Treasure Principles
Buried Treasure
October 29, 2006
Money is a huge deal in life
Treasure Principles
A man in a bar sees a friend at a table drinking by him self. Approaching the friend he comments, “You look terrible, what’s the problem?”
“My mother died in June,” he said, “and left my $15,000.”
“Wow, I am sorry to hear that,” the friend replied.
“Then in July, my father died leaving my $50,000,” the man said.
“Wow, Double tragedy, I can see why you are really hurting,” the friend mentioned.
“And last month my aunt died and left me $10,000,” the man said in tears.
“I don’t know what to say, three tragedies so close together,” the friend said as he put his arm around the man’s shoulders.
“Then this month,” continued the man, “NOTHING!”
Money is a huge deal in everyone’s life. And God’s Word teaches us a lot on this subject.
In the next three weeks… six principles about Treasure. Today we need to lay the foundation.
Let’s talk about the treasure. When I speak of treasure you probably thought about a chest filled and overflowing with gold doubloons and precious stones of all colors and kinds. And in doing so you have made your first mistake… Treasure is about so much more than money… it’s about life!
Money lasts for an instant and is about right now… real treasure lasts forever and is about all of life. And yet what we do with money is firmly linked to the real treasures of all of life.
I think I first figured this out when I looked at what John the Baptist said when a group of people came to him in the wilderness. They asked about the fruit of repentance
The Fruit of Repentance
John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
Luke 3:7-8
John was asked about the fruit of repentance
Answer:
Everyone should share clothes and food with the poor
Tax collectors shouldn’t pocket extra money
Soldiers should be content with their wages and not extort money
Each answer is about money – yet it is all related to an attitude of repentance.
Our attitude about money and possessions isn’t just important – it’s central to our spiritual lives.
Zachaeous
“Today salvation has come to this house!”
Let’s look at Matthew 6:19-21.
Treasure Principles
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21
There are three quick observations we can easily see… First…
Don’t be Overawed by Money
Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.
Proverbs 23:5
Man buried sitting behind the wheel of his Cadillac convertible with a big old cigar sticking from between his lips and a huge expensive Stetson on his head. As the car was being lowered into the ground by a crane one of the cemetery workers turned to another standing nearby and said, “Man, That’s living!”
We know this… but we regularly forget it. Any treasure we gain in this world will leave us behind or we will leave it behind. No one holds onto the treasures of this earth. There are no exceptions.
It’s not that it might be lost. It is an absolute certainty! It will always be lost.
Remember the parable of the rich fool?
“This day your life is required.”
Don’t be Overawed by Money
Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.
Psalms 49:16-17
Confederate Money
Storing up the wrong kind of treasure isn’t just wrong… it’s stupid!
Store Up the Right Kind of Treasure
“…I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things…”
Philippians 3:8
Please notice: Jesus isn’t against us storing up for ourselves treasure! He is all for it.
He just wants us to store up treasure that will last.
In the next three weeks I’m going to be teaching you six treasure principles which come straight from the word of God.
And here is the secret of the Treasure Principles
The Secret of the Treasure Principles:
“You can’t take it with you…
but you can send it on ahead.”
To send it on ahead you must fully grasp the concept of investment and delayed gratification.
Which is better? $1000 now or $1,000,000 in 40 years. The answer is clear but there are some who are foolish enough to take the $1000 because they either don’t understand investing for the future or they just can’t wait gratification – they have to have it now!
Now one more thing…
Understand the Connection between Your Heart and Your Treasure
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:21
The order of this statement is very important. Jesus did not say where your heart is your treasure will follow.
No, He said it very clearly. Where your treasure is, they will be your heart also.
If you make money your treasure your heart will be on the things of this earth and you’ll be bound to have that heart broken because you will lose it all.
If you make God and his work your treasure then your heart will be filled with joy the whole of your life and eternity because you will never lose it – not ever.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like Treasure…
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
Matthew 13:44
The point of this parable is clear… When you determine to give and support the ministry of the kingdom of God is that smart or is that stupid?
You know the answer to that really depends on whether you understand these Treasure Principles.
Here at Meridian Christian Church we are entering into a new and bold initiative for ministry to this community with the message of love from Jesus.
The key to it is the building of a ministry center on Bennett Road. This building will not be the church – we of all people know that! We’ve been in a school for 10 years. We were in a theater for four years before that. We know what the church is and it’s not a building.
What we are challenging you to do is to pray to the father and ask him one simple question – “What’s my part of giving to build a ministry center for the Meridian Christian Church?”
As you pray that prayer and consider your part you’ll struggle with excitement, fear, and anger as you work your way through to peace about giving to the work of God.
Communion = Thanksgiving
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Jim Elliot
We are here to celebrate our relationship with God.
To make that happen we are going to need to exchange that which will not be able to keep to gain that which we cannot lose.
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to
visit their old university professor.
Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and
life. Offering his guests coffee, the
professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee
and
an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain
looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help
themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:
"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up,
leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to
want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems
and
stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee.
In
most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what
we
drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you
consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each
other’s cups. Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money
and
position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and
contain
Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the
quality
of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail
to
enjoy the coffee God has provided us.
God brews the coffee, not the cups.......... Enjoy your coffee! "The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything."
Explain that communion up front is a celebration of thanksgiving. We are here to commemorate the gift of life that Jesus gave us in his death on a cross.
We come not in quiet meditation but in loud exaltation! When you come to the front this morning I want to encourage you to serve one another, greet one another as part of the family of God and to celebrate in thanksgiving all that God has done for you.
If you need prayer come to the corners. Someone will be there to pray with you.
The worship team will play… you come right now…
