"Treasures in Heaven" (Matthew 6:19-21)

What are "treasures in heaven"? Let's consider how to identify them! These three verses (Matthew 6:19-21) distinguish between "treasures on earth" and "treasures in heaven". Clearly "treasures in heaven", if we compare them to the negative assessment of "treasures on earth", are permanent and eternal, rather than being easily corrupted or subject to sudden loss. Unlike hoarded material things, "treasures in heaven" cannot become moth-eaten, subjected to rust, generally wear out, or be stolen. "Treasures on earth" are just temporary and worthless beyond this life. So here, the relative value of "treasures in heaven" and "treasures on earth" are dramatically contrasted.

"Treasures on earth" can literally just go up in smoke. Earthly power, position and fame for it's own sake, lack any true eternal value. Wealth and luxuries gained purely for personal use, ultimately mean nothing. Greedy accumulation is actually harmful to our soul. 1 Timothy 6:9 reads, "But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction". And such "treasures on earth" cannot even bring the happiness or security one desires out of them, because these can never fill the void within us (the void that only God can fill). Unfortunately, material acquisition and power have become for many people just as strong an addiction as any drug.

Nice things are not necessarily evil. There are nice pieces of furniture, artworks, jewellery, cars, etc, but it is the possibility of the wrong emphasis they are given that is in view here. It is material things, because of their perceived value, that we might try to protect and secure the most, thereby losing focus on the less tangible but more vital areas of life. Often what we can easily see and touch, blocks us from seeing and feeling the deeper things of life. The anxiety we can form around keeping certain things, can be a major distraction or diversion, diminishing our usefulness to God's purposes.

You might recall the incident when a certain rich young ruler asked Jesus how he could gain eternal life. Jesus perceived the person and the situation perfectly and said, "Go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven - then come follow me" (Matt 19:21). It was not necessarily the possessions themselves that were the problem, but rather the importance they were given. This was not only a case of a better, wiser, more eternal use of resources, but also a potential liberation for a guy who had become possessed by the whole idea of possessions. This we know, because, despite the sincere and seeking question put to Jesus, this man just couldn't do it, and walked away sad.
I'm a bit of a collector, so I know about the allure of beautiful things. But I've learnt that no matter how much I value or love my books, when the time for downsizing comes ... they have to be gone! And if no one wants them, then they have no material value left. I have had to change a bit with the times and download books on to a tablet ... reminding me that it is not the cover and pages that have value in themselves, but rather how the book positively blesses my life; and in the case of serious or spiritual reading material, how this changes how I think and feel, and how I respond to God and relate to other people in new ways.

Even a good car, a Ford, cannot last, nor offer any spiritual fulfilment. A new car loses much of its value as soon as you drive it out of the sales-yard. Then people keep scratching it, spilling food on the seats, bringing in their muddy shoes, bashing the doors in car-parks; and then one day, when you're not looking, someone breaks in and steals it.

What are then ... "treasures in heaven"?? How would you describe them?

Treasures in heaven are: investments in people (that will never lose their value):

* acts of kindness and service – e.g. practical help for those who struggle with some particular tasks of life. Acts of kindness lead to the possibility of renewed hope or trust in people.

* gifts of mercy, compassion and forgiveness – e.g. a gift of food to a hungry person, a phone-call or visit to a lonely person, some word of encouragement to the depressed, a prayer of support for the sick, a hug for the grieving, or forgiving someone against the tide (even when they are unaware or not even sorry for the offence).

* sharing testimonies of faith (where faith has been proven effective) – for instance with the struggling or lost (for their encouragement)

* introducing someone to Jesus - so that they might have peace with God

* effort toward the undoing of injustice, oppression, poverty, violence, etc – to stand and act in solidarity with those suffering under oppression or injustice is very powerful

* neighbour care – i.e. being known as helpful, available, friendly, safe, welcoming and caring ... in your street (e.g. lending things). If we can become a good listener (including to stuff we might find foreign or difficult), others may be prepared eventually to listen to what we believe.

* growing our families – i.e. teaching, offering boundaries, loving, developing better communication, listening to one another's needs, being available

* activities toward community-building – contributing to people coming together for various causes with greater harmony, mutual caring and learning capacity e.g. community action groups

* building relationships in the church – spending time together in worship, encouragement, prayer, and study of the Word ... in the large group and in small groups, being interested in the daily challenges each one faces, and the stories of how God has been involved. The church is the 'body of Christ' - all of us being interdependent parts of the same entity. We need each other, because the necessary gifts are spread around (for the common good). We can be a 'tight body' or a 'loose body'!

In the film 'Mr. Holland's Opus', all the musician Mr. Holland wanted to do was write his great symphony. However, for financial reasons, he had to start doing something he dreaded - being a music teacher. Mr. Holland (played by Richard Dreyfuss) started out with little time for the students, because he just wanted the money to live on while he wrote his great symphony. However, there was some real intrinsic goodness in Mr. Holland, as we see the needs and talents of his young students work their way into his heart. Having become open to these young people, and bringing significant encouragement and contributions into their lives (such that they were growing enormously), Mr. Holland became aware that his primary gifting and calling was not necessarily as a composer, but as a teacher. Mr. Holland's great symphony or 'opus' was not a composition, but rather his investments in the lives of his students. Mr. Holland had found his "treasures in heaven".

George Muller wrote: "When we go to heaven, we go to the place where our treasures are, and we shall find them there". When the film credits come up for a person's life ... how many credit lists will we appear on??

What we treasure most shows where our heart is - this exposes where we are in our spiritual walk with God. The fruit reveals the health of the tree. Once we have signed up with Jesus, our true citizenship is in heaven, so that is where our investments should be made. Any investments on earth will remain on earth as clutter for others to deal with. Investments in heaven travel with us. Whatever we pursue most, what we give highest priority to, where we put our greatest energies - this inevitably shows what we care about most, and where are heart really is.

Athol Gill wrote: "Each person sets their heart on what they count as ultimately important - and this allegiance determines the direction of their life". Our own spiritual blessings derive from the investments we make into the lives of others.

Jesus lived out this notion of "treasures in heaven", and gave us "treasure" beyond compare. Through God's Holy Spirit we can be bearers of these "treasures in heaven" as investments in other people's eternal experience of God.

One of the greatest Christian leaders of the last century was John R. W. Stott, rector of All Souls Langham Place in London and a peerless preacher, Bible teacher, evangelist, author, global leader and friend to many. I knew him over many decades, but I will never forget my last visit to his bedside three weeks before he died. After an unforgettable hour and more of sharing many memories over many years, I asked him how he would like me to pray for him. Lying weakly on his back and barely able to speak, he answered in a hoarse whisper, "Pray that I will be faithful to Jesus until my last breath." Would that such a prayer be the passion of our generation too. (Os Guinness, “Impossible People”, IVP Books, 2016).