Treasures
in the Presence of the Father
Introduction –
This chapter has focused on our life in the presence of our
Father in heaven. The first half
instructed us particularly with regard to our personal piety, our lived-out
faith. This second half will address
our relationship as creatures to creaturely comforts. One man said this passage could be summed up this way - God does not mind His people having things;
He forbids things having His people.
Christ attacks two great temptations. The first temptation is to give your love and loyalty to the
things of this world (vv 19-24). The
second is to depend upon the gifts rather than the Giver to supply your needs
(vv 25-34). Today, we examine the
first.
Investing in the Right Treasures (vv
19-21) –
Jesus is not
against investment –
He is against bad investment. We are
built to give ourselves to certain ends.
The problem ultimately, is not that our desires for happiness are too
strong, but that they are too weak, settling for the fleeting pleasures of sin
which never satisfy the soul and eventually destroy us. As C. S. Lewis said, we are far too easily
pleased.
Thieves –
So, we have no choice; we will lay up treasure. The only question is where.
We must be very aware that the vast majority of our culture is bent to
make it their supreme aim in life to acquire as much as possible of worldly
wealth. If you live like Esau (Heb
12:16) or the man building barns (Luke 12:13ff), you are an idolater (Col
3:5). If you live like Abraham (Gen 15:1),
who was a rich man, you will lay up for yourself incorruptible treasure (1 Pet
1:4) and the benefits in this life of those treasures.
The Measure – The problem is not
having earthly riches, but before the rich breathe a sigh of relief, remember
the warnings (Matt 9:23f), and the exhortations (1 Tim 6:17-19). The measure is your heart. How do you know if you really are laying
treasures in heaven? Simple. Where is your heart, that is, the center of
your being, your desires, your love, your affections, your imagination? Where is the center of all your plans, and
is this obvious to all around you?
The Lamp of the Body (vv 22-23)
– Jesus is not changing the subject, but is using Hebrew idioms as
illustrations for identifying the location of your heart. “The lamp of the body is the eye.” This proverb simply is describing what we
experience. If we are blind, it is as
though our whole body walks in darkness.
If we can see, the eye acts as a lamp for the rest of the body. “…if your eye is good (single)” meant
generosity, and “…if your eye is evil” meant miserliness or stinginess (see
Prov 28:22). Your life is full of light
when you are full of generosity and an open-handedness with your earthly goods. Notice that this is not a command, but a
description. You cannot do this
mechanically, rather, just like the Beatitudes, this is the work of God’s
gracious Spirit in you.
Serve –
This verb, douleuo, means “to be a slave unto”. That is why the term ‘master’ is being used. You are going to serve somebody, this is
something else we cannot escape.
Mammon – Some translations
may say ‘money’, but the word is broader.
It is anything connected with the world; it is the temporary
things. It can be used to describe
wealth or property, but with an emphasis on worldly things.
No Third Way – Christ is being very
clear. You cannot serve two
masters. When commands come from two
contradicting authorities, the one you obey is lord. John makes this clear in his epistle – “Do not love the world
or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him. For all that is in the world—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. And
the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God
abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)
God has always hated middle-of-the-road hypocrisy – “They speak idly
everyone with his neighbor; With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.”
(Psalm 12:2).
Holy Honesty
– This passage has been full of radical opposites, with no
room for third options or fence-sitting.
Your treasure is in heaven or it is here. Your eye is good or it is evil.
You are either a slave to God or to this world. Men will object, “but no one is
perfect. We all sin in many ways.” That is not the point. The point is, right now, are you serving God
or Mammon, and where is your treasure.
The regenerate heart repents when the Spirit convicts.
If you think
that the most important thing is comfort, wealth, enjoyment, or power here on
earth – that is what you will be driven by.
But the man who has treasures on earth will not be honest with himself. Where is your heart?
And who is your
Master? Is there a desire to comply
with the total demands of Christ? He is
either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.
You must give your master complete obedience (Deut 6:5). He must be given your supreme devotion over
everything else (Luke 14:25-33). Your
devotion must be total (Matt 16:24-27).
And you must remember – There is no better Master than Christ alone. There are no better treasures than those laid up in heaven. This is not about being an ascetic. This is about eternal joy in the glory of God. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” – John Piper