one of the perennial problems of our lives. The constant temptation for us as we live in this world is to live as though this life is everything. We live in a world that is tangible. It's the reality that we face daily. We see it, we touch it, we taste it, we smell it. We hear it. It's all around us. It pushes and prods us. It pulls us and draws us. We face every day the responsibilities of living in this world. We face every day its challenges too. Our minds are taken up. with fulfilling those responsibilities, with meeting those challenges, whether they're immediate, in the moment, or whether they're anticipated tomorrow, or next year, or even at a more distant time. Our thoughts, our energy is given to preparing for and meeting those ever-present constantly recurring and inescapable needs. Now we've been considering the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus preached to his disciples on the hill in Galilee. We've considered particularly in this sixth chapter aspects of living a righteous life in this world. And in the remainder of the sixth chapter Jesus addresses this subject. the subject of the challenges and the responsibilities and meeting them in our lives in this world. He initially lays down some foundational principles about what should matter most to us and how we should think and who we should serve and then he works out those principles and their implications for eliminating anxiety and granting peace. And today I draw your attention to verses 19 through 21 where Jesus 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. So we must consider the reality firstly of earthly treasure. Here we are in this world. Here we are in the here and now of this world, in this present moment. And the temptation is of course to live so much in the present moment that we desire all of our expectations to be fulfilled in the moment, all of our aspirations, all of our dreams and our longings. And Jesus has in a sense already been addressing this in the earlier part of the chapter. For he has said, beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them. For then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. And he gave three areas of illustration, three key areas in Jewish life. That of almsgiving, that of praying and that of fasting. And he showed in each one of them how there's this great temptation to seek the praise of men. to be acknowledged and applauded for the good that we're doing, for the righteousness that we're practicing. And over and over again, Jesus says that those who do these things for the praise of men have received their reward. That's it! That's as much as they're going to get. There will be nothing from the God who made them. There will be nothing from the one who sustains their lives. There will be nothing from the one before whom they will one day stand as their judge. They have received it all in this life, in this world. And now Jesus continues that idea, that thought, that theme, as he says, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. The accumulation of wealth. It is wealth that he's speaking about, it is possessions that he's referring to, for he speaks about the way that moth and rust destroy them or thieves break in and steal. It is true that we can take this idea of treasures and we can apply it to other things like family and spouse and work and reputation so that those become the things for which we live our lives and to some degree the things in which we trust. And while we may extrapolate the lesson into those areas, I don't think that that is where Jesus actually intends our thoughts to go. And whether we are wealthy or whether we are poor, the great temptation is for us to rely upon the things of this world. the treasures of this world, the wealth of this world, however little of it we may have, there is always that desire for more because we depend upon it. We put our trust in it. We live for it in this tangible, present, measurable, comparable, desirable world of things. Now that's That's not to say that the things of this world are inherently evil. That's not to say that money in and of itself is evil. It may lead us into evil, but actually these are things that are needful for us in this world. Jesus isn't saying that we should all be poor. He isn't even saying that we should give away all that we have. On occasion he did say that. He said that to the rich young man who came to him asking what he needed to do to gain eternal life. And having confirmed that he had kept the whole of the law since his youth, Jesus touched a raw nerve and pointed to his wealth and said to him, give it away. Give it all away. Give it to the poor and follow me. Then you will have eternal life. And the man went away sorrowful, he couldn't do it. He couldn't give away his wealth. He couldn't give away his riches. But usually Jesus didn't go around telling people to give everything away. when they came seeking eternal life. Indeed, when we read through the scriptures, Old and New Testament alike, we see that having wealth used well is a good thing. But it has its dangers. Profitability is commended by Jesus as he gave his parable of the talents A master was going away on a long journey and he entrusted his wealth to his servants and when he came back from the long journey what did he expect to have that handed back to him? No, it was to have it multiplied. for them to have been profitable with that which he had entrusted to them and they are commended for being wise and profitable, at least the two who were wise and profitable. The one who simply gave back his master what he had received from his hand was condemned. Profitability is commendable. Provision for the future is wise. We made reference to this a couple of times earlier that the book of Proverbs speaks about the wisdom of providing for the future. The sluggard is exhorted to look to the ant. who, in the summer, gathers in for the winter. And that is applied even more directly in Proverbs chapter 10 and verse 5. Provision for the future is a wise thing to do. It is the fool who makes no provision. Contributing to the needs of others is seen as a good thing. Paul exhorted those in the Ephesian church who had been habituated to stealing to give up that practice and put their hands to good work so that they may have something to give to others. And of course the support of the gospel ministry is absolutely necessary. While Jesus had no place to lay his head, He was supported by friends. Paul in his missionary journeys at times worked with his own hands, but much of the time was supported by others, those traveling with him and those who gave from a distance. And all of these things then imply that wealth in and of itself is not a bad thing. It's not evil. But there are dangers associated with it. After all, what is all of this wealth? All of the material things of this world? They are means to an end. But they can become an end in themselves. And that's the sense of this word treasure, isn't it? Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. That which we treasure is that which we most highly value. That which we treasure is that which we seek to accumulate and store away for ourselves. It's our goal and it becomes our trust. And certainly that is the sense in which Jesus is speaking here when he says, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. He's saying don't trust in these things. How easy is it for us to slip into the mentality where we live for the next pay rise and we think, that will solve my own personal cost of living crisis. We strive for the next promotion. How disappointed we are when someone else gets it and we're looked over. We want it, we need it, it will lead to a better car, a better house, a better yacht, something. For we always want the latest upgrade, don't we? That will somehow improve our lives, somehow increase our satisfaction. We want the newest, the latest gadget. It doesn't matter that the old one still works and does its job. There's something appealing about that which is new, more advanced, the latest edition. It will cut down the hours, it will strip off the fat, it will do this, it will do that, that's how it's advertised to us, you need this! And we buy into that mentality. It's the mentality of the world all around us and so things become our treasure. Things become that which we look to to resolve our problems and bring us peace. We strive for those things, we live for those things. But what are those things? Jesus says they're the things that moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. They're unreliable. The latest gadget breaks. Or someone steals it. Or it wears out. It's all vanity, isn't it? And because it breaks, we take out the extended warranty. And because it gets stolen, we buy insurance. Because we need these things to keep on going, to keep on serving us, to keep on meeting our needs, to keep on solving our problems, to keep on giving us life. It's vanity. For in the end they cannot give life, and they cannot sustain life, and ultimately we leave it all behind, as the writer of Ecclesiastes so eloquently put it. And then what? Then what do we have left? After we've lived our lives of exertion, after we've lived our lives striving after these things, what do we have left? It is like striving after the wind. It is like trying to hold water in your hands, it just dribbles away and is gone. What is all of that striving provided for you? What is it secured for you when you come to the end of your life? With the flash car, and the nice house, and all the mod cons, and the latest gadgets. What meaning do they have then? when you're about to face your maker, when you're about to face the reality that this life, this tangible life, this life for which you've lived, is over. It's gone. These things vain when we live for them and put our trust in them. When we live as though this life is all that there is, maybe those things have a part in a life that is only this, but our lives aren't only this. And we know that, every one of you knows that. The world out there knows that because God has put eternity in our hearts. And however man may seek to silence that voice in the deepest recesses of their consciences, it is there nevertheless. So Jesus says, don't do this. Don't lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. He uses the present active when he says this, so it has the sense of don't be laying up, don't keep on laying up, or to put it even more bluntly, stop laying up treasures on the earth. But this is what they've been accustomed to, this is the way that they've lived their lives. These disciples who are on the hillside, where Jesus is sitting and teaching them, he has come so recently into their lives with his amazing way of speaking that held them spellbound. because he spoke as one having authority and not as the scribes and the Pharisees, he spoke as one who knew what he was talking about, he knew about life, he knew about eternity, he knew about the things that really mattered and they had been drawn to him by his kindness and by his love. by his truth and now here they are and they're listening to him and he's saying to them stop laying up for yourselves treasures on earth, they're vain, they're empty, they're fading, they're passing, they're not going to achieve anything for you besides what you might have in this life, they're not going to add anything to you when you die. Jesus said you did it previously, don't do it now. Re-evaluate your lives, re-evaluate this world, re-evaluate your place in this world. Don't you see that this world has come under the curse of God for its rebellion against Him? Don't you see that this world is a tortured world? It's a destroyed world. It's a world that one day will pass away. Don't you see that the things of this world, like it, have no lasting value? Don't you see that there is something greater, something more important, that your heart needs to embrace? something more substantial, something more lasting, something that will see you through the grave and into eternity. And so he calls upon them to consider the reality of heavenly treasure. He says, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. What is this treasure then that Jesus speaks of? Is it some kind of sanctified gadget that we'll have when we're in heaven? Is it some kind of gold and silver that we will be able to accumulate that will not be appealing to anyone else and so it won't get stolen? No, the treasure, the treasure of heaven is something very different from the treasures of this world. Treasure is that which we prize. Treasure is that which we value. Treasure is that which we live for, to attain more of. And the treasure of heaven mustn't be devalued to the things of this world. But we must understand them as spiritual realities, spiritual blessings. As Peter says when he writes in his first letter in chapter 1 and verses 3 through 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. This inheritance that is imperishable undefiled and unfading is equated with salvation and all that that means. The Apostle Paul similarly when he wrote to the church in Ephesus in Ephesians chapter 1 He writes in verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. It is all to be found in Christ and through Christ. Indeed, the ultimate prize, the ultimate treasure is Him. He is the one who is life to those who trust in him. And when Paul addressed Timothy about this whole subject of riches in this world, he writes in chapter 6 and verse 19 of his first letter, that those who are wealthy, those who are rich in this present age should be generous in and ready to share thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. It is that true life that comes through Jesus Christ and so Paul when he wrote to the Philippians spoke of his hope, his aspiration, in these terms, in verses 12 through 14. Not that I have already obtained this, that is the resurrection from the dead, the eternal life in all of its fullness. Not that I have already obtained this, or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. It is in Him, it is in Jesus Christ that we have the riches, the treasures of heaven. And those riches, those treasures, ultimately are the knowledge of God. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4, verses 6 and 7, God who said let light shine out of darkness has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ but we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. This treasure of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It's to know God in all of his glorious fullness. To know him. That is the greatest treasure of all. And that is the treasure that is reserved only for those who come to God in humility. repent of their sins and appeal to him for mercy. And what is it to repent of sin? It is to turn away from it, having had a change of mind about it, to realize that that thing, that sin, that action, that attitude, That desire is inconsistent with the will of God. It is an affront to the character of God. It is not in any way a reflection of the purity of God. And we have a change of mind about that attitude, about that desire, about that action, about those words. And we begin to see what once we saw with indifference now to be something that is an affront to God. And we detest it. We hate it. We no longer want that thing to be a part of our lives. We turn away from it to trust in God, in his word, to walk in his ways. And Jesus is saying to us, don't lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. Don't put your trust in the things of this world. Don't amass the things of this world as though they are your insurance for the future, as though they are your hope, as though they are your security, as though they will be your provider. God alone is the provider. God alone is the security. God alone is the hope that we are to have. We are to live our lives in this world looking to him, trusting in him, living for him, not for the things of this world. We are simply passing through this world. We are pilgrims on a journey with a glorious destination at its end. We are those who carry about with us a tent to sleep in at night, and a basic little camping stove to cook our food on. As we make this journey through this world, we must be content with the simple things, the things that are necessary. With food and clothing, with these we will be content, Paul tells us. as we trust God, as we look to him day by day to meet our needs, as we put our hands to honest work and day by day as we give of the fruit of our labours to help those who are impoverished and day by day as we think about what lies ahead and we set a little aside in the summer to see us through the winter. In all of this, we're looking to God and we're acknowledging his hand and we're putting no trust then in the things of this world. We're putting no trust in our work, in our wealth. For we see that our treasure is in God. and all of the fullness of that that will be our inheritance as his children when we enter into glory. And these are the things that we look forward to, to knowing God without any more veil between us. I know Paul talks about the veil having been taken away and The light of God shines in glory upon the believer even now and that is true but we do not see him face to face and we long for that. We long to see him unhindered by our wrong thinking. unhindered by the pressures of this world, unhindered by its lies that we've bought into and struggled to throw off, unhindered by any of those things to be with our Saviour Jesus Christ, to be with God our Father in all of the glory that he intends for us to share in, to be participants in. in that new heavens and new earth where righteousness dwells or if the world that God created in the first place was pronounced so very good. What wonders awaits us in the new heavens and the new earth, what joys will be ours then, what peace and to grow our knowledge there to investigate and explore that new creation without any hindrance of sin to misguide. We look forward to those riches, we long for those riches, we yearn for those riches but we have something of them even now. As Paul writes to the Romans in chapter 8 and verse 23, he has given us the first fruits of the Spirit and he is the guarantee, he is the deposit, he's the down payment of all of those treasures that will be ours in heaven. We have something of them now to enjoy now in this life, in this world. so that Paul was able to say I have learned to be content in every situation. When life's on the up and I'm abounding and everything I put my hand to do goes well and God is bringing in sinners out of this world to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, I've learned to be content then. But we all say, yeah, I'd be content then too. And I've learned to be content in the hardship, in the hungering, in the imprisonments, when my friends have forsaken me, when I don't know how I'm going to get through the next dark nights. I've learned to be content because I know that nothing befalls me that is outside of my good father's will. And this is what it is to have treasure in heaven, to know our Father who loves us and to live in the reality of that love day by day, to trust in Him and to live for Him. And so Jesus says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. And there he is and he's sitting on the hillside in Galilee and he has his disciples around him, close to him, looking at him, taking up every word that he says and there's the masses of people beyond, eavesdropping on his teaching of his disciples and he says loudly, that all will hear. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. He says it to them all and then he says for where your treasure is and he looks at his disciples because he's using the singular now he looks at one and then another and then another purposefully and personally he says where your treasure is that's where your heart will be it's personal This is very personal. It's about you. It's not about the person sitting next to you. It's not about the person sitting in front of you or the person sitting behind you. It's not about the person out in the world. It's about you. Where is your treasure? What does your heart yearn for? What are you longing for? What are you living for? Are you here in this world living in this world for the things of this world? You must evaluate yourself. You must be honest with yourself. Don't be distracted by others and wonder, I wonder, I wonder about, I wonder about him. I wonder about her. Look, look how well off they are. Things aren't going to go well for them in eternity. How do you know that? How do you know that that person isn't living their whole life for the honor and glory of God? Someone may be very wealthy. and very focused on the treasures of heaven. After all, hasn't Jesus just taught his disciples? When you give to the needy, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Don't show it off, don't parade it. How do you know what that wealthy person is doing with their wealth? What good works they are doing, what suffering they're relieving, what gospel enterprise they are funding. You don't know, it's not about them, it's about you. And what are you doing? And you say, well I'm not wealthy. No, you may well not be wealthy. You may be wondering how you're going to feed your family this coming week. And that's the point though, isn't it? How are you going to feed your family this coming week? By working harder, putting in a few extra hours, or by trusting God. That's the point. Whether you're poor or wealthy, the temptations for the wealthy are bigger, are greater, certainly that is clear from the scriptures. that they face tremendous temptations but that doesn't mean that the poor have no temptations in that regard to trust in riches. The poor widow gave off the last coin that she had She said in her heart, I'm not gonna trust this coin to get me through tomorrow. I'm gonna trust God to get me through tomorrow. It's your own heart that you need to evaluate, not another's. What motivates? What occupies your thoughts? What is your ambition? What is life to you? What is your treasure? What do you live for? This world is temporary. It is passing. It's a troubled world. We'll never, never be able to escape the trouble of this world. You can amass the greatest riches that you can imagine and it won't get you happiness. It won't give you peace. It won't give you security. With the accumulation of riches, the writer of Ecclesiastes says, comes the accumulation of anxiety. Here in this world, that is what there is. And if this is all you have, with no hope, No expectation beyond it. What a vain life. What an empty life. And dare I say it, what a damned life. For James writes in chapter 5, 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. And the treasure that they have laid up will be a witness against them at the throne of God. that they trusted in these vain things rather than trusting in him who is the giver of life and the sustainer of life and the goal and the prize of life. What do you live for? For today? Maybe tomorrow? Do you live for the world to come? The world of God's promises and of God's presence and of God's peace. If you have laid up treasure for the world to come, it's eternal. It'll never fade. It'll never be corrupted. It'll never be eaten away. It's eternal and it's fulfilling. It is a fullness of life that overflows with such riches and such glory. It satiates any longings that you may have in your heart. I has not seen nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. Stop laying up treasures in this world. Lay up treasures in heaven, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, that when he comes in his glory, He will welcome you, a good and faithful servant, into his joy. Let's pray. Oh, our Father, how your word cuts us deep into our hearts and consciences, for we are so caught up in this world, in the ways of this world, the thinking of this world. hard for us to shake it off, have mercy on us we pray and help us to ponder these words of Jesus, to take them to heart, to live in their light and to prove you to be a God who is great, a God who is powerful, a God who can meet us in our needs day by day and year by year and for all eternity. help us we pray that we may live our lives for you and for your glory that one day we may share in that glory forever and ever to the praise of our Savior who gave his life for us. Amen.