The Most Rewarding Treasure
Matthew 6:16-21
Intro: Aunt "Emma" was married to a tightwad who was also a little strange. He made a good salary, but they lived frugally because he insisted on putting 20 percent of his paycheck under the mattress. (The man didn’t trust banks.) The money, he said, was going to come in handy in their old age.
When "Uncle Ollie" was 60, he was stricken with cancer. Toward the end, he made Aunt Em promise, in the presence of his brothers, that she would put the money he had stashed away in his coffin so he could buy his way into heaven if he had to.
They all knew he was a little odd, but this was clearly a crazy request. Aunt Em did promise, however, and assured Uncle Ollie’s brothers that she was a woman of her word and would do as he asked.
The following morning she took the money (about $26,000) to the bank and deposited it. She then wrote a check and put it in the casket four days later.
-Uncle Ollie couldn’t take it with him- check, cash, or coin. Neither can we. In light of that, let me give you one simple truth to hold onto today.
Prop: Seek God, not things!
TS: We’ve already talked about prayer in this chapter. Well, fasting goes along with prayer and is an investment that brings spiritual dividends. Let’s look at some thoughts on hunger, reward, and treasure.
I. The Expectation of Spiritual Hunger
16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
-Jesus expected His followers to fast: "When you fast...." Was it only because they were Jewish, or is there a broader principle at work here?
-Fasting is a somewhat neglected, yet important way to get closer to God. Here are some things to think about. Jesus fasted. The apostles fasted. Paul fasted. Church leaders fasted (Acts 14:23). Husbands and wives were expected to fast (1 Cor. 7:5). Several other people from the Bible fasted and prayed which should give us a clue to its importance.
-The point to be made here is that those who really desire to know God more fully will do what it takes to get close to Him. One day when the disciples brought food and encouraged Jesus to eat, He said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34). His point? Doing God’s will is more important than even the food we eat.
-Sometimes we show more enthusiasm about what’s for dinner than about what God is saying to us. I’m not here to preach against food. But maybe we need to ask ourselves when the last time was that we really hungered for God.
-The 4th beatitude says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6.
-Hunger brings desperation. There are a number of gory stories about what starving people have done to survive (eating unimaginable things and even resorting to cannibalism). Hungry people begin to realize that their life depends on finding something to eat.
-People who are spiritually hungry will be filled if they will seek the spiritual food from God. The main way to do this is to pray. However, the most powerful way to seek spiritual answers is to fast and pray.
-Fasting was a common practice among devout Jews, but Jesus warned against doing it for the wrong reasons. When we fast for the right reasons, we are rewarded by God our Father- the One Who is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
II. The Reward of Genuine Seeking
17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
-John Piper, in A Hunger for God, writes, "If the reward you aim at in fasting is the admiration of others, that is what you will get, and that will be all you get. In other words, the danger of hypocrisy is that it is so successful. It aims at the praise of men, and it succeeds. But that’s all."
-If we are going to spend any amount of time in prayer and fasting simply so that others will know how spiritual we are, then we are wasting our time. It won’t cause us to be more spiritual. It won’t bring us closer to God. It won’t bring us an answer to prayer. All it will do is make us hungry! Someone said that kind of fasting is like decaf coffee: it won’t wake you up, shake you up, or take you up. To fast for the wrong reasons only leads to spiritual pride.
-So here are some biblical reasons to fast.
1. To worship, love and glorify God
(Luke 2:37; Zechariah 7:5; Isaiah 58:2)
2. To intensify the effectiveness of our prayer
(Ezra 8:23; Isaiah 58:9 Judges 20)
3. To seek wisdom and guidance
(Jeremiah 29:13; Daniel 10:1-3; Acts 13:3, 14:23)
4. To express repentance
(Leviticus 16:29-31; Jonah 3:5-8; I Samuel 7:6; Acts 9:9)
5. To teach ourselves humility and deepen our dependence upon God
(Psalm 35:13, 69:10)
6. To rededicate our lives to the Lord
(Joel 2:12)
7. To intercede for and help spiritual captives
(Isaiah 58:6; Daniel 9:1-21; Matthew 17:21; Mark 9:28-29)
8. To train our bodies to yield to our spirits
(I Corinthians 9:27)
9. To wage spiritual warfare with God’s Holy power
(Matthew 17:9-11)
10. To speed physical healing
(Isaiah 58:8)
11. To overcome strong temptations and strengthen obedience to God
(Luke 4:1-2)
12. To enhance personal devotions
(Matthew 6:16-18)
13. To respond to times of great crisis and seek deliverance
(II Chronicles 20:3-4; Esther 4:16)
14. To express grief
(Judges 20:26; I Samuel 31:13)
15. To express concern for the work of God
(Nehemiah 1:1-4)
16. To devote time to witnessing and soul winning
(John 4:4-34)
17. To share our abundance with others
(Isaiah 58:6-7)
[http://www.broadmoorchurchofgod.org/reasons_fast.html]
-When we fast and pray not for attention, but for results, we will be rewarded with more of God Himself. He will reward us in keeping with His plan for us.
-Speaking of Rewards, let’s look at vv.19-21. God wants to reward us with the treasures of heaven, but we may need to rethink our pursuit of earthly treasures.
III. The Quest for Lasting Treasure (Stop treasuring your treasures.)
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
-In the time of Christ, some deposited their treasures with moneychangers, or at temples for safekeeping. Jesus says to give your treasure to God for safekeeping. If God loses it He has no trouble paying it back. His guarantee is better than FDIC! No investment will be lost or decrease in value when it is invested in heaven.
-Which way are you headed? Try driving a long distance by looking in the opposite direction you want to go. It won’t take long to get off course. The same is true with heaven. If we are looking backwards because our greatest treasures are earthbound, then we may lose our way.
-Dr. John Maxwell is one of the world’s top Christian experts on money. Back when he pastored in CA he had a man in his church who came to him w/ a financial problem. He said, “I used to make $200/wk. and I tithed my $20 faithfully. But now I’m making 10 times that…I’m having trouble turning loose of $200 tithe. It doesn’t seem fair, when most don’t have to give near that. What can I do?” Maxwell pulled him to his knees and said, “let’s pray about it.” Then he prayed, “Lord, my brother here is having trouble obeying you. His problem started when you began blessing Him so much financially…Lord, I pray you’ll bring providentially circumstances into his life that will reduce his salary back to where it used to be, so he can once again obey you!” He jumped up and said, oh no, I can tithe, I can tithe!”
-Tithing isn’t our focus today, but it may relate to that which you treasure.
-A farmer’s cow had 2 calves, one solid and one spotted. He told his wife he felt led to raise them, and give the profit from 1 of them to the work of the Lord. She thought that was a great idea. She asked, which one? He said, “doesn’t matter.” A few days later he came in and said, honey, I have bad news. What? The Lord’s calf died!
-What is your treasure? These verses do not mean that we cannot have earthly possessions. The main concern is to be certain that our possessions do not have us. Earthly treasures are not forbidden, but must not consume our time and energy. What are you laboring for? More food, clothing? A nicer house? A larger bank account? The comforts and luxuries of life? Security? Admiration? These are all fleeting treasures that will leave you bankrupt in heaven. Jesus is saying, “Don’t treasure these things. Treasure the things that last forever.”
-I could make a list of things that last forever, but that will be your homework assignment. Let me just say that it’s all about relationships. The love that you have for God and the things you do out of love for Him – those will last forever. The love you have for people and the things you do out of love for them – those are of lasting importance. Husbands love your wives. Wives honor your husbands. Parents train up your children in love. Kids love, honor, and obey your parents. These are lasting treasures. Give to the poor. Pray for those who are suffering. Help those in need. Teach, train, and disciple those who need guidance. These are all actions of love and relationship that will last forever.
IV. The Direction of the Heart
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
-We’ve already tied in the heart to lasting treasure because lasting treasure will always be about love and relationship.
-Where is your heart today? One way to locate it is to locate your treasure. What is important to you? What do you value most? No matter how we answer that in theory, the best treasure locater is how we spend our time, energy, and resources. What do we think about most? What do we fear losing? What are we protective or defensive about?
-I’m not suggesting that we have to live with our head in the clouds. But if relationship with Jesus is our treasure then our actions and priorities will show it. If our human relationships are part of our treasure, then we will be sure to show the love and grace of God to everyone with whom we have a relationship. Why? So we can gain someone’s approval or earn a merit badge? No. Simply because it is in their best interest to know God.
-Your heart will be where your treasure is. Treasure the things that last forever and invest your whole heart into those things.
Conclusion: The most rewarding treasure is not what people think of me – now or when I’m gone. It is not how large my bank account or retirement fund is. It is not what I possess that will satisfy me, but who I love. Do you love God? Hard to love someone you cannot see, but He will reveal Himself to you if you seek Him. If you begin to love God, then you will be capable of giving genuine love to people. Love is the lasting treasure of the heart that is capable of transport to heaven. So, when you fast and pray, do it in the context of a loving relationship with God. And when you invest, be sure you are investing in that which lasts forever.
[Some thoughts borrowed from Brian Bill, Jeffery Anselmi, Jerry Shirley, Mark Schaeufele, all on sermoncentral.com]
