TREASURES IN HEAVEN
A prosperous man from America traveled to Europe to visit his friend, an author. Upon arriving, being greeted by his friend and taken into his cottage, he noticed it was quite bare, lacking furniture and the things this American expected to see in his friend’s house. He asked the logical question as to where were all the nicer things; maybe this was just a weekend cottage or not where he really lived. The reply was instead a question from his European friend, “Where is your furniture?” “Oh, I’m a traveler, it’s all at home,” was his answer. The reply was, “Well, I’m just a traveler too, my possessions also are at home.”
David, in his writings, repeats the same thought, when he writes in Psalms 39:12, from the Living Bible,
“I am a traveler passing through the earth as my fathers were.”
In Hebrews 11 we read about the great cloud of witnesses, men and woman of faith that confessed they were but pilgrims and strangers on the earth, Hebrews 11:13. It goes on to say that they seek a homeland, a heavenly country and God has prepared a city for them and for us.
We put a lot of emphasis on building up treasures here on earth. After all, that is the American dream. It is advertised on TV—move up to a finer home or, the new models are coming out, buy yours now. Reward yourself with what you are worthy of. After all, you earned it. The unions are constantly at war with the administration. Everyone wants more and positions himself or herself to earn the most in the stock market, in real estate, gambling on the lottery or by earning the best degree.
Was it any different in Jesus’ day? A man came to Jesus asking what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus started by quoting the Ten Commandments, “you shall not steal, commit adultery,” etc. and the man replied that he had kept all of these commands since his youth. “Then one thing you lack,” Jesus told him. “Sell what you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasures in heaven.” The man couldn’t accept this and he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. Mark 10:17-22
"One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (Mark 10:21).
In Matthew Jesus gives the same admonition where he says:
"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 6:19-34
So what are treasures? Over and over we read about treasures as being a monetary gift to the poor or to the church as Paul blessed the church at Philippi for their giving. Philippians 4:15. Again in Luke 12:33, we are reminded of Christ’s teaching to sell your possessions and give alms; provide yourselves with purses in heaven.”
Luke tells us that “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God" (Luke 18:25).
"Zacchaeus said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. . . .’ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house." Luke 19:8-9. From these references we can see that treasures are often equated with monetary gifts.
"A person’s life does not consist in the possessions that he has." (Luke 12:15).
"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33).
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." (Matthew 13:44).
“Jesus saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them." (Luke 21:1).
"But God said to [the man who built even bigger barns], ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:20-21).
"Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head . . . Follow me." (Luke 9:58).
Over and over Jesus is relentless in his radical call to a wartime lifestyle and a hazardous liberality such as ‘she put in all that she had.’ One time he refers to the Old Testament minimum of giving a tenth of your income, endorses it, and then calls for a way of looking at life and money way more radical than the mere tithe. "You tithe even your spices," he said to the Pharisees. "That’s right. You should. But you have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness." (Matthew 23:23).
So I am in good company with Jesus, not to mention the stories of the book of Acts, "They were selling their possessions . . . and distributing the proceeds . . . as any had need," (Acts 2:45), or the words of the apostle Paul, "In a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity . . . God loves a cheerful giver," (Corinthians 8:2; 9:7) or James the brother of Jesus, "The flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits." James 1:11.
If we are personally set free to give the way the New Testament talks about giving, we would be the happiest people on earth. I say it because of what the Bible teaches. Proverbs 14:21, "Happy is he who is gracious to the poor." Proverbs 22:9, "He who is generous will be blessed." 1 Timothy 6:9, "Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." Acts 20:35, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
1) "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven" found in verse "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth."
2) "Do not be anxious," found three times. Verse 25 of Matthew 6: "Do not be anxious about your life." Verse 31: "Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’" Verse 34: "Do not be anxious about tomorrow."
3)"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" found in verse 33.
So we ask the question again? What are treasures? Remember the story of King Saul. To obey is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)
This passage records the circumstances that led to God's rejection of Saul, the first king of Israel. Saul had been instructed through the prophet Samuel to enact complete judgment upon a group of people called the Amalekites. This was because of what they did to the people of Israel years before, when they came up from Egypt.
Saul was given very clear instructions:
Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys (1 Samuel 15:3).
But that is not what Saul did. Instead we read,
But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs - everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed (1 Samuel 15:9).
The Lord's word to Saul in reaction to what he did is as clear as his original instructions:
“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king (1 Samuel 15:22,23).
From these references we can quickly see that God desires our obedience and total obedience will be rewarded. Obedience will give us treasures in Heaven.
Treasures may be many or few, big or little, numerous or sparce, depending on the deposits to our account. Mark 10:30 tells us:
Who will not get a hundred times as much now in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and land--though with great troubles; and, in the world to come, eternal life.
One hundredfold or 100 times as much is 10,000%. That is a good return on our investment. Matthew 13:8 tells us:
Others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.
The point of these references is that there will be rewards in heaven based on the deposit to our heavenly bank account. The question we are still answering is what are the treasures that we lay up in heaven, where moth and rust does not corrupt, thieves do not break in and steal and that yields 100, 60 or 30 times as much. II Cor. 4:7
This is the answer and this is how we build up treasures in heaven. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, the very first people, were told not to eat of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God did not desire of his creation, man and woman, to be guided in life by the knowledge of good and evil. We know what Adam and Eve did as soon as they ate of that tree. They hid themselves indicating that a fellowship was broken. If it had been so great for them to know the difference between good and evil, it would have not been refused to them. They would have been encouraged to eat from the tree but they were not. They were told to not eat but they did and sin entered the world.
God has always desired for man to live by faith. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin, Romans 14:23. Abraham was the Father of Faith and God has always honored faith. When we live by faith in total obedience we are laying up treasures in heaven. If we are told to go, and we do so by faith, we are laying up treasures in heaven. If we are told to give and we do so by faith, we are laying up treasures in heaven. If we are told to pray and we do so in faith, knowing that God hears us, we are laying up treasures in heaven.
The widow that cooked a meal for Elisha, when she barely had enough for only her son and herself, was laying up treasures in heaven. When Mary poured the costly ointment on the feet of Jesus and dried his feet with her hair, she was laying up treasures in heaven. When the lad with only 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish offered them to Jesus, he lay up for himself treasures in heaven. Treasures result from obedience. Remember the story of Saul and the admonishment received from Samuel, ‘Does God desire a sacrifice as much as obedience?’ The answer for Saul and the answer for today for us is still a resounding ‘no.’ Remember the old song,
Trust and obey, for there is no other way, To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
The lives of the Jews, God’s children, the ones who first received the gospel and then passed it on, through Paul, to the Gentiles was a life of ups and downs, obedience and disobedience, faith and a lack of faith. When they lived in obedience, they were storing up treasures in heaven and when they lived in sin, failed to obey, they not only failed God and suffered the consequences but they were not laying up treasures in heaven.
Our treasures result from living in total obedience to God’s will for our lives. It doesn’t mean living by what we feel is good for the moment or what we feel is right but in total obedience. We determine what total obedience is by reading the Word and listening to God. When we sacrifice our time, our possessions, our talents to the Lord, we are laying up treasures in heaven. If we do it with the right attitude we will reap tremendous benefits; some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty - That is, in various proportions; some abundantly more than others.
1). Heaven is a place of happiness - "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4).
2). In heaven God will dwell with man - "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." (Revelation 21:3).
3). No sin will be allowed there - "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8).
4). No night there - "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. " (Revelation 21:23).
5). Heaven's New Jerusalem - is an unspeakable beauty, a city and streets of gold, gates of pearl, and precious stones (Revelation 21:10-21).
6). A righteous person or a true Christian is someone who makes Jesus Lord and Savior of their life will go to heaven at death -"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8).
7). Christians will live with Jesus in heaven - Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:2-3).
8). The reunion of Christian loved ones - "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch angel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
9). A Christian's eternal inheritance - "To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you," (1 Peter 1:4).