Assurance Of The Imperishable Treasures In Heaven Through The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ Series

Assurance of the imperishable treasures in heaven through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

Dr. Madana Kumar, PhD

I understand that the theme for this chapel during April is “Sharing with the Needy” based on the bible verse Luke 12:33. So let us start by reading Luke 12:33

Luke 12:33 (NKJV) Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.

There are two parts to this verse. One is about giving alms. The other one is a compelling reason why we need to give alms. This morning allow me to focus on the second aspect; the compelling reason why we should give. In this verse, Jesus is asking us to not to focus on perishable treasures, but to focus on imperishable type. He is saying, give away all the perishable wealth you have, and ensure a treasure in heaven that is imperishable.

All of us have experiences with our refrigerators, right? Fridges are getting bigger and bigger. The problem with bigger Fridges is this. More stale food stored for more time. If we keep a perishable fruit at the back of the refrigerator and then forget about it , what will happen? . Soon, the fruit will perish, and then we will be forcibly be reminded of it when the smell hits our nostrils when we open the fridge. You are a medical fraternity, so you will understand the perishable nature of things easily. When I visited the Ortho recently he told me that my knee pain is caused by natural wear and tear of the knee joint. At my age, I am having all the B’s associated with the natural wear and tear of the body. I am close to becoming bald, I have bridges in my teeth ( I have false teeth). I wear bifocals, and I have a bulge in my stomach. This is because the body that I invested in for so long in my life is still not imperishable. It is a perishable commodity. Immaterial of how much I take care of my body, there is a perishable nature to my body. We understand that. Jesus is asking us through this verse, not to put our trust in perishable things like money bags that grow old, or things that can be stolen, or things that can be eaten away by moths. Instead He asks us to give alms to the others and needy so that we can build our treasures in heaven, treasures that do not fail.

If Jesus had just said this and left it at that, it would have a been a good advice and nothing more. But the fact is that Jesus did not leave it at that. He did not just mean it as a good advice. He meant business, as in the case of all teachings of Jesus. I am going to quickly examine few reasons how he meant business when He advised us on this.

1. He promised that He is going to take care of it personally. Jesus knew that He was going to suffer on the cross and die. He explained that to His disciples, and when the disciples were disturbed about it, He comforted them in John 14:1-2 (NKJV) "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. This is a clear promise about him going to be with God, His father. And the fact that He is personally going to heaven to make sure that all who believe in Him have a place there.

2. He wrote a Will before his death leaving all His imperishable treasures to us. All of us know the importance of a Will, in a person’s life when he/she is about to die. A Will is a legal document that bequeaths (leaves) all the wealth a person has to someone else after the person’s death. I have done a study on the whole Chapter of John 17 to establish that Jesus actually did write a Will leaving all his wealth to us. And what was His wealth? What inheritance did He leave us? Jesus describes the inheritance beautifully in John 17:23-26 (NKJV) I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." In these verses, Jesus is leaving a phenomenal inheritance , an assurance that his followers will be with Him in heaven and can behold the Glory of God. That is an awesome inheritance to have isn’t it? He is not leaving any perishable inheritance, but leaving an imperishable inheritance of an assured place in heaven with His Father.