he is going to shoot and he means to shoot to kill!”

Jose pauses and then says, “Tell him that if he walks out of the bar and turns left and goes about 100 yards, there is a well. Right beside that well is a very large tree. As he is walking towards that tree, if he will begin to dig down, about three feet deep, he will find a large encasement built out of concrete. Inside of the encasement, are all of the bags of money that I have stolen from all of the banks. Tell him to take it and get out of this town and leave me alone.”

The bar tender turns to the sheriff and says, “Jose Rivera says.........................Jose Rivera says, go ahead and shoot!”

Let me close with thought that goes all the way back to Garden of Eden and the fall of mankind. (READ PAPER THAT I HAVE WRITTEN)

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What are you investing your life into today friend. What do you truly value and treasure. Just like the young mans said of his shoes, “We only value those things that we have truly invested in.”

Is that how you see your relationship with Jesus? Is your relationship with Him the greatest treasure in your life?

HE LOVES YOU AND PROVED IT BY GIVING EVERYTHING HE HAD TO SECURE YOU and yet you can still walk away from Him!