Our Treasures

Our Treasures

If you remember the movie, “Castaway”, with Tom Hanks, he plays a character named Chuck Noland, who survives a plane crash, but gets stranded on deserted island for four years. One of items that survives along with Chuck is volleyball, out of which he creates a friend, paints face on it, names it Wilson.

As movie goes on, it becomes evident how important Wilson becomes to Chuck - it gives him sense that he’s not totally alone, that when he’s talking, to talking to somebody else.

Longer he’s on island, greater sense of urgency he has to get off - starts debating the decision to leave with Wilson. As Chuck debates leaving island on raft (great risk), Wilson becomes voice that’s urging him to stay - Chuck gets angry with Wilson, kicks him out of cave (literally) - immediately regrets it, goes running after him, fearful that he’s lost his friend.

While Chuck is making his escape attempt on raft, he gets caught in terrible storm at sea. Next morning, we find Chuck waking up, raft battered and Wilson has fallen off raft and is drifting away on ocean. Chuck leaps into water trying to rescue him, screaming “Wilson!”

Remember watching that scene for first time, fear rising up within me, thinking he was going to drown trying to save a volleyball. Let it go! But he keeps trying after it, getting further away from raft.

Finally, he realizes he can’t save Wilson, struggles back to raft, I’m sorry, Wilson, I’m sorry.

Moving part of this story, speaks to power of what we’re going to look at this morning, idea of treasuring. The things - the people - the ideas - that become deeply valuable to us. Grab our hearts - like Wilson had become for Chuck.

Exactly what Jesus is going to teach about next in his message to his followers on Galilean hillside.

Last week we started looking at first of two warnings Jesus gives us that derail us from having heartfelt love for all. First was Jesus’ warning against seeking admiration of others (audience of many versus Audience of One)

This week, another warning, hearts will be captured in another way - wrong treasures.

So, as we’ve done throughout our series on what it means to have Kingdom Hearts, two foundational principles

First is core question of being human, what does it mean to be good? For Jesus, to be good is to have heartfelt love for all others, God first, and right along with that, all others, friends and enemies.

Second, we learn how to be good, how to have true inner goodness, from Jesus himself. He is Master Teacher. He loved perfectly and can teach us how. So, we want to listen to his words and put them into practice.

Prayer / Matthew 6:19-24

Treasuring

Jesus addresses our treasures because Jesus knows that we are treasuring beings. God created us, formed and fashioned us, he knows exactly how we operate.

To treasure is natural part of being human. We admire and appreciate and value things

And we do so often because they are valuable, worthy of admiration.

Sometimes we do it because they have special meaning for us - item that’s connected to important relationship or its a particular memento we keep because of cherished memory.

And we all do this, we all treasure, we all place value on things.

Children have their trinkets, often that hidden stash of their little treasures (might look like junk to us), or that favorite stuffed animal.

True for people even in desperate life circumstances - those who are in imprisoned or homeless.

Often things we treasure are not necessarily material things - we might place great value on our reputation, or relationship, group or organization we’re part of.

There’s wonderful intimacy, connection, when someone shares their treasure with you - when that child lets you hold that favorite stuffed animal, or friend shows you their special collection they’ve taken years to amass.

Jesus, as always, honors our human dignity. He recognizes our treasuring, how essential it is to us.

Point of Jesus’ teaching here is not whether or not we should treasure - the question is what we treasure. Where are your treasures?

Jesus is teaching about this because our treasures have everything to do with our hearts, and Jesus is deeply concerned about our hearts. He knows that’s very center of who we are, and he wants us to have hearts that are truly righteous, filled with genuine, generous love for all others (Kingdom Heart)

Jesus lays out two basic choices here in regards to our treasures - are we storing up treasures here on earth or are we storing up treasures in heaven?

For Jesus the clear choice is to store up treasures in heaven. He’s quite clear on this point - do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. Instead, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.

Question, as always, is whether we are willing to hear what Jesus says and put it into practice. Which, in this case, would mean, laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven.

I want to lay out three points here about laying up treasures in heaven - first two have to do with reasons why we should lay up treasures in heaven as opposed to treasures on earth, and third thing I want to cover is what this means, what does it look like to store up treasures in heaven.

Why Treasures in Heaven?

First reason why Jesus teaches us to store up treasures in heaven has to do with security of those treasures. Which treasures are truly secure?

Dallas Willard makes interesting point that locked box we put valuables in we call “safe”. Idea being, of course, that in that box, they are safe and secure.

We want our treasures, things we value, to be safe and secure.

That’s why we protect them, hide them, put them under lock and key.

Chuck Noland diving into ocean away from his raft trying to save Wilson, his treasure.

We naturally want to protect people we love, work to keep our children safe (wear your helmet, no playing in street). We just voted to put couple of speed bumps into our neighborhood.

Much of motivation to wear masks (hopefully) is to prevent spread of coronavirus, especially to those who are most vulnerable to it.

More and more homes have some sort of video surveillance, like “Ring”

Children hide their treasures in their room, can’t trust your brother or sister.

At one of local intersections, big old vinyl sign, full color, picture of lost cat. Family eager to find pet they treasure.

All these examples speak to why Jesus warns against laying up for ourselves treasures on earth.

Because earthly treasures, by their very nature, are finite. They are unreliable. We cannot hold on to them.

Jesus gives example of moths and rust destroying because cloth and precious metals were two of primary sources of wealth in ancient world. And they were prone to destruction! And prone to theft.

And that’s true of our wealth, our treasures. That’s why we put them into safes. Hide them. Make elaborate passwords. Set up security systems. Put in speed bumps.

But these treasures cannot give us lasting joy or security or fulfillment, contentment we hope they will.

Because they do get stolen. Or they break. Or we just get tired of them.

I know couple that years ago bought huge house, it was a dream home, house that says, we made it! But now, years later, with severe illness and looming divorce and not having taken very good care of house, it’s become big burden to them as they plan to sell it. Just want to get rid of it!

I Am Second video that was part of Faithlife newsletter this past week, Amanda Jane Cooper tells her story - her big dream as little girl, her “treasure” was to star as Glinda in musical Wicked. And she made it, all way to Broadway. On stage, performing in front of audiences who would give standing ovations. But she was dying on inside. Eating disorder. Drugs & alcohol. Promiscuity. Her treasure couldn’t give her what she was deeply needed (until she found true treasure, Jesus).

That’s because our treasures have to do with our hearts. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Laying up treasures on earth, if that’s where our hearts are - will leave us broken-hearted. Because we cannot hold on to them. There’s no real security there.

That’s first reason Jesus gives us - earthly treasures are utterly unreliable.

Second reason has to do with our hearts as well - and what treasuring wrong things does to our hearts.

Jesus uses analogy of eye as lamp of body to teach this.

He says that if our eye is healthy (word can also mean generous, pure), then whole body will be full of light

Vice versa, if eye is bad, unhealthy, stingy, whole body is full of darkness. And if your body is full of darkness, Jesus says, that’s bad, darkness is great!

So what heck is Jesus talking about here?!

One way thieves steal from stores is by swapping out price tags- place tag with lower price listed on it onto item that’s worth more.

That’s what we do, but in reverse. We put higher price tags on things that are less valuable.

To be clear, that isn’t to say we shouldn’t value things - or even other people or organizations - problem is that we overvalue them. We get values of items disordered. Things that are less valuable we treat as more valuable and vice versa.

You might think, what difference does it make - if it’s valuable to me? It’s important to me?

But what Jesus is teaching us here is that what we treasure has direct impact on our hearts (where your treasure is, there your heart will be also)

That’s whole point of eye / body analogy. The idea is simply this: what we look at, what we focus our eyes on, impacts us deep inside, our souls. We’re directing our hearts in that direction - toward some object, what we deem as success, lifestyle we want.

As Dallas Willard says, life organizes itself around our hearts (which is very center of our being, our will. Life flows from heart, giving orientation to what we do). To quote Willard: “A heart rightly directed...brings health and wholeness to whole personality.” Reverse is true - heart wrongly directed brings disease (dis-ease) and brokenness to whole personality.

This is why what we treasure matters so much. Again, Willard: The person who treasures what lies within the Kingdom sees everything in its true worth and relationship. (in other words, they get price tags right).

But treasuring earthly things always distorts that. Moves us into darkness. We don’t see everything in its true worth and relationship. We get price tags wrong.

People will get involved in ministry or movement, start with good intentions - serving others, bringing about justice. But then subtle shift happens, they start treasuring movement more, organization, its reputation or survival - and they lose focus, harm others in their willingness to protect that (think about churches or organizations covering child sex abuse, justice system hiding evidence of wrongdoing to keep their conviction).

If I treasure my comfort, my security, my rightness, my freedom, it will distort how I value and treat others. Treasuring wealth, things, will always hinder my generosity and compassion toward those in need.

Extreme example is addict - drug addict who sells their body to get that high or gambling addict who lies and steals from family members so they can get that big win they just know they’re going to hit.

Person so determined to achieve that goal, that career success will devalue others, often their own family, certainly their own soul

As Willard says, we end up in dark about everything. “You are simply, lost.”

That’s why Jesus warns us against laying up our treasures on earth. Not only are they unreliable & insecure - but laying up treasures on earth impacts our hearts in unhealthy way, moves us away from having heartfelt love for all others because our hearts are bound up with wrong treasures.

Right treasures, of course, are treasures in heaven. But what does that mean? How do we lay up treasures in heaven?

Simplest answer is that we treasure God above all else - knowing him. Being with him. Glorifying him. Enjoying him.

This is essence of what we do in worship (or what I hope we’re doing in worship). We simply treasure Jesus. Our eyes (and therefore our hearts) are directed toward him (and we’re filled with light!)

We sing unto him. Two friends of mine from college (married to each other) posted video on Instagram of mutual friend and his family on their front porch playing ukuleles and singing a song they had written. It was clever and fun and you can bet they felt well loved. Singing songs of praise is one of ways we treasure Jesus.

We treasure Jesus by quieting ourselves before him and taking seriously his words and his wisdom. We listen and obey. Obedience is an act of love, You are my friends if you do what I command you (John 15:14).

Think about idea of spiritual disciplines - we treasure Jesus by centering our lives around him. We put these practices, habits, into our lives so our attention is focused on him.

Take time out of my day to sit quietly with Jesus, reading his word, reflecting, listening, sharing my heart, confessing. I could spend my day doing other things (and when I’m treasuring things more than Jesus, I do).

Practice of Sabbath is not just about not working in order to rest (it is that), it’s to stop to be with Jesus. Jesus, I treasure you so much that I give this day to be with you.

Fasting - often giving something else up, so that it will not be primary treasure in our lives. Lord, you alone are my master, my Lord, my treasure. I’m willing to give up anything and everything for you…even chocolate.

I hope you’re beginning to see why Jesus says that we must choose between laying up treasures on earth or treasures in heaven.

As much as we might be tempted to think we can, we cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve master of money (or any other master) and serve God.

Why very first commandment God gave Israelites (and us): You shall have no other gods before me.

Only way to properly serve material goods - which is to say, to value them, to use them well - is for sake of God. Under his Lordship. With God as our greatest treasure.

Dallas Willard says that we cannot but serve our treasures. They fill our dreams. Does Jesus fill your dreams? Does idea of simply being with him, is that what you long for? Do you desire God?

One way it becomes evident in our lives is that treasuring God above all else naturally leads to treasuring what he treasure.

God, of course, treasures his creation. World he so beautifully fashioned for us. When we treasure God, we care for it well.

And of all his creation, other people, those created in his image. So we devote ourselves to good of others (which is exactly what God is doing. We lay up treasures in heaven when we invest our lives in God and what he is doing).

We sow seeds of love. We sow seeds of Gospel. Exactly like Paul talks about in Galatians 6:8-10.

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

To sow to our own flesh, that’s to treasures ourselves, our desires, our inclinations - earthly treasures.

To sow to Spirit is to treasure God above all else…and that leads to doing good to everyone, starting those among us right here.

By the way, treasuring God leads to treasuring ourselves, rightly. Because Father treasures us. We are of immense value in his eyes. Valuable enough for Jesus to lay down his life for. You are precious indeed.

Last thought…do you remember the short story by O’ Henry, the Gift of the Magi? Written in 1905, it features young couple, Jim and Della, just starting out in life, barely scraping by.

Christmas is coming and in spite of all her penny pinching, Della doesn’t have enough money to buy Jim a proper gift, which she longs to do. So, she decides to cut her greatest treasure, her hair, long and beautiful, it went down to her knees. With money, she buys Jim chain for his greatest treasure, gold pocket watch given to him by his grandfather.

Jim comes home, she’s so excited to give him her gift. Of course, he sees her short hair. He’s strangely quiet about opening gifts. She soon finds out why. Turns out he sold his prized possession, his watch, in order to buy her ornate set of combs.

When I first read that story years ago, I was so disappointed, it had such tragic sense to me. But now that I’m older, and a little wiser, I realize how wonderfully it speaks to true treasures, what it looks like to treasure right things. Exactly what Jesus is teaching us here, if we’re wise enough to put his words into practice.

Let me end with final words of The Gift of the Magi, magi being those wise men who brought their treasures to Jesus:

And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ga 6:8–10). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.