Treasures in Heaven
Matthew 6:19-24
June 12, 2005
Introduction
It’s been said that Jesus speaks more about money than he spoke about heaven and hell.
I haven’t done an exhaustive count, and so I can’t say for sure. But one thing is unmistakably clear: Jesus addresses money and he makes no bones about what he thinks about it in the lives of his followers.
And today, as we continue our walk through Matthew, and in chapter 6 in particular, we’re going to look at some of what he had to say.
I’m not opposed to treasure, and neither is Jesus, so don’t worry about wondering if I’m going to spend our time going over the eeeeeeviiiiiiiilllllls of money, or "filthy lucre" as some call it. Treasure is fine, if it’s earned honorably (or inherited). The Bible doesn’t say money is bad.
I gotta admit that I agree with Woody Allen, who said, "Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons." (SermonCentral.com. Contributed by: Denn Guptill)
One Bible translation says that "money is the root of all evil." A more accurate translation says -
...the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
I’m going to address that in a little more detail later in the message, but just understand that God is not against money, nor is he against his people having it.
And I’m also not going to discuss tithing or giving, per se, so don’t panic, okay? Believe me, I don’t like preaching about that kind of stuff even more than you don’t like hearing about it.
But the fact of the matter is that the Bible addresses money, and Jesus does so in our passage for today.
There seem to be two extremes in the Christian church when it comes to money:
One extreme is poverty theology. This says that because Jesus had no place to lay his head, then he was actually a homeless person. So his followers should renounce all possessions and live lives of poverty.
And while it’s true there is no record of Jesus owning property, I think it’s a stretch to say that Jesus was poverty-stricken without a roof over his head.
The gospels tell us that there were a number of people who helped meet the needs of Jesus and his disciples with their wealth.
The other extreme we find in the Christian church is prosperity theology. Most of us are probably more familiar with this line of thinking. It’s also been called, the "health, wealth, and prosperity" gospel, or "name it and claim it."
This view says that God wants all of his people to be wealthy beyond our wildest dreams. And all we need to do is claim that wealth for our own and watch God drop in your lap.
They quote verses about "all who believe receive," and such, while quietly (or actually, not so quietly) ignoring the context of the verses and of the whole counsel of Scripture.
These are the kinds you see on the TV asking for your money. I think that’s because there are no ratings for preachers telling you to become poor...
I’ve been wondering about some of these guys lately. Maybe you’ve had the same question.
They’re multi-jillionaires, apparently, so why do they still need your money to make their ministries continue?
If your donating to their ministry is supposed to bring riches to you, then why don’t they contribute to their own ministries, so God can give them more riches?
That makes at least as much sense as brow-beating someone on a fixed income into financing their lavish lifestyle.
Can you tell I’m not a big proponent of the prosperity theology way of thinking?
Well, I don’t think the Bible supports either of these extremes. Rather, the Bible is clear that we need to handle our money in ways that please God and advance his kingdom, whether we have a lot of it or a little of it.
In fact, the Bible is very practical about how to handle money. Last fall we held a class about how to handle your money in a way that pleases God and helps you build wealth in a way that doesn’t take the focus off God and his priorities. And if we have sufficient interest in it, we’ll do it again sometime.
Our passage today gives us an idea of what Jesus thinks about money and possessions, and how we can get a handle on the priorities of God.
I find three principles that I think will help all of us, no matter what our financial situation.
Invest in eternity.
Verses 19-21 -
"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."
Eternity was Jesus’ priority on earth.
3 Facts about treasure:
1. Earthly treasures are temporary.
Moth and rust - in other words the decay that are part of living in a fallen world will eventually take their toll on what we’ve been gathering. It is susceptible to decay and theft.
I heard a phrase in college that I’ve remembered all these years, and I’m going to give it you - I think it’ll help you keep the right perspective about earthly possessions. Ready?
"It’s all gonna burn."
The Bible says that it’s all gonna burn in the end, so why spend so much time and effort, killing yourself to accumulate stuff that’s not going to last anyway.
You’ve probably all heard that you can’t take it with you. I heard about a rich man who was determined to take his wealth with him. He told his wife to get all his money together, put it in a sack, and then hang the sack from the rafters in the attic. He said, "When my spirit is caught up to heaven, I’ll grab the sack on my way." Well he eventually died, and the woman raced to the attic, only to find the money still there. She said, "I knew I should’ve put the sack in the basement." (Russell 88). SermonCentral.com. Contributed by: David Yarbrough
Here’s the second fact about treasure:
2. Heavenly treasures are eternal.
It’s all an issue of perspective - do you live for today (earth) or for eternity (in heaven)? Jesus says that we should live for eternal treasures, not earthly ones.
What are treasures in heaven? A couple ideas along this line:
* Changed lives due to your influence.
Example of your life, words from your mouth, money from your wallet for the purposes of the Kingdom, etc.
* The praise of the Father.
"Well done, good and faithful servant."
Here’s the third fact of treasures I want to pass on to you today:
3. Your treasures reveal your priorities.
Where and how you spend your time, money, etc. show your priorities.
If someone were to look at your schedule and your checkbook, would they see kingdom priorities?
Here’s the main point here: adopt the priorities of God, not the priorities of society.
When you do that, not only will people stand up and take notice, but you will reap the rewards of treasures in heaven.
Here’s the second principle about treasure that Jesus discusses, and that is to...
Gain a clear focus.
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
At first glance, this passage seems like it’s just kind stuck in here, like Jesus all of a sudden changed his mind about what he was talking about.
But I’m of the opinion that Jesus chose these words carefully, and he kind of brackets them between his words about money in these verses.
So let’s take a look first at the basic truth that these verses have for us, then see how they tie together with the rest of the verses in our passage today.
Jesus says that our eyes are the lamp to our body. They light the way, if you will, for our lives.
Another way to say this is, "what you see is what you get." What you watch, read, or whatever, will have its affect on you.
If you choose to look on those things that please God, then your life is filled with light. Choose to look on those things that are displeasing to God, and your life is filled with darkness.
But what’s that got to do with our discussion about treasures in heaven?
I think it comes down to one word: focus.
When we focus on the things of God, we cannot focus on the earthly priority of accumulating things in order to horde them.
So I’m saying to let the things and priorities of God fill your eyes, effecting your entire being.
When you focus on the world and it’s priorities, especially its obsession with money, then your life is filled with darkness.
How can I say that? Because the Bible’s very clear about the fact that the world is in darkness, and that no one seeks God.
The child of God, who has allowed the Holy Spirit to have control is able to focus on the things of God.
Main point: Single-minded focus on the priorities of God keeps you from filling your life with darkness.
I mentioned in the introduction of the message that one version of the Bible says that "money is the root of all evil."
Let me read the whole verse, from a more accurate rendering. The reference is 1 Timothy 6:10, and it says this:
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.
Do you see why it’s so important to gain a clear focus? Without it, you can fall in love with money, at the cost of your relationship with Christ and your overall well-being.
Let’s move on to the third principle I find from this passage, and that it is to...
Let God be your master, not money.
24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Another way of stating this principle is: Don’t let your possessions possess you
You’ve all heard the phrase, "Money doesn’t bring happiness," or words to that effect.
Well, I have news for you. That’s simply not true. Now track with me here for a moment.
Let me just ask you something: have you ever received a portion of money you weren’t expecting? Maybe it was larger paycheck than you thought you’d be getting. Or maybe an inheritance. Or maybe someone just thought they’d bless you with some extra cash.
How did you feel? Upset? Depressed? Angry? Of course not! You were happy, right? So money can bring happiness.
But here’s the rest of the story. You would be upset, depressed, or angry if that money would be taken away. Then where’s the happiness?
This goes back to a theme I have been hitting for years, and here it is: happiness depends on circumstances, and when the happy circumstances end, so does happiness.
Joy, on the other hand, is not dependent on circumstances. Joy is dependent on God and the relationship we have with him. And so even in hardship and tragedy we can find joy.
Not giddy, jump and down happiness. Real joy that says no matter what happens, God is still with me, and will one day bring me into his presence.
Folks, it’s just a fact of life that we live in a world that revolves around money. We need it to live - in fact, we even needed it to come to church today. The clothes you’re wearing cost money, and unless you walked or biked here today, you used gas in a vehicle that you had to pay for, or are paying for.
Another fact of life is that some people have more money than you, unless you’re name is Bill Gates.
And they use that money to buy things that you’d like to have. Right? You can be honest. They live in a nicer house than you do, drive a nicer car, wear nicer clothes, eat at nicer places then you do when you’re able to go out - you know, the kind of places that use metal forks and knives on the table...
And it’s awful tempting to begin thinking about how you could get that kind of a lifestyle, and before long, it can become an obsession.
Longer hours at work or at the business. Unwise investments or financing to leverage yourself. And before you know it, the quest for more has become your master.
"Well what’s wrong with wanting a nicer lifestyle for my family, PB?" Nothing, as long as the cost isn’t allegiance to a higher calling of faithfulness to God and his purposes above your own.
And it’s not just those of poor or modest means that this can happen to. Wealthy people can feel this kind of pressure, too, when they don’t consider that they may already have more than enough.
You know what I find funny? Listening to professional athletes whine during the off-season. Have you been listening to some of the pro football players the last few weeks? They’re going to hold out, because they want more money, even though they had previously signed a contract for what they’re set to receive.
Am I the only one who thinks that’s being kind of greedy? And yes, even baseball players do it, though I’m thankful that my Minnesota Twins don’t seem to be infected to the degree other sports teams are.
Remember how Jesus said we should pray? Give us this day our daily bread.
As I mentioned before, I’m not against treasure, as long as it’s earned honorably or inherited. Also, I’m not against praying for God to meet your needs miraculously outside of your efforts. You’re doing all you can, but it’s not enough, and you pray for God to step in. I think that’s fine.
A Little Boy wanted $100.00 badly and prayed to God for a whole week, but nothing happened. So, he decided to write God a letter requesting the $100.00. When the Post Office got the letter addressed to God they forwarded it on to the White House. The President was very impressed, touched and amused so he instructed his aid to send the boy $5.00. He thought $5.00 would be a lot to the little boy. The boy was, indeed, delighted by the money. He sat down and wrote a thank you note immediately, which read:
Dear God,
Thank you very much for sending the money. However, I noticed that for some reason you had to send it through Washington and, as usual, they kept most of it. (From bucket of Surprises by John and Mark Stibbe) SermonCentral.com. Contributed by: Justin Meek
So work and pray, trusting God meet the needs. But if treasure is your goal, and if it defines your life, you’ve got a problem. It’s idolatry.
You can be rich and be materialistic, and you can be poor and be materialistic. Both sets are preoccupied with money.
When your life revolves around getting more money, then it has become your master. And Jesus makes it very clear that you cannot serve both God and money. It’s one or the other.
Now listen up here: I know what it’s like to wonder how you were going to pay the bills. Really I do. I’m not going to tell you all the stories I could tell you, but I’ve been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, then had to sell it back to buy groceries!
I have had times in my life when all I could think of was getting enough money to pay the bills. I took extra jobs, and in the case of one of them permanently altered my health because I had no choice.
But even in the midst of that, God reminded me that he would take care of me. I needed to do my part, but ultimately, God would take care of my family and me. And he did. Time and time again.
Don’t serve money. Serve God, and let him take care of your money situation.
Over the next week or two we’ll be looking at this whole issue of trusting God for the needs of life.
Main point: don’t let money enslave you.
Conclusion
Folks, I hope that you’ve been able to see that this passage isn’t really about money. It’s about heavenly priorities.
And I dare say all of us here today have trouble focusing on those priorities from time to time. In fact, some of us may have a hard time focusing on those priorities at all.
But no matter where you’re at with that, God’s ready to move in and help you, just as he’s helping me.
So here are the questions you need to ask yourself:
Are my priorities earthly or heavenly?
Is my focus on God and his priorities or the world and its priorities?
Am I a slave to money and all it brings?
Let the Holy Spirit help you answer these, then take it to God in prayer, asking him to make you a person that reflects heavenly priorities.
For your benefit, for the benefit of the kingdom of heaven, and for the glory of God. Let’s pray.
