I'm glad to be back again this week to post the sermon for the week. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter. For me, it was a great time of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.
The last time that we focused our attention on the Sermon on the Mount, we talked about the spiritual discipline of fasting. As with the other spiritual disciplines, Jesus taught His followers not to practice these spiritual disciplines to be seen by others and receive the praise of people. All that we do is to be directed toward the Lord, and the Lord is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
There is something interesting about fasting I wanted to share. This week, I heard a report on the news about how that fasting can help people live longer. According to this report, doctors have discovered that those who fast during the week have fewer health problems and actually have a much longer life span.
This isn't the reason that the Scriptures give for fasting, but it is interesting to consider the fact that when people follow the practices of Scripture, they have tangible benefits in their lives.
There is one other thing that I would like to mention about fasting that I didn't mention last time. Fasting in the Bible is often associated with confession and repentance of sin. Those who were experiencing grief and great sorrow over sin would sometimes fast as they were praying to the Lord to forgive them and bring them back into fellowship.
The Bible does not say that it is essential to do this. The Scriptures state that if we confess our sins that the Lord is faithful and just, and He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Today, we shift gears and focus on an entirely different teaching that Jesus presents.
Starting with Matthew 6:19, Jesus begins a discussion of where we should lay up our treasure. He begins in verse 19 by saying, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steel."
So many people's only or main concern in life is the accumulation of money and possessions. It seems that all they think about is how to make the next deal or how to get more.
The thing about accumulating earthly treasure is that it has not eternal value. You may spend a lifetime trying to accumulate money, and it can be gone in an instant.
When the banks had so much trouble hear in the United States, I had some shares of stock in a couple of banks. Within a period of less than one week, half of my investments were wiped out. Look at what has happened in Cyprus. Those who have over 100,000 euros in the bank are going to have 40 percent of their deposits seized.
This all goes to show that earthly treasure is fleeting. It has no eternal value, and it doesn't last. Even what you think you possess can vanish in a storm, by robbery or by the loss of job.
That's another example from my own life. I had money saved up. For a period of six years, I took care of parents as their primary caregiver. When they passed away, I tried to get a job. However, since I was supposedly out of the work force for too long, no one would give me a job. It didn't take long for the money I had saved to vanish. I'm yet to recover financially, that is why I often ask those who read this blog to pray that God will provide.
Through all of this, I've learned that a person can never depend on anything or anyone except the Lord Jesus. He is the only one who will never leave you or forsake you.
Jesus went on to say in verse 20, "But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
What does it mean to lay up treasure in Heaven? I think that it means at least two things. The treasure that we lay up in Heaven are those good deeds that we do for the Lord in order to help others and to help make this world a better place. When we give to the poor, we lay up treasure in Heaven. When we volunteer to help the homeless or deliver meals to the elderly, we are laying up treasure in Heaven. Whenever we visit the sick or help to encourage the depressed, we are laying up treasure in Heaven. Also, when we care for God's creation, we are laying up treasure in Heaven.
I also believe that we lay up treasure in Heaven when we lead others to Jesus and share the gospel. What better treasure could there be than to see souls in Heaven with whom we shared the love of Jesus? As followers of Jesus, this is probably one of the greatest things that we can ever do.
In verse 21, Jesus goes on to say, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Whatever we spend our time, talent and resources on is what is truly most valuable to us. If all of our efforts are spent on the accumulation of things, it demonstrates that we place material things first in our lives. On the other hand, if we do unto the least of these and spend our time sharing the gospel, it demonstrates that our heart is with the Lord Jesus, and we care about what make Jesus happy more than we care about anything else.
There is much more that Jesus says concerning this matter in the next few verses. We will, Lord willing, discuss that next week. On Wednesday, I will post another chapter of the Toby book. May God bless you. Amen.
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