TREASURES IN HEAVEN
Matthew
6:19-24
You Can't Take It with You … (Chevy Edition)
During his five decades running a Chevrolet
dealership in Nebraska, Ray Lambrecht held onto his customers' trade-ins (and
quite a few new models too), amassing a collection of more than 500 cars,
parked on a nearby farm. After Lambrecht's death, his collection went up for
auction. The sale drew 25,000 people, was filmed for the History Channel, and
raised $2.8 million. But … Lambrecht couldn't take any of that with him."[1]
What treasures are you storing up on this
earth that you will not be able to take with you? What legacy will you
leave behind? This story reminds us to focus not on things of this earth but on
things of eternal value and to store up Treasures in Heaven
(Matthew 6:19-24). After teaching the disciples a model prayer that enables
Christ's followers to enter God's world and invite Him into ours, He also
taught them to pray that God would deliver them from the evil one.
He firmly commanded His followers not to
focus on perishable, earthly possessions but to store up treasures that would
endure forever. He then explained how the evil one ensnares people and how we
can free ourselves from his grip.
I. DO NOT STORE UP EARTHLY TREASURES FOR
YOURSELVES
Matthew 7:19 says, "Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where
thieves break in and steal." The Message Bible reads, "Don't hoard
treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust, or—worse!
—stolen by burglars." We all have some hoarding tendencies, though some
are notorious hoarders. If you struggle with hoarding, you need to pay
attention to this commandment against hoarding.
What are the earthly treasures Jesus refers
to here, and why are we not to store them up for ourselves? In Jesus' time, the
wealthy prized items such as clothing, gold, silver, and land, while the poor
had very little or none of them. The rich amassed more and more, while the poor
around them struggled and suffered. Earthly treasures are material wealth and
possessions.
They include anything of significant value,
such as wealth and assets. Houses, cars, clothing, and even shoes fall under
this category. For instance, in the USA, a car is not a luxury item but a
necessity. To get from A to B, you need one good car; why would you need 500
cars like Ray Lambrecht? Take shoes, for example: they are a luxury item.
Not many can afford them, so they walk
barefoot. If that's the case for most people, why would you need 3,000 pairs of
shoes? That's what the First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos, hoarded in
her presidential palace. Show the exhibit. To justify her hoarding, she said,
"When I became First Lady, it became demanding for me. I have to dress up
and make myself more beautiful," Imelda says in the trailer for The
Kingmaker. "Because the poor always look for a star." I can give you more
examples, but you get the point!
Why did Jesus warn, "Do not store up
earthly treasures for yourselves"? Doesn't he want us to be wealthy? Can
we not save and invest? No! He does want us to be good stewards of our money.
Jesus is concerned about our priorities and warns against hoarding—that is,
amassing earthly treasures for their own sake. Many people hoard wealth out of
fear of losing it.
Money and riches are not wrong in themselves,
but the deceitfulness and love associated with them are fatal if we are not
careful. Hoarding can invite thieves to break in and steal. The wisest King
Solomon warned us against our vain pursuit of riches.
"Don't wear yourself out trying to get
rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye, wealth
disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle." Pro 23:4-5
II. STORING UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN
Two men owned farms side by side. One was a
bitter atheist; the other a devout Christian. Constantly annoyed by the
Christian’s trust in God, the atheist said to him one winter, “Let’s plant our
crops as usual this spring, each on the same number of acres. You pray to God,
and I will curse him. Then, come October, let’s see who has the bigger crop.”
When October came, the atheist was delighted to find his crop larger. “See, you
fool,” he taunted. “What do you have to say for your God now?” “My God,” replied
the other farmer, “doesn’t settle all his accounts in October.”[2]
Many, including Christians, are only concerned with enjoying life here and now,
Matthew 6:20 says, "But store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and
where thieves do not break in and steal." After commanding them not to
hoard earthly treasures, Jesus redirected their focus from the temporary to the
permanent, from the seen to the unseen, from the unreal to the real, and from
earthly riches to heavenly rewards.
The Bible mentions rewards awaiting believers
who serve the Lord faithfully in this world (Matthew 10:41). It promises a
“great” reward to those persecuted for Jesus’ sake (Luke 6:22–23). Scripture
also mentions various crowns (2 Timothy 4:8). Jesus says He will bring rewards
with Him when He returns (Revelation 22:12). What are they, and who will get
them?
Some believers endlessly debate what those
rewards or treasures might be. Whatever they may be, our focus must be on the
giver of those rewards and treasures, not on the rewards themselves. On this
side of heaven, the rewards of following Christ come in the form of Joy, Peace,
and love, good health, a loving family, contentment, and fulfillment in doing
God’s will.
But when we leave this earth, the greatest
reward one could ever wish to have is the eternal life in the presence of the
King of Kings and Lord of Lords in His eternal Kingdom. The path to storing up
eternal treasures begins here: run after the King of our lives. The Kingdom of
God was likened to a hidden treasure to be sought; upon finding it, one must
give up everything and possess it joyfully (Matthew 13:44).
Once we receive the Kingdom of God, we must
let go of all other loves and become loyal servants of our King. We live a life
that reflects the Principles of His Kingdom. We share the Gospel of the Kingdom
to draw more people to it.
III. HOW DO WE STORE UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN?
Storing
up heavenly treasures begins with a choice: whom will we serve? Will you serve
Mammon (money), or will you serve God? Will you spend your life on something
that doesn’t last forever, or work tirelessly on things of eternal value? It is
not that you cannot serve, but it is almost impossible to serve both at the
same time. Jesus emphasized in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters.
Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the
one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
It is either God or money; you cannot serve
both. It is either the World or God’s Kingdom. If you focus only on this
world's riches, you will miss heaven. But if you focus on heaven, God may let you enjoy this world's treasures. Several scriptures warn of the
futility of riches and how our love for them can shipwreck our faith and
relationships.
Jesus urged the rich young ruler to sell all
his property, give it to the poor, and follow Him to gain treasures in heaven.
But the rich young ruler could not part with his many possessions. Matthew
19:16-22. His own riches hindered him from entering heaven.
Noticing how sadly the rich ruler went away,
Jesus said to his disciples. “It is hard for someone who is rich to enter the
kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:23. Timothy explains what happens to those who
are eager to get rich. I Timothy 6:10: “Those
who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many
foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 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.”
Are you stressing out to get rich? Be aware!
You might shipwreck your faith. On the contrary, when Jesus becomes our
treasure, and we run after him and serve him wholeheartedly, we will store up
eternal treasures in heaven. Every small act we do in Christ's name counts. What matters is how we serve the Lord. “Whatever
you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human
masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a
reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23–24.
