Hearing His Voice Today
A Spiritual Check-Up
Treasures on Earth vs. Treasures in Heaven

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Matthew 6:19-24 (KJV)

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:
21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

1. A Desire to be Rich Will Come to Heartache . . . "lay not up for yourselves treasures"
   It is not wealth that Scripture forbids, but the "laying up (thesaurizo) of treasures on earth."
   Literally, this could be translated "do not treasure up treasures for yourself on earth."
   What is forbidden is the giving of our time and energy for the purpose of amassing things.
   1. Things on earth will always be destroyed . . . "lay not up treasures on earth . . ."
      1. Moths destroy --- Fine clothing (made of wool) represented wealth in Jesus' day.
         The wealthy who amassed these fine clothes had to work hard to keep them safe.
      2. Rust destroys --- "rust" is literally "an eating" and represents rodents eating grain.
         The wealthy built fine barns to hold their grains, but always had to fight the rats.
      3. Thieves break in and steal is literally "dig through."
         The wealthy buried their treasures in the fields, but the thieves "dug through."
         God grants wealth. The Bible commends "labor that leads to profit" (Prov. 4:23).
         The question for the hour is "How are you investing that which God gives you?"
   2. Things in heaven will never be destroyed . . . "lay up treasures in heaven . . ."
      A tombstone: "What I spent, I lost; What I saved, I left; What I gave, I have."
      What you give, for the spiritual good of others, stores up for you treasures in heaven.
2. A Desire to be Rich Is Caused by a Heart Ache . . . "there will your heart be also . . ."
   Verses 21-23 expand on the previous two verses, and the "eye" illustrates the heart.
   Jesus is saying in v. 21, "The location of our treasure indicates where our heart already is."
   1. The heart is the "eye" of the soul --- a "single" eye leads to a "body full of light."
      This word "single" is also translated "liberal" (Rom. 12:8), and "generous" (James 1:5)
      A generous heart stores up treasures in heaven and is given spiritual understanding.
   2. A "bad" eye leads to darkness in life --- "bad" translates (poneros) or "evil."
      The Bible says the man with an "evil eye" always "hastens after wealth" (Prov. 28:22).
      He is "selfish" (Prov. 23:6), "hostile" (Deut. 15:9) and will eventually stumble.
      Darkness leads to (1). No enjoyment, (2) A painful fall, and (3). A loss of direction.
3. A Desire to be Rich Is Cured by a Heart Change . . ."You cannot serve God and mammon."
   1. No man can serve two masters --- "masters" translates kurios or "slave owner" (lord).
      A slave owner has total control of the slave (this is not referring to two different jobs).
      We cannot claim allegiance to Christ as Lord and find ourselves controlled by riches.
   2. He will hate the one and love the other --- the two masters will want different things.
      Calvin --- "Where riches hold the dominion of the heart, God has lost His authority."
   3. You cannot serve God and mammon --- mammon is "earthly goods or possessions."
      Choose you this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house . . .