Is your treasure in heaven?

 

Treasures in Heaven

Matt. 6:19–24

I. Introduction

A. I remember when my younger brother and I were small, I got into trouble because I had traded him nickels for all the dimes in his bank. Even though I knew better, I had told him, "Nickels and bigger and worth more." When he learned that nickels were not worth more, he told my mom what I had done and I got into trouble.

B. Very early in life we figure out that money is valuable and having "things" is important.

A. It should not surprise us that much of Jesus' teaching was concerned with money and possessions and how they should be used.

B. The Parable of the Rich Fool, Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the story of the Rich Young Ruler, even the Parable of the Sheep and Goats are all examples of Jesus' teaching on how to properly and responsibly use their possessions.

C. Here in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus also gave some important guidelines for using our possessions.

II. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth" (6:19–21)

A. Jesus did not say that it was wrong to have possessions.

1. The Bible nowhere forbids a person from having private property.

a. The children of Israel were given the Promised Land as a possession.

b. Some of the great characters of the Bible were wealthy. Abraham and Job are two examples.

2. Christians are free to put aside something for the future.

a. Examples would be things like savings accounts, life insurance, and retirement annuities.

b. To do otherwise would not be responsible and could cause us to become a burden on others or place a hardship on our family.

B. What Jesus did forbid his followers from doing is the selfish accumulation of possessions.

1. Selfishness, greed, and covetousness—these are the things that Jesus' disciples are to avoid.

2. Much of Jesus' teaching dealt with responsibility to others.

3. The Rich man and Lazarus is a story that Jesus used to teach about using our possessions to help others.

4. The Rich Man in the parable was not condemned because he was rich, but because he failed to share with others.

C. Jesus reminds us here that "earthly treasures" are only temporary.

1. In the ancient world expensive clothing, gold, silver, and precious stones were stored away as a source of security in an uncertain future.

2. Jesus pointed out that these "treasures" will not last forever and can easily be destroyed or stolen.

D. Instead of "earthly treasures," Jesus tells his disciples to store up "treasures in heaven."

1. Stott: "to 'lay up treasure in heaven' is to do anything on earth whose effects last for eternity." (p. 156)

2. Which is more important, an "earthly treasure" that can be stolen or destroyed, or a "heavenly treasure" that will last forever?

III. The eye and the body (6:22–23)

A. At first glance these verses seem to be out of place, but were actually a part of Jesus lesson on possessions.

B. In Jesus' day the "eye" was thought to be a window into the body.

C. The "eye" was also used figuratively much like we use the word "heart" today. Jesus was not speaking of the physical "eye," but rather of our inner being.

D. Jesus contrasted a "good eye" with a "bad eye."

1. In other words, Jesus was describing the right way and the wrong way of looking at things.

2. If our vision is clear, then our hearts will be right and we will have the right priorities.

3. If our vision is clouded by what John Stott calls "the gods of materialism," then our values and priorities will be wrong.

IV. "No one can serve two masters" (6:24)

A. Jesus closed this part of his teaching with this illustration: you cannot serve two masters.

1. The word "serve" comes from the same root word as "slave."

2. This gives a special emphasis to his words.

3. Jesus is referring to a master/slave relationship. One in which the master is in total control.

B. The words "love" and "hate,” describe a pattern of living or a way of life rather than simply emotions.

C. Jesus was saying that a person must totally serve one master or the other. You cannot serve both—it is either one or the other.

D. Jesus personified wealth or possessions as a rival god, which he called Mamon (an Aramaic word for "money" or "wealth").

E. We see that it is impossible to serve two masters in the story of the Rich Young Ruler (Matt. 19:16–25 and Luke 18:18–30).

1. Jesus told him to "go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

2. Both Matthew and Luke tells us that he went away sad because he had great wealth.

3. If Jesus had told him to give away half or even a fourth of his possessions, would he have done it?

4. It seems that Jesus went to the cause of his problem—his possessions were the most important things in his life.

5. He was willing to follow the commandments as long as they did not involve his material wealth. As it has been said, he was possessed by his possessions.

F. We can also see an example of someone who served the god of possessions in the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13–21).

1. He had planned to build bigger barns to store his wealth for himself, but God had other plans.

2. Verses 20–21 read: “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’"
“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.

V. Conclusion

A. The saying, "The one who dies with the most toys wins," may be the way that many people look at possessions, but it is totally contrary to Jesus' teachings.

B. Jesus did not say that all who follow him must give away their possessions. That would not be practical.

C. What Jesus did say was that his followers need to put their treasure in the right place.

D. God has given us everything that we have, but he expects us to use it properly.

1. To care for ourselves and our family.

2. To help others in need.