Lay Not Up Treasures on Earth, Part 1

The Sermon on the Mount: Structure and Context

0:06 In our Sunday morning exposition of the word, we resume this morning our studies in this passage in Matthew, which has been commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. This key section of the word of God, which in many sense is one of the most pivotal in all of the scriptures, for we see in the pronouncements of our Lord Jesus Christ, what we might call the cream and the substance of all that preceded His coming in Old Testament revelation, and in a very real sense, we have in germ form all that will follow in the unfolding of the New Testament revelation. For the Lord Jesus said in those very key words, Think not that I came to destroy the law of the prophets, I came to fill them to the full. And our New Testament Christians, Christianity, if we call it that, we must never forget, is built upon a foundation that goes back further than the apostles and even further than our Lord. For we are told in Ephesians that we are built upon the Lord Jesus, who is the chief cornerstone, but in that foundation, we are told, are the apostles and the prophets. So that our revelation, or our concept of revelation, must never be one that sees hard facts, that is, that we must see the last vertical divisions,

1:34 but we must see them as ever unfolding horizontal concepts which are laid in germ form in the Old Testament and come to their full blossom in the revelation made and given through the Lord Jesus. Now, briefly this morning, in order to sort of get our minds moving in the direction that they ought to, we want to view the whole structure of the sermon. We have continually kept this before us in our study, the first section commonly called the Beatitudes. Our Lord gives us a description of the Christian with regard to his character.

2:11 What are the peculiar character traits of a true Christian? They are given to us in these eight blessings. Those who mourn, those who are meek, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. These are not a description of how to be saved, but they are a description of how to be saved.

2:31 These are not a description of how to be saved, but they are a delineation of the character of those who are the children of God. Then our Lord gives us in verses 13 to 16 of the fifth chapter, the Christian and his function in the world. Having shown us what his essential character is, what is his function in the world? And our Lord said he performs the function of salt to check putrefaction and decay, and he performs the function of light to send forth beams of radiance in the dark.

3:01 And in a lost world. Then beginning with verse 17, our Lord begins to unfold the Christian and his relationship to the law of God. He introduces it with verses 17 to 20 stating that he has not come to nullify the law, but to fill it to the full. And then verses 21 to the end of chapter 5, we have these six sections in which our Lord says, Ye have heard that it was said what I say unto you.

3:32 He corrects the abuses into which God's holy law had fallen, and he lays out the full spirituality of God's holy law, and says that his followers are ones who are subject to that law, not out of a slavish fear, but because they have been the benefactors of the new covenant. Their hearts have been changed. They say that, Yea, that I delight to do thy law, O my God, yea, that delight to do thy will, yea, thy law is within my heart. Then we move into chapter 6, where you'll remember we saw a basic two-fold division.

4:13 In chapter 6 we have the Christian and his life lived under the eye of God as his father. Twelve times in chapter 6 you'll find God referred to as Father. And in that general concept of the Christian living his life under the eye of God, as his father, you have that natural division, the Christian and his religious life, giving, praying, and fasting. And then from verse 19 to the end of the chapter, the Christian and his practical life.

4:50 What is the key to the Christian's secret life, to his giving, to his praying, to his fasting? Our Lord said the key is this, we must ever remember that only one thing matters when I give. The Father who sees in secret. Only one thing matters when I pray.

5:09 The Father who hears in secret. Only one thing matters when I fast. The Father who will see in secret and reward openly. And so our Lord boils down the answer to this question, what is the key to the proper exercise of spiritual devotion?

5:30 He says the answer is this, you must have a single eye, to your Father when you give, when you pray, and when you fast. The Father sees. That's all that matters. Then when we move to the matter of our practical life, what about clothes on the back?

5:49 What about food on the table? What about providing for my children? What about these matters of practical concern, of keeping soul and body together? Our Lord says only one thing matters, the Father cares.

6:03 The Father cares. The key to that next section that we're about to deal with is verse 32, Your Father knoweth what things ye have need. And so we can summarize the entire teaching of chapter 6 under those two phrases. In all the private exercises of spiritual devotion, one thing matters, the Father sees.

6:25 And in the whole matter of providing for life and its necessities, only one thing matters that I continually remember, the Father cares. The Father sees. The Father cares. Now having looked at the Christian in his closet, we now want to behold him in his contact with and his reaction to the world about him, beginning in verse 19.

Worldliness Defined: Beyond Obvious Sins

6:52 No one will go very far in his Christian experience if he's defeated in the closet. So our Lord starts there. If you have not gotten beyond that terrible curse simply giving to meet the approval of the eye of men, simply praying in order to keep up some semblance of profession before men, doing acts and expressions of spiritual discipline simply to impress men, if you haven't gotten beyond that to the place where basically it's been settled forever, only one thing matters, the Father seeeth. And that's all the reward I want, is to know that he sees.

7:32 If you haven't gotten that far, you're in terrible shape. You're in terrible shape. But it's possible for men to come this far and to have a measure of relative deliverance in the area of private devotional life, but then utterly fail in the practical matter of living in the midst of a world of things. And so our Lord moves from those things that would defeat us in the closet to those matters that would defeat us paying bills, buying clothes, making payments on our car and on our house.

8:11 The Lord deals with these very practical issues. And so the general subject of verses 19 to the end of the chapter is what we might call the subject of worldliness. You say, I don't see anything in that chapter about drinking, smoking, and going to theaters. Isn't that the essence of worldliness?

8:32 No. You know what worldliness is? Worldliness is simply a concern about the things of this life. It's a preoccupation with the necessities of this life.

8:46 And sometimes things that aren't necessities, but a preoccupation with the concerns of this life is the essence of worldliness. And that's what our Lord's going to deal with. Such practical things as food and clothing and all of these matters pertaining to this life. Now as we think our way through the passage, how may we best do it?

Reading Matthew 6:19-34 and Its Two Divisions

9:11 Well, let's read through this morning the entire passage and I think you will see that it falls into two very natural divisions this last section of chapter 6. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth verse 19 where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal. Matthew 6, 21.

9:38 For where your treasure is there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil thy whole body shall be full of darkness.

9:55 If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. And mammon here is simply a personification of money into the form of a god.

10:20 So our Lord is saying you cannot serve God and money, material things. Therefore I say unto you take no thought and every time you come across this phrase and you'll see it four times from here to the end it should be translated be not anxious. Therefore I say unto you be not anxious for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink nor yet for your body what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat and the body than raiment?

10:50 Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not neither do they reap nor gather into barns yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature or add one hour to the length of his life? And why are you anxious for raiment?

11:15 For clothing? Consider the lilies of the field. How they grow! They toil not neither do they spin and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like unto one of these.

11:28 Wherefore if God so clothed the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven shall he not much more clothe you O ye of little faith? Therefore be not anxious saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or where shall we get our clothing? For all these things do the Gentiles seek after but your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of these things but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Therefore be not anxious for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself sufficient unto this day or the day is the evil thereof. Now do you see the natural division of this passage? In verses 19 to 24 our Lord is dealing with what we might call the positive love of the world. He says don't lay up treasures here on earth.

12:38 Here's the picture of a person who is set upon accumulating what Jesus calls treasures. We'll deal with what they are in a few moments. But this is the picture of a person who has a positive love for this world. And this is the danger of every one of us.

12:58 There is not a one of us who is exempted from this danger. There are some of us who are running by our lives into the very face of this command and we are laying up treasures. upon earth. You say Pastor you know you don't have a rich congregation.

13:14 Yes I know. But we are going to see that treasures are not exclusively referring to simply money and the bank account. But here is one danger that every one of us faces. The danger of positive calculated determined effort to lay up treasures.

13:33 That's positive love of the world. But where by the grace of God some this morning may be delivered from that. Our Lord deals beginning with verse 25 with something that's far more subtle. Four times He uses the word anxious.

13:51 Anxious. What is this? Not positive love of the world but a sinful anxiety about the things of this life. And if the enemy cannot get us to positively set our sights upon the things of this life and make us positive lovers of the world outright worldlings.

14:13 You know where He'll get us? By becoming sinfully anxious about the legitimate needs of this life. And so our Lord deals with both of those problems. In verses 19 to 24 He gives this prohibition.

14:30 Love not the world. Not love not the world. But don't lay up treasures here in this earth. But lay up treasures in heaven.

14:37 And then He gives us four reasons for doing so. And then He tells us beyond this don't even be sinfully anxious about the things of this life. And then He piles up so many reasons it's almost humorous. As I was preparing and outlining this passage you'll see the Lord piles up one reason after another after another after another after another to seek to convince our foolish hearts that all anxiety about the things of this life is the essence of folly.

15:06 And the Lord says even the birds and the flowers have got more sense than my creatures have. How condescending and patient is the Lord. All He should have to say is don't lay up treasures and don't be anxious. Period.

15:22 And that should set Him. He's God and we're His creatures. Right? That should set Him.

15:26 But He lines up reason upon reason in order that we might be sweetly coerced by the obvious truth that to live with any other purpose other than to seek essentially and primarily to lay up treasures in heaven and to seek first the kingdom of God is the very essence of folly. And our Lord is going to graciously do that in these words that will be considered. All right, so much now for the general structure. This more elaborate introduction will not be necessary after today.

Defining 'Lay Up' and 'Treasure'

16:00 But as I've emphasized again and again if you try to extract the truth from any individual verse without seeing it in terms of its setting and others you'll end up with some weird and some strange ideas. People are proving almost anything from the Bible and this is one of their problems. They're so anxious to find the meaning of a phrase they won't pause for 10 or 15 minutes to see the setting of that phrase in terms of the structure of the whole. All right, now this morning just the initial prohibition of our Lord in verse 19 and verse 20.

16:36 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break through and steal but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and thieves do not break through and steal. Here our Lord is dealing with this problem of a positive love for this world and its things and possessions. And He gives us a command with a negative and a positive aspect. Lay not up treasures but lay up treasures.

17:17 He starts with the negative. Don't lay up treasure on earth but lay up treasure in heaven. Now let us define the two words that are keys to this whole passage. The word lay up and the word treasure.

17:31 What does it mean to lay up? Well it's the picture of a man with a greedy eye and with grasping hands who's reaching out and clutching all that he can and heaping it together and then pouncing on it and looking about with a fearful eye lest anyone should touch it. He's heaping up his treasures. It's the same word used in James 5 in verse 3 where James talks about the rich.

17:56 He says who are heaping up treasures for the last days. It's the same word used in Luke 12, 21 about that man who had an abundant crop and he said well I'm going to tear down my old barns and build new ones and store up my whole crop and I'm going to say eat, drink. And live many days for you've got it made. The Lord said such is the man who is rich toward this life but has not treasured up things toward God.

18:26 So there's a beautiful illustration of what it means to treasure up. It means to gather together, to heap up, to store with a view to selfishly possessing a particular thing. Now what does the word treasure mean? Listen carefully.

18:44 The Lord does not say lay not up for yourselves money. He says lay not up for yourselves treasures. What is a treasure? A treasure is anything that I gather in that manner of heaping together to satisfy selfish interest.

18:59 Anything that is thus gathered which is of value to the person possessing it is a treasure. Now on that table that was at the rear when the missionaries had their curios you saw some of the money from some of the tribes in the boom. And some of the folk down in Chile. Now a man who is covetous and wants to heap up monetary treasure he'd get as much of that money there in the boom as he could.

19:28 That's his treasure. But I don't see anybody here going around gathering those pieces of silver or brass whatever they were from the boom. What is treasure to him is not treasure to you. What is treasure to him is a trinket to you.

19:42 In some societies you would gather together cows. This would be your treasure. I don't see anybody around here with a backyard full of cows. In some areas your wealth is measured by the number of cows you possess personally or certain kinds of other animals.

19:59 So this word treasure is a very flexible term. A treasure is anything that a person gathers together which is of value to the one possessing it. It may be of no value to anyone else but if it's of value to him and he seeks to gather it together that's treasure. Now we have our two words defined.

What 'Lay Not Up Treasures on Earth' Does Not Mean

20:21 To lay up means to accumulate to store with a view to selfishly possessing treasures, anything that's of value to the person thus gathering this thing together. Now what does our Lord say? He says don't lay up treasures upon earth. Now what did he mean?

20:42 Well he was not giving a blanket prohibition of saving money. There's some people who'd say alright the Lord said it lay not up treasure no Christians to have a bank account that settles it. That's no sense even discussing. Now let's not be so quick to jump at our Lord's words.

20:59 Well we read in 2 Corinthians 12, 14 where the Apostle Paul says the children ought not to lay up it's the same word used in the original the children ought not to lay up for the parents but the parents should lay up for the children. Here Paul puts his seal of approval upon a parent who thinks ahead in terms of the needs of his child and lays aside regularly something that may be used for that child's education. Our Lord is not forbidding this. In fact we're told by the writer to the Proverbs go to the ant thou sluggard.

21:35 The ant doesn't scurry around in the middle of winter saying uh oh no food out in the ground now what am I going to do for my wife and my kitties. No he says the ant has enough foresight to realize in the times when the weather's good to gather up enough for the time when the weather's poor. You watch the squirrels I love to see them go around here taking some of the nuts and they look like they're trying to hide them it's almost comical it's like a kid who's trying to hide his hands where he's gotten into the chocolate cake and hides it behind him and doesn't realize he's got it all over his face. He can't see it so he thinks no one else does.

22:09 And the little squirrels go around here and they just sort of make a little tuft in the grass and they push it under and nudge it with their nose but they're taking proper forethought. Our Lord is not condemning that. The Bible nowhere says that it's sinful for people to take intelligent forethought and to make proper plans in terms of saving. Our Lord is not with one sweep of the hand condemning wealth as such.

22:37 Abraham was wealthy Solomon was wealthy and God Himself said that He got them their wealth. We read in 1 Timothy 6 verse 17 Charge them that are rich in this world not to set their hope on riches but to be rich in doing good. God doesn't say to Timothy through Paul tell the rich people to sell all their money and become poor. No.

What 'Lay Not Up Treasures on Earth' Does Mean

23:01 So when our Lord says lay not up treasures He's not condemning saving He's not condemning wealth as such nor is He merely dealing with the matter of money. He says lay not up treasures upon earth. Alright, what does He mean? I believe this is what He means.

23:22 He is prohibiting this matter of setting our heart's affection on the things of this life and making them the primary area of our concern. For notice the contrast. Lay not up treasure upon earth but lay up treasure in heaven. The contrast is between the world that can be called earthy and that world which is heaven.

23:57 So when our Lord said don't lay up treasure on earth what He was prohibiting was an attitude which is concerned and involved with treasuring up that which is limited to this life and which can be taken from us in the moment of our death. That's what our Lord is prohibiting. That concern with, that preoccupation with the things of this earth and this life legitimate though they may be in themselves if we begin to think in terms of accumulating them for their sake instead of merely using them for the sake of the world to come. Then we fall under the condemnation of our Lord's prohibition. 1 John 2 perhaps is one of the best commentaries on this when John says in verse 16 having said love not the world neither the things that are in the world if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him then he defines the world. For all that is in the world three things what are they?

25:08 The lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. What are those three things? The lust of the flesh that's the desire to enjoy things and enjoyment which comes from things on this earth. The lust of the flesh.

25:30 The lust of the eye the desire to have things things that I see on this earth and that bring an earthly satisfaction. The pride of life, what is that? The desire to be something before other people on this earth and to be esteemed in their eyes. It's a quest for the approval of earthlings.

25:54 Now John says the whole activity of the world of unregenerate men can be summed up under those three things. The desire to enjoy things the desire to have things and the desire to be somebody without reference to eternal enjoyment without reference to eternal possessions and without reference to being accepted of our God and having the praise of our heavenly Father. And this is what our Lord is condemning here. So by way of application what could the treasures be?

Earthly Treasures: Money, Position, Pleasure

26:33 When our Lord said lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth what could the treasures be? Well they could be money and in many cases they are. That's why we read in 1 Timothy chapter 6 this very sober warning and it's not written primarily to rich people. It's written to people who were not rich.

26:56 Notice in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 7 We brought nothing into this world and it's certain we can carry nothing out and having food in raiment let us therewith be content but they that will be rich and what is it to be rich in terms of this context? Get it. It's the desire to have more money than is necessary to put food in my belly and clothes on my back and a growing discontent with having to live as we say from hand to mouth. Paul says living from hand to mouth bless God and be thankful.

27:38 Remember he said have you got food enough for today and clothes enough for today be content. That's looked upon today as a terrible existence to live from week to week from hand to mouth. Paul said it should mark the godly man that he lives that way with contentment. And what is it to want riches?

27:59 It's to want to get out from under the pinch of daily dependence upon God. For he says they that will be rich and what is the rich man? The rich man is the man who's got more than is necessary for his bread and his raiment and can always breathe easy that he's got a pretty good wad waiting him at the first national to fall back on. And it's not the man who has riches that gets into trouble.

28:24 Paul says notice his wording for they that will be rich people who are willing to make the extra sacrifices of time of effort and energies not to provide food and raiment for we must make any sacrifice necessary as bread winners. If any man provide not for his own he's worse than an infidel. We're not talking about the man who takes on an extra side job in order to be an adequate provider for his family or to give more to the work of God. No, no.

28:57 Paul is dealing with those who will become unnecessarily involved in making money in order to have a little bit to fall back on so that they won't have to pray give us this day our daily bread. In the providence of God they have not been entrusted with the kind of wealth that makes them in that position where God has put some men where they don't need to you might say worry about their daily bread. God has placed them in that situation where because of their training and background and job and income and the number of their children and all the rest they live from hand to mouth and Paul says those of you who live that way if you don't learn to embrace that condition as part of the providence of God and be content in it what's going to happen? Listen to what he says. He says if you would be rich if you would get to the place where you don't have to live from hand to mouth you will fall into a temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition for the love of money not the possession of it just the love of it is the root of all forms of evil. Oh beloved do you hear the warning?

30:21 I tell you this thing has struck me with force because our whole society is geared to make us discontent with simply food and raiment. Right? And what does God say? I don't agree with the preacher.

30:40 This is what God says. Having food and raiment be content and if in doing your work diligently for whatever your hand finds to do you're to do it with all your might in serving your masters your boss with all your heart as God says don't serve with eye service as men pleasers but unto the Lord if it means a promotion if it means a raise if it means more income if it means bigger savings Paul is not talking about that. But he's talking about that which must be done when in the providence of God we haven't had that larger income that puts us a little bit closer to easy street and yet we're determined to get there at any cost. That's when you begin to worry that's when you begin to work such hours that you're too tired to pray that's when you begin to make sacrifices with family with children with loved ones with church with prayer meeting until you're snared by the devil. Isn't that what he said? Isn't that what he said? They that will be rich not they that are but those who begin to get that itch will drown themselves in sin.

32:02 Oh beloved God knows our hearts the Lord Jesus knows us and He wants to spare us the piercing of ourselves through with many sorrows. Notice the latter part of verse 10 Some have heard from the faith and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. And the Lord Jesus said don't lay up treasures on heaven don't lay up treasures on earth. What was He doing?

32:29 In His love and in His pity He wants to spare us the piercing of our hearts and the pierced ourselves through with many sorrows. What a blessed commendation to the Gospel is a man or woman or a family who've got food and raiment and are content. And the whole world about them in 20th century America no content. All the neighbours vying with the other neighbours for the next appliance and for the next car and for this and that and to see in the midst of that a man and woman who may be 10 years behind as far as the style style of their appliances, shame on them, they still may have a refrigerator that's round and not square, and a white one instead of a copper-toned one.

33:13 Isn't that a shame? And yet wonder of wonders, they are as happy as alive. What a witness that beloved one, those of us who name the name of Christ are found caught up in this world of making sacrifices upon our spiritual life and our time and our families simply to grasp and make God have mercy on us. For what we tell the world is Christ cannot satisfy for having food and raiment, I'm still a discontented grasper and so we're touching after things. It's a subtle thing, isn't it?

33:53 God bearing me witness,

33:57 I'm not using the occasion of the pulpit ministry to single out individuals. And if this has individual application, beloved before God, hear His voice today. For the Lord wants to spare you. Piercing yourself through with many sorrows. Lay not up treasure. Some of you freeze deep and say, well, that's not me. Well, it could be position. You see, position is more important to some people than money. I meet a lot of these fellows that like to play junior executives. We meet them on airplanes all the time. Mr. Retch will bear this out. Some guy that just loves to carry a briefcase in one hand and an airline ticket in the other. He thinks he's an assistant to the president. We meet them all the time. Throw their weight around. Position what's

34:50 important. They may be on the bottom rung salary-wise, but boy, if they can strut into an airport with a briefcase or an attaché case, I'm old-fashioned. I just got an old briefcase. They're out of style now.

35:03 An attaché case with a nice shiny chrome hinges on it and buckles. And position's what's important. There are some people if they can become manager this or assistant manager that, then they pass up another job that'll pay them twice as much. But they're off by themselves.

35:20 There's nobody before whom they look important. So they'll even pass up the higher-paying job because what's of value to them is what? Position. Not so much money.

35:30 How about any this morning? Are we seeking to lay up treasure in terms of position?

35:39 You fellows that eventually will be in the ministry, this will be your snare.

35:45 The devil can't get you in the realm of money. You'll pass through the lion's church and you won't have too much money.

35:55 This is an exception. Take two good cameras here. They'll get you with position. It's absolutely heartbreaking to see the jockeying for position that goes on amongst professing evangelical ministers.

36:12 To be recognized as the pastor of such and such a church. And to speak on such and such a conference platform. That's of value. The Lord says, don't lay up that which is earthy.

36:25 For what does it matter what church you've preached in, what platform you've spoken from, if in that day when you stand before him you don't have the accumulation of that treasure which says, well done, thou good and faithful servant.

36:40 Treasure can be money. It can be position. It can be pleasure. What's the value to you today, young people?

36:48 Is it temporal, earthy, sensual pleasures? Is that what you're accumulating? The scripture talks about these. Again, 1 Timothy 4 and verse 10, we read these words. Sorry, 2 Timothy 4.

37:07 Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this precious and word, and is departed unto Thessalonica. One of the saddest verses in all the world. A man who labored with the apostle Paul. When Paul says in Romans 9, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. I'm sure this man Demas had times on his knees when he heard this mighty apostle with tears and strong crying, pleading with God for the salvation of souls. He saw him stand and preach under the demonstration of the Spirit. He stood in the synagogues and reasoned with sinners. He prayed in private.

37:50 And yet Paul says, this man who's my fellow companion has left me because he loved this present day. You see, what became of value to Demas was no longer the souls over which he and Paul wept together.

38:07 But what became of value to Demas was either the pleasure of some particular sin or the pleasure of that prestige that would come by going back to his old environment. But whatever it was, Paul said this was the root of it. It wasn't that he was seeking treasures in the world to come but seeking treasures here. And it became a value to Demas, such value that he would even sever his relationship with the apostle Paul. It can be our home. It can be our children. It can be anything, anything, which is limited in its worth to this earth and this life. Anything that we accumulate with a view to hoarding it up is flying into the face of our Lord's command. Lay

The Positive Command: Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

39:03 not up treasures upon earth. But now notice very briefly our Lord's positive command, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. Our Lord starts with the negative and then He moves to the positive. Now what does He mean?

39:19 Well, certainly He does not mean that we're to earn salvation by piling up merit. This is the teaching of the Church of Rome, that by piling up so much merit, by so many indulgences and the rest, why then we'll have a great storehouse of merit. And this is the whole thought behind the matter of purgatory. When prayers are said for the dead, you see there's a great storehouse of merit that's being piled up. And our prayers help add a few ounces to that pile of merit. No, this would be contrary to the rest of the sermon, for our Lord is talking to people who are already saved. He describes them as those who are poor in spirit. They've seen themselves lost and they can't save themselves and they fled to Christ.

40:03 It would be contrary to the very work of Christ, for He said, I came to give my life a ransom for many. It would be contrary to the basic doctrine of the New Testament, justification, by faith alone. We read about it this morning, that a man is justified by faith alone in Jesus Christ. So what does our Lord mean then when He says, lay up treasure in heaven? I believe this is at least part of what He means. He's saying, be actively engaged in gathering together and accumulating that which will be of value when you take your move into the world to come.

40:43 He says, don't be so concerned about accumulating that which you've got to leave anyway. That which we'll see next week is exposed to decay from without and within. That which is exposed to theft. But He says, lay up for yourselves treasures. Be occupied in accumulating that which will meet you in the glory everlasting. That which is enduring. That which will have value in the world to come. Bishop Ryle said in his commentary on this passage, oh, let us beware that we do not sink into hell paying excessive attention to lawful things.

41:24 Open transgression of God's law slays its thousands, but worldliness slays its ten thousands.

Application to the Unsaved: Seek Christ, the Heavenly Treasure

41:37 Our Lord said as His children, as His people, we should be enterprising in seeking to find all the ways that we can be accumulating that which will have true worth in the world to come. What does this say to us as we close this morning? It says to every unsaved person here that everything you seek in life until you've sought the pearl of great price, the Lord Jesus will one day crumble in your very hand.

42:11 What is of value to you today, young people? Is it the acceptance of your fellow students? Is it the praise of men? Is it the pleasures of this life? What's of value to you? What are you giving your life to? That's how you can tell what you place value upon. Whatever you're giving your life to, whatever you're expending your energies for, that's what's of value to you.

42:33 Now what's of value to you? You got it? What is it? You're thinking about it?

42:41 All right, let me ask you this. What's going to happen to that treasure you're accumulating? When the doctor turns to your mother or father or to your wife and says, where will your treasure be?

43:04 Is that which you're living for and it's spending your life for going to meet you the instant after they say she's gone? Will it meet you as Peter says? So shall be administered unto you an abundant entrance. Will it be treasure meeting you there?

43:21 Oh, dear unsaved fellow girl, man or woman, the thing this passage says to you is don't lay up treasure anymore here upon earth.

43:34 Lay up treasure in heaven. You begin by seeking heaven's treasure, the Lord Jesus. Who is likened in Matthew 13 as a treasure hidden in the field when a man finds it, who sells everything else that he might have that treasure. And when the Holy Spirit reveals the Lord Jesus in His grace to you, you'll sell the world.

43:56 You'll consider it unworthy of your allegiance. You'll sell your dearest lusts and sins and consider them unworthy of your devotion. For this is the word that God would speak to the unsaved this morning. What does it say to us?

Application to Christians: Pilgrims and Stewards

44:12 As Christians, when our Lord says, lay not up treasure upon earth but lay up treasure in heaven, He's telling us, remember my child, you're a pilgrim. You're in this world. You've got to use the things of the world. You need food. You need clothing.

44:28 He's going to talk about that. But He says, don't ever think that you're here to accumulate. No. What does a pilgrim do? He passes through a given land and he only accumulates that which is necessary to continue his journey to his destination. That's all. Anything else is excess baggage that will hold him back in his purpose, right? He has to travel light. The Lord's saying to us as Christians, travel light. Travel light. Travel light. Some of you fellas at camp this summer, I don't think any of you took the camping, camp craft course.

45:04 I hope you do next year. You'll feel up to it. But you know, you even have a special kind of sleeping bag when you're taking a long hike. Extra light.

45:15 See, we city slickers, we just want a sleeping bag. We put it in the back of the station wagon. When we drive off somewhere we can get a nice, thick, fat one about so big and so big around. But a man who's set on hiking, he's got to get one that's condensed down as small as it can be.

45:32 In incumbency. Now the Lord says to us, don't lay up treasures. Don't accumulate. Why?

45:38 You're a pilgrim. You're just passing through. Your world is there. Lay up treasure at your destination when you'll have time to sit down and enjoy it.

45:46 Because then you're not going to be here long.

45:50 That's the first thing he says. Remember you're a pilgrim. As Paul said, our citizenship is in heaven, not the earth. And he's telling us not only to remember we're pilgrims and to travel light.

46:01 He tells us we're stewards. And he says, everything I've put in your hands is capital loan from the bank of heaven. Now he says, be sure that you invest as much of it as possible so that the dividends will leap to them. My energy, my time, any gifts, talents, abilities that he's given, this is all capital loan from the bank of heaven to be reinvested that it will bring eternal dividends.

46:31 The Lord said, don't be unconcerned about treasure. Just be concerned about where you're laying up that treasure. Lay it up for yourself, he said. In heaven.

46:39 Lay it up there, not here. And so our Lord is reminding us that we are pilgrims. We are stewards. And then he reminds us that we have a God wonder of wonders.

46:53 Who rewards his children. I don't understand this, but Jesus said even a cup of cold water will not lose its reward. Why in the world should God reward us? The very fact that we ever step foot inside his presence is all a grace.

47:06 That's enough reward, isn't it?

47:10 And yet somehow he's going to heap other rewards on us for simply doing what was sensible in our doing. I don't understand that. We talk about grace. That's grace.

47:23 That's grace. And yet this is what our Lord tells us. Remember Matthew 25? Inasmuch as you did it unto the least of these, my little ones, you've done it unto me. Enter into the joy of my Lord. A cup of cold water given in my name shall not lose its reward. So when our Lord says lay up treasure for yourself in heaven, he's telling us there is such a possibility that I may treasure up that which will meet me in that day and will be to my everlasting joy a heavenly treasure. Well, we've just begun to look at this passage. I trust the Lord has whetted our appetites. Study through the week, will you, the remaining part of this first section and try to find the four reasons why this is the only sensible thing to do. Lay up treasure not upon earth but in heaven. And our Lord gives four specific reasons why we ought to do this. We try

Conclusion and Next Steps

48:12 to discover them. And then the Lord willing next week we'll consider them together. Let us close our time in prayer.