“19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:19-21)
Introduction
The recent events and turbulence in the United States financial market as well as that of the world should be a wake up call to all Christians (and non Christians alike) as to where we should place our priorities as regards treasures. In this message we shall examine Biblical teachings on treasures. Particular attention will be given to what our Lord Jesus Christ said about attitude to treasures. It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will open our eyes of understanding and grant us the grace to make investments that will yield heavenly and eternal dividends.
Outline
1. Covenant on Treasures
2. Categories of Treasures
3. Collecting Heavenly Treasures
4. Conclusion
Covenant on Treasures
Treasures, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary, are valuable or precious possessions of any kind. The Bible has a lot to say about treasures. God is the giver of treasures because He owns them. When Joseph’s brother suddenly found the money they paid for buying grains returned into their sacks, and were afraid, Joseph’s steward said unto them “--, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks ---“ (Gen 43:23). The book of James makes it clear that God is in the business of giving good and perfect gifts (James 1:17). The best treasure gift offered by God to anyone who will accept Him is salvation through faith in His Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16). This treasure of salvation is a covenant the Almighty God has made to any one who will accept its terms. Salvation is the “mother” of all treasures and once received, it can give birth to other treasures depending on our desires, efforts and God’s discretion. This notion is evident in Matthew 6:33 which declares “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Hear what Apostle Paul says in Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Therefore, treasures are part of the covenant God has for us as His people. This is the reason why the Almighty God Himself declares in Isaiah 45:3, “And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel”. My prayer is that every hearer and reader of this message will receive divine treasures from the Almighty God in Jesus name.
As the custodian of all good things, God not only gives people treasures, He wants each person to be a treasure unto Him. He told the Israelites (and is telling us today), “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5). Beloved, God says each one of us can become very valuable to Him as a treasure. Notice the importance of obedience in attaining this status. The Bible says if we are willing and obedient we shall eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). Treasures are part of the good of the land and they are designed for those who will follow God’s covenant agenda regarding treasures. Listen to what Deut 28: 12 has to say about treasures and obedience “The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow”
Categories of Treasures
There is no one more qualified to give counsel on treasures than Jesus Christ. He knows the in and out of treasures. In His human nature, He started interacting with treasures at his birth. Matthew 2: 11 records that the wise men that visited our Lord Jesus Christ at his birth “opened their treasures (and), they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh”. Furthermore, the Bible says in Him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”.(Col 2: 3). According to Apostle Paul, Jesus Christ was rich (2 Cor. 8:9) and His riches are so much that they are unsearchable (Eph. 3:8).
Jesus Christ identified two categories of treasures based on where they are stored up (geographical location) and eternity status (spiritual value). He then provides appropriate counsel on each. The first category, which we can call “earthly treasures”, are those that are laid up (or stored up) on earth. They are temporal and transitory because they can be lost through destruction by moth or rust, or by theft. Examples include money, houses, cars, clothes, jobs, etc. Is Jesus saying we should not work hard to acquire assets and other properties? Absolutely not. His counsel is that we should not make the acquisition of these earthly treasures our preoccupation to the detriment of loving God with all our heart and living our lives according to the principles in His word. In other word these earthly treasures should not become the object of our worship. Instead they are to be used as means to worship God who created them and avail us of them. If we have the right perspectives about God and render Him due benevolence, He will add these treasures to us according to His divine judgment. This is the point of Jesus Christ in Matthew 6: 33.
The second category of treasures, according to Jesus Christ, consists of those we may describe as, “heavenly treasures”. Unlike the earthly treasures, heavenly treasures can not be lost due to corruption (or destruction) by moth, and rust, or due to theft. They are located in heaven and are eternally secured. Examples of these heavenly treasures include divine crowns (2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Pet. 5:4; Rev. 2:10), mansions (John 14:2; Mark 10: 29-30), gold (Rev. 21:21), etc. They are the kind Jesus Christ enjoins us to lay up (or store up) for ourselves. In the same token Apostle Paul advises Christians to “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth”. Any heavenly-focused Christian ought to pursue these heavenly treasures with passion, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:21).
Collecting Heavenly Treasures
Allow me to use the phrase “collecting heavenly treasures” as an analogy for laying up treasures in heaven. It is possible to convert secular and transitory things to spiritual things that will have eternal values. If we know that heavenly treasures are far superior to earthly ones, what can we do to have a collection of treasures that will await us in heaven? While such a ‘to do list” can be very long, I wish to group them into the following six areas: Salvation, Sanctified Living., Sowing (Giving), Soul winning, Serving and Studying God’s word.
Salvation
The best treasures you can lay in heaven are the treasures of salvation. No matter how much treasures are piled up in heaven, you can not enjoy them unless you make it there. The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ (John 8:46). Accept Him today by confessing your sins and ask Him by faith to save your soul (1 John 1:8-9; Romans 10: 8-9). Then you would have laid the foundation for laying up treasures for yourself in heaven.
Sanctified Living
To be sanctified is to be made holy, set apart from sin and consecrated unto God. Christians are called upon to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to live a holy life that will be acceptable unto God (Romans 12: 1-2, 1 Pet 1:15). In fact, it is the will of God that you live a sanctified life (1 Thes. 4: 3-4). Obeying God and doing His will is one way Christians can store up and have access to heavenly treasures. Remember, God said, He will honor those who honor Him (1 Sam 2:30).
Sowing by Giving
Sowing in terms of giving is one of the most direct ways of laying up treasures in heaven. This point is clearly borne out in the conversation Jesus had with a young rich man who asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus Christ told him to keep the commandments. The young man replied that he has kept the stipulated commandments since his youth and wanted to know what else he lacked. Jesus Christ told him, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven ---“ (Matthew 19:21. The young rich man who was not willing to part with his great riches went away sorrowfully. Unlike this young rich man, any one who will lay up treasures in heaven, must be willing to invest his/her earthly resources to attract heavenly dividends or treasures. In Luke 6:38 we are told that when we give, we shall in turn be given. The law of harvest applies also to spiritual things. The quality of your harvest will be determined by the quality of the seed you sow (2 Cor. 9: 6-8, Gal. 6:7). Your tithes, offerings and other forms of giving are collecting treasures for you in God’s kingdom. God may even allow you to begin to draw from these treasure collections even while you are here on earth according to Malachi 3:10.
Soul Winning
Another way Christians can collect treasures for themselves in heaven is by winning souls. The primary reason Jesus came into the world is to save lost souls (Matthew 18:11). Initially, He recruited 12 disciples to assist him in this process. After becoming a follower of Jesus Christ, Andrew went and recruited his brother Simon (John 1:40-41). Later on in His ministry Jesus Christ sent out seventy followers two by two to go and tell others about the kingdom of God (Luke 10). Evangelism was the heartbeat of Jesus Christ. This is why he commissioned his disciples (and any one who will follow him) to go into the world and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). The Bible says we are to be imitators of God. If Christ won souls Christians must pursue soul winning with passion.
Soul winning will attract treasures in heaven. In Rev 22:8 Jesus declares “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be”. The reward in this reference will include treasures such as crown of rejoicing that will be given to soul winners (Thes. 2: 19 – 20). From Daniel 12: 3 we can infer that soul winners will receive treasures that will make them shine like stars for ever.
Service
God is very interested in receiving service from His people. The primary reason God gave why Pharaoh should let the Israelites go out of Egypt was that they might serve Him (Ex. 7:16; 8:1, 20). Furthermore, “-- to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul”, is one of the four things God said He required of the Israelites (Deut. 10: 12). Why does God want to be served? Because He is God and He created all things for His pleasure (Rev. 4:11). Furthermore, God wants His people to serve Him so that He can bless them. This is evident in Ex 23: 25-26: “And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee----“.
Serving the Lord provides another great opportunity for Christians to lay up treasures in heaven, given that every service rendered unto the Lord shall be rewarded. In this regard, Jesus Christ declares in Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works”. In addition, Apostle Paul said that when we serve the Lord whole heartedly, we shall receive the reward of the inheritance (Col. 3: 23-24). The reward both Jesus Christ and Paul are referring to here are heavenly treasures that can not be destroyed. Therefore, as the Psalmist suggests, Christians must serve the Lord with gladness (Psalm 100: 2a). Ample opportunities abound in the Church and outside the Church to render service to God. Prayerfully ask God what he will have you do to spread the gospel, taking into account your gifts, talents and skills. Talk to your Pastor to help you identify in which ministry you can be most effective: Prayer, Choir, Ushering, Youth, Women, Men, Hospitality, Evangelism, Cleaning, Sunday School, etc. Whatever you choose to do, do it faithfully as unto the Lord realizing that your labor of love will not be in vain (1 Cor 15:58), it will attract treasures in heaven for you.
Studying God’s Word
The word of God is very powerful (Heb. 4:12). Therefore, studying God’s word and doing what it says is very paramount in knowing how to store up treasures in heaven. The Psalmist declares “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119: 105). Thus the word of God can fundamentally influence every other action we take. Hence investing quality time in studying the Holy Scriptures is one of the most profitable ways Christians can accumulate treasures for themselves in heaven. Given that the word of God eternal (Psalm 119: 89, Luke 21:33) any time and efforts put in to studying it will attract God’s approval (2 Tim. 2:15) and receive eternal dividends. I wish to enjoin you to enrich your self in the word of God according to Apostle Paul’s counsel in Colossian 3:16). Some of the ways you can accomplish this include using a daily devotional, family daily prayer (family altar), active participation in Sunday School, Bible Study, Read through the Bible in a Year, memorizing scriptures, etc.
Conclusion
Treasures are valuable assets created by God and meant for human possessions. Two categories of treasures identified by Jesus Christ are those stored up in heaven and those stored up upon earth. The fundamental difference between the two is that earthly treasures are transitory in that they can be easily lost without recovery while heavenly treasures are beyond the reach of agents of destruction and therefore have eternal values. The counsel of Jesus is that we should invest in heavenly treasures. Any acquisition of treasures such as money, houses, jewelry, cars, family, jobs etc that become object of worship instead of means of worshipping and serving God also poses a great danger of permanently separating one from the Almighty God. Such an individual become possessed by the treasures he/she is supposed to possess. To avoid this outcome your acquisition of treasures must be heavenly focused. The best way to store up treasures in heaven for yourself is to possess Jesus Christ (the Mother of all Treasures) as your Lord and Savior. Therefore, if you have not given your life to Jesus Christ before, accept Him today by confessing your sins to Him and asking Him to forgive you and accept you as His child and give you the power to live the rest of your life in obedience to Him. For those of us who have already given our lives to God, let us continue to store up treasures in heaven by intensifying the practice of sanctified living, sowing seeds by giving, soul winning, serving and studying the word of God.
