July 8, 2001
The Treasure Chest – Part 2
INTRODUCTION
(Show Video clip from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – Elsa, Indy’s girlfriend, chooses to reach for the grail in a chasm and falls to her death. Indy also reaches for it, but his father persuades him to let it go.)
It is a poor bargain to exchange the eternal for the temporary. A bad exchange to trade what will last forever to gain what will only decay.
That’s what Elsa did in that movie clip – she reached out to take hold of wealth and fortune, but lost everything in the pursuit. A very poor bargain.
Jesus doesn’t want us to throw our lives away chasing after things that don’t last. Read Matthew 6:19. That’s what we learned last week. My stuff is not safe here!
Jesus goes on to say this in Matthew 6:20-21…
READ TEXT
He tells us to store up treasures in heaven. They are safe there. This is not some kind of storehouse for brownie points in the sky, or a tally sheet for good works. Don’t misunderstand. Jesus isn’t saying at the end of life we cash in on all the good we’ve done, and God lets us into heaven. Salvation doesn’t work like that.
A treasure in heaven is something done on earth whose effects will last for eternity.
So Jesus wants His followers to say this…
Big Idea: I will invest in things that last forever.
Most of us like finding a good deal. A great bargain. We shop around until we find one. Whether it’s in shopping for clothing, real-estate, furniture, stocks or something on E-Bay – we get some sort of euphoric thrill out of paying less for something than it’s really worth.
ILLUS – I was recently shopping for a pair of shoes. Found 2 pairs that I really liked, but they were very different styles. Made my choice and went to the sales counter. Sales person said they had a sale, buy one pair, get the 2nd at half price. Plus, he said the pair I was purchasing came with a coupon that could be used with any other pair of shoes in the store. So with half off and using the coupon, the second pair of shoes came to exactly $5. What a bargain! It was a deal I couldn’t pass up. I went home with two pairs of shoes.
When Jesus contrasts treasures in heaven with those on earth, we see that heaven is the wisest place for treasures. Those things can never be affected by moth or rust, nor can they ever be stolen.
TRANSITION: So…
I. Jesus says, “STORE UP for yourselves treasures in heaven…” (Matthew 6:20). But how?
How do we do this? Treasures on earth are tangible items with price tags. Treasures in heaven seem more obscure, intangible. How do we store them up?
The Bible tells us that treasures in heaven get stored up by investing in some of the greatest bargains you and I could ever find. We get so much more than our initial investment that it will be foolish to pass it by. During the next few moments I’d like to show you exactly what treasures in heaven are and how to obtain them.
And you might be surprised to find that they are only obtained at bargain prices…Here they are…
GREAT BARGAIN #1: I’ll lay down MYSELF to gain CHRIST
This is fundamental to understanding what it means to follow Jesus.
In Luke 9:23, Jesus says, – If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
A follower of Jesus must lay down his or her life on a daily basis.
Here is how I’ve been doing this lately:
In the morning, first thing, I go downstairs, and get on my knees. And I pray, “God, I begin this new day by laying down my life. Your will be done today, not mine. Your kingdom, not mine. I’m your servant, forever indebted to you because of Jesus. I lay myself down. Use me.”
This doesn’t take long – a few minutes – but it focuses the rest of my prayer time, and it sets a tone for the entire day. That beginning again – I will deny myself and take up my cross daily to follow Jesus.
In Romans 12:1, Paul says – Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.
He’s urging us to lay down our lives. To give them up to gain something more.
Illus – It’s been amazing to me lately how this commitment to lay down my life daily has brought about change in my life. The things that would frustrate me aren’t so frustrating anymore. Areas of pride and selfishness in me seem to show up instead of being glossed over. In fact these are the things God has been dealing with in my life the most lately.
God’s been teaching me – Matthew, you don’t need to get frustrated because I’m still going to accomplish My will. You just need to be my servant. And Matthew, those times when you’re impatient, you’re too concerned about yourself and your own timetable – My kingdom will come, you just need to be my servant.
So I’m leaving those things up to God. And I’m realizing again that my job is simply to be obedient every moment.
So each day I lay down my life in a time of quiet before God. An everyday appointment with Him in humble submission – private worship – prayer – Scripture reading. Not my will but yours. I am your servant. I’ll do whatever you ask at any moment. I am not my own. Your kingdom come.
Here is what we need to know - If we neglect having a consistent quiet time, we cease to store up treasures in heaven.
When we don’t spend time with God in secret, our focus quickly turns right back to things down here.
Maybe I do need another pair of pants.
It has been awhile since my last spa treatment.
My car is a couple of years old, I suppose it is time to trade…
And we look at others are obstacles, opponents…I’m better educated, work harder and have more experience – yet he’s getting all the perks!
When we lay ourselves down – when we daily submit ourselves to the service of Jesus Christ, we store up treasure in heaven – we invest in things that last forever. Because…
We gain Christ – he saves us. He comes to live inside us. He changes our hearts. He makes us new. He presents us holy and blameless, acceptable before God the Father. His Holy Spirit empowers us for greater service in the world.
Daily laying down our lives develops Christ-like character in us –
Greater love for others
More self-sacrificing spirit
More forgiving heart
More others-centered approach to life
A you first not me kind of attitude
These things are treasures in heaven – these are eternal investments – things are temporary – but a relationship with Jesus in which we are molded into becoming more and more like him – that lasts forever. So begin today. Lay yourself down.
I like what Paul said in Philippians 3:
I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. (Philippians 3:8-9)
Lay down myself to gain Christ in all His fullness? What a treasure! What a great bargain!
TRANSITION: There is another way to invest in things that last forever.
GREAT BARGAIN #2: I’ll offer my AVAILABILITY so others can gain ETERNITY
The people we help lead to Christ are a treasure in heaven. Through inviting Jesus into their lives and allowing Him to forgive them of their sins, God graciously saves them – and they live forever. If treasures in heaven are things done on earth whose effects will last for eternity – then making ourselves available to share the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ is certainly an investment in something that lasts forever.
Let me ask you a question, how many of you have had the privilege of baptizing someone or helping to baptize someone? Just a few of you.
More than anything, I would love to see that change in the next several months.
In the Christian Life Development 101 class notebook you remember seeing these words…
According to our understanding, a person may be baptized by…
any Christian
in any water,
on any day,
before any group.
The person doing it,
the water,
the place,
the audience,
…have nothing to do with the results.
Those of us that are ministers shouldn’t be hogging all the fun. I’d love to see you standing in the water of the baptistry next to a friend or family member who has just given their life to Christ. And they want you to help with the baptism b/c you helped them to discover God’s plan for their life. And there you stand beside them – in the most holy of all moments where God does His work – and you – you get to be a part of it.
The only way that will happen is if you and I make ourselves available:
Remember when Jerry Lewin was here a few years ago? Again and again he told us – “My availability gives God the opportunity to do a miracle through me.”
The Bible says it like this in Colossians 4:5 – Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity.
What opportunities do you have?
Is there a neighbor who is not active in a relationship with Jesus Christ?
Is there a family member headed for a Christless eternity?
Is there someone you encounter regularly who needs to know Jesus?
ILLUS – It’s been neat to watch Kim recognize an opportunity God has recently given her. Some time ago, she tried a new place for a haircut. And she struck up a conversation with the hair stylist. It hasn’t been the most convenient thing for her, but Kim keeps going back to this same stylist, and each time the conversation touches more and more on spiritual things. Leading up to the place where Kim has been praying for the opportunity to share her faith in Jesus Christ with this lady. Kim has made herself available so that someone else might gain eternity.
How can we make ourselves available?
ILLUS – A couple of weeks ago, our small group got together for a movie night. We watched “Unbreakable,” the latest movie from the writer and director of “The Sixth Sense.” In this movie, Bruce Willis discovers that he has a special gift, but he doesn’t yet know how to use it. So his new friend, played by Samuel L. Jackson gives him this advice: “Go where people are – and you’ll know what to do.”
That’s God’s advice to us too: Go where people are – and you’ll know what to do. I’ll show you. I’ll tell you. Just make yourself available. Go out in your yard when your neighbor is outside in his, sit and listen when your uncle wants to talk, go to the company picnic. Just go where people are – and you’ll know what to do!
If you think about it, this really is a great bargain. A little of our time to befriend, to encourage, to share, to explain, to lend a shoulder to cry on, to pray with one who is hurting – a little time invested so others can live forever. If you know of a better bargain than this, I’d like to hear it!
So much more than chasing after things with a price tag, let’s make ourselves available to tell people about the God who has been chasing after them with a relentless love that drove him all the way to the cross. Let’s invest in the treasure in heaven of more saved people.
TRANSITION: If we invest in things that last forever, there is one other bargain we will find…
GREAT BARGAIN #3: I’ll give up my RESOURCES so the world can gain spiritual and physical SATISFACTION
That means to store up treasures in heaven we will use some of the valuable things of earth to fund Christian causes. So that ministry to the world can occur – people will be fed, oppression will be lessened, bondage will be broken, and the name of Jesus Christ will extend to all nations and people groups. If a treasure in heaven is something done on earth whose effects last for eternity, then giving up what we have so that others in our community and around the world can be ministered to is an investment that will last forever.
In Matthew chapter 19 a rich young man comes to Jesus wondering what he can do to get eternal life. He said he had been a follower of God’s law since his youth. Jesus, knowing this man’s treasure said this: If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven…
Illus – On one of our recent work trips to the Dominican Republic everyone in our group was encouraged to leave behind any of their clothes or gear they didn’t want, because someone there could certainly use them. I was just going to give away some of my old worn out clothes. But as I put my dirty work clothes in a pile, I had a change of heart. I thought to myself, “I don’t want this stuff, so why would anyone else?” So I put all those dirty worn out work clothes back in my bag. And I pulled out the clothes I still wanted to wear when I got home. Because I loved the people, I didn’t want to just give junk. Instead gave away my best. And I wore home my worst. I got a lot of stares at the airport when we arrived home, walking around in dirty, ragged clothes and ripped up shoes. But what a wonderful feeling!
Then last summer one of the boys baptized in the irrigation ditch was wearing a pair of Umbro shorts I had left during that previous trip!
Give something away – something that tempts your loyalty. Give it away to someone who needs it – sell it and give the money to a ministry that could use it. No material object is worth lessening your loyalty to Jesus.
Kim and I have some nice things. Our goal is that never will they cost more than a tiny fraction of what we give away.
In order to meet our pledge for the Faithful-Now and Forever expansion campaign, things have had to change a lot. Every time we get some unexpected income, we look at each other and smile “Faithful-Now and Forever!” It’s gotten to be very exciting.
Faithful Now and Forever has helped Kim and me to realize how much we were wasting on ourselves.
TRANSITION: So that how we can invest in things that last forever. But Jesus goes on to show us why.
II. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
The place we choose for our treasures tells something about ourselves. Our hearts will always be with the things we treasure the most.
Jesus is not saying that if we put our treasure in the right place our hearts will automatically be in the right place also. But he does say that the location of our treasure indicates where our heart ALREADY IS.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said…
“Everything which hinders us from loving God above all things and acts as a barrier between ourselves and our obedience to Jesus is our treasure, and the place where our heart is.” (From The Cost of Discipleship)
Obviously we want our hearts to be loving God above all things – for Him to have our hearts.
And when heaven becomes my treasure, God has my heart.
When I want His will more than mine – His kingdom ahead of my own – He has my heart.
And in times of need I can draw on all the resources available to me from Almighty God, BECAUSE HE IS MY TREASURE!!
He is what I value most.
WRAP-UP
In 1949, Jim Elliot graduated with highest honors from Wheaton College in Illinois. Six years later, at the young age of twenty-eight, Jim Elliot and four missionary comrades were martyred by Auca Indians on the Curaray River in the jungles of Ecuador. In a now famous journal entry, Elliot wrote:
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." (Jim Elliot)
Why is he no fool? Because giving what you cannot keep to gain what you cannot lose is the greatest investment plan in the history of the world! Invest in things that last forever!
Pete Townsend is the lead guitarist for the legendary rock band known as The Who. He must have had something similar in mind when he wrote these lyrics, because they sum up the life of one who earnestly desires to store up treasures in heaven…
I’d gladly lose me to find you
I’d gladly give up all I had
To find you I’d suffer anything and be glad
I’d pay any price just to get you
I’d work all my life and I will
To win you I’d stand naked, stoned and stabbed
I’d call that a bargain
The best I ever had
The best I ever had
(“Bargain,” by The Who – written by Pete Townsend)
