Rewards and Treasures
Matthew 6:19-21 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. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Intro: Some of you have heard about Aunt "Emma." She 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: Treasure God, not temporary 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 Quest for Temporary Treasures
Matthew 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
(Stop treasuring earthly treasures. They won’t last.)
-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.”
-As I consider what is really valuable in life, naturally I think of my family as one of the first things. That is an acceptable value in our society today. Family first! And yet as much as I love my family and am pro-family to the core, we need to understand that our love and devotion to family should not even come close to our love and devotion for the Lord! When Jesus spoke of commitment to His disciples, He told them that anyone who loved even one’s own family more than Him could not be His disciple. Whatever you invest in your relationship with Jesus will not be lost. Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the better part, (spending time with Him) and that it would not be taken away from her.
-You can’t take it with you! We’ve all heard that, but do we really believe it? What do we spend most of our life capital doing? Working, making money, buying stuff, wishing we had more, working more to pay for what we bought on credit. We are consumed with the desire to accumulate more and more, but it never really satisfies. Work is good. Making a living is good. But when we pursue wealth or anything this world has to offer, as our primary treasure, we will come up empty, disappointed, and poverty-stricken in our ability to love and be loved.
1 Timothy 6:7-10 … we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
-Let’s not go down that dead-end road. Let’s seek what is worth giving our lives for!
II. The Quest for Lasting Treasure
Matthew 6:20 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 providentially bring 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!
-Today’s verses are preceded by words about prayer, giving, and fasting. Jesus spoke about a reward that comes with each of these pursuits, as long as we are not trying to get paid on the side by currying the good opinion of people. All other rewards are cancelled when we pray, fast, or give in order to be seen by others. However, when we pray, fast, and give in order to honor and obey the Lord, that is part of what I believe it means to lay up treasure in heaven. These all relate to our relationship with God! Love!
-No prayer that is prayed in faith (in keeping with God’s will) is ever lost. It is a spiritual and lasting investment that God is fully aware of and loves to respond to. So keep on praying, keep on fasting, keep on giving to those in need, keep on sharing the love of Jesus because you are storing up treasure in heaven when you do so!
-I could make a list of things that last forever, but 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.
III. Treasures of the Heart
Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
-Buried treasure, buried heart. Precious stones as treasure, maybe a heart of stone. Treasure in bank accounts – a heart that loves high numbers. Treasure in pleasure? A heart bound up in self-centered living. Treasure in the approval of others? A chameleon heart that doesn’t know its true color.
-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 dream about? What do we always wish we had more of? 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 give and receive His love, 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 and give 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]
