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Buried Treasure
Introduction:
Read Matthew 13:44. “Again, the kingdom of
heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found
and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he
has and buys that field.” NKJV As Randy Alcorn states, “It
envisions the joy of finding great and eternal treasure that
far surpasses the costs to obtain it.” Jesus often
illustrates His teachings by using money and possessions. He
sees our faith and finances as inseparable. When Jesus’
forerunner, John the Baptist, preached to the people about
bearing the fruits of repentance, notice what his response
dealt with. (Luke 3:11-14) Each answer relates to money and
possessions! Zaccheus’ attitude toward his money and
possessions was evidence of his pure heart. (Luke 19:8) When
a rich young ruler asked Jesus about how to gain eternal
life, Jesus told him this. “Jesus said to him, If you want
to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
(Matthew 19:21) This young man considered the price too
high. He was vastly different than the man in our parable in
Matthew 13:44. This man gave up everything he owned to gain
everything that mattered. Jesus appeals to us to value
heavenly treasure not earthly. This plea is similar to
David’s words in Psalm 119:162.
Body:
I. Treasures on
Earth
· Read Matthew
6:19-21.
· Jesus explains
why spending all our time storing up treasures on earth is
not wise. It’s not because earthly treasures are bad, but
because they won’t last. (Proverbs 23:5) Each of us will
lose all of our earthly possessions. No exceptions. We will
either lose them while we live or we will leave them when we
die.
· Imagine you are
alive at the end of the Civil War. You’re living in the
South, but you are a Northerner. You plan to move home as
soon as the war is over. While in the South, you’ve
accumulated lots of Confederate money. Now, suppose you know
for a fact that the North is going to win and the end is
near. What will you do with your Confederate money? If
you’re smart, you will cash in your Confederate money for
U.S. money. That’s the only money that will have any value
once the war is over. As a Christian, you know Earth’s
currency will become worthless when Christ returns or when
you die. So Jesus tells us to switch currency; transfer our
funds from earth to heaven. Realizing the value of Earth’s
currency should radically change our investment strategy.
II. Treasures in
Heaven
· Several
principles pop out when we look closely at Matthew 6:19-21.
· “Store up for
yourselves.” This is something we must do ourselves. We
can’t store up for others. (Luke 12:33) (I Timothy 6:17-19)
· “Treasures in
heaven” (Matthew 19:29) (Psalm 16:11) These will last
forever.
· “You can’t take
it with you, but you can send it on ahead.” (Psalm 49:16-17,
Proverbs 27:24)
· Earthly treasures
can’t save. (Psalm 49:6-8)
Conclusion:
Where are we
investing: on earth or in heaven? Our earthly treasures will
soon be worthless. Are we sending it on ahead?
Bobby Stafford
January 19, 2014
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The
church of Christ
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