My Treasures

Q: What does the Bible say about laying up treasures in heaven?

The Bible teaches us to lay up treasures in heaven where they are secure, rather than on earth where they are temporary and vulnerable to decay and theft. In Matthew 6:19-20, Jesus instructs us not to store up treasures on earth where they can be corrupted or stolen, but rather to lay up treasures in heaven. These treasures in heaven are described in Ephesians 1:3 as spiritual blessings, such as salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life, which are secure from any earthly loss or decay. The importance of these eternal treasures lies in their durability; unlike earthly riches, they cannot be destroyed or taken away by sickness, old age, or death. Believers are encouraged to focus their hearts on these heavenly treasures as they provide true peace and security.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to seek first the kingdom of God?

Seeking first the kingdom of God prioritizes our spiritual life and aligns our hearts with God's will, ensuring we receive His provision. Jesus emphasizes the importance of seeking first the kingdom of God in Matthew 6:33, stating that by doing so, all our needs will be provided. Prioritizing the kingdom means that we place our relationship with God above worldly concerns and material possessions. This focus cultivates a mindset that values eternal over temporal, aligning our hearts and actions with God's will. Furthermore, it demonstrates faith in God's provision, reflecting a trust that He knows our needs and will care for us, as seen in the instruction not to be anxious about our daily provisions. A heart set on God's kingdom leads to true fulfillment and purpose.

Q: How do we know that God will provide for our needs?

Scripture assures us that God knows our needs and will provide for them when we seek Him first. In Matthew 6:32, Jesus reassures us that our heavenly Father knows what we need before we even ask. This declaration underscores God's omniscience and care for His children. Believers are called to place their trust in God's provision through faith rather than worrying about material needs. Philippians 4:19 further confirms this promise, stating that God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. By prioritizing a relationship with Him and seeking His kingdom, we can rest assured that He will take care of our physical and spiritual requirements.

Matthew 6. Our Lord Jesus Christ is preaching what we call the
Sermon on the Mount. He says in verse 19, "...lay
not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust
doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal. The
things of the earth, the treasures of the earth, whatever they may
be, can promise no peace and no happiness and no security
for three reasons. He gives them here. Where moth
and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal,
the moth indicates The nature of them, they're of the earth.
They're dust, and to dust shall they return. To dust shall they
return. All of the treasures of the earth
are of the earth, and to the earth they shall return. They
offer no future of happiness or peace. Secondly, because of
the frailty of them, they rust. What doesn't return to the dust
will rust. temporary. Then there's always
the danger of thieves breaking through and stealing. We get
these things accumulated, all fixed up for a happy old age,
a secure future, enjoyable time, and the thieves come in and take
them away. Now this is not people thieves.
These are thieves that live in us and all about us. In other
words, I was with a man just recently, a man of great gifts
and a man of a great past. He's younger than I am, but he's
retired now. And a lot of renown and recognition. And he planned this retirement.
He has a good retirement. Like the fellow would say, he's
set for life. But a thief came in one day and
gave him severe emphysema and wrecked his health. And now he
can't walk from here to that piano. So he can't enjoy any
of these things that he's worked so hard to accumulate and saved
up. He can't even enjoy his friends.
He can't go to places and visit. He's a patient. That's the thief
of sickness. And then there's the thief of
old age. People accumulate things, the dust and the rust, and the
things of the earth. And they're going to, like the
young man said on his bed, he said, eat, drink, and be merry.
You have much laid up for a long time. And then old age comes
along. It doesn't amount to anything.
Then we make poor decisions along the way. Poor decisions. There's
some older folks being conned by people in this day. They're
losing everything they've saved. And then there's somebody else's
death. We've got our families and our grandchildren. We hope
someday to watch them all grow up, but they don't grow up. God
takes them away. So that messes up our plans with
the rust and the dust. And then we die. So our Lord
warns us here. He said, don't you do it now.
Don't you count on another day, except you say the Lord willing.
Don't you count on it. You lay up for these things,
these treasures. There are two words that describe everything
in this world. Everything. Earthly treasures.
They're so easily broken and temporary, they do fade away. Swift to its close, ebbs out
life's little day. Its joys grow dim, its treasures
fade away. Change and decay in all around
I see. That one hope, O thou who changest
not, abide with me. So lay not up for yourselves
treasures on this earth, the nature of them, their dust, their
frail, their rust, and thieves, unexpected. See, a thief comes
when you're not expecting him. He takes it away, takes it away. But verse 20 says, lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven. What are these treasures? Well,
let's turn to Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1 verse 3. What are these treasures in heaven?
They are spiritual treasures, spiritual blessings. Ephesians
1 verse 3 says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the
heavenlies in Christ. This is salvation. This is forgiveness. This is eternal life. This is
justification, righteousness. Mercy. No thief can take that
away. No sickness, old age, no death,
nothing can take that away. That's laid up in heaven. Peter
describes it over here in 1 Peter 1. Listen. Verse 3, 1 Peter 1
verse 3, "...Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which according to his abundant
mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance, spiritual
blessing, incorruptible, it doesn't change, no dust and rust here,
undefiled, not touched by sin, that fadeth not away, eternal,
reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God." If your heart's set on happiness
and peace and life and treasures, lay up for yourself treasures
in heaven. Lay up for yourselves treasures. What does it mean
to lay up treasures in heaven? Well, it's not to supply myself. And it's not, if somebody says
to send them up there, put it in the collection plate and hope
God, he's not, he's going to spend it down here, he's not
going to send it up there. Send it up there to build something
up there permanently. To lay up for yourselves treasures
in heaven is not to accumulate them myself, but to seek them
where they are found, in Christ Jesus. He hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings worthy in Christ Jesus. That's where
they are. That's where they are. Let me
show you a couple of scriptures. John 6, if you don't want to
turn, I'll turn quickly and read it to you. John 6, verse 27. And our Lord tells us in John
6, 27, "...labor not, work not for the meat that perisheth,
but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which
the Son of Man shall give unto you." For him hath the Father sealed,
and then these people said, Well, what shall we do? What shall
we do? What's our contribution? What's
our part? This meat that doesn't perish,
this everlasting life, this gift of God, what do we do? Well,
what shall we do that we might work the works of God? And Jesus
answered and said unto them, This is the work of God. You
believe. You believe. Believe on him whom
God hath sent. Believe. That's what John 3 says. John
3, verse 35. The Father loveth the Son, and
hath given all things into his hand. And he that believeth on
the Son hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. These treasures of the earth
now, they are temporary, they are fragile, they fade away,
thieves break through and steal, they are dust and rust. So lay
up, by faith in Christ, by believing on the Son of God, spiritual
blessings in the heavenlies. Because verse 21 says where your
treasure is, my treasure, where my treasure is, there is where
my heart will be. Let me just talk to you a minute
here now. I know we've got to give some
consideration to our jobs and our careers and our families,
and we've got responsibilities. But if your sole interest and
treasure is on this earth, that's all you're taken up with, is
flesh, riches, renown, recognition, popularity, clothes, cars. If that's all you're taking up
with, if your treasure and interest is on this earth and lies in
earthly things, that's where your heart's going to be. Your heart's going to be set
on those things, it's going to be in those things, and your
heart is in grave danger of eternal condemnation. great, ain't you? Because the heart is frail. The
heart is deceitful. The prophet said the heart is
deceitful above all things. It's easily, easily influenced. It's easily deceived. It's deceitful. This heart is so fragile, too.
It's flesh, too. And if that's where my interest
is, that's where my heart's going to be. But if my interest, if
my main interest and treasure is in the hand of God, and in
the kingdom of God's dear Son. That's where my heart will be.
That's where my citizenship is. That's where my interest is.
That's where my treasure is. That's where my hope is. That's
where my true family is. Years ago I was in a meeting,
preaching in a church meeting in another state, another city. And I was staying in the home
of a couple. And the father was visiting there
at the same time attending the meeting. And we got to be good
friends. He was a very wealthy man. Very
wealthy. He had three homes, and stock. Oh, I'm not condemning stock. That's fine. Without stock, Armco's
not going to operate. It's got to have those things.
I know that. But every morning, I'd watch him. Every morning,
he'd run out of the house and get to put more in paper, and
come back in and pour over the stocks. I sitting over there
watching, drinking my coffee, watching him. And I thought to
myself, I don't mind him being interested in his investments,
he has to be a careful man about these things, but I wish he had
an interest in the scriptures like he has in those styles. But he didn't. Never in four
days ever asked me one question about the book. Never in four
days ever manifested any comment about what I was preaching, but
boy, those where your treasure is, that's where your heart is. That's just so. He says here
in verse 22, the light of the body is the eye. This is a proverbial
statement. Do you know what a proverbial
statement is? I'll tell you a little short definition of a proverbial
statement, a proverb. It's a short saying which expresses
an obvious truth. It's obvious. The light of the
body is the eye. That's obvious, yes. If my eye
is healthy, if my eye is focused, if my eye is unimpaired, if my
eye is not diseased, my body is going to profit by it. I'm
going to walk straight. I'm going to have coordination.
I'm going to step properly. I'm going to respond. If anything
comes my way, I'm going to respond, because the eye is the light
of the body. If my eye is diseased, if my
eye is impaired, if my eye is impaired by drug or drinks, without
proper light, my body is going to purify in some way. And that's true of the spiritual
man. The light of the body is the
eye. If therefore your eye be single, your whole body is full
of light. And you know, I looked up that
word single in the Greek, and it gave me a definition, but
the word single is enough definition in itself. Single means one direction,
one person, one aim, one goal. Now, the definition is simplicity. The definition is sincerity. That's the definition for the
Greek word for singleness, is sincerity, void of self-seeking. Well, single, that's it. Let's
read the scripture here in reference to that. This will help you.
If my eye be single, that is, my eyes on Christ, on the things
of God. on the fellowship with God, on
the gospel of God, my whole body would be full of light. If that's
my aim, if that's my goal, if that's my objective, if that's
my one supreme desire, to know Him, to win Christ and be found
in Him, my whole body would be full of light. Look at Acts 2,
verse 46. And they continued daily with
one accord in the temple. and breaking bread from house
to house, and did eat their meat with gladness and singleness
of heart." Nobody called the things of his
own his own, they were the Lord's, they were the Lord's people.
They had a single aim and direction and goal and motive, and it's
the glory of God. Let me show you another, Ephesians
6, verse 5. If thy eye be single, Ephesians
6, verse 5, servants, be obedient to them who are your masters,
according to the flesh, with fear and tremble." In what? Singleness
of heart, seeking to please, as unto Christ. Oh, my, if thine
eye be single, thy whole body is full of light, full of truth,
full of joy, full of Christ. But verse 23, if thine eye be
evil, wearily, take it up with the things of this world, your
whole body is going to be full of darkness. And if therefore
the light that's in thee, if that's all the light you have
is darkness, how great is that darkness. Now here's the problem. Lay not up for yourself treasures
on the earth of your interest and And your heart set on those
things because they've perished. Therefore he says treasure is
in heaven with a singleness of faith and interest and love in
Christ. But no man can serve two masters.
Verse 25. Here's another proverbial expression,
a short saying with an obvious truth. No man can serve two masters. It can't be done. Most especially
when those two masters are headed in two different directions.
Most especially when those masters' commandments and orders are opposite,
contrary to one another. You can't serve God and mammon. You can't serve God and mammon. Mammon means wealth, riches,
substance. Mammon means everything that
comes under verse 19. Read verse 19 again. Lay not
up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moss and rust
doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal. That's mammon.
Treasures, treasures, treasures of the earth. You can't serve
those things and serve God. You can't do that. One of the
old writers wrote this about that verse. You can't serve God
and serve mammon. Persons whose hearts are set
upon earthly treasures, who eagerly and anxiously pursue riches and
place their confidence in riches and earthly treasures and earthly
applause, they can't serve God because they're serving a worldly
master. And though they make professions
and pretentions and claim to serve God as the Pharisees of
old. They cannot truly and heartily
serve the Lord and serve these things. It can't be done. I found a scripture in Proverbs
23 that I think is appropriate to read right here. Proverbs
chapter 23. It just can't be done. I know
we try, but it can't be done. You can't serve two masters. in Proverbs 23, verse 15. My son, if your heart be wise,
my heart shall rejoice. If you've got a wise heart, an
understanding heart, if you've got a heart that dwells on the
spiritual treasures, I'm going to rejoice, even my Yea, my reins,
my innermost being, will rejoice when your lips speak right things."
So let not thine heart envy pagans and sinners. Don't envy these
people out here. Their laughter is a false laughter. Their happiness is a false happiness. They have no security, no peace,
no joy. They don't have any real life. Don't envy them. Don't envy sinners, but be thou
in the fear of the Lord all day long. Fear the Lord, for surely
there is a reward. That's what that word means.
There is a reward, and thine expectations, if you fear the
Lord, if you walk with God, if your heart is set on heavenly
things, spiritual blessing, your expectations won't be cut off,
not like theirs, won't be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be
wise, and guide your heart in the way, the way of the Lord, in the way of the Lord. Let's
go back to this. No man can serve two masters,
not serve. Either you'll hate the one, love
the other, or else you'll hold to the one, despise the other.
You can't serve God and riches. You can't do it. And I want to
read you a verse in Matthew 16. Turn to Matthew 16, and let me
read this right here. Matthew 16, verse 24. This is
so important to read right here. Matthew 16, 24. Jesus said to his disciples,
if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up
his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it. What does that mean? Luther should
save his life, shall we? Talk about this life here on
the earth. If a person makes arrangements to avoid the offense
of the cross, and that is save himself from being identified with Christ
and from the embarrassment and the shame and so forth of religion,
He makes arrangements to avoid the offense of the cross, to
compromise what he knows, to retain the friendship and support
of the world, to escape being identified with the cross of
Christ. He saves himself embarrassment
and difficulty and the loss of friends and even the loss of
material things. He's going to lose his soul.
You see that? Whosoever shall save his life
is going to lose it. Save it by making arrangements
to protect it from the offense of the cross. But whosoever shall lose his
life, committed to Christ, whatever the cost, for my sake shall find
it. But what is a man profited if
he does save his life? his business, his friends, his
popularity, his acclaim. What if he does save it? What's
he gain? The world. Well, that's no gain. He gain the whole world and lose
his soul. What shall he profit? That's what our Lord's talking
about in verse 24, Matthew 6. Now let's look at this other
scripture. Therefore, verse 25, I say unto
you, Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, what
you shall drink, nor for your body what you shall put on. Now
I know it's not contradicting scripture which refers to hard
work and toil and labor. Paul wrote over here to the church
at Thessalonica, let me just read this to you, in 2 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 3, he said, if a man will not work, don't
let him eat. In 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 10. Now, for even when we were with
you, this we commanded, that if any would not work, neither
should he eat. For we hear that there be some
among you lazy, disorderly, working not at all, their busy bodies. Now then, that which there are
such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus, that with quietness
they work and eat their own bread. Our Lord is not speaking against
hard work and labor and providing. But what he's saying here is
take no anxious thought. Take no anxiety and worry about
your daily food. Then he asks four questions.
I'll show you these four questions. Begin with verse 25. Don't be
filled with anxiety for your life, what you shall drink, what
you shall eat, or what you shall put on. Here's the first question.
Is not your life more than food? Isn't your body more than rainwater?
Isn't your body more important than in food and clothes and
jewelry, your body is more than that, your life is more than
that. And then he said in verse 26, Behold the birds of the air,
they don't sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns,
yet your Father feeds them. Here's another question, are
you not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought
can add one day to your life. By worrying and anxious care
and doubting God, how can you add anything to your life? And
then he says in verse 28, And why take ye thought for clothing?
Consider the litters of the field, how they grow. They don't work,
nor do they spin. And yet Solomon, in all his glory,
was not arrayed, dressed up like one of these. Wherefore, if God
so clothed the grass of the field, which today he is, and tomorrow's
cast into the oven, Shall he not clothe you, O ye of little
faith? Therefore, verse 31, take no anxious thought, saying,
Well, what am I going to eat? What am I going to drink? Wherewithal
shall I be clothed? If I give more interest, if I
slack up on on these treasures of the earth and this business
and all these things that I'm involved in and give more attention
to my spiritual interest and devote my life to Christ, how
am I going to eat? How am I going to have clothes? What shall I drink? Well, I'll
tell you, anxiety and worry is unbecoming to the king's sons.
You would be a little upset if your children were worried about
what they were going to eat next week. But they don't worry about
those things, they trust you. You'd be a little upset if your
children were worried about where they was going to sleep and what
they was going to wear. Our Heavenly Father would take
care of those. And doubting, worry is doubting
God's provision. Worry is useless. to add one
day to our life, worries what the Gentiles do, and we have
no cause to worry, because look at verse 32. For after all these things do
the Gentiles seek, but your heavenly Father knows that you have need
of all these things. He knows. He knows. But there is something to seek,
there's something to be concerned about, there's something to be
anxious about, there's something to give our deep, utmost consideration,
diligence, seeking to, and here it is, verse 33, seek ye first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness. What does it mean first? It means
first in time, in the days of youth. Remember now thy Creator
in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not. And you
get old, and you say, I don't have any interest in those things.
I don't have any faculties to lay hold upon those things. I
don't have any initiative. I just, I'm old. The tree falls,
let it lie. But seek the kingdom of God first
while you're young. Are you young? Secondly, seek
the kingdom of God first. Not only in you and time, but
importance. The kingdom of God is more important
to you than anything you are involved in right now. I mean
anything. Boast not thyself of tomorrow.
You know not what a day will bring forth. The time to seek
God now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation.
Seek the kingdom of God first in time, in importance, in affection. Your first love. I've got other
loves. I love you. I love my family. I love my wife. I love this church. I love him first. Christ is my life, and Christ
must be your life. I know we love our children,
we lay down our lives for them, in a minute, but that's not the
first love. And that's one of the things
that he criticized that church in the Revelation, he said, you've
left your first love. You've left your first love.
Our Lord called Peter back, he's out there fishing, he's taking
all the fellas fishing, the Lord called him in. And fed him first,
then sat down with him by the fire, and he said, Peter, you
love me more than you love those boats? You love me more than
you love fishing? You love me more than you love
these things? You know all things, you know
I love you. Well, feed my sheep. Seek the kingdom of God first,
right now, in time. In impotence, in the affection
before everything, before every body. There's nobody on this
earth that I dare let come between me and him. God will destroy
them and me. That's right. Nobody. Yeah, but I won't cut any slack
on that now. Nobody. Nobody. That's the reason a preacher
must be bold and fearless and not the servant of men. We've
got to be here, he's not God's preacher, not God's disciple,
nobody. We've got room in our hearts
for everybody, but not to exclude him, not cost me his fellowship,
no way. And seek him first every day,
and read your scriptures. Psalm 5, you've got to read this
with me, you've got to look at it with me, Psalm 5, Seek him first in time, first
in importance, first in affection, and first each morning. It doesn't
take very long. Psalm 5, verse 3. My voice shall thou hear in the
morning, O Lord. In the morning will I direct
my prayer unto thee. I'm going to look up before I
look out. I'm going to look up before I
look down. I'm going to look up before I look in. I'm going
to look up. You're going to hear from me
in the morning. By the dews on the grass, by the suns peeping
over the hillside, I'm going to say, Lord, thank you for the
rest, and thank you for the day, and order my steps. You don't
have to stay in your room an hour and a half, talk to God.
He's not hard of hearing like I am. He hears the end of your
thought. Don't leave me alone today. I
love you and I'm grateful. Seek him first every day. And
here in closing, and all these things will be added to you.
Friends, family, treasures, eat, drink, all these things will
be added to you. And you know what these things
are? They're added. In Christ I'm complete. These things are
just added. I need him, I don't really need
them. They're added. Christ is necessary. These things
aren't. They're just added. Christ is
all. These are added when needed.
And if needed. Sometimes they're not needed.
I just thought they were needed. But all these things will be
added to you. And don't, verse 34, don't be taken up with tomorrow. Don't be taken up with tomorrow.
I'm going to teach you something here, now listen. I'm going to
try to teach myself this first, and you listen while I'm talking
to me. Take therefore no anxious thought
for tomorrow. Don't be taken up with tomorrow's
needs, and tomorrow's troubles, and tomorrow's trials, and tomorrow's
difficulty, for tomorrow will take thought of itself. Sufficient
unto the day is the evil thereof. Sufficient for each day is its
own trouble, own trial. And don't add to today's trials
by anticipating tomorrow's. They may not even be. Don't add
to today's troubles by anticipating tomorrow's trials and tomorrow's
troubles. Sufficient for each day is its
own trials. And don't add to today's trials
by anticipating tomorrow's troubles. Walk with God day by day, and
he'll provide every need. I hope that's a blessing to you.

My Treasures

What does the Bible say about laying up treasures in heaven?

Why is it important for Christians to seek first the kingdom of God?

How do we know that God will provide for our needs?

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My Treasures

What does the Bible say about laying up treasures in heaven?

Why is it important for Christians to seek first the kingdom of God?

How do we know that God will provide for our needs?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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