Treasuring Our Treasure

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

Matthew 5-7 is widely known as “The Sermon On The Mount.”  Chapter 5 begins with Jesus going up on a mountain to get a little breathing room from the crowds.  His disciples (read: followers) follow him and end up being engaged by a perfect word from the Perfect One.  It says at the end of chapter 7 that the crowds were astonished at his teaching because he taught as one who had authority. 

I suppose we could conclude that Jesus taught as one who had authority simply because of the way he started each of his teachings on that mountain.  “You have heard that it was said…but I say to you…” or some similar variation was the way Jesus moved from point to point in his sermon. 

Jesus makes a lot of different points:  We need to equate hatred with murder, lust with adultery, seeking the praise of men with hypocrisy, anxiety with unbelief, and judgment with hypocritical blindness.  As valid as all of these points are on their own, I think it is the above verses that get to the root of everything Jesus is trying to get his disciples and us to see. 

I just want to try and connect a few of them for us. 

Jesus says that if you get angry for the wrong reasons what you have really done is murdered your brother in your heart.  Our Lord demonstrates the proper emotion later when we see him having compassion on the people who were like sheep without a shepherd.  He wasn’t angry at their ignorance or their unbelief or their rebellion.  He was compassionate. 

Jesus tells us that if we are worshipping God with arms raised and tears streaming down our face and there realize that our brother has something against us, we are to go to our brother and be reconciled and then come back to worship God.  Being reconciled is more important that worshipping God?  No, but sometimes being reconciled is necessary in order to actually be worshipping God in the first place.  And notice that He doesn’t say, “Go tell your brother that He upset you and should apologize.”  Generally anger is brought on by something someone has done, but Jesus is giving the clear message that the anger we have is of greater significance than whatever our brother has done.  If we are still alive to be angry, then He hasn’t killed us...so our hatred/murder is the offense to reckon with. 

Don’t store treasure on earth.  Don’t let your heart hold on to anger because you want to be right or because you are really hurting because of what someone did to you.  Jesus, our Treasure, tells us that He will right every wrong and that through grace He will reconcile the world and all of our relationships.

Lust is adultery.  Lust is done in your inner being, your heart.  Jesus is telling us not to store up treasure on earth.  Don’t let your definition of beauty be an earthly one of airbrushed, silicone, Bo-tox, blah blah blah.  Store up your treasure in heaven.  One day, moth and rust are going to destroy the idols of earthly beauty and the imagined bliss of fleeting pleasures.  One day, Jesus is going to show up and be dazzlingly beautiful and wonderfully spectacular.  If we have failed to see Him as the Ultimate Beauty, we will beg the mountains to fall on us to put us out of our misery.  But, it will be too late.  Relief will not come.  We will lose our earthen treasures and lose the Beautiful One Himself along with the riches He offers. 

Where is your treasure?  Where is my treasure?  Who is our treasure?

What about the Pharisees?  Jesus says that we must be more righteous than they are in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus tells us where their treasure lies in chapter 6.  They give to the poor while sounding a trumpet out in the streets so that men can see their generosity.  They pray in the synagogues so men can applaud their zeal and righteousness.  They go without food while twisting their faces so people can see their sacrifice of strength for God’s Law. 

Their treasure is their earthly recognition.  How dangerous it is to treasure the glory and praise of man rather than the glory and praise of God!  No wonder Jesus says, “Woe to you, Pharisees!” 

Do you see yourself in this?  Can you see the slippery slope of this hell-bound idolatry?  I do.  How often I find myself beginning to sadden if I haven’t been acknowledged for a job well done.  How often I sense my heart begin to crumble when my spiritual zeal isn’t worshipped by friends or family!  How often I can experience bitterness, resentment, jealousy, envy, and hatred (which we already said is murder) simply because my heart demands that I be recognized and applauded.  Woe to me! 

I don’t think I know anyone who will stand out in the street banging on a drum while they donate some money to world missions.  But I would dare to guess that I know a lot of people, a lot of God-fearing, Bible-believing Christians, who often do the equivalent of banging on a drum in their hearts.  We have all stored up earthly treasure in this area.  Only when we replace the destroyable, “steal-able” treasure with the One who is said to have an indestructible life will we be free from this wicked idol. 

I just want to mention one more and then I will wrap this up. 

Anxiety is storing up treasure on earth.  Are you anxious about money, food, getting married, finding a better job, losing weight, getting your tax return, moving into a new and better house?  I know that I can be!  Jesus asks us:  Is not your life more than these things?  Is that promotion or new hair color or pair of skinny jeans really what is going to complete your life and end your searching for lasting happiness?  What a pathetic treasure we whore after! 

Jesus promises something infinitely better:  a Father who will provide for all of our needs and will never fail to provide what we really need for life.  Wouldn’t it be better for us to set our minds on the things above and to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness?  Wouldn’t it be better for us to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven?  Wouldn’t we end our searching once and for all if we looked upon the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ as our Treasure?  That we would fix our hearts on Jesus!  That we would treasure Jesus!  Who could be anxious while beholding the unfading glory of Christ?  Impossible.

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all…how will He not along with Jesus graciously give us all things? 

There is a saying you’ve probably heard.  I will probably butcher it, but you’ll get the point.  “Aim for the moon.  If you miss, you’ll still be among the stars.” 

Jesus says, “If I am your Treasure, you can never go wrong, because in me you will find the fulfillment of every single desire of your heart.” 

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

Matthew 7:24-25