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Sermon Notes of Rev Dr Ivor J.W.Oakley (8-10-2000
Guisborough Evangelical Church)
Additional Reading Luke 12:4-21
In our every day life we have great concern for things
that will last, be it a suit of clothes, a car, a carpet or piece of furniture.
Bargains are attractive, but must be genuine bargains, otherwise it will be
“pennywise and pound-foolish”. Our aim is to find something that is
valuable, permanent, long lasting, dependable and worthwhile.
The same applies to spiritual wealth and treasure, according to Jesus. Use you head! Think! Says Jesus. The treasure on earth which is so attractive to many is fleeting, passing, only lasts for a short while. Fix attention on treasures in heaven, which are reliable and durable. Unhappily, many apply these principles to material things, but act like fools regarding spiritual things. Jesus bids us to concentrate on what will last and increase in value over the years, and will not deteriorate or depreciate.
Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth (Matthew 6:19). Jesus makes his case by using
three pictures from life in first century Palestine, and the way people stored
up wealth then.
Avoid seeking as treasure things
that can be destroyed by moth. In the East, wealth is partly measured by fine
and elaborate clothes, e.g. Naaman gave two changes of raiment to Gehazi, Achan
was tempted by goodly Babylonian garment. But this sort of wealth can soon be
attacked by moth.
Avoid seeking as treasure things
that can be eaten away. brwsis does not
mean “rust”, but “eaten away”. It refers to mice and rats eating away
wealth stored as grain.
Avoid seeking as treasure things
that can be stolen when thieves can break through. In Palestine many houses were
merely baked clay, and burglars literally dug through the walls. The Greek word
for burglar toicorucos means
“mud-digger”. The picture here is of a man’s gold, hoarded in his house,
stolen after burglars dig through its flimsy walls. This kind of treasure is at
the mercy of the enterprising thief.
Nowadays things are undoubtedly
different. We have more solid houses, mortgages, shares, deposits, and then on
the other side of the story, we have inflation, depreciation, bank collapses,
international frauds, market collapse, recession. But of course wealth is not
just money, and not only relevant to the rich. Treasures is an inclusive term,
meaning whatever we prize, think most of, live for, find satisfaction in,
members of family, house, possessions, status, position, promotion. Someone once
said that promotion has done endless harm in the church because so often it has
caused honest and sincere men to move from being God-centred and working for his
honour, to focussing attention on themselves.
Two treasures of men in the
ministry: (1) Their books. The story goes of Sir William Robertson Nicoll,
commentator on Christian affairs some years ago, who was reared in a manse in
N.E. Scotland. His father’s passion was to buy and read books, and he had the
greatest private library in Scotland, containing 17000 books. But he completely
neglected his wife and his family. At the age of 40, he married a woman of 24,
who within eight years was dead of TB. Of their family of five, only two lived
over 20. (2) Love of congregation’s praise and adulation. F.B.Meyers recalled
a sad period in his ministry when he was habitually greeted at the foot of the
pulpit steps with a man saying “Wonderful effort this morning”. The whole
service was geared to win that compliment every time. If the man did not say it,
it was a gloomy and miserable Sunday.
Here is an aspect of
worldliness. Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life. Do not
love the world or anything in the world (1 John 2:15). Desire to indulge,
possess and impress. The whole thing is so subtle. It seems harmless to seek
happiness as long as no open sins. “What’s the harm in that?” we ask. Yet
it is the rock on which many lives have been made shipwrecked, including many
Christian lives.
N.B. The Lord is not condemning
possessions as such. He is not referring to saving for a rainy day, and having a
life assurance policy. The Bible praises that sort of storing up food in summer
for use in the winter (Proverbs 6:6ff). If anyone does not provide for his
relatives… he is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8). Also, we are
not to despise but to enjoy all the good things which our creator has given us
to enjoy (1 Timothy 4:3, 6:17).
The main concern is our attitude
to them. The danger is that we over-value them, and they become more important
than anything else. Extravagant living to the neglect of people in need.
Materialism which tethers hearts to earth. How hard it is to enter the
kingdom of heaven. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10: 24-25). Luther
said “Whenever the Gospel is taught and people seek to live according to it,
there are two terrible plagues which always arise – false preachers who
corrupt the teaching, and Sir Greed who obstructs right living”.
Clearly here is a warning for all. It is not only rich people who have treasures. The poor have them, and cling to them just as tenaciously.
Store up for yourselves
treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:20). Be concerned with the things of God –
things which endure and are eternal, which last, and which make us rich
towards God (Luke 12:21). This means being in a right relationship with God
and doing those things which are pleasing and honouring to him. Matthew’s
Gospel is particularly full of these riches which are available to us:
forgiveness of sins; being one of God’s people; changed heart; having God’s
law in our heart; knowing the Lord; being in the kingdom; comfort; the gift of
righteousness; obtaining mercy; seeing God; reward in heaven; prayers answered;
good things from God when we ask, seek and knock. Life is firm and solid because
built on rock and not on sand.
Reward for faithful stewardship,
promotion, enter the joy of the Lord (Matthew 25:21). Inheritance in heaven
that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you (1 Peter
1:4). More than conquerors and having relationship with God and experience of
love in Christ which cannot be touched or severed by death or life, present or
future, height nor depth, nor anything in all creation (Romans 8:37-39).
These treasures cannot be eaten away or destroyed or stolen. They are in God’s hand. Available to us now and in eternity. Safe, secure and impregnable. Immune from burglar and vermin. Needs no insurance cover. Only gilt-edged security whose gilt will never tarnish. Safe investment. The Scottish evangelist Brownlow North said “Every man is shut up to one of two things. Either he makes a god of himself and his own religion, and stands or falls by it. Or he takes the religion of Christ as revealed in his Word. God helping me, I will stand or fall by Jesus Christ, put my trust in his truth and teaching as it is in written word of God, and as sure as Jesus Christ is truth, I must be forgiven and saved.”
This teaching is a plea to get a right perspective on
life and everything else will fall naturally into place. We can all feel
sympathy with Dr Samuel Johnston, who, when being shown over a marble castle
with its grounds, said “These are things which make it difficult to die”. We
can all think of people we love, experiences through which we pass, scenes we
view, which make it difficult for us to die.
The teaching of Jesus is that,
whether we like it or not, we are going to die, and enter life beyond this one.
This life is only one stage of the journey. So don’t lose heart to this world
and its possessions. There are plenty more to come. Fix your eyes on the life
beyond and on eternity. We are merely pilgrims walking through this world under
the eyes of God, and going in the direction of God and eternity. See selves in
that light and you cannot go wrong. All else will fall into place. Estimate
value of everything wisely.
Hebrews 11, known as the
“Westminster Abbey of the New Testament”, records the heroes of faith in the
Old Testament, who walked as if seeing him who is invisible. This was their
secret. Pilgrims and strangers on earth, with their eyes on the city with
foundations whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10). If our eyes
are on the goal, we shall see everything else in due proportion. The things of
this world are not terribly important, and all too soon we will have to say
goodbye to them. Then when the call comes, we shall not go reluctantly or
grudgingly. If treasures in him awaiting us, we shall go gladly, to see God and
be with him. This world, and possessions and work here are important, not in
themselves, but as preparation for eternity. They are not the be all and end
all, but a stage on the journey to the goal.
This affects the way we view our
possessions. We are not really the owners. Only stewards, entrusted with these
things to serve the master. We will have to give an account at the end about how
we used our money, intellect, physical powers, personalities, opportunities and
gifts. Not ours permanently. Cannot take these things with us. “There are no
pockets in shrouds”. Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I
shall depart (Job 1:21). We brought nothing into this world and we can
take nothing out of it (1 Timothy 6:7). This is not just divine wisdom, but
also plain common sense. So Jesus says be detached. Don’t get too involved.
These things do not belong to the essence of life. Possessions are on lease to
us and not ours forever. They are to be used for his glory and his cause. Not
cling to these things. Not make too much of them. Not make centre of life and
existence. Not live for them or be absorbed by them. We could lose them at any
minute.
The challenge to us is how will these things look when
we see him and he asks to see our lives and hear how we have used life. Everyday
we live is another milestone which we shall never pass again.
These are important things to keep in view. The Father placed his love on us, sent us into the world, call us to himself, not for our selfish enjoyment but for his grand purposes. He gave us those possessions, home, job, opportunities for his purposes. Diving purpose in our lives. Caretakers for God, custodians, stewards, nothing more. Not to be ruled and used by possessions but to rule and use them. Instead, be sure to lay up treasures in heaven.
“Only
one life, twill soon be passed,
Only
what’s done for Jesus will last”
We must not store up treasure on earth but in heaven. Another illustration of how revolutionary the Christian life is. Runs clear contrary to the world’s values and outlook. Man of the world, though astonished to hear it, is narrow-minded. This earth, this short life, himself, his possessions. When Lord enters life, new centre. Lifted up into new divine eternal dimension with God in the centre. His plans and purposes. All seen against background of eternity. Beyond this life there is a new glorious existence. This is what we are made for, and it is marvellous. Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1).
