Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. It is going to be one of the ten best days here in New York. The Fall foliage is out of this world. It is simply brilliant. Janice and her little ones, Micah and Simeon, are visiting us. It is a treat. We went to one of the local pumpkin farms yesterday afternoon. The place was packed with lots of young children. Praise the Lord for the rich harvest of autumn produce. It is the season for apples and pumpkins. New York farmers grow some of the best. Wish you were here.
Over the course of the last few weeks, many who watch our financial markets have gotten motion sickness from the sharp ups and downs—mostly downs. Insurance companies have teetered. Investment banks have folded. Stock prices have plummeted. For many this has led to a lot of sleepless nights. The financial crisis has also led to some anger. People are mad at the system, mad at the banks, mad at those who defaulted, mad at the business leaders who didn't see it coming, and mad at Congress for their lack of regulations, wrong regulations, or too many regulations. Many of us have experienced some sleepless nights due to fear and anxiety. Yet, I like capitalism. It is clearly the best economic system. It has generated wealth that has helped many people and it has created disposable income. There are clear upsides to the system. But as Adam Smith points out in Wealth of Nations, it is largely based on self-interest. Those who understand capitalism know that it can also fuel greed and, when left unchecked by Christian conviction, it can get even uglier.
In Mathew 6 Jesus, our Lord, deals with wealth and the treasures. He wants us to picture a treasure chest filled with money, gold coins, and jewels. He says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth." What Jesus is really saying to us here is, "Do not make earthly things your treasure."
Treasure is a very large term. We need to realize it includes many things besides money. You see, we all have treasures in some shape or form. It may be money. It may be husband, wife, or children. It may be some gift or talent we have. It may be our house. It may be status, position, and prestige. It may be our reputation or name. It may be athletic ability. It may be the mind and intellect.
We also need to understand that our Lord does not condemn wealth, or earthly things. His concern is with our attitude towards them. It is not what a man has, but what he thinks of what he has, that matters to Jesus. There is nothing wrong in having wealth, even enormous wealth; what counts is a person's attitude towards that wealth. What Jesus condemns is those people – whether they be rich or poor – who chase first after earthly wealth, who make worldly things the goal of their life, who store up for themselves treasures on earth. Jesus says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth ..." What is a treasure? A treasure is something you value most, something you place the greatest importance on, something you hoard, something you will try to get whatever the cost. Today Jesus says to us, "Do not continue to make earthly things your treasure; do not make earthly things those things which you value most and place the greatest importance upon." Jesus is warning us against making things of this earth into gods and worshiping them.
At the time of Jesus, just like today, there were people who were treasuring, making far too important, the things of this earth. Their life was spent hoarding and storing up treasures on earth. For this reason Jesus warned in Luke 12:
(Lk 12:15) "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Far too many people are hung up on possessions – not just the rich but the poor too. Don't forget, a poor man can begrudge his crusts as much as a rich man can hoard his gold. Far too many people measure success and happiness in life in terms of things, possessions, money. "A man's life," says Jesus, "does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." There is more, far more, to life than money and possessions. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth," says Jesus. In the light of this command every person must take an honest look at himself and ask, "Where or what is my treasure?"
We don't have to run ourselves ragged trying to amass fortunes. We don't have to involve ourselves in "get rich quick" schemes. We don't have to get ourselves hopelessly in debt. We do not have to pursue perishable treasures. For the Christian, for the Kingdom citizen, he or she who has accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, there is another option. We find this option in the next command of the Lord, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven."
Our treasure, what we value most, what we place the greatest importance on, should not lay on this earth but should be in heaven.
Once again, Jesus wants us to imagine a treasure chest filled with money, gold, coins, and jewels. In the same way that men try their utmost to get rich on earth so we should try our hardest to lay up treasures in heaven. In the same way that men hoard their gold and zealously guard their silver so should we pursue treasures in heaven. In the same way that men pursue the things of this earth – fame, family, house, honor, position, sports – so should we pursue treasures in heaven.
We must never forget that we are but pilgrims. We are walking though this world towards our everlasting hope. Once we keep that in mind, then it is easy to seek treasures in heaven rather than on earth. Late last century, an American tourist paid a visit to a renowned Polish rabbi, Hofetz Chaim. He was astonished to see that the rabbi's home was only a simple room filled with books, plus a table and a cot. The tourist asked, "Rabbi, where is your furniture?" Hofetz Chaim replied, "Where is yours?"
The puzzled American asked, "Mine? But I'm only a visitor here. I'm only passing through." The rabbi replied, "So am I." That's true for all of us – all Christians know that on this earth and in this body they are but pilgrims passing through on the way to eternal glory – that they arrive with nothing and leave with nothing.
We must always start with this great principle. When we view ourselves as pilgrims then everything falls into place. Then we see life, and what we have, and what we are living for from the proper perspective. Then it is easier to stop storing up for ourselves treasures on earth, and to start storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven. Think of Abraham. Why was he willing to leave home and family and country? Why was he willing to sacrifice his only son Isaac? Why was he willing to leave his treasures on earth? It was because he knew he was a pilgrim. Think of Moses. Why was he willing to leave the splendor of the Egyptian palace to become a miserable shepherd for forty years? Why was he willing to leave his treasures on earth? He was willing because he knew he was a pilgrim.
What is this heavenly treasure that Jesus commands us to store up? Included in this treasure is prayer, Bible study, and worship. Christian education for our children in the home, the church. Faithful and generous giving to the Church and kingdom stores up treasure in heaven. I know many of you do that. May I encourage you all to lay up treasures in heaven by faithful and generous giving?
Baylor University is a fine institution in Wako, Texas. The Christian who gave the money for building that school later lost all his property. Men of the world asked him, "Don't you wish you had the money back that you put into that school?" He replied, "Not at all. It is all that I have saved. If I had kept that money, I would have lost it too. I am thankful that I gave that building when I did."
This man, we would have to say, stored up treasures in heaven rather than on earth.
In Jesus our Lord,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MJ4VqfCRZI
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