In 1799, twelve-year-old Conrad Reed, skipped Sunday School to go fishing. He found a place to fish along Little Meadow Creek on his family’s farm in North Carolina. While standing by the creek, young Conrad saw what he thoughts was a “yellow rock shining in the water.” With some effort he pulled it out of the water and noticed that it seemed to be some type of metal and not stone. The large wedge-shaped rock weighed 17 pounds! He lugged it home and showed the rock to his father, Mr. John Reed. He too thought it was pretty cool. But he was unable to identify what it was. Well, it was shiny and heavy so immediately it became a doorstop at their home. There the shiny rock sat for three years almost unnoticed, while the Reed family tended to their farm.
In 1802, Mr. Reed decided to take the interesting rock to someone in a nearby city to see if they might know what it was. He showed the “doorstop” rock to a jeweler in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The jeweler recognized the metal immediately and asked Reed to leave the nugget with him so that it could be refined. Mr. Reed still had no idea of its worth and he named his own price and accepted $3.50 in payment for it. Estimates have placed the value of the gold in the rock even to approximately a hundred times as much as that.
So how do you feel when you hear that story? Perhaps we wonder how John Reed could have been so ignorant of what gold looks like and what it was worth. Even over two hundred years ago. We may also be shaking our heads at the fact that he sold a 17-pound gold rock for $3.50! (Oh, by the way at current gold prices, the rock would be worth around $895,000.) And then there is the jeweler. While we may think the Fayetteville jeweler was a crook and a cheat, he knew treasure when he saw it. He recognized that the rock was gold, and he knew what gold was worth. Also, in fairness to him he did offer John Reed whatever price he wanted for that golden stone.
Mr. Reed wasn’t the first person, nor was he the last, to not recognize the value of something. We hear stories like that all the time. People sell something or give something away not knowing its true value. In our Gospel Lesson for today we heard Jesus’ instruction to his disciples about recognizing what is most valuable and what is less valuable. Jesus gave his disciples a way of looking at the possessions of daily life. To most people they seem so valuable and so important. But Jesus opened their eyes worldly things as they really are and spiritual things as they really are.
There’s a phrase in the middle of our Gospel Lesson where Jesus expressed how his followers would be tempted to “set their hearts” on things of little value. If they did that they would not “set their hearts” on what is priceless. Then in the last verse of our Gospel Lesson Jesus uses similar words but in reverse to say that what we treasure will be where our heart goes. Let’s use the idea of what our heart treasures as the theme of our sermon today. May God the Holy Spirit help us to:
“SET OUR HEARTS ON HEAVENLY TREASURE”
I. Live Free of Worry Over Worldly Things
II. Use Worldly Things for God’s Kingdom
For most of the summer we have been progressing through Luke’s Gospel. Bible scholars have pointed out that Luke gives us a “travel narrative” where Jesus made His way to Jerusalem. That’s found from Luke 9:51–19:27. That’s ten chapters of Luke’s Gospel! There are some teachings, parables, and events that only Luke shares that deepen our understanding of what it means to be one of Jesus’ disciples. He also shares and understanding of the true nature of God’s Kingdom.
Chapter 12 of Luke’s gospel is part of a larger section dealing with serious warnings given by Jesus. He warned his disciples against hypocrisy, against trying to hide their faith in order to avoid persecution (12:1–12). He warned them against setting their hearts on worldly riches and pleasures (vv. 13–21) which could destroy their faith. That’s the Gospel Lesson for next Sunday. Then in our Gospel Lesson for today Jesus warned his disciples against being worried about earthly needs (vv. 22–30) and missing out on the value of God’s Kingdom.
I.
Worry over worldly things is definitely a thread that runs through our Gospel Lesson. If the disciples focused on the material things of everyday life they would be in a state of constant worry. “Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.” Living a life free of worry over worldly things begins when we see those things as they really are. Yes, material things are necessary, but they don’t define life. They are temporary, perishable, and passing.
To make his point clear Jesus used some examples from other parts of creation that the disciples could notice. Our Gospel Lesson continues, “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” What is true of birds is true of most other creatures. They don’t grow crops and they don’t have pantries, refrigerators, and freezers. No. Each day billions of critters look for food for that day. They don’t worry about tomorrow. Jesus reminds us that we are much more valuable to God than all of creatures in the world. We are invited to trust in God’s promises. In that way we begin to set our hearts on heavenly treasure.
Jesus continues. “25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” When we realize every day, hour, and minute that we live is a gift from God it changes the way we look at worldly things. God gives us life and he will provide all that we need for the life he gives us. That too helps us live free of worry over worldly things.
A pastor in a very large congregation in a very wealthy community gave a powerful and passionate sermon on how Christians are to view their possessions. He declared, “Nothing we have is ours.” And he told the generally well-off members of the congregation, “all that we have belongs to God.” This sermon didn’t sit well with one member of the congregation in particular. The man was a successful surgeon. He had retired from a career that paid him very well and he was wealthy. Since he took offense at what the pastor had to say the pastor asked if he could visit with the man at his home the following week. The man invited the pastor to his lovely suburban home. It had a beautifully landscaped yard and pool area. Many bedrooms and many bathrooms. Some might even call it a mansion. As the doctor took the minister on a tour of the estate, he asked pointedly, “Did you mean what you said in your sermon Sunday? Do you mean, the doctor said, with a wave of his hand, “that all this is not mine?” The pastor simply smiled and replied, “Why don’t you ask me that question fifty years from now?”
Isn’t that the point? It really doesn’t matter what we have now, because in the end, what really matters is our relationship to God. We’re going to leave all our worldly things behind when we die. And that’s why Jesus described our greatest treasure as being in God’s Kingdom. And that’s why we ask Jesus to set our hearts on heavenly treasure.
Jesus offered one more illustration to make his point about living a life free of worry over worldly things. 27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.” Wow! There’s nothing like telling it like it is! Once again, the way to live free of worry over worldly things is to not set our hearts on those things in the first place. It’s better to set our hearts on heavenly treasure. God will meet our daily needs for our daily bread. Oh, let’s be honest, he does far more than just meet our need for food. He pours out so many blessings we can’t even count them.
But how exactly are we going to do this? The LAW of God must speak to our hearts. Colossians 3:5 says it so well, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” Having our hearts set on things below instead of things above is idolatry! Focusing on our little kingdom keeps us from focusing on God’s kingdom. That means we are worshipping something other than God—either worldly things or ourselves. Today, Jesus is leading us to see our worry over worldly things and our focus on stuff that won’t last. Of course, we also find in Jesus the One who got this right 100% of the time. He never worried about his daily bread. Yes, even when he was literally starving. And he always put his Father’s Kingdom ahead of everything else. Through faith that perfection is ours. And Jesus also took our punishment for the times we worry and spend our energy on everything other than God’s Kingdom!
II.
For a few minutes let’s return to the story about the Reed family of North Carolina. As you can probably guess it didn’t take long for John to figure out the real value of the gold rocks in his creek. They began prospecting for more gold. In 1803 they unearthed a 28-pound gold nugget. For the next 20 years, operations at what became the Reed Mine continued. By 1824, the Reed Mine had yielded over $100,000 in gold. As you might expect it was the source of enormous excitement in North Carolina and produced the first mining boom in the United States. Today, the Reed Mine is a state historic site that belongs to the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and open to the public. Visitors can tour a museum with extensive displays about North Carolina gold mining. In addition, they can explore several hundred feet of restored gold mine tunnels. I think we can say that once the Reed family recognized the value of what they thought were just shiny rocks everything changed for them. They began to make use of the wealth that they had discovered on their land.
A similar thing happens to Jesus’ followers when they recognize the value of their heavenly treasure. It changes everything. The last thoughts that Jesus shared in our Gospel Lesson may shock us but they show us what happens when we focus on God’s Kingdom first in our lives. Jesus goes on to encourage us to use worldly things for God’s Kingdom. I suspect that many people think that money and material things have no place or part in Jesus’ Kingdom, but actually Jesus reminds us to use everything we have for his Kingdom. Verse 31 gives us the assurance that we may want to hear. “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” When we set our heart on heavenly treasure, we seek God’s Kingdom first. And then the material blessings in life, in whatever amounts the Lord thinks best for us, will be provided for us.
So what exactly is God’s Kingdom? Later on in Luke’s Gospel we have a record of Jesus being asked where it is. Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” God’s Kingdom is made up of those whom he has brought to believe the Good News that Jesus lived and died in their place. Through Jesus they are “declared not guilty” of all sin.
Once more Jesus addresses the impact of setting our hearts on heavenly treasure. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” No, we aren’t buying our way into heaven! Our faithful use of worldly wealth to serve God and others is evidence of the faith God has worked in our hearts.
And what does that look like for each of us? We are challenged to look beyond our regular, proportionate, and joyful offerings. Yes, that is an important part of our Christian life. But we are called upon to use all our worldly wealth for the heavenly purpose of spreading Christ’s kingdom. Consider how you can use the car you drive or the clothes you wear, the home or apartment in which you live, or the boat or a camper that you own to spread the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ. Is it really possible to use ALL your worldly wealth for a heavenly purpose? At first it might seem like a stretch. How can I use the things I have to gain friends for Christ? Giving a friend or coworker a ride in your car might lead to a conversation about Jesus. Your clothes can speak volumes about who you love above all others. Having a home that is known in your neighborhood as a place of peace can gain friends for the Prince of Peace. When you use your boat or camper do you look for ways and places to introduce others to your best friend--Jesus? It may take some rethinking on our part. But we can use ALL our worldly wealth wisely. With the kind of shrewdness and creativity that the manager showed we can use it all for a heavenly purpose.
It seems to me that followers of Jesus have traditionally taken one of two approaches to worldly wealth. They have either treated money and worldly wealth as if it were evil. Or they have simply set aside one part of their worldly wealth for Jesus and then used the rest of it to live like everyone else in the world. Jesus words to us today give us a different perspective. Our time, talents, and treasure become tools to put to work extending God’s Kingdom.
I suppose we can quickly excuse Conrad Reed for not knowing what he found that day in 1799 when he skipped Sunday school and went fishing. After all he was only twelve years old. To him it was just an unusual shiny rock. And I suppose we can even give a break to Mr. Reed since gold would have been a very rare thing in the days following the American Revolution. You don’t know what you don’t know!
Left to ourselves we don’t have any ability to recognize what is really valuable. By nature, we would be unaware of the heavenly treasure Jesus has revealed to us. Our sins are forgiven. God loves us now and forever. Everything that matters so much to people who don’t have heavenly treasure is nothing for us to worry about. God will take care of our needs. So today we ask Jesus to set our hearts on heavenly treasure. As he does that our worries about worldly things will go away. We can live a life free of worry over worldly things. And with a new perspective on what we own we begin to use worldly things for God’s Kingdom. Amen.
