TREASURE IN HEAVEN
I. What
is Treasure?
Matthew 6:21-“For where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
1.
Treasure is your wealth
2.
It is not the money that you get and spend for your
every day needs
3.
It is wealth as currency notes or in kind that you keep
for your future
4.
It is something you spare out of abundance or scarcity
5.
It gives you:
i.
A safety feeling that you have something kept aside for
unexpected times
ii. you
have something for the worst days – economical or agricultural famine
iii. You
feel assured and hopeful about your future
iv.
Usually we write a Will stating that all our wealth
should go to our decedents – but only after our death – wealth in our hand
gives us an assurance about a safe future.
6.
So Treasure is for
future – not for today
7.
So we should:
i.
Deposit as much wealth in our treasury – personal
treasury of any kind
ii. Do
not miss any chance to deposit treasure in the treasury
iii. Keep
it in a safe treasury
iv. Deposit
it wisely - where you will get it back 100 fold
II. Two
Kinds of Treasuries
Matthew 6: 19
19 - Lay not up for yourselves
treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break
through and steal:
20 - But lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves do not break through nor steal
1.
Treasury No. 1
i.
On Earth - we are not going to live here for
ever – we are just sojourners for a short period
ii. Moth
and rust corrupt – not safe as a deposit for future
iii. Thieves
break through and steal – not at all safe
2.
Treasury No. 2
i.
In Heaven - we
are going to spend our eternity there
ii.
Moth and rust DONOT corrupt – safe as a
deposit for future
iii.
Thieves DONOT break through and steal – Very
safe
3.
Treasury No. 2 offers more attractions:
i.
Deposits are accepted only from born again Christians
ii. It
offers a manifold return of your deposit
iii. It
offers the biggest interest rate than any bank on Earth
iv. It
offers a high return even while you live on Earth and in Eternity
Luke 18: 29, 30
29 And he said unto them,
Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or
brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's
sake,
30 Who shall not receive
manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
Malachi 3:10 – 12
10 Bring ye all the tithes into
the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now
herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to
receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the
devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground;
neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the
LORD of hosts. {destroy: Heb. corrupt}
12 And all nations shall call
you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
v. No
Bank of this world can offer such a return of wealth
vi. No
Bank offers to pay you back in your eternity
4.
So the Best choice is our Heavenly Bank.
III. One
More Problem with the Earthly Bank
1.
There is one more problem with the earthly bank
2.
It is one more good reason to deposit in Heavenly Bank
Matthew 6:21-“For where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
3.
Isaiah exhorts us to fly high and above like an eagle.
4.
But Treasure on Earth will bind our heart to the earth
– it will never think about what is above
Isaiah 40:31
- But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount
up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk,
and not faint. {renew: Heb. change}
5.
Eagles always fly high
6.
They never even rest on the ground – they rest in high
cliffs
7.
God want every believer to fly high and higher and
never live on the level ground
8.
Treasure on Earth will bind us to the level ground
Parable of a Rich Fool
9.
In New Testament Jesus speaks about the tragic fate of
a man who deposited his wealth on earth only
10. This
is a parable spoken by Jesus
11. A
rich man had a plentiful harvest
12. He
decided to enlarge his barns and store the fruits and goods – And he said:
Luke 12: 19 - 21
19 And I will
say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine
ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said
unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose
shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he
that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
IV. What to Deposit – Money Only?
A.
Anything can be deposited in the Heavenly Bank
1.
Anything can be deposited in heaven:
i.
Time
ii.
Health
iii.
Money
2.
All these THREE are WEALTH
1. Servants of Jesus
Matthew 10:42-“And
whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of
a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Matthew
10:41-“He that receiveth a prophet (any servant of Jesus) in the name of a prophet shall receive a
prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a
righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
2. Help the needy, poor, widows and orphans
Matthew
25: 31 – 40
31 When
the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then
shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And
before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from
another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And
he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then
shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For
I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I
was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked,
and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came
unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer
him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and
gave thee drink?
38 When
saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or
when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And
the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye
have done it unto one of the least of these my
brethren, ye have done it unto me.
3. Tithes and Offerings
II
Chronicles 31: 4- 10
4 Moreover
he (King Hezekiah) commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests
and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the LORD.
5 And
as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought
in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the
increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.
{came...: Heb. brake forth} {honey: or, dates}
6 And
concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah,
they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things
which were consecrated unto the LORD their God, and laid them by heaps. {by
heaps: Heb. heaps, heaps}
7 In
the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished
them in the seventh month.
8 And
when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD,
and his people Israel.
9 Then
Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.
10 And Azariah the chief priest of the house
of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings
into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty:
for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great
store.
B. We Deposit NOTHING
of our own
1Chronicles
29:14 "But who am I (King David), and what is my people, that we
should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from thee, and
of thy own have we given thee.
1.
God wants his people to have a deposit in Heaven for
future
2.
Man has nothing of their own
3.
So God given men things to deposit in Heaven – Time,
Health and Money – all these three are wealth.
V. How
to Deposit in Heaven
1.
Bible speaks clearly of depositing in Heaven
2.
But how – Bible is not without directions.
I.
Help the poor – poor, fatherless, foreigners
and widows
3.
Note : Fatherless children – they may have
mother but no father
4.
Do not do any harm to people belonging to these
categories it will bring God’s curse
upon you
Deuteronomy
15: 10, 11
10 Thou shalt
surely give him (your poor brother), and thine heart shall not be grieved when
thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless
thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.
11 For the poor
shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt
open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy
land.
Exodus 22: 22
Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
Proverbs 23:
10, 11
10 Remove not
the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: {landmark:
or, bound}
11 For their
redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.
Leviticus 19:
33, 34
33 And if a
stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. {vex: or,
oppress}
34 But the
stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and
thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt:
I am the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy
14: 29 - And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with
thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within
thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God
may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
5.
Helping the poor, strangers, widows and the fatherless
is a deposit in heavenly treasury
Matthew 10:42-“And whosoever
shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in
the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his
reward.
II.
Deposit in God’s Tabernacle so that there
will be meat
Malachi 3:10 – 12
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye
have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and
offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse:
for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into
the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me
now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to
receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer
for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither
shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of
hosts. {destroy: Heb. corrupt}
12 And all nations shall call you
blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
V. All “Banks” Are Not Banks
1.
Everything with board of “Bank” are not safe banks for
depositing
2.
Everything is NOT God’s Tabernacle
3.
Deposit in the right bank only yield you a good return
4.
Deposit in the right tabernacle only yield you a good
return
5.
Many local financiers will offer you attractive
interests – but no guarantee
6.
Local financiers need no legal documents – they are
very liberal
7.
But an established bank, approved by The Reserve Bank
of India
offers you guarantee
8.
It has certain rules and regulations for deposit and
withdrawal
9.
Heaven has certain rules and regulations for deposit
and withdrawal
Matthew 23:19 - Ye fools
and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the
gift?
Malachi 3:10 -“Bring
ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house ….”
VI. Return and Rewards are Paid on One
Condition
1.
Heavenly Bank has rules not only for deposit but for
withdrawals also.
2.
No return and rewards are paid to those who has already
unduly received it on Earth
Matthew 6:1
- Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise
ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 6:2
- Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as
the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have
glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Matthew 6:5
- And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love
to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they
may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
VII. Conclusion
1.
Remember your heart is where your treasure is.
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