Where is Your Treasure?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
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.
We are only two lessons away from finishing Matthew 6. With that we will finish the sermon on the mount. Because we have already covered chapter 7 on Wednesday nights for camp practice.
We have learned may things about the sermon on the mount in the last 6 months. We have learned that this sermon was given by Christ to His disciples on a mount, that the over all basic idea of this sermon is how to behave as a true disciple, as a true follower of Christ.
Introduction
Introduction
Think about this hypothetical situation. War has come to our nation. For your safety the government has forced you to leave your home and the comfort of your life. and move to a new place. There is no time to waste. You are only allowed to take a few material goods with you. In fact, only what you can carry in a bag on your back. What are you going to take with you? More importantly perhaps is what are you going to leave behind? What can you live without? Will you risk possible death and ride our the war in your home trying to save all your material possessions, or will you forsake everything and run for your life?
The concern of Christ is this passage is money, possessions, and material things. His concern is that you guard against centering your life around stuff. All the thing that make up security and wealth on this earth. The reason is simply understood: Nothing on this earth will last forever.
Christ wants the True Disciple to center their hearts around Him and heaven, for everything about Christ and heavenly thing will last forever.
This morning we are going to learn about what Christ teaches about your treasure and your hearts. With two kinds of riches, and two kinds of masters. Those things will determine where your heart is.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Two Kinds of Riches
Two Kinds of Riches
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:
Christ gives two kinds of contrast about two kinds of riches.
There are earthly riches.
There are earthly riches.
There are thing on earth that men desire. Christ calls earthly riches and treasures. Earthly riches would be things like: clothes, cars, toys, houses, fame, power, money, and all sorts of other things.
A treasure is that which has value and is worth something to someone. Men take things and ascribe value to them: It may be stone, or rocks, or paper and metal, or land, or influence, or the attention of other people.
Christ says three thing about earthly riches that are important for us to note.
Do Not Focus on Material Possessions
Do Not Focus on Material Possessions
Christ says that a person is not to focus his life on earthly things, not to set his eyes, his mind, his energy, and his efforts on things of this world. Because they will pass away.
Earthly Riches are Corruptible
Earthly Riches are Corruptible
Something terrible happen to everything on earth. Everything ages, dies, deteriorates, and decays. Things are only on this earth for a short time and then goes away.
Earthly Riches are Insecure
Earthly Riches are Insecure
They can get stolen or eaten up
They do not last; they waste away
A person cannot take a single thing with him when he passes from this world.
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
For more than thirty years, archaeologist Howard Carter searched the deserts of Egypt for something that most people thought didn’t exist—the tomb of King Tutankhamen. Most experts believed that everything in the Valley of the Kings had already been discovered, but Carter continued his search. Eventually after five more years without result, Carter’s sponsor, Lord Carnarvon of England, declared that he would stop funding the search.
In November of 1922, during his final season of work, Carter uncovered a hidden staircase near the tomb of Ramses VI. He sent a cable to England which said, “At last have made wonderful discovery in Valley; a magnificent tomb with seals intact.” Carter had indeed located the tomb of King Tut, one of the greatest archaeological treasures every discovered. After months of careful work, the golden treasures of the tomb were cataloged and the first intact royal mummy ever found was removed from the place where it had rested for more than 3,000 years.
Carter’s search was driven by his firm belief that there was treasure to be found, though he could not be certain that he was correct. Unlike Carter, we have an absolutely guaranteed result of success and great reward if we search for the wisdom of God. Notice the certainty of the promise—if we receive God’s Word, if we cry out for it and seek it as treasure hunters do for precious metals, we will surely find what we seek.
There are Heavenly Riches
There are Heavenly Riches
There are thing in heaven that believers desire. Christ calls these heavenly Riches.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Heavenly Riches would be such things as:
A Blameless life
Becoming a true child of God
The Forgiveness of Sins
Wisdom
Understanding the will of God (Having Purpose, Meaning, significance in life).
A constant comforter and Helper, the Holy Spirit of God Himself
Life that is abundant and overflowing
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Unlike earthly things heavenly riches, Christ wants us to focus on heavenly, because that focus bring you purpose, meaning to life, significance to life imaginable.
Think about it.
And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
How much meaning is there in something that passes away? Even while a person seeks after something on this earth, there is an inner awareness that it will not last. There is an end to whatever meaning he finds in it. The earthly treasure may be a car, a job, a trip, a relationship, clothing, position, power, fame, or fortune. The fact is, no matter what the treasure is, it will end and significance in life, is temporary, unfulfilling.
But putting our focus on heavenly things brings all those things!
Heavenly are uncorruptible, and they are secure.
But Christ does not stop us from seeking treasures: He guides the man’s search to real treasure. Heaven is worth more than all wealth this world has to offer.
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Two Kinds of Masters
Two Kinds of Masters
Christ warns that a choice has to be made between two kinds of masters. There are two reasons why.
A man hates one master and loves the other. When both masters call upon the man at the same time, he has to make a choice. He favors one over the other. That means he will reject one of the masters and serve the other.
The man has to make a choice. You cannot sever both
The choice then is this: Will you serve God or this world. God or the flesh.
You will either want to have the things of this world or want heavenly things.
Thousands came to faith in Christ through Moody’s meetings. As he approached the end of his life, he viewed Heaven as something to anticipate. Moody wrote:
“Some day you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal—a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body. I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever.”
Every Christian that has invested his life in eternity can share that attitude toward Heaven.
The Question is which master are you going to serve?
