Treasures in Heaven
Matthew 6:19-33
I. Impermanence of Stuff (Moths, rust and thieves)
a. Stock market crash: Oct. 29, 1929 Depression began in US and spread throughout the world. Rich folk were made poor overnight. People committed suicide. Jobs became scarce. “In Chicago, a crowd of men fought over a barrel of garbage – food scraps for their families. 13 million were unemployed by the end of 1932. Children left school to support their families while many of their fathers were unemployed, having no choice but to be supported by sub-standard pay earned by their young children.”
b. “You can’t take it with you”…but its even more fleeting than that
i. Stuff decays
1. Moths are sneaky
2. Rust is silent
ii. Stuff takes time and energy
1. Moth, rust…and DUST
iii. Stuff flies away
1. Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. (Pro 23:4-5)
a. “Where’d the money go?”
c. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. (Joh 6:27)
i. After the elements melt the only thing left will be this.
II. Impositions of Stuff (cannot serve God and mammon)
a. Riches are deceitful
i. Riches are not intrinsically evil
1. Laying up treasure is part of our nature and is not prohibited, but rather encouraged, by our Lord – but in Heaven rather than earth
2. Wesley: “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”
3. Bible says wisdom leads to wealth
4. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (1Ti 6:17-19)
5. A problem when riches own you
a. Jesus – hard for the rich to enter
b. Heart follows treasures and treasures follow heart
ii. Riches aren’t what they’re cracked up to be
1. The best things in life really are free
a. One said the reason we don’t enjoy the sunrise more is because its free
b. Love
c. Health
d. Life itself
e. Spiritual things
2. We are spiritual beings living in flesh
a. Food and clothes = cause for contentment
b. The richest man in the world can’t enjoy more than these
c. Pursuit of riches leads to spiritual poverty – deceitfulness of riches
3. Riches can only do what riches can do
a. Relationships are paramount
b. Covetousness separates us from God and man
i. The duty of remembering the poor
1. whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? (1Jo 3:17)
ii. Covetousness = Idolatry (Col. 3:5)
c. Riches will become your master if you let them
i. Gambling – grandmother busted for trafficking
ii. Compulsive spending or hoarding – get all you can, can all you get
iii. “Money is a good servant, but a poor master.”
iv. Manager vs. Owner
III. Immensity of God’s Providence (your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things)
a. No need to worry about future supplies
i. God knows the future
b. God provides for parts of creation which are not eternal
i. We are worth more
1. Proof? Redemption
c. Trust God rather than “uncertain riches”
i. Don’t let money be your security
R.G. Flexon: While wife and I were praying together, God told us to go borrow $200 and give it to a person to go to GBS. They went to the school and after school to the mission field to serve for years.
At the time, our salary was $10.00 a week. Living in patched clothes and doing without many things we really needed we were able to pay off $150 at the end of a year. The day the note came due we had $45 in the bank. We went to prayer. After praying for three hours God spoke and said, “If you want that other five dollars, you go down in town and go to a certain street and a certain number and you will get your five dollars. Immediately after lunch, I went to town, found the street and number. A tout lady, whom I did not know, came to the door in response to my knock. She asked if my name were Flexon. When I told her it was, she left, but in a few seconds she returned with a five dollar bill. As she handed it to me she said, as she was praying that morning, God told her a man by the name of Flexon would be there that afternoon for five dollars.
if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. (Psa 62:10)
Vs. 33 Seek the kingdom!
Let Christ expel all the buyers and sellers from your temple
