May I please the Lord to bless
us together as we continue our meditation in the Sermon on the
Mount and the portion tonight we will read in the sixth chapter
of the Gospel of Matthew. And we'll read three verses,
verses 19, 20 and 21. That's the Gospel of Matthew,
chapter six, verses 19, 20 and 21. Lay not up for yourselves
treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt,
and where thieves break through and steal. But lay out for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also. The Lord Jesus speaks here
very clearly about what we should not do and what we should do
and the result is the benefit of having a treasure not on the
earth but a treasure which is in heaven and we should therefore
be thankful that we have such a clear statement and such a
clear words to encourage us and to ever have such thoughts and
such direction before our minds because it's so necessary and
especially perhaps in the day and age in which we live in the
western world in the materialistic age when everybody is rushing
about and striving for this and that and have no concern and
no time to sit down and consider the condition of their soul and
the health of their soul. They're all the while rushing
about considering the health of their bodies in every little
element and every little bit which seems wrongly rushed to
the doctor, to the hospital, but how shallow and how passing
it is and yet how little thought, how little concern is given with
regards to our eternal lives and the treasure there. We're
very thankful for the results that our young people receive
from their examinations and it is indeed answers to prayer. But really such things are really
insignificant in comparison with spiritual blessings and eternal
blessings. Because all the success that
we have in time, however wonderful, however glorious it may be, won't
last and we'll have to leave it all behind anyway. And so
here we have these statements of the Saviour. clear words of
command really, loving command. And they are loving commands
to direct us in a right way therefore to lay not up for ourselves treasures
upon the earth. Now that doesn't mean to say
we're not to work for a living, of course we are. and we are
to desire to work well and to obtain that money and that funds
that we're able so that we can pay our way in this world but
we should not be over concerned about our natural life because
the Lord can give to us much more than we can ask or think
in temporal things we are to work the Lord can bless we can
work exceedingly hard and the Lord doesn't bless we must realize
that everything emanates from the good hand of our God. We
read together, you know, in that chapter in Timothy. It's a very
instructive chapter that the apostle wrote to his son in the
faith, Timothy. And one of the statements that
he made, for the love of money is the root of all evil. Money
in itself, of course, is not evil. Some people misquote it. It's purely the love. And if
we therefore put a wrong emphasis on money, we can very quickly
come to a wrong view and a wrong position and find our lives are
run by a concern for money rather than a concern about the state
of our soul. And indeed this account that
the Apostle wrote to Timothy is very instructive to us, that
the Lord might guide us Through life, he tells us, for godliness
with contentment is great gain. Well, that means we are not to
be discontented with our lot. What the Lord has given us, we're
not to be discontented with. Because if we possess godliness,
which is the great blessing, the important blessing that we
should be earnestly seeking after, that is great gain. There's nothing
greater than you and I can desire to be favoured with godliness,
which is really the gift of God, and it is, of course, the wonderful
outcome of the gift of eternal life. And the Lord tells us very
clearly here, we brought nothing into this world. We know that's
true, don't we? And it is certain that we can carry nothing out
Nothing that you and I possess in this world we can take with
us, not anything, nothing at all. And so here the Apostle
lays it out to Timothy, and having food and raiment, let us be there
with content. And then he tells us, for those
who are just seeking after the things of time, the riches in
this world, the great danger of it. But they that will be
rich fall into temptations and a snare, and into many foolish
and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition."
We can read, I think it's in Proverbs, where the writer said,
give me neither poverty nor riches. And that's a good prayer, really,
because if we're, he goes on to say, if we're less, if we're
poor, we might steal. We don't want to be left like
that, do we? Or if we have riches, to spend
it wrongly or unadvisedly. And so here we have such a statement
here. But they that will be rich fall
into temptation. See, if you don't have money
to spend, it's not a temptation, is there? We have money to spend,
We might spend it in a wrong way. We might spend it in that
which is of no benefit to our soul and no benefit perhaps to
our body either. But they that will be rich fall
into temptation and the snare and into many foolish and hurtful
lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. We know what drowning
is, don't we? Well it's the end, isn't it?
Someone drowns, that's the end of their life. we don't want
to drown, do we? in the poor things of this world
as the Lord tells us here lay not up for yourselves treasures
upon the earth those things which might drown us where moth and
rust are corrupt and where thieves break through and steal And he
uses these three illustrations, moth, rust, and thieves breaking
through. Well, moth of course has relevance
really to garments, to dress, doesn't it? We're not to allow
for ourselves umpteen sets of clothes perhaps that we regularly
change just to impress people. Well, there's a great danger
in that, in following the fashions of the world. And so we might
find that if we're very pleased with some garment, perhaps the
Lord will allow moths to come and make a hole in it. And of
course it's very corrupted. Well, and therefore there's a
warning. Don't spend a lot or a great amount of time on clothes
and or wear moths. And then wear other things. We
may actually buy perhaps things which can become rusty. Those
things which we may perhaps have worked hard for and we find that
they're laid aside for a little bit or perhaps even used and
we find they're rusting. And that's something you and
I can't stop. So that doesn't have much benefit, does it? Something
to rust. And then treasures that we might
be very fond of, we might hide away. We might put them in safes
or chests and hope they're safe. and then thieves can also break
through and steal. So whatever we may work for and
strive to obtain in this life we may find that they are corrupted
with one thing or another or else they are stolen. So that's
the warning and good warning it is. And then the law tells
us so clearly then but lay out for yourselves treasures in heaven
in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves do not break through nor steal. The things on earth
are, we might term, tangible things, tangible assets, things
that can be laid hold on. The things, the treasures in
heaven, are spiritual things. They are invisible things. They
are things that God gives to us. And what a great blessing
it is, because they won't be stolen. They won't be corrupted. Moth won't come and spoil them,
because they're safe in heaven. What a blessing that is then
for us. And what are these things? What is our treasure in heaven? Well, we have a very simple line
in our hymn, which I quote sometimes, of the knowledge of Christ. is
more precious than gold. Now, our knowledge of Christ
is that which is exceeding valuable. It's far more valuable than anything
that you and I can achieve in time. Because time things perish,
spiritual things do not perish. And so may we be concerned in
our little lives to be found seeking those things which are
above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, not on
things on the earth. And so the apostle tells us,
but thou, O man of God, flee these things, the things on the
earth, and follow after righteousness. godliness, faith, love, patience,
meekness, fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal
life, whereunto they are also called and has professed a good
profession before many witnesses. Well, it's a great blessing,
you know, if the Lord enables us, as he has some of us, to
profess a good profession. before many witnesses, that means
that we have professed the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as our
Saviour, the one upon whom all our hope is, not only for this
life, but for eternity. Yes, the name of Jesus. Well,
is our hope based on what he's done? The words that he's spoken
to our hearts? The encouragement we've had as
we might meditate upon his name? What a blessing it is then to
be filled with these things. And so he tells, he says, I give
thee charge in the sight of God who quickeneth all things. and before Christ Jesus, who
before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession. We only have
to read the testimony that the Lord gave, didn't he? When he
was before Pontius Pilate, he gave a good witness, a good confession
of what he was. And so we go on, that thou keep
this commandment. without spot, unrebukable until
the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his time he
shall show who is the blessed and only potentate, the King
of kings and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality dwelling
in the light, which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath
seen nor can see, to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. Well, is our desire then
to see this light, this great light, because this is a wonderful
treasure. This is something which will never go out, will never
be taken away. It's a light of the Spirit of
God in the face of Jesus Christ, as our brother mentioned in prayer,
has come into our hearts. It's a light. that will not go
out. It's a treasure in heaven, and
how important it is that you and I are blessed with this.
And he tells us, for where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also. If our treasure is in heaven,
if the witness that we have with the Lord Jesus Christ, that he
is our saviour, That is that which will be a blessing to us,
and there will our heart be. Our heart will then be, our mind
will be, on heavenly things, not on earthly things, which
perish, which fade away, but have our heart set upon things
above, all those great and glories where Christ is. Because we are
fast hastening through time. We're hastening on to that time
where there will be no time. And what a blessing it is, therefore,
to be found in glory with the Saviour forever and forever. There are so many words of instruction
for us in the Word of God. and how good it is that we are
able to read it and to understand the words that the Lord Jesus
said. And there was a young man once
who came to the Lord Jesus and he was asking questions and Jesus
said unto him, if thou wilt be perfect, go and sell all that
thou hast and give to the poor. and thou shalt have treasure
in heaven, and come and follow me." Now you see the two things
go together there, don't they? That means that you and I are
to be generous in our giving, but you see that by itself won't
really satisfy the description we have in the Word of God. because
as the Lord says here and come and follow me and it will be
a great pleasure and a great blessing for us to be found in
that path to following our Lord Jesus Christ that really means
there demonstrating that our heart is upon things above and
not on things on the earth so as we have these words before
us this evening and they are very important Perhaps never
more so. than in the age in which you
and I live, especially in this Western world, to therefore not
lay out for ourselves treasures of the earth, but to lay out
for ourselves treasures in heaven. And that really means to earnestly
pray that it will come and bless our souls, that he will reveal
himself unto us as he does not unto the world. that we may possess
that good hope through grace that is well with our soul, that
we have the evidence that we are washed in the blood of the
Lamb, that we are redeemed through that sin atoning death, that
all our sins are forever washed away. You see, this is treasure
in heaven. The evidence of these things
will not vanish away when you and I come to the day of our
death. everything in time will just be gone. But if we're blessed
with these treasures, oh, they'll stand us in good stead. Yes,
we'll be ready to depart and to go and to be with Christ,
which is far better. So may we all be concerned to
be blessed with these wonderful favours and to recognise this
great truth and examine ourselves to see where our treasure is
The Lord tells us the statement, for where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also. The examination is, is our heart
just in the things of time, or is it in the things of heaven? Now then, if it's in the things
of time, woe be to us. If it's in the things in heaven,
eternal life is ours. and we can rest that it's well
with our soul. So tonight, may we be able to
examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith or not, whether
we possess the life of God in our soul, with that concern that
our treasure is in heaven. Amen.