Treasure

Sunday Sermons

Mark Dunagan
02/11/07 - Sunday Morning

Treasure

Matthew 6:19-24

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon the earth” (6:19); “For where your treasure is” (6:21).

It is easy to see “money” or “material possessions” in the word “treasure” and clearly the word includes that, yet the term is inclusive of anything temporal we may hold close to our heart. “Not only the love of money, but love of honor, the love of position, the love of status, the love of one’s work in an illegitimate sense, whatever it may be, anything that stops with this life and this world. These are the things of which we must be wary, lest they become our treasure” (Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, D. Martyn Lloyd Jones p. 81). This is not merely a temptation for the wealthy, for the poor can equally be laying up treasures on the earth, that is, they can have all their hopes focused on some earthly possession.

· “Our Lord is concerned here not so much about our possessions as with our attitude towards our possessions. It is not what a man may have, but what he thinks of his wealth” (pp. 80-81). Thus there is nothing wrong with earthly wealth or having nice things, yet there is something wrong if we view such things as our “treasure”.

· “Our Lord is dealing here with people who get their main, or even total, satisfaction in this life from things that belong to this world only” (p. 81).

· One does not have to “possess” the actual “treasure”. We are violating this verse every time our heart is intent upon finding happiness or meaning completely in this life. “I do not cling to these things. They do not become the center of my life and existence. I do not live for them or dwell upon them constantly in my mind; they do not absorb my life. On the contrary, I hold them loosely; I am in a state of blessed detachment. I am not governed by them; rather do I govern them” (p. 85).

“Where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal”.

· Jesus now provides us with reasons why we should not place our trust, security, faith or happiness in the things of this life.

· The first argument might be called one of “common sense” or one learned by ordinary observation. “Why should I not place all my hopes for happiness in the things of this life?” Because it is obvious that earthly treasures do not last, in contrast with heavenly things (2 Corinthians 4:18; 1 Peter 1:4).

· All earthly things have within them an inherent element of decay. In addition, “these things never fully satisfy. They always lack something. There is no person on earth who is fully satisfied (with earthly things); and though in a sense some may appear to have everything that they desire, still they want something. Happiness cannot be purchased” (p. 88). See Ecclesiastes 5:11.

· We equally tend to tire of them. “We may enjoy them for a while, but somehow or other they begin to pall or we lose interest in them. That is why we are always talking about new things and seeking them” (p. 89). In other words, all earthly things and pursuits lose their luster and fade with familiarity and time.

· And thieves are not the only ones who can “steal” earthly things and hopes. An illness, a business loss, a change in the economy, war and finally death itself.

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (6:20).

· “In other words, He tells us that we are so to live in this world, and so to use everything we have, whether our possessions, or gifts, or talents, or propensities, that we shall be laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven” (p. 86).

· The person laying up treasure in heaven is using the things of this world, but he is using them for furthering the kingdom, raising godly children, improving his character, helping others, and saving souls (1 Timothy 6:17).

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (6:21).

· Jesus’ second argument is “based upon the spiritual danger involved in laying up treasures on earth and not in heaven. He warns us of the awful grip and power that these earthly things can have upon us. It is not only powerful; it is subtle. It is the thing that really controls most men’s lives. Have you seen the change, the subtle change, that tends to take place in men’s lives as they succeed and prosper in the world? Why is it that idealism is generally associated with youth and not with middle age? Why do men tend to become cynical as they get older? Why does the noble outlook upon life tend to go? It is because they have become victims of treasures on earth” (p. 91).

· In this section (6:21-24), Jesus notes that placing all one’s hopes in this life will affect one’s entire personality and not merely part of it. Jesus will first mention the affect such an attitude has on the heart (6:21). “These things grip and master our feelings, our affections and all our sensibility” (p. 92). We see this played out in John 3:19 where Jesus observed that some men will not come to the light because they have reached the point that they actuallylove the darkness. Not that they were merely pretending to enjoy the darkness, but they actually loved it and preferred it to God’s truth, His love and His offer of salvation.

· These verses reveal that sin upsets the normal balance in man, and sin perverts the proper use of the heart, the mind and the will.

· Sin equally takes normal and wholesome desires in the heart and subverts them for merely earthly and selfish ends. Thus earthly goods or a job becomes viewed as an end in itself or the ultimate goal, rather than blessings from God. Or, we try to find complete happiness in God’s physical blessings rather than in God Himself. This is nothing more than idolatry, when we are expecting the blessing to protect us or make us happy.

“The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of life. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (6:22-23).

· Here Jesus mentions the grip that sin can have on the mind. The picture of the eye is simply another way of speaking of the way that we perceive everything about us. In the end, there are only two basic ways of viewing anything in this life. We either view things from a purely earthly or human perspective, or from a divine and eternal perspective. We either walk by faith or sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

· The mind and perspective is clear when our focus is on God and heavenly realities. On the other hand, our attitude and perspective will be blurred, inaccurate and prejudiced if we start believing that anything or anyone in this life is the ultimate goal.

· Jesus would certainly object when unbelievers claim that they are being guided by “reason” instead of their emotions. This verse reveals the very real challenge Christians often face when seeking to persuade the lost. As long as one determines to make something in this life the end all, their entire reasoning will be clouded.

· The “bad” eye is often clouded by prejudices, ignorance, self-interest, and a lack of honesty about what is real. Take for example 6:19-20 in this section. What Jesus says here is so obvious there the need for argument should not even exist. “If a man sits down and really faces that, he must admit that it is the simple truth; yet people who are not Christian tend to live on the opposite assumption. They are jealous and envious of one another, they will sacrifice everything for these things—these things that are bound to come to an end and which they are bound to leave behind them. The real situation is so obvious, and yet they do not seem to see the obvious” (p. 100).

· Sin can equally distort a person’s sense of the relative value of things, for there should be on comparison between what is earthly and what is eternal in a person’s mind (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17).

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other” (6:24).

· Here we see that sin can affect the will. Consider the term “master” for a moment. God is not the only one who is calling for our “total” allegiance; the same demand is made by all earthly things and goals.

· “The next effect of sin upon man is to make him a slave of things that were meant to serve him” (p. 103).

· If we keep God as our master, then we will in turn master all our desires, but if God is rejected then our desires and appetites will master us.

· “What a tragedy; he bows down and worships at the shrine of things that were meant to be at his service. Things that were meant to minister to him have become his master. What a terrible, awful thing sin is!” (p. 103).

· Yet observe the choice and free will in this entire section. We get to choose our perspective (6:19), and we get to choose our Master.

“You cannot serve God and mammon” (6:24).

· These two opposites or world-views cannot be mixed successfully.

· Both will demand total commitment.

· Both will take over every aspect of your life, heart, mind and will.

· One offers pure enslavement.

· One offers meaningful service, self-mastery, the enjoyable and fulfilling use of desire and freedom.

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017