Where is Your Treasure?

So where do you keep your treasure? Is it in a shoebox under your bed? Is it in your bank account or your 401k? Maybe it's a bunker filled with guns and gold so you could be secure when society collapses. Or maybe it's on display. Maybe it's the car you drive, the clothes or jewelry you wear, the house you live in. See, the question Jesus presses on our hearts this morning is, where is your treasure laid up? He assumes we're all laying up treasure somewhere, like squirrels gathering acorns or ants collecting sugar. It seems that it is just in human nature that we are constantly laying up treasure in one place or another. And the question Jesus wants to press on our hearts is this, Are you laying up your treasure on earth or in heaven? And this is a question of the heart. Throughout this sermon, what we call the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters five through seven, Jesus repeatedly brings issues back to the heart. He said earlier that it's not just enough not to do bad things, like murdering someone or committing adultery. He says those are really issues of the heart and that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. You know, God's standard is more than just what we do on the outside. He's applied the same thing to good things we do. He's talked about giving to charity. He's talked about prayer and fasting. And he's made clear that even in the good we do, it's not enough just what we do on the outside, but again, what matters is the heart. He says, take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. In other words, your motivation matters. If you're doing good just so other people will be impressed, well, then the only reward you'll have is the praises of men. God will not be pleased. So that is a matter of the heart. Well, similarly today, Jesus is focusing on the fact that where we lay up our treasure is also a matter of the heart. If you're taking notes and want to write down a main idea, I think it is this, where you lay up treasure determines where your heart really is. Where you lay up treasure determines where your heart really is. Now as we work through this passage, I want to point out three things. Number one, what not to do. Number two, what to do. And then number three, why it matters. And so point one, what not to do. Look with me at verse 19. Jesus says, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. Now, what do you think Jesus means by earthly treasures? Well, I think it's obvious. He means the kinds of things that moth and rust destroy and that thieves might break in and steal. He means primarily things like money, possessions. Perhaps we could extrapolate that to land or our inheritances. I think it could be anything that is sort of nice, that we might treasure, nice clothes, shoes, jewelry, houses, cars, TVs, computers, iPhones, full bank accounts, anything of earthly value and worth. Now, what does it mean to lay up these things? Take note that Jesus does not say, don't ever have them, don't ever enjoy them. The Bible does not glorify poverty. Material blessings can be good gifts of God that we can enjoy. It's important that we not sort of misinterpret what he means by this. But what Jesus does say very clearly here is, do not lay them up. Don't let these things become your stockpile of treasure. And brothers and sisters, how often, you know, we can get something nice and instead of just using it and enjoying it, we cling to it. Maybe it's a new car and you just, as you're going to bed at night, you're just thinking about it. You're allowing your soul to cling to that thing, to lay it up for yourself. You just can't wait to get up in the morning because you love this car so much. In fact, you would be beside yourself and so angry if someone damaged it, if something happened to it, right? You've let this thing become more precious to you than your relationships with other people. It's kind of like the ring in the Lord of the Rings. You're clinging to it like that. Or another thing that can happen is, you know, we get something nice and instead of being satisfied and content with this nice thing we've received, maybe we get a nice dress shirt or you get a nice piece of jewelry or whatever it is, you want another. And that one thing isn't just, it doesn't bring you contentment. It's not something, you know, a nice gift of God to be used and enjoyed and to thank God for, but it becomes sort of the source through which you're thinking about, what can I add to this? How can I make it better? How can I have more? And we begin to want to lay up for ourselves treasures on earth or Maybe you're thinking, well, you know, I'm, I'm just really poor and, you know, thankfully I don't have any nice things like that. But even for you, do you pursue those things? You see, I think this treasures on earth is not just about sort of what we have materially, but how do we use our time? What are you chasing after? What are you seeking to lay up for yourself? Maybe it's a certain career or job that you think is gonna bring you that financial stability, that sense of security, and how easily that really begins to rule and dictate how you invest your time, what you say yes to, what you say no to. You know, how easily we begin to sort of make excuses of, well, just this one Sunday, I, I can't go to church because I just have to pursue this thing. And then that becomes one Sunday a month. And then that becomes two Sundays a month. And then before you know it, you've let that thing control your life or maybe it takes you away from relationships. And we tell ourselves, well, one day, 10 years from now, then I'll be able to really invest in my local church and I'll be able to have relationships and I'll be able to get together with other Christians throughout the week and study the Bible more. But right now, I have to pursue this path that's gonna get me that earthly treasure I want. For that is also a way of laying up for yourself treasures on earth. What are you investing your time in? And notice how Jesus makes very clear here why we should not do that. He says, don't lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. What he's saying is that earthly treasure is not going to last. You could have the nicest clothes in the world. You could have the most impressive wardrobe and moths can come in and just eat through it. You know, they will be reduced to worthless rags. You could have the nicest car in the world, and eventually it is going to be destroyed by rust. Eventually it is going to be in a junkyard. You'd have the nicest possessions, and yet they can be stolen by thieves. These earthly things don't last. That's what he's saying. Don't lay them up. You can't keep them. And friends, even if somehow throughout the entire course of our life, we could possess these things, we could prevent rust, we could prevent moss, we could keep out thieves, one day you and I are going to die. And then whose will those things be? I think of the story in Luke chapter 12, where there were these two men quarreling over an inheritance, and one comes to Jesus and says, you know, make him share the inheritance with me. And Jesus says, beware of covetousness. And then he tells them a parable. And he said, the land of a rich man produced plentifully. And he thought to himself, what shall I do? for I have nowhere to store my crops. And he said, I will do this. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones. And there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, fool, this night your soul is required of you. and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." See, as the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6, we have brought nothing into this world, and we can be certain that we cannot take anything out of the world. All the earthly possessions, all the earthly treasures in the world that we lay up for ourselves, will do nothing for us when we die. They are fading away, they don't last. And brothers and sisters, take note that the world would call that man wise. The world would say, this is a man who is protected, who is secure, who's prepared for the future. Look at what he has done in laying up for himself this inheritance that he can rely on. And yet God says he's a fool. because he's actually unprotected, insecure, and unprepared for eternity. Oh, brothers and sisters, which future are we focused on? The future of the next, you know, 20 to 40 years of this earthly existence or the future of eternity itself? So friends, do you believe the lie that earthly treasure has any lasting significance? You know, I was with a friend yesterday and he opened up the back of his car and he discovered that there was this container of cream cheese that he had bought like the week before at the store and forgotten. And I was just thinking to myself, what a picture of earthly treasure that is. I mean... Can you imagine laying up for yourselves jars of cream cheese in the back of your trunk to just sit there all summer long in your hot car? It won't last. The treasure we collect in this life, we can't take with us. It's not even gonna last in this life. It fades away. And that is why Jesus says, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. Now, number two, he tells us what not to do. Now, secondly, he tells us what to do. In verse 20, he says, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. Now, of course, the question here is, well, what are these treasures in heaven? And on one level, of course, the greatest treasure, the greatest reward I can imagine is just being there. I mean, to be in Christ's eternal kingdom when he comes back and he renews this world. And there's no more death, there's no more sin, there's no more suffering, there's no more pain. There's just fullness of joy and love and peace. There's perfect contentment. The work we do is no longer frustrated by toilsomeness and futility. And best of all, there is the presence of God, just filling all things and getting to bask in his glory. And yet somehow, at the same time, the Bible makes clear that there is some reward for believers in addition to eternal life itself. I think probably the clearest passage to show that would be 1 Corinthians 3. Paul talks about some whose work is burned and they will suffer loss, yet he himself will be saved. So somehow the reward is not just eternal life. There's some sort of additional reward and heavenly treasure. It's some sort of recognition, some sort of authority or position, you know, something that God gives that is good. And I don't know exactly what it is, but I can say that if it is a reward from God himself, if it is something that Jesus calls treasure, then it is something good. It is something that we should be living for. And notice that Jesus very clearly encourages us here to strive to lay up for ourselves this treasure. He doesn't say that's selfishness. He just assumes that we as human beings are laying up treasure one place or another, and he is saying you should be laying up treasure in heaven. This is for your joy. This is for your good. This is what you should pursue. And of course the question is, well, so how do we do that? Right, I mean, there's a little bit of ambiguity. Okay, what exactly is this heavenly treasure? Well, how do I lay it up? How does this work? Well, I want to suggest to you that the way we lay up heavenly treasure is by using our time and money for kingdom purposes. It's by using our time and our money for kingdom purposes. Think, for example, of later in the book of Matthew, in Matthew chapter 25, there's that parable of the talents. Where Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like this man who has these three servants and he gives these allotments of money to each, you know, to one five talents, to one two talents, to one the one talent. And then the master goes away and they're supposed to invest them. They're supposed to use them. Well, I think that's a picture of our money and time, the talents that God has given us, the life he's given us. Well, we are supposed to invest that for his kingdom purposes. And the promise is just as they were able to invest those talents and then make a return. And then when the master came back, the two that did that were set over, you know, more possessions. They were given higher responsibility and authority and they were praised and they entered into the joy of their master. Well, in the same way, when we use our time and our money for kingdom purposes, we can lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven. In fact, I think Jesus even gives a more specific way this can work in Luke chapter 12 and verse 33. Jesus says, sell your possessions and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with money bags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. I mean, he's giving a very specific way, maybe a primary way of just literally giving money, you know, giving earthly treasure in the form of money to those who are in need. And Jesus is saying that is one of the ways that we then receive treasure in heaven. It's this exchange, this exchange of something we can't keep. Something that will fade away. He says you can trade it in to receive treasure in heaven that does not fail where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. You can trade it in for that which will last forever. So brothers and sisters, I mean, are you taking advantage of that? Are you trading in earthly treasure that won't last? for heavenly treasure that will last forever. Is that evident in your budget? Can you look at how you're budgeting your money and just, it's obvious, this person cares a lot less about earthly treasure than heavenly treasure. This person, what they're doing with their money is, I mean, they're investing in the kingdom of heaven. They are giving to the local church. They are giving to people in need. They are giving for the sake of missions. Does your schedule make it obvious that you are living not for earthly things and earthly treasure, but for heavenly treasure? the way you're investing your time. Wow, this person, they really do not care very much about earthly treasure. They're just using that to trade it in to get treasure that lasts forever. They're prioritizing doing brothers and sisters spiritual good. They're prioritizing being there for Bible study, being there for corporate worship, encouraging others to get together to talk about spiritual things. This is someone that's prioritizing getting the gospel to people that don't know it so that they can hear and come to faith in Christ. Is that evident in how you invest your time? You know, imagine what it will be like when you look back on the decisions that you're making right now from the position of eternity. Maybe to put this another way, just to illustrate this, imagine right now you could look back on yourself as a little baby. And just pretend that someone comes up to you as a little baby, and in one hand, they have something like the Hope Diamond, this biggest diamond in the world that's so perfect and worth billions. And in the other hand, they have a gummy bear. And you're looking at yourself, okay, what choice am I gonna make? And what do you do? You go for the gummy bear because you're thinking with your stomach like a baby would. And you're just like, what was I doing? Why didn't I just take the diamond that would change my life? Well, what about when you or I are on the other side of this life and we are in eternity and we're looking back at the choices we make right now? Will we be like the baby that's just picking, you know, the earthly treasure that has the temporary satisfaction in the moment, but has no lasting significance? Or like the one who takes the diamond that's going to count for later. So we see here, we've seen what not to do, laying up treasures on earth. And we've seen what to do, laying up treasures in heaven. Now, thirdly and finally, let's consider why it matters. Why it matters. Now, of course, in one sense, we've already talked about why it matters from the standpoint of just wisdom and common sense, right? I mean, one of these things is gonna last, one of these things is not. So make the better trade. But maybe you think, well, I don't really care that much about treasure. I just wanna make it to heaven. I don't need eternal rewards. I just want to be there and I'm fine with that. And, you know, I know I'm saved by faith, not works, you know, so I'm good. And I think there are some Christians that kind of use that line of thinking to sort of justify what's the big deal if I just lay up treasures on earth? Do I really need to take Jesus's advice here? Well, this is why I think the last verse in our passage is so important, verse 21. Jesus says, don't lay up treasures on earth, do lay up treasures in heaven. And then verse 21, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Now, I think this is particularly interesting because many times in the Bible, we think about how our actions reveal our heart. You know, we might think Jesus would say, you know, because, you know, where your heart is, that's where you're gonna put your treasure. And of course, I think that's true. But notice here, he actually says the other way around, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. And what he seems to be saying is that if you're laying up treasures on earth, it's gonna pull your heart toward earthly things. If you're laying up treasures in heaven, it pulls your heart toward the things of God and the things of heaven. It's almost like there's this gravitational effect of the location of our treasure pulls our heart that direction. And because of that, this is not just a question of how big is our heavenly reward. It's ultimately a question of spiritual life and death itself. And just to illustrate this, think of the story of the rich young ruler. in Matthew chapter 19. This was a man that comes up to Jesus and he sincerely believed that he loved God. I think he was someone who would have thought that he in his heart was rich toward God. We know that he thought that he always did good things and had obeyed God. And so he comes up to Jesus saying, you know, what must I do to go to heaven? And I think he's largely expecting sort of a, you're already doing everything you need to do. Maybe just one little thing that he can sort of add to his resume of good deeds to go to heaven. Well, of course, what Jesus says to him is, sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. And he says, look, you have this earthly treasure. You can exchange it. You can give this to poor people and then you will have true lasting treasure in heaven. And then I want you to come and follow me. I mean, what an opportunity. Who wouldn't jump at this chance to gain? I mean, he he can buy heavenly treasure. And yet. Instead of taking up the offer. It says, but he went away sad because he had great possessions. You see, his heart was where his treasure was. His heart was anchored to the place he had laid up treasure for himself, which was here on earth. And therefore, he's right there before Jesus himself being offered the chance to follow Christ. And his heart is totally ensnared by earthly things, by earthly treasure. And so brothers and sisters, what about us? I mean, whether you literally sell all your possessions and give to the poor or not, just to be clear, I don't think what Jesus is saying there is that that's just the universal law that every Christian must do. But what is universal is Jesus demands the same level of heart commitment from us as he was from him. You know, so we can't say, oh, well, that command to sell everything was just for him, so, you know, I'm just fine. Because either way, the point is, have we put Christ first in our heart? Is our heart where he is? Is our heart in heaven? You see, this is what Jesus demands of us when he says, you know, follow me, trust in me. I mean, this glorious gospel. I mean, the fact is we have all sinned. We deserve to go to hell because we've loved, created things more than God. We've all been guilty of covetousness. We've all been guilty of making idols of earthly possessions. And yet God has not sent us to hell because of that, but he sent his own son to suffer and die in our place on the cross, so that sinners like us can be freely forgiven, so that we can turn to Christ. and believe in Him. But true faith in Christ cannot be without repentance. Faith and repentance are like two sides of the same coin. You can think of repentance as turning away from sin and faith as turning to Christ. It's the same turn, the same converting just described from two different perspectives. And so in this case, when we think about earthly possessions, the point is what repentance means is letting go of earthly treasure. Faith is grabbing hold of Christ. And that is what we are called to do, to let go of this propensity to want to lay up for ourselves treasure on earth and then grab hold of Christ himself, trusting in him. and choosing to seek to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven itself. And as Jesus says here, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. That the regular pattern of our life does affect, our actions to some extent do affect our heart. And there's a warning here, if we make this pattern of letting earthly things be what we lay out, what we seek after, what we cling to, it ensnares our heart, it leads us astray. But as we let go and we choose rather to use our time and our money and all that God has entrusted to us on earth for his kingdom and his purposes, then our heart will be progressively lifted up to be where it ought to be with Christ. Where you lay up your treasure determines where your heart really is. Now as we close, I want to turn your attention to one other passage that I think gives us a great summary of maybe how we can think about this. This is Paul writing to Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter six, picking up in verse six. Paul says to Timothy and to us, but godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing with these, we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs." Now, notice there, Paul is not condemning money and being rich. What he condemns is the love of money and the desire to be rich. There have been plenty of faithful believers who have been entrusted with much and have used that well. And there have also been plenty of very poor believers who have desired to be rich and loved money. This is for all of us. And the warning is, through this craving, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But then in verse 17, notice that Paul gives some specific instruction For those who are rich, which frankly is probably most of us, I think all of us have sort of disposable income. We have extra money to spare. And listen to what he says. As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. Oh, friends, may we have the humility to continue to pray every day, Lord, give us this day our daily bread. No matter how much money we have in our bank account, we depend on him. May we not be haughty, but humble, knowing that however much riches we have, they are uncertain. And then he says this, they are to do good. to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. We have this opportunity to do good. There are so many things we don't have to worry so much about because God has provided for us. What an opportunity to do good to others, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, to enjoy the reality that as Jesus says, it is more blessed to give than to receive. What a privilege we have. And then he says, Paul continues, thus, by doing these things, storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. All right, don't think that your 401k is your good foundation for the future. It's your heavenly treasure. How will we use what we have now to store up treasure for ourselves in heaven? And then on the flip side, what if you're here and you think to yourself, well, I'm just really poor. I mean, I am struggling to get by. And the temptation for you is not so much, you know, sort of how much you're accumulating, but more on the side of how you use your time as you're trying to pursue certain career. And you're thinking, I just want to be more financially secure. I just want these other things. Well, I just want to encourage you to look ahead a few verses, especially in Matthew 6, verse 25 and following. Notice how Jesus talks about God's provision for his people. He says, if God provides for birds of the air, if God clothes lilies of the field, will he not provide for and clothe you? And then he gives us this wonderful exhortation, and picking up in verse 31, he says, therefore do not be anxious, saying, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." What a promise. I mean, we cannot go wrong striving to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. He is giving us a wonderful freedom here. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and God will provide for you." What a comfort. You know, I was just talking to a brother earlier this week. He kind of does his own construction company. It's very small, and he talked about how a couple of years ago, something like that, he made the decision that he was going to turn off his phone and refused to meet with clients or do anything like that during any time that, you know, his church had any sort of Bible study, any sort of meeting, he was going to be at the mall. And that's taking, you know, you miss, you miss a client calling, you miss a job. I mean, there's, there's some real kind of risk involved. And he was just testifying to the way that ever since he had done that, I mean, his business has just thrived. I mean, God has just shown his goodness in providing. And friends, we serve a God who loves us. Jesus is not saying, don't lay up for yourselves treasures on earth because I want to make your life harder, because I want to deprive you of something good. I mean, this is the God who did not spare his own son, but freely delivered him up for us all. This is Jesus who willingly dies on the cross for us, for our good, for our joy. And he is the one who says, don't lay up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where there will be no moth or rust that will ever touch them. There will be no thief that will ever take them away. And he says, this is because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. And he wants our heart, he wants us to experience this reality, that if we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these other things will be added to us. So may we take to heart this message this morning, that where you lay up treasure determines where your heart really is. Amen, let's pray. Oh, Father, we thank you so much for your word. We thank you that it pierces the heart, that it divides between joints and marrow, between soul and spirit, that it leaves us exposed and our innermost thoughts and intentions revealed before you. Oh, God, I pray that you would give each of us grace to repent where we need to repent. Grace to believe where we need to trust. I pray that we would have fixed on our minds the fact that we serve a savior who though he was rich for our sakes became poor so that we might become rich in him. And I pray that we would go forth striving to lay up treasure in heaven for your glory and for our joy. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.