God s-eye View Heaven s Perspective on Life Issues:Treasure Matthew 6:19-21; Eccl. 5:10-15

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1 God s-eye View Heaven s Perspective on Life Issues:Treasure Matthew 6:19-21; Eccl. 5:10-15 There are all kinds of treasure. Sunken treasure, buried treasure, treasure chests, treasure troves, treasure islands. In our own way we are all seeking, collecting and storing up our own treasure... either temporary treasure, or eternal treasures. Some treasures may be found at garage sales. As the saying goes, One man s trash is another man s treasure. If he doesn t want it and I need it, or want it, it becomes something I treasure. Treasures can be found on Craig s List, ebay, or even sitting out at your neighbor s curb. Read Matthew 6:19-21 In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us His perspective on treasure. Don t hoard it, don t store it up on earth, because a lot can happen to it here on earth to destroy it, and it is lost. Moths destroy clothes. I have a suit coat that has a hole in the arm because of a moth. I wish I could find that moth. Rust... we know about that here in Wisconsin, don t we? Rust destroys metal things that we value like cars. Thieves can also steal things that we value. I had my van broken into and a guitar stolen once. A lot can happen to the treasures of this world to destroy them. There is a better place for your treasure. There is a safer investment opportunity, with no risk of loss or damage. We are to store our treasure up in heaven. People with treasure in heaven weren t jumping out of skyscrapers when the stock market crashed in But those who just lost earthly treasures sure did. Our culture today is based more heavily on material things than ever before. We must have the latest, the fastest, the newest, the biggest or the smallest, the costliest and the "coolest." Sure, it's nice to have "stuff." And it's even nicer to have new stuff (or if your "thing" is antiques, new old stuff). Why is there such an attraction to wealth in our world? Why are we all killing ourselves trying to become rich? A list of the wealthiest people in the history of the world has been complied, ranked by the percentage their individual wealth represented of the Gross Domestic Product of their nation. (Bill Gates is number 20). Listen to what some of the top ten wealthiest people in this world have to say about riches,... and remember, they know what they re talking about. #1 I have made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness. - John D. Rockefeller He died in 1937 the wealthiest man in the world and is regarded by many as the richest man of all time. 1

2 2 #2 Millionaires seldom smile. - Andrew Carnegie #4 The care of $200 million is enough to kill anyone. There is no pleasure in it. - W. H. Vanderbilt At his death in 1885 the richest man in the world. #7 I was happier when doing a mechanic s job. - Henry Ford In one of the Bible s books of wisdom, Ecclesiastes we read of The Trials of Earthly Treasure Read Eccl. 5:10-15 After John D. Rockefeller died, his accountant was asked, How much did John D. leave? The priceless and perspective-giving answer, All of it. The richest man in the history of the world, left it all behind. So will we. In spite of all this wisdom, we still search for earthly treasure. Treasure hunters today search the depths of the ocean and corners of the earth for treasure. Gold, jewels, extreme wealth that someone once held very dear and put great hope in. Where is it now? At the bottom of the sea or buried somewhere. What about our treasures...those thing that we really value today? What will become of them? It is guaranteed, our treasures will turn to trash. I recently visited an automobile graveyard, the final resting place for sportscars, minivans and luxury cars, now worthless and of no value. There are junkyards all over containing other unvaluable items, clothes, furniture, musical instruments, and probably some fine china...that s not so fine now. Eventually, everything ends up on the junk pile. In junkyards across Wisconsin are people s treasures, now fit only for the dump. People worked overtime for rusted out vehicles. They neglected their family for TV s now in the trash. They robbed God for treasures of this world. In the end, they didn t need it... evidently, because all of these ended up on the dump. They can live without it, or they died without it. Placing your hopes and dreams on material things will eventually lead you nowhere but to the junkyard. That is why Jesus said, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV A.W. Tozer, pastor, teacher and author said, As base a thing as money often is, it yet can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted into food for the

3 hungry and clothing for the poor; it can keep a missionary actively winning lost men to the light of the gospel and thus transmute itself into heavenly values. Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality. Remember, Jesus said that a man s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. We can t take anything with us when we die. Everything we own, we will leave behind, but we can send our treasures on ahead, storing them up for everlasting life. If we know the worthlessness of our treasure on earth tomorrow, why would we not exchange it for treasure that will retain its value? Imagine you are living at the end of the Civil War. You live in the south, but you are a northerner. You ll be moving back north as soon as the war is over. While living in the south, you ve accumulated lots of Confederate currency. You know the north is going to win the war and the end is imminent. What do you do with your Confederate money? If you re smart, you should immediately exchange your Confederate money for U.S. currency the only money that will have value after the war is over. Keep only enough Confederate money on hand to meet your short-term needs. As a Christian, if we pay attention to the words of Jesus, He tells us ahead of time that the currency and treasures of this earth are going to be worthless when Christ returns or when we die, whichever comes first. To accumulate vast amounts of earthly treasures that we can t possibly hold on to for long is equivalent to stockpiling Confederate money even though you know it s about to become worthless. In our text, Jesus doesn t just tell us what not to do (store up treasures here on earth), He tells us what to do. He tells us where to invest to guarantee an enormous and eternal return. Store up treasures in heaven. Why lay up treasures in heaven? 1. Nothing can destroy or steal or corrupt them there. better than FDIC insured, hedged against inflation and rust proofed combined. Guaranteed by the King of Kings. A sure investment. God Himself is watching over and protecting your heavenly account. Moses had God s perspective on treasure: esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. Heb. 11:26 NKJV Moses, left the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. Now, Egypt had some treasures. Moses was part of Pharaoh s household, and I m 3

4 sure he knew about the treasures of this world. But Moses knew about true riches. He knew about laying up treasures in heaven Your heart will follow your treasure. Your heart needs to be in heaven. Your heart needs to be focused and fixed on God and His Kingdom. It cannot be divided. In another one of His messages on money, Jesus said, "No servant 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." Luke 16:9-13 NIV Your heart cannot be divided, your devotion cannot be split between your earthly wealth and God. Key - My heart always goes where I put God s money. Your treasure determines the address of the heart - Where is your heart? For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. As you approach death, and we all are, are you closer to leaving your treasures, or because you ve stored them up in heaven, are you drawing closer to your treasures? If your treasure is on earth, death is loss. If your treasure is in heaven, to die is to gain. Paul said,...to live is Christ, to die is gain. Paul had laid up treasures in heaven and knew that treasure awaited him. This story from The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. He writes: I recently spoke with Laverne, a woman with terminal cancer. She was crying not because she s going to die, but because I asked her to talk about giving. Through tears she said, Giving melts me. It blows me away to know that God s chosen me to give. It won t be long before I see Him face-to-face. I just want to hear Him say, Well done, my good and faithful servant. Suddenly Laverne laughed. I mean, what else matters? she said. Why should I care about anything else? The Treasure Principle p. 41 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. God wants your heart. He isn t looking for donors for His Kingdom. He s looking for disciples, immersed in the cause of the Kingdom of God. People whose hearts belong to Him. Who serve Him for the joy of hearing those words, Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord. As sure as a compass needle follows north, as sure as gas prices rise in the summer, your heart will follow your treasure. Jesus said so. So where do you want your

5 heart to go? The car dealership? Mortgage company? Jewelry store? And eventually the junk yard? Or to heaven? What do you treasure? How do we get our treasure to heaven? He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, And He will pay back what he has given. Proverbs 19:17 NKJV 21 Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. Matthew 19:21 NKJV 17Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. Philippians 4:17 NIV We have an account in heaven where we can make deposits. A.W. Tozer said, Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality. 18Command [those who are rich] to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Tim. 6:18-19 Tithing. Don t look at tithing as a 10% God-tax. You are storing up treasures for eternity. You are funding a retirement plan that is out of this world! Your offerings and gifts to the work of the church and God s kingdom increase your treasure in heaven. Jesus teaches that God does indeed want us to be rich -- but he defines riches very differently than does the world. Our riches are not possessions or worldly wealth. Our riches are eternal treasures. So the next time you reach for your credit card or your checkbook, ask yourself, "Am I stocking up on possessions or treasures?" So often we confuse the two. We see luxury cars, elegant clothes, gorgeous houses and expensive electronic equipment as the treasures in our lives. They are not. At best, they are just things we possess for a moment. At worst, they are things that possess us. We have a small gift for you today to remind you to store up your treasure in heaven. Put this card in your wallet or purse, wherever you reach for your cash or credit card. Side 1: God owns every treasure. I m His investment manager. 5

6 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 1 Tim. 6:17 Side 2: God wants me to use earthly treasures to store up heavenly treasures. 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 6:20-21 We sang that chorus earlier today, Lord, I Give You My Heart. Jesus taught that if God is really going to have our heart, He must have our treasure. Prayer: Lord, help me to be a faithful servant and to realize how brief and worthless are the treasures of this world. Remind me of Your perspective on treasure. Remind me to continually store up treasures in heaven through tithes and offerings, generosity to the poor, supporting missions and the work of Your Kingdom. Amen. 6