In Matthew 6 verse 19, lay not
up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt and where thieves break through and steal. A treasure
laid up, saved. A treasure laid up. Lay not up
for yourselves treasures. A treasure laid up signifies
something that's saved for later time, future date, the time to
come. And our Lord warns us about making
the things of this earth, material things, security and possessions. He warns us about laying up these
things, hoping in the future, in time to come, to find in them
some peace and some rest for our latter years. Well, we can't
trust these things for peace and rest and security for three
reasons. And to give them here, one is
the nature of them. They're things of the earth.
Dust. Dust they are, and to dust they
shall return. Everything, everything on this
earth, naturally, is from the dust. Comes from the earth, and
it'll go back to the earth. These things are dust. things
of the earth. The second reason that we cannot
trust them for any future peace or hope or assurance or security
is the frailty of them. They rust. They wear out. Even a moth can destroy them
like an expensive garment. You go to your closet and have
hanging in there a very expensive, expensive sweater. It's of no
use. A moth, a simple moth can destroy
a treasure. And that's what he says, they're
so frail. There's no stability, the frailty
of these things of the earth. And then the third thing he says
here is the uncertainty of the field. Well, it's true that robbers
may take away from us what we have, but he's not just talking
about robbers and people. He's talking about anything that
can steal away what we have saved up, what we're hoping to enjoy
someday. We're hoping to enjoy our old
age. We may not live to be old. Death may steal that away from
us. We're hoping to retire and someday live comfortably beside
a little flowing stream. Sickness, Alzheimer's disease,
or something like that, ticks us so we can't even enjoy it.
You see, decay, depression, fire, recession, these are things,
these things that we've accumulated and we've washed over, and with
the greatest care, put them up for our latter days, for time
to come, and they're stolen away. The two words you can put on
everything you own and every relationship you have on this
earth, the two words, it doesn't matter what the relationship
is, it doesn't matter what the possession is, it doesn't matter
what the accomplishment is, the wisdom, or the intellect, name
it. Anything you have in this earth
is too worth it. Fragile. Did you ever get a package
in the mail? Fragile. Stamps all over it.
Be careful. It's fragile. And another word
is fade away. The things of this world fade
away. So use them. But don't abuse
them, don't trust them, don't lay them up in hope someday to
enjoy them. May not be, because they're frail,
they're uncertain, they're dark. But he says in verse 20, lay
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth, they're
not of the earth, they're of heaven, eternal. No rest, that's
the rest, and where no thief can take it away. What are these
treasures? Well, let's read a couple of
scriptures. 1 Corinthians 1.30. These are
heavenly blessings. These are spiritual blessings
in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 1.30 Paul says, but of God are you
in Christ Jesus. He put us in Christ. He chose
us in Christ. He gave us to Christ. And Christ
of God is made unto us wisdom. Wisdom that'll never fade. Wisdom
that'll only get better. Now we see through a glass dimly,
then face to face. Now we know in part, then, as
we have been known, this earthly wisdom and knowledge is going
to fade away, forget it. But that will only grow greater.
Wisdom in Christ, righteousness, holiness, spotlessness, sanctification,
set apart for God's glory, God's use, and redemption. What he redeems is redeemed.
What he saves is sanctified. What he purchases belongs to
him. Turn to Ephesians 1. Let's look
here about these treasures. Heavenly blessings, spiritual
blessings, treasures in the heavenly. He says in Ephesians 1 verse
3, For blessed God, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us, truly blessed us, with what? All spiritual blessings. There's
nothing, the inheritance is ours. All of it. An inheritance, incorruptible,
undefiled, paid it's not away, already reserved in heaven for
you who are kept for the power of God. He has given us an all
of it, all spiritual blessings. Everything that God requires,
the law demands, is mine. Righteousness. He blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly, where moth and
rust does not corrupt and thieves can't break foot. They reserve
in heaven for you to attack with the power of God. Bought by Christ,
reserved for you, purchased. All these spiritual blessings,
eternal inheritance, they're yours. And then look back at
my text. It says, lay up for yourself
treasures in heaven. The laying up is not our supplying
these treasures. That's not what he's saying.
But he's saying for us to seek this inheritance. To set our
hearts upon this inheritance. To desire and be concerned for
these treasures of life. This is what our Lord said in
John 6. Turn over here to John chapter 6. and verse 27, lay
up for yourselves treasures in heaven. And that's not you supplying
them. Christ is our wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. Christ is our inheritor. In him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead body. Behold, I come quickly, my reward
is with me. It isn't something you didn't
say, it's with me. I am your exceeding great reward.
I am your shield. these treasures is setting our
affection upon them. Setting our hearts upon those
things and not these things. That's what it is. Don't lay
up for yourself treasure here. Lay up for yourself treasure
there. Don't seek to find rest and joy
and happiness here. Seek it there. John 6, 27. John 6, 27. Labor not, labor not, strive,
work, concern, giving diligence, labor not for the meat that perisheth,
that rusteth and rusts and decays and moths consume it and feast
it. Labor, labor for that meat which
endureth unto eternal life. What do you mean labor? You work
some good deeds and all and earn it from God. I'm speaking. give
you hearts of it, labor, for that meat which endures
unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto
you, give unto you. For him hath God the Father.
Well, they said, what shall we do? We might work the works of
God. Jesus answered, this is the work
of God. You believe. You look, that's
what Cody said this morning. You look. Look steadfastly. Look without
turning away. Look as you'd look nowhere else. Just look to Him. Seek Him. With a full effort and full commitment. Look at verse 21 down in my text.
Matthew 6, 21. Where's your treasury? That's where your heart is. In
other words, where your hope is for time to come, for old
age, for the future days. Where your hope is, that's where
your heart is. Where your greatest interest,
where your greatest interest, where your greatest concern is,
that's for which you labor. occupies your thoughts, and your
mind, and your thinking, and your activities, and your outreach. That's where your heart is. If
you labor for these things here that are fragile and fade away,
that's where your heart is. Where your chief investment is,
that's where your heart is. Years ago, I spent some time
with a pretty wealthy man who very religious, but I was in
a Bible conference and I was staying in his home. And every morning I watched and observed
his feverish interest in the stock report. Every morning coffee
was made and out the door to the paper box, ripped the paper
open and Check all the listings and all the increases and decreases
and all of these things. And I understood. He said, Butch,
you never had a lot of money invested. You don't understand.
If I did, I'd check the report. Nothing wrong with checking the
report. Nothing at all wrong with him
getting the paper and checking the report. But what I thought
as I sat and watched him and the few days I was with him,
I wish he'd have had that much interest in what I was preaching. That's what I said. I wish that
I had observed in him even one third of the interest that he had in that paper. He
never asked me ever one question about anything I preached in
three days. Not one thing. So this is what our Lord is saying,
where your interest is, that's where your heart is. Where your
treasure, what you're laying up, what's most important to
us, what occupies our time and our feverish efforts, and that's
where our heart is. That's where our heart is. You
see, and this is the danger, and it's a creeping thing. And I say this to you young people
right now who have, who don't understand what I'm talking about.
You say, I never get like that. Now hang on a minute. I've seen
it happen too many times. I've seen young women interested
in the gospel. I've seen just a fella come along
and take them completely away from it. I've seen young men
who manifest an interest in Christ and a desire for the word and
faithful attendance to the service and something. girl of the world
come along and just like a fire ring take them away. I've seen
men interested in the gospel seem to be their life and then
I've seen prosperity come along and just take them away. The
heartless people desperately wicked. I've seen young people
submit to peer pressure. Peer pressure. They come to church
and then they go to college and They come back, they look entirely
different. They've got different attitudes. They've got a different
appearance. They look like the world. And
that's what it is. It's that peer pressure. It's
that, uh, it's that... What Paul warned us about that
in Hebrews 2. Here's what he warned us about.
The interest. Where is our interest? In Hebrews
chapter 2, verse, uh, Therefore, we ought to give a more earnest
heed to the things which we've heard, and heard, and heard,
and heard, and heard, and heard, lest at any time, because of
outside interest, and outside pressure, and outside influence,
and the crowd we run with, and the prosperity, and the world,
and the music, and the sinfulness. run out of our fingers like water
runs out. Try to get a water in that ass. You can't hold it. It's got too
many holes. And that's, uh, that's the problem. Too many holes. All right, let's
look back in our text. Where your treasure is, that's
where your heart will be. No, no argument, no debate there. Where my hope, where my greatest
interest, where my concern, where my chief investment of time and
activity and possession. That's where my heart is. Don't
let anybody steal your heart. And take it away from Christ.
My son, give me your heart. Give me your heart. That's what
the Lord says. My son, give me your heart. Don't let anybody
take it away. Or anything. or anything attractive
though it may be to steal your heart from Christ. Don't leave
your first love. It's not worth it. It would be like Judas over there
in Matthew 27. I believe that's where that is.
Let's turn over that. He had 30 pieces of silver that
were very attractive to him. It says in Matthew 27 Verse three,
then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw he was condemned,
when it was over, when it's all over, and he saw he was, Christ
was condemned, he repented and brought again the thirty pieces
of silver to the chief priest and elders, saying, I'm singing,
I sure made a terrible mistake. I betrayed innocent blood. And
they said, well, what's that to us? Sing it out to us. And
he cast down the pieces of silver his treasure, sold his first love, and departed
without hanging himself. All right, look at verse 22.
He says here in verse 22, the light of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye be single,
the whole body is full of light. Now what's light? What this is
saying if the eye, the light of the body is through the eye.
In other words, if my eye is healthy and clear and focused
straight, I'm able to judge rightly and my body will walk straight.
And my body will respond and step properly if my eyes are
clear. My eyes are single, not double
vision. and not twisted by some type
of drug or alcohol or something. This is what, but people, if
my eye in verse 23 be evil, if my eye be evil, if my eye be
diseased and affected by some of these things, my body's going
to pay for it. I'm going to run into something. I'm not going
to be able to walk straight because my eye is not straight, my eye
is Did y'all play that game when you turned around like kids?
I was down at somebody's house one time, and two little girls
were going around, and I thought, they're going to bust their heads.
And that's what one of them did. They went around and around,
and they got up like fish, you know. They said, that's fun.
And then, bang. Well, if my eyes on Christ, if my eyes on Christ, he's my life. He's the object of my faith.
And my mind and my heart and my soul and my being is filled
with the light that I see in here, the glory of God in Christ. And if my eyes are single, not
double vision, but single on Christ, my body is going to be
full of light. It's full of light. The light of the body, and this
is a spiritual eye. Now this body we're talking about
here, the natural eye, that's what he said, the natural body,
the light of the body is the eye. Everything this body sees,
I see with the eye. Or everything it learns, I learn
through the eye. And the spiritual, it's the same
thing. It's the eye of faith, it's looking
to Christ. Everything comes from Him, through
Him. Should my eye be single? on Christ. Not just religion,
but Christ, the person. It's in the person. I know who. It's all in him. But notice this verse here. If
I be evil, your whole body's full of darkness. Now watch this
right here. If therefore that light that's
in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness. This is talking
about a false religion. He's talking about a person who
thinks he has light. Light is not darkness. The light
of Christ, the light of truth, the light of God can't be darkness.
But the light of error is darkness. A man's going to stumble if the
only light he has is darkness. You see what he's saying? If
all the light I have is the darkness, of false religion, of free will, of works, of self-preservation
and self-regeneration and self-salvation. How tragic. How fatal. The light of false prophets is
darkness. Now that's what he's saying there.
And he's saying if all the light a person has is the darkness
of a false profession and false religion. It's grave darkness
because it's irreversible. Turn to 2 Thessalonians. It's like in Romans 1, God gave them
up. And here in 2 Thessalonians 2, now listen to this. 2 Thessalonians
2. Talking about Satan. Antichrist,
verse 9, false prophet, 2 Thessalonians 2, 9. Even him who's coming is
after the working of Satan with all power and science and lying
wonders. They do wonders, but it's lying
wonders. With all deceivable birth of unrighteousness, hypocrisy
in them that perish. Now listen, and because they
receive not the love of the truth. Who's the truth? Christ said,
I'm the truth. the truth of God, the truth of
grace, the truth of the blood, the truth of redemption in Christ.
They receive not love of the truth, that they might be saved. That's where men are saved, by
the truth, the truth of salvation. And for this power, they'd embrace
a false religion, a false gospel. God will give them strong delusions. A false religion be the only
light. Darkness be the only light. How
great is the darkness. Now look at verse 24. No man
can serve two masters. He'll hate one and love the other.
Masters we're talking about now. I'm talking about two hobbies
or two fads or two things of that nature. These
are masters. No man can ever serve two masters. Either you
hate one, love the other, or hold to the one, despise the
other. You can't serve God and mammon. God in riches, God in
stealth, God in flesh, God in the world. You can't do it. Two masters so diametrically
opposed and opposite. Christ in the world, God and
mammon, spirit and flesh, You can't have too much. You can't
have too much. I had a young professional athlete
tell me that one time. He came to hear me preach. Good
friend. Athletics was his life, his Lord,
his existence, his very being. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. He was on top in professional
sports. And he said, a man can't serve
God and serve my profession. I've got to give everything I've
got to stay on top. You can't have two Lords. I said,
you're right. That's true. Brother Bart had told me about
back in Barger, Texas, where he pastored in his earliest earliest
days of an oil boom town in Texas, Barger, Texas back in the 20s.
He was born in 1904 and he pastored in the late 20s. By the time
I was born he was pastor there in Barger, Texas. He's the only
preacher in town. When they had a funeral they
called on him when somebody got The bad orphan was dying, they
called on him. And there was a popular girl
in town whose name was Dixie. And one evening she was accidentally
shot in a dance hall. Somebody was shooting at somebody
else and hit her. And they took her back in the
back room and put her on a bed and they sent for the doctor
and they sent for the preacher. She was pretty badly hurt. And when the doctor looked at
her and did whatever he had to do, he turned and told some folks
he just had no hope. And then asked Barney to talk
to her, and he knelt beside the bed and took her by the hand. He looked at her and he said,
Dixie, he said, don't you want to ask God for mercy? Told her
about the thief on the cross. Don't you want to bow to his
lordship and seek mercy?" She said, no. She said, Preacher, there's no
use in me lying to you or to God. If I get well, I'm going
back to living just like I was living before. And he said, with
that she turned her face to the wall and he walked out. She knew
she didn't have too much to do. My son, give me your heart. Don't make arrangements to save
your life, you'll lose it. That's what Christ said over
here in Matthew 16. Turn over there and let me show
you that. Matthew 16. Don't make arrangements to save
your life and save yourself from embarrassment as far as this
gospel is concerned and get along with the religious world. save
yourself from persecution, harassment, and so forth for the gospel's
sake. Don't try that. It won't work. You can't save
yourself from that which is, if any man will live godly in
Christ Jesus, he'll suffer persecution. If any man will stand publicly
and plainly and openly for the gospel, he's going to be shot
at. And he's going to be hit too. He's going to suffer. Any man or woman declares himself
openly a bond slave of Jesus Christ, a disciple of the Son
of God, and love Him with all my heart, and go where He sends
me and do what He calls me to do, the road's going to be rough. If you try to save your life,
I'm telling you, if you try to save yourself from embarrassment,
or suffering, or trial, or trouble, Hard work or difficulty, where
God sends you, where God puts you, try to save your life and
you'll lose it. Look at this, Matthew 16, 24.
Then Jesus said, then said Jesus unto his disciples, any man come
will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and
follow me. Whosoever shall save his life,
protect it, keep it from harm, keep it from suffering, keep
it from being a time of tribulation, any man's
gonna save his life, he's gonna lose it. But whosoever will lose
his life for my sake, or his wife, or his children,
or his life, he'll save it. He'll find it, he'll find real
life. This is not life. That's what we talked about,
the treasures of this earth are fleeting, fragile, and fade away. This is not life. And if we're
going to save ourselves from these things and inconvenience
and unhappiness, I'm not happy. Go ahead. But you're going to lose
it. You're going to lose your life. Walk away from your responsibility
and lose your life. Walk away from your commitment
and lose your life. Walk away from your assignment
and lose your life. Take care of everything so you
can have it like you want it, instead of the way he wills it.
You can't help two masters. You can't do it. Not when they're opposite. And he said to his disciples,
you call me Master and Lord and you say, well, so I am. You call me Master. You call
me Lord. And you're talking right. Because
that's the only relationship we can have. Master. Circle. Is that right? That's just the
arrangement. Only terms under which he receives
a sinner. We're not going to be saved on
our terms. Well, I'll let the Lord save me. No man can serve too much. Therefore,
let's look at verse 25. Take no thought for your life,
what you shall eat, what you shall drink, your body, what
you shall put on. Our Lord is not contradicting
the scriptures which relate to work. Our Lord's not contradicting
scriptures that relate to diligence and labor and working. He said, like that of Adam in
the beginning, He said, in the sweat of your face, you're going
to eat bread. Now, He's not counseling that
out at all. It's still true. We men and women
are going to work. And we're going to sweat. We're
going to labor. They're going to give diligence to our labor.
If a man doesn't take care of his house and family, he's an
infidel. That's what scripture says. Turn to 2 Thessalonians. Our
Lord's not discounting or discrediting those scriptures. Oh, 2 Timothy
3, verse 10 and 11. Listen to it. 2 Thessalonians. Even when we were with you, this
we commanded you, that if anybody won't work, don't let him eat. We hear there's some which walk
among you disorderly, working not at all, they're busybodies.
Now they don't invite them to the table. 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 8. These
are words of our Lord, 1 Timothy 5, 8. If any provide not for
his own house, especially for those of his own
house, he's denied the faith. He's denied the faith. Our Lord
worked as a carpenter. That's what they called him.
He was a carpenter. Our Lord finished the work the
Father gave him to do, thank God. But the word here is, therefore,
I say, take no anxious thought, anxiety, doubting God, worrying about
our daily needs, and acting as if we were our own provider.
When not, God will provide. And that's what these next three
questions ask. He says in verse 25, isn't your
life more than meat and body, more than rain? Don't let us not be so concerned
about what we're going to eat and wear and these things, drink. Life is
more than, it doesn't consist in those things. A man's life
does not consist in material things, but in heart. And then the next question is
this. Behold, the fowls of the air, they sow not, neither do
they reap, nor gather in the barns, yet your heavenly Father
feedeth them." Aren't you much better than they? Makes us feel
foolish, doesn't it, when we're all guilty of this. Anxiety and
worry and concern about, well, what are we going to do? What you do by taking thought
can add one cubit to your stack. I was shocked Matthew Poole applied
that to the height of the body. A cube is 18 inches, did you
know that? I'm 5'10", if I had an 18 inch
I'd be 7'6". That's not what he's talking
about. Which of you by taking thought
and worrying can add one day to your life? One hour? One least thing? We can't do it. We can't, we
can't provide any of these things we need by anxiety or worry. And he asks another question.
Why take ye thought for rain, but consider the lilies of the
field? This is interesting. How they grow, they plum up,
neither do they spin, and yet let me tell you something, Solomon
in all his beauty never had the beauty of a lily. Dress old Solomon
up to where he looks about as good as a human being can look,
but he's not going to look good as a lily, one of God's lilies
that he clothed. Now, watch this. If God so clothed
the grass of the field, grass, wild grass. Now wait a
minute, he's not talking about the lilies you ladies grow and
put that miracle grow on it and all this other stuff and doctor
it up and water it. He's talking about the living
God clothes that nobody touches. They're the pretty ones. Christ,
though, that's what it is. And listen to it here, it says
that, note its short existence. It's today is, and tomorrow is
gone. And something else about it,
what is it in the oven? Now, if God so close, something
so insignificant, so shortly lived, today he has to march
on, destined for the fire, how much more shall he close you? Created in his image, redeemed
by the blood of his Son, called by his Spirit, declared to be
a son of God. daughter of the King and this
is what we deserve. Oh you little thing. Aren't you
ashamed? I am. Aren't you ashamed? If God so clothed that little
grass, won't he clothe you, feed you, create in his image? That grass which today is, tomorrow
is gone. Only close you who have eternal
life in Christ. That lily that's going into the
oven, burn up. You, going into his presence. Therefore, watch this now, therefore,
take no anxiety, anxious thought, doubt, what shall I eat? What shall I drink? How am I
going to be clothed? Worry is unbecoming to a son
of the king, isn't it? I tell myself that. Worry is
doubting God. He said, I will provide. I will
never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Cast
your care on him. He cares for you. And worry is
useless. That's what he said. You can't
add anything to yourself by that anxiety. And then another thing
he said, worry, verse 32, These are the things that Gentiles
seek after and worry about. This is what unbelievers do.
They worry, and they've got a right to worry. They don't have a Heavenly
Father. They don't have an Advocate,
a Mediator. They don't have an inheritance
in glory. They don't have a Savior. They
don't have a hope. I was an unbeliever. I'd worry too. Knowing what I know about who
God is, who Christ is, knowing what you
know about the brevity of life and the certainty of eternity. I won't be able to sleep tonight
if I didn't have a Heavenly Father, if I didn't have a Redeemer,
if I didn't have Christ. If I were, right now, depending
on this sermon to get me in the glory of my religion and my baptism,
I'd worry. Boy, I'd worry. I really would. But we have no cause to worry
because, listen, After all these things that the
Gentile seeks, your Father knows you have need of these things. We have a need. He knows you
have a need. He knows you have a need. And
He knows you have a need of all these things. He knows I need
sleep. He knows I need food. He made
me. He knows I need clothing. He
knows I need shelter. He knows I need a friend. He knows I need help. But if you do this, now listen
to this. If you seek first the kingdom
of God. Seek first. This is something
to be concerned about. This is what Peter said, give
diligence. Give diligence. Diligently seek the kingdom of
God, with it constantly on your mind, preferred before food, before food or riches or even
health or life itself. Seek the kingdom of God. Seek
to be delivered from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of
his son, the kingdom of his glory. a partaker of the everlasting
covenant. Seek his righteousness, his holiness. We don't have any. Like Brother Cody said, there's
more man at his best stage. It's all together vanity. Vanity. Seek his righteousness
in Christ Christ. He was made sin for us who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Seek him. And we notice this word, seek
ye first the kingdom of God. First. First in time, remember
now thy creator on the days of thy youth. I'm too young to be concerned
about these things. You're not too young to die. That's right. You're not too
young to die. Seek ye first in days of youth. Seek ye first in importance.
What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and
loses his soul? Seek ye first in affection. First
love. First love. Before wife or husband
or children. Seek ye first each day. Seek
ye first each week, the first day of the week. Seek ye first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And watch this. All these things
will be added to you. Now this is interesting. This
is the title of this message. All these things will be added.
If you add something, that means you're complete without it.