Laying up Treasures in Heaven • Devotion 3: Heavenly Treasures
Pastor John Carter
“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 6:20-21
Yesterday, we walked through earthly treasures. Today, we are going to examine a clear “do versus do not” scenario. In other words, do not do this (laying up treasures on earth); however, definitely do this other thing (laying up treasures in Heaven). We are going to examine what it looks like to pursue heavenly treasures, which ultimately reveals the true place of our hearts. Be prepared to be disrupted through this process. You may see some things revealed that may hurt or feel uncomfortable. When we go through those things, it is called refinement (aka: sanctification).
Let us look through some passages that will lay a solid foundation for what heavenly treasure is and what it looks like.
- “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.” Isaiah 51:6
- “Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.” Isaiah 51:7-8
Starting off, we see the Kingdom of Heaven including the concepts of eternity and righteousness. We also see the elements of this physical earth and sky have an end date. It is like a garment that will wear out and be no more. The sky will dissipate as smoke does. However, in complete contrast to the sin-riddled Earth, the spiritual, eternal Kingdom of Heaven will remain forever. The righteousness of God is written to be forever. Salvation, which is a free gift for us to receive, is also something that will be forever. It is important to really wrap our minds around this idea of temporary versus eternal because it is the foundation of where we decide to keep our treasures. Jesus tells us another story in Matthew 19:16-22,“And behold, a man came up to him, saying, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ And he said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.’ He said to him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘All these I have kept. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
That is not what a lot of rich and wealthy people want to read. We see the eternal presented with the man’s request. Clearly, there is an element of eternality that we all have scripted in our hearts. I love, just like in Isaiah, Jesus teaches that if you want to understand what is good (or righteous) go read it in God’s Word. Jesus quotes half of the Ten Commandments. The point is that Jesus Himself says that if you want to know what the Father considers good (or righteous) you can start there. It is interesting that this young man further pursues something he feels he is lacking. If he is able to live out the righteous commandments of God, how is it that he, in his own questioning, felt something lacking? He asks, “What do I still lack?” then Jesus instructs him to do two things.
First, He tells him to sell all of his earthly possessions and give them to those in need. This is a very prominent teaching in Scripture, caring for the needy and the poor. The righteous rulers made provision for this and every time they did these things, they were commended. Jesus also links this act of caring and providing for the poor as a means to store up treasures in Heaven.
Second, He says to this man, “Follow me.” As I examine this story, we see this man deny both of the instructions Jesus gave him. He did not follow Jesus because it is recorded that he “went away,” which is the opposite of “follow me.” It also records for us the condition of the man’s heart; he went away full of sorrow. If you look back at yesterday’s study you will recall that sorrow is one of the results of seeking earthly possessions. We get a clear picture of the condition of this wealthy man’s heart. He clearly had a huge amount of trust and faith in his earthly possessions. So much so, that when Jesus challenged him to give it all up, he could not do it. I am not suggesting that you go out and live on the streets, but we do need to examine if we, like that man, have put our trust and faith in our own personal wealth. If we lost it all, would we still trust God? Would we still praise Him? In Luke 12:32-34, we read, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
In both the Matthew and Luke accounts, we see Jesus attributing the heavenly treasures directly to caring and providing for the needy and the poor. James 5:1-6 adds, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.”
James follows the same principles laid out by Paul in the letters to Timothy, that treasures of the world will bring misery and sorrow. In verse 6, we see James link the murder and condemnation of Jesus Christ to the rich person that puts their faith and trust in their wealth over their trust and faith in the person of Jesus. In other words, if you continue to rely on the treasures of this world over the eternal treasure of Heaven (Jesus), you will bear the guilt of His murder and condemnation. That is a serious warning.
Peter teaches us a similar aspect of the heavenly treasures in 1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Peter points to this amazing salvation we have in Christ; however, he also speaks of this incredible inheritance that is being held for us in Heaven. It is an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. What is this inheritance? What is this treasure? It is the Kingdom of Heaven! It is where we receive the eternal, glorified, resurrected body that is just like Christ’s resurrected body. It is our salvation, our hope of dwelling in the presence of God and being with Jesus. It is a treasure that is greater than silver and gold! It is more valuable than anything we could imagine.
Romans 8:12-17 adds, “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
This is very disruptive to our modern culture because our world teaches us to go after all the earthly treasures. Our measure of success is often determined by how much earthly treasure we possess. We have been dupped into the temporary and have lost sight of the eternal. The church is not immune to the influence of the current culture. We choose to lift up the things that have little eternal value and ignore the call to go after the heavenly treasures. Our focus needs to be on the lives and souls of the lost, needy, poor, and destitute. We can emphasize the glories of this fading earth and ignore the eternal state of those around us. Do we value our possessions and our wealth above the needs and souls of those around us? The choice is ours.
These passages are often very difficult for a wealthy nation like America to read and hear. We find this kind of thinking to be very disruptive and uncomfortable. I trust the Holy Spirit to reveal in you the specific issues related to earthly, temporary things you have elevated. I pray that the disruption God produces in each and every one of us will lead us to rely more on Him and elevate the eternal things He has gifted to us to distribute. I pray we will learn the righteous things to pursue and partake in the eternal Kingdom of Heaven.
As both Matthew and Luke conclude this matter, they ultimately point us to the condition of our hearts. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also!” Does your heart belong to Jesus? Does it desire Him? Does it value the person and treasure of a relationship with Jesus? Is your heart fixed on the eternal things of God? Is it pursuing the mission of the Kingdom? This is the ultimate question that disrupts all other disruptions. When we get real and truly focus on our actions, our priorities and the condition of our heart becomes so clear. Pray that God will mold your heart to conform to His image, character, and desires. The goal is that we would start to think according to a heavenly economy (eternal) versus an earthly economy (temporal).