Introduction

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Do you want to be successful? Success is easily defined in almost every category. Business success is staying in the black. Success in football is having the higher score. Success in career is getting the promotion. Success in school is getting good grades. Success in reading is comprehension. Success in science is discovery. Success in farming is an increased yield.

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Business, football, career, school, reading, science, farming—are all these things means or and end? Of course, these are all means to get something else: the good life. But what is the good life?

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The American dream is that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed. But success is defined by the individual. What do you define as success?

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Is it material wealth? Money is often the end to what we spend the most of our time. We work a full-time job to earn money. Many of us work more than one. But for most of us, money is not an end in and of itself. Money is a means to attain other things. Money is used to attain our basic needs: food, shelter, and clothing. But many of us get money beyond our basic needs. For what purpose? Jesus challenges this very thing.

‌Treasure

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Matthew 6:19–21ESV

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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Jesus teaches :

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Where our treasure is stored shows what’s at our core.

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First of all the command, “do not lay up,” or “do not store” is in the present tense and very likely is rendered, “Stop storing up for yourselves treasures on earth.” And so the command is a call to reorient away from one type of acquisition and change to another type of acquisition.

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Jesus mentions “storing up treasure on earth.” This could be anything in the first century from jewelry to rich fabrics to even books. (Books in first century were much more expensive being hand-copied on handmade paper.) The treasure on earth is subject to decay. It is not eternal. And even if it does last a long time, we won’t be around to enjoy it. Jesus mentions the moth, a small and weak creature that a child could crush under his finger is able to destroy a great accumulation of wealth: cloth, books, land deeds.

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And notice this treasure is stored up. This is not money used to attain the basic necessities of life. Jesus says the wise person considers the cost before building a house (

Luke 14:28

). And of course, one would have to “store up” in order to build such a thing. Nor is Jesus arguing that we should not plan or be prepared for emergencies.

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Rather the “treasures on earth” are the nonessential accumulation wealth that becomes the sole focus. This accumulation may be motivated by any number of things: peace, security, greed, power, glory, pride, or some mixture.

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Because of course, where our treasure is stored shows what’s at our core.

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But none of these reasons are worthy of being the greatest good. And accumulation of treasure cannot truly bring peace. Scrooge had tons of money but was not at peace. Solomon had more money than anyone else ever, but brought civil war to his country.

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Jesus himself mentions why treasure accumulation cannot bring security. All our wealth can disappear in an instant. Just one large increase in inflation. Just one stock market crash. Just one bank falling apart. Just one nation conquering another. All our resources can be devoured.

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Matthew 6:20ESV

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

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Notice that Jesus is not commanding us to do away with ambition. Rather the call is to reorient that ambition. Instead of accumulating treasure on earth, we are to accumulate heavenly treasure.

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Because, where are treasure is stored show what is at our core.

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This “treasure in heaven” has a clear continuity of thought betwen the secret, heavenly reward for purely motivated acts of righteousness. And of course it has eternal benefit.

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What can “Treasure on earth” gain for you? Peace? No. Security? No. Power? Perhaps, but to what end? It can gain you vice. It can gain you pride, selfishness and greed.

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And yet, people spend their entire lives accumulating treasure. People are willing to sacrifice their families, sometimes literally abort babies, to gain treasure. People are willing to sacrifice relationships, friendships to acquire this earthly treasure. People devote their entire lives to gain earthly treasure and what is there to show for it?

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A nice sports car? High-end brands? A country club membership?

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Ecclesiastes 5:10

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.”

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And yet even people who call themselves pastors spout the idea that our greatest good is to accumulate earthly treasure.

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“Well, you need to hear about money, because you ain’t gonna have no love and joy and peace until you get some money!” ~ Creflo A. Dollar

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“God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us.” – Joel Osteen

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“God will begin to prosper you, for money always follows righteousness.” ~ Benny Hinn

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“Most employers at least have enough common decency about them that they don’t ask somebody to work for them for free…. If a man has enough nicety about him to do that, can’t you at least believe that the Father God is not asking you to serve Him for free either?” – Fred Price

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I’m sorry, but if your last name is “dollar” or “price” and you’re a prosperity gospel preacher—certainly God has a sense of humor.

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Certainly God is not about you getting more and more money. Earthly treasure is the very thing Jesus said to stop working for. Instead, we work for the heavenly treasure.

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There seems to be no better example of this than the martyrs of the faith. Those willing to give up all earthly things for the sake of the heavenly.

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One such story is that of Perpetua. She lived in the Roman Empire before Christianity was made legal. She was born to a wealthy family. She had a little baby out of wedlock and the father was not around. But then, by the influence of her servants, became a Christian. Eventually her small gathering of Christians were discovered by the empire and forced to recant or die.

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Perpetua refused to recant. She remained in prison for a time. She struggled between having the wealth of her family, the cherished love of her son, the acceptance and honor of her society; or instead to have Christ.

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Her and her companions were thrown into an arena to be devoured by wild beasts. The sent out lions, boars, tigers, oh my. On and on, until the crowd grew tired of the spectacle. So, the governor ordered them to be killed by the sword. Just before the guards approached with the sword, Perpetua yelled loud for all to hear, “Stop!” The governor supposed she was ready to recant rather than faced death. But them what she said shocked everyone. “I will not go to my Lord as if I am grieving!”

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And then she fixes up her hair and clothing that were disheveled while being thrown by wild beasts. Then she is slain by the edge of the sword.

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John 12:25

“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

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Now imagine one of these so-called preachers going up to Perpetua and saying, “Money always follows righteousness.” It’s laughable.

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And yet where are treasure is stored shows what is at our core.

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Matthew 6:21

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

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Where do you store your treasure? What motivates your acquiring? Are you searching for peace? Security? Love? Fame?

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One theologian says:

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