Sermon on the Mount: Treasures

Sermon on the Mount – Treasures

Matthew 6:19-21

Matthew 6:19–21 ESV

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

1. Introduction – One thing I love about the SM is just how comprehensive it is.

a. In Jesus’ signature teaching about life in the kingdom of God – he leaves no stone unturned.

i. Jesus teaches us about true Christian character in the Beatitudes.

1. He speaks about our dealings and interactions with others when he reinterprets the Laws of his day to bring them more in line with his kingdom.

a. Jesus teaches that our acts of righteousness must be done for God’s glory and God’s glory alone.

i. It is possible to do the right thing in the wrong way.

2. Giving, praying and fasting that is done for the praise and acclaim of humanity is false giving, praying and fasting.

a. And really, we can insert any act of righteousness there too.

i. If it’s the praise of humanity you are after, then you’ll get it, but that’s all you’ll get.

ii. The SM deals with loving our enemies, Jesus speaks to marriage and divorce…it teaches us how to pray…

1. And today we come to a section in the middle of chapter 6 where Jesus begins to speak about our priorities in life…

a. He speaks to our relationship to our possessions.

b. The section we are studying today is a fairly simple passage.

i. I say simple – because it is simple in its structure…3 verses and each verse makes an important point.

1. But even though it is simple it is structure it is rich and deep in its meaning and it is extremely difficult to put these instructions in to practice in our lives.

a. Let’s read the passage together, then I’ll outline the overall structure of the passage, then we’ll do a deep dive into the parts.

i. Hear God’s Word – Matthew 6:19-21.

2. Outline – As I said, the structure of this section is fairly simple.

a. Jesus gives his listeners 2 commands and he makes one concluding statement.

i. First – Jesus gives his listeners a negative command.

1. Don’t store up treasures on earth. And then he goes on to list the reasons why this is a bad idea.

a. He follows up that negative command with a positive one in v.20.

i. Don’t store up earthly treasures…but do store up heavenly ones.

1. And he goes on to explain why storing up heavenly treasure is a good idea.

ii. And in v.21, Jesus makes a statement about the condition of the human heart.

1. Jesus knows the human heart – he knows we are prone to get attached to things.

a. We are prone to focus on certain items, or certain trends or a certain person or profession…

i. But in v.21 0 Jesus tells his followers that whatever you treasure, focus on, dream about, fret about…that is ultimately where your heart will be…

1. More than that…your heart will naturally draw you to that object.

2. The implication of this statement is that we as Christians are to be focusing on God’s ways – we are to focus on heavenly treasures that will last forever.

a. So that’s the passage in broad sweeping strokes…

i. Now, let’s look at it in detail.

3. Don’t – In teaching his followers about a proper relationship towards possessions, Jesus first gives a negative command.

a. Don’t store up earthly stuff.

i. If the goal of your life is more and more and more and more…

1. If all you think about is how to attain more clothes or more guitars or more tools and books…whatever…

a. It can be a good thing, or a neutral thing…but if the sum total of your life simple boils down to accumulating more stuff…then your life is being wasted.

ii. Look what Jesus says about the durability and sustainability of earthly treasure.

1. Jesus says that earthly treasure is subject to decay.

a. It can be ruined by vermin, destroyed by nature, or stolen by thieves.

b. We have to remember what life was like in the ancient world.

i. Life was heard, it was precarious…and even if you had nice clothes or nice things…there was no guarantee they would stay nice.

1. If you had nice clothes…a moth would love to feed on it.

a. Or if you owned some precious metal objects…with no climate control…no way to control moisture or humidity…

i. Metal objects would tarnish or rust.

2. And when Jesus talks of rust, he is really speaking about any thing that would destroy things.

a. Natural disasters…flood, famine, locusts…mice, rats…fire.

i. A couple years ago I had a fire in my shop. I lost all my tools but a handful of hand tools and my table – the rest, along with the building was a complete write off.

1. Fire is a destructive force that wipes things out in a matter of minutes.

ii. But even if you live on the high ground, have a sprinkler system in place, set mouse traps…that doesn’t stop thieves from breaking and stealing your possessions.

1. In the ancient world, banking was in its infancy…and people didn’t trust it.

a. So money was kept at home, or was tied up in goods…

i. Homes didn’t have security systems…making them easy targets for thieves.

c. What Jesus is saying here is that earthly possessions are perishable, temporal and transient.

i. Here to today and gone tomorrow.

1. Now, in our world, we don’t really worry about moths or rust destroying our possessions.

a. Moth balls take care of the pests…WD40 takes care of rust.

i. I spray a protective coating on my tools with cast iron tables so they don’t rust…

1. In our world, it seems like earthly treasures are a little more stable.

a. But Jesus’ words hold true – they are still perishable.

ii. One down turn in the market – and your retirement savings could be depleted.

1. Poor financial decisions could lead to ruin.

a. Hackers could access your personal information, you could get caught in an online scheme.

i. You could still have a fire that destroys everything.

1. Even today, though we don’t fear moths and rust, earthly treasures can be lost or destroyed in any number of ways.

d. Now, before we move on to look at Jesus’ positive command…I want to make one point of clarification.

i. Jesus isn’t condemning earthly possessions.

1. He isn’t saying that his followers shouldn’t own things, can’t have earthly possessions or money in a savings account.

a. Remember – it is the love of money, not money itself, that is the root of all kinds of evil.

i. And even here, Jesus isn’t prohibiting stuff – but the love of stuff.

1. Jesus warns against storing up earthly possessions as if they have ultimate importance.

2. The preacher in Ecclesiastes can also help us here.

a. He tried everything in order to find fulfillment. He built houses, he worked hard, he didn’t work heard, he tried sex, having a good reputation, power…he tried various philosophical outlooks…

i. And evn though he tried to find fulfillment in all of those things…he places them all into the same category.

1. They are all vanity…like chasing after vapour…

a. They are all cursed with the same affliction – temporality.

i. Here today, potentially gone tomorrow.

3. Ultimately Jesus drives home the point made by Job…

a. Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall go to the earth.

i. In other words – you can’t take anything – any earthly treasure, with you into eternal life.

ii. Jesus stresses that his people are to make deposits now into eternal life…

1. We are to be focused on matters that will have lasting consequences.

4. Do – Don’t store up earthly treasures…they have no eternal value…

a. But DO, Jesus continues…store up heavenly treasure.

i. Jesus tells his followers that heavenly treasure is unaffected by the disastrous forces on earth.

1. Moths can’t touch deposits made in heaven.

a. Rust can’t ruin heavenly treasure…

i. And thieves can’t steal whatever is in the heavenly store houses.

b. The comparison is stark – what’s of more value – things that are perishable and here today but gone tomorrow?

i. Or things that are imperishable and last for all eternity?

1. Or if I can refer to eternity this way – how important will money of earthy treasure be to you in 50 billion years?

a. Answer…not very!

i. When we look at the comparative durability of the 2 options, we see clearly where our focus and priorities should be.

1. Or…as we’ll look at in just a bit, where our heart should be.

c. So let’s look at this heavenly treasure.

i. I think it’s important to first make note of what heavenly treasure isn’t.

1. Jesus isn’t teaching a sort of doctrine of merit.

a. As if we could accumulate merits by our good works done on earth as a kind of credit account in heaven so that we can draw on them.

i. That idea is nothing more than works righteousness and trying to earn more of God’s favour and love…the more you do on earth, the richer you’ll be in heaven.

ii. So not a works-based righteousness or salvation – not a system of merits and demerits…

1. What is the heavenly treasure that we are to be storing up? And how do we store them up?

a. Well, heavenly treasure is the development of a Christlike character.

i. It is increased faith, hope and love.

1. Heavenly treasure is a faithful witness so that others hear about the good news of salvation through Jesus’ blood.

a. It is the use of our money and possessions for kingdom purposes.

i. Do you see how moth and rust and thieves can’t touch those things?

iii. We store up these treasures up by belonging to God’s kingdom and by living according to the kingdom’s priorities.

1. Paul writes in Colossians 3:1 – that since we have been raised with Christ, we are to seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

d. But here’s the beautiful thing about the heavenly treasure that Jesus speaks of…

i. We don’t have to wait until heaven to enjoy them.

1. Yes, on the new earth, when everything is made new and we live in the house of God forever…

a. We will perfectly live in and do God’s will…

i. We will be like Jesus…

1. But even in the here and now…we can still experience the benefits of heavenly treasure.

a. If you give to kingdom causes, you have the joy of watching ministries flourish.

i. We see the kingdom of God grow and expand to the ends of the earth.

b. If you increase in faith, hope and love, then you enjoy great intimacy with God.

i. You will trust him more…you will see the future with hope instead of despair.

1. And you will love God and neighbour with the kind of love you didn’t even know was possible.

ii. And if you develop in Christlike character – then you light will shine brightly – and others will see your good works and glorify you Father in heaven.

1. So when we compare the durability of earthly possessions over against heavenly treasure – it’s not really a contest at all.

a. We should be investing in things that have eternal rewards, not focusing on things we can’t take with us or can be destroyed.

5. Treasure and Heart – And in v.21, Jesus makes a concluding statement.

a. A statement about the nature of the human heart.

i. Where your treasure is…there you heart will be also.

1. Remember what the Bible means when it says heart.

a. For us, the heart is an organ that pumps blood…it’s the seat of emotion.

i. But in the 1st century, the heart means the core of a person’s being.

1. The real inner person…the source of a person’s spiritual, emotional and psychological life.

ii. And Jesus warns his listeners…his followers today…that our lives will drift relentlessly towards our treasure…because our heart will take us there.

1. Jesus knows that we tend to move towards and object on which we fix our gaze.

a. So, the implication being…if we fix our gaze on earthly treasures…we will constantly be drifting from one thing to another.

i. From one trend to another trend…

1. From one object to another…accumulating stuff…so that we can accumulate more stuff…cause enough is never enough…we will always need more.

2. Where your treasure is…whatever you focus on, whatever your goal is…whatever you dream about…if you treasure material goods…that’s where you’ll be drawn.

b. That is not way of a follower of Jesus…that’s not how we are to live our lives.

i. We aren’t to be fixing our gaze on stuff…we are to fix our gaze on Jesus.

1. If our heart will draw us towards what we treasure…then we must treasure Jesus most of all.

a. If we are going to drift relentlessly toward our treasure…then we have to treasure God’s kingdom and its purposes.

ii. That’s why Paul tells us to set our minds on things above…not on earthly things.

1. Why Jesus tells us to store up treasures in heaven.

a. Why the writer of Hebrews tells us to fix our eyes our Jesus.

i. We are to relentlessly pursue the ways of God.

1. Train ourselves to develop a consistent and deep love for God’s kingdom…

a. Unswervingly adopt loyalty and kingdom values and delight in what God approves.

c. Where is your treasure? Where is your heart leading you?

i. If it is towards earthly things, then I implore you to drop things things…let go of them…

1. And being chasing after those things that have eternal benefits.

a. And if you are already chasing after heavenly treasure…

i. I encourage you to keep going! Keep seeking!

1. Keep fixing your gaze on Jesus and reap the blessings that benefits that he will pour out on you.