Treasures in Heaven
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· 58 viewsOur ideas about giving must be rooted in the understanding that this life is temporary and our giving here will be enjoyed forever in eternity
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Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Jesus fameous and revolutionary teaching referred to as the “Sermon on the Mount”
Interesting facts about this sermon:
Fact 1
Fact 2
Fact 3
Why was his teaching so revolutionary?- because Jesus challenged the idea that a set of standards and rules - the prevailing legalistic mindset - was to be overtaken by a radical idea - the grace of God!
How did it differ from what these Jews had been taught to think all their life?
What was the prevailing mindset that he was challenging?
Homeletical Idea & Rough Outline/Observations
Homeletical Idea & Rough Outline/Observations
The passage we are focusing on is really more about trust than treasure! It is also more about service than sacrafice of substance! If we can trust God with our eternal souls then we can trust God with our temporary substanitive needs.
Observations
1. The temporary nature of our earthly possesions and resources “moth and rust” - “thieves…steal”
We invest heavly in security - locks, cameras, gates, walls - we naturally want to protect what we have
Illustration: Growing up in Sidney, MI vs living in Phoenix, AZ - never locking our doors vs having stuff stolen right out of my garage
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Observations
Observations
2. The eternal nature of heavenly posessions “treasures in heaven”
There is quite a contrast between what will decay and what will persist
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
3. There is a connection between our hearts and our holdings!
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For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Why do we pay such close attention to our bank account balances?
Why do some people care so little for the things of God and some care so little?
Illustration: Working for Aon - A publically traded company - Quarterly earnings calls - what types of questions are being asked and why? Those asking the questions have much invested in our company - explain market capitalization and the total wealth of large organizations that sell shares - why are their earning published, scrutinized decisions of leaders??? Because where your treasure is there will your heart be also!
The Bible mentions the heart of man over and over in Scripture
As much as the Bible mentions our hearts the Bible also mentions our money
Martin Luther said, “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”** We can have faith in Jesus Christ because He sacrificed everything—His life’s blood. He suffered the pain of every sin that man could imagine . . . What richness there is in Him.
4. The heart will eventually manefest itself in how we live “the light of the body is the eye”
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
There is no way to serve God while remaining self sufficient
Our personal resources are tools that God gives us to live, but can become a danger when we rely on and trust those resources above God’s provision and supply!
What Jesus is actually saying here is that trust in our riches/resources can extiguish our fire for God!
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
5. The mind will instinctively fret over the material needs of our life and we are commanded through the spirit to trust God with these needs. “take no thought”
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:25
6. A final word about our priorities “seek ye first the kingdom of God”
Introduction
Introduction
The Importance of the Sermon on the Mount
The sermon on the mount was addressed to people with heavenly rather than earthly hopes. The discourse, while embodying the laws of the kingdom as the Mosaic code embodied the national laws of Israel, was not meant for Jews as Jews. It was meant for people who had been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. No natural man - however sweetly dispositioned, however zealous and sincere, however well-motivated and well-intentioned - can keep the sermon on the mount. Only Jesus did that.
Jesus took the Mosaic law, passed it through the prism of His glorious mind, and broke the light of the law into its primeval colors. Then He lifted everything from the earthly to the heavenly, from the natural to the spiritual, and placed it far beyond all human reach. "That is how people are to live in the kingdom," He said in effect. Obviously only people born again of the Holy Spirit, people indwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit, can live that kind of life. "Christ in you, the hope of glory" is the key ()
- A. Ederscheim
Christ’s Emphasis
Jesus is calling us to invest in eternity. There is nothing on this earth that can compare to the eternal dividends that will be ours if deposits are made with our temporary resources. Make no mistake, God want’s you - he wants your whole being. He desires a personal relationship with you and I and he desires our worship and adoration. Since the connection between our hearts and our treasure is so distinct, there is no way to separate our relationship with God and our relationship with our material possessions.
Transition
Transition
As we look at this section of the sermon on the mount I want to draw our attention to 3 important principles concerning our treasure.
I. The Principle of Storing our Treasure
I. The Principle of Storing our Treasure
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
“lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Illustration: The recent events in the last few days in West Michigan (ice storms that have left many without power for days) have made me think about more thorough storage of goods needed to survive!
Example: Joseph in Egypt - he tells Pharaoh to store food during the good years in order to avoid starvation in the famine that was to come
We have an instinctual desire to hoard our resources
A. The Caution - “lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth”
A. The Caution - “lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth”
Earth is a place of decay - completely corrupted by the stain of sin (Moths, Rust, Thieves)
Illustration: Growing up in Sidney, MI vs living in Phoenix, AZ - never locking our doors vs having stuff stolen right out of my garage
Illustration: Growing up in Sidney, MI vs living in Phoenix, AZ - never locking our doors vs having stuff stolen right out of my garage
B. The Command - “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”
B. The Command - “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”
The opportunity that is before us....what we do with our treasure on earth will have eternal implications
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
2 Cor 9:
Illustration: Growing up in Sidney, MI vs living in Phoenix, AZ - never locking our doors vs having stuff stolen right out of my garage
* There will be no corruption with our heavenly treasure
There will be no corruption with our heavenly treasure
C. The Core Issue - “where your treasure is there will your heart be also”
C. The Core Issue - “where your treasure is there will your heart be also”
Illustration: Working for Aon - A publically traded company - Quarterly earnings calls - what types of questions are being asked and why? Those asking the questions have much invested in our company - explain market capitalization and the total wealth of large organizations that sell shares - why are their earning published, scrutinized decisions of leaders??? Because where your treasure is there will your heart be also!
Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.
Why do some care so little for the church/the things of God? - they have no treasure invested there!
God is not looking for some sort of ritual payment of our treasure to keep us in his good standing as it is clear that he desires our heart, mind and soul. However, what we do with our treasure is a clear indication of the condition of our heart!
First we looked at the Principle of Storing our Treasure now notice...
II. The Principle of Serving with our Treasure
II. The Principle of Serving with our Treasure
“no man can serve two masters”
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Jesus said our service is selective - we cannot have both God and Money! We can either serve with our treasure or we can serve our treasure but ultimately We must choose
Joshua challenged Israel to choose...
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
A. Serving Mammon
A. Serving Mammon
The prevailing mindset of the world around us is to get as much as you can as fast as you can
Money and possessions permeate every aspect of our society
B. Serving the Master
B. Serving the Master
Jesus plainly taught that an improper priority with our finances is basically the same thing as idol worship!
The Principle of Storing our Treasure…The Principle of Serving with our Treasure and finally.....
III. The Principle of Security apart from our Treasure
III. The Principle of Security apart from our Treasure
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
A. The Concern
A. The Concern
“take no thought for your life”
“eat…drink…rainment”
Here Jesus addresses one of the most common of sin - the sin of faithlessness
B. The Consideration
B. The Consideration
Behold....Consider....
The Illustration
“the fowls of the air”
Behold....Consider....
Illustration: Some years ago two scientists decided to estimate the total number of birds on the planet. The number they came up with was 200 to 400 billion individual birds. Compared to 5 billion people, this amounts to about 40 to 60 birds per person.
How much bird seed do you think it would take to feed all of these birds for even a day?
A small little cardinal eats 1/2-1lb a bird seed a day
at just .50$ a pound the richest man on earth cannot feed the birds for even a day!!!
C. The Charge
C. The Charge
“seek ye first the kingdom of God”
God promises to meet our needs if we will make his work our priority!
Conclusion
Conclusion