Demand #35 – Lay Up for Yourselves Treasures in Heaven by Giving Sacrificially
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.
—Matt. 6:19-21
You received without paying; give without pay.
—Matt. 10:8
One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?
—Luke 16:10-12
Jesus illustrated the kind of sacrificial generosity that He approves of with the “widow’s mite”. [Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44)
So our giving is not simply measured by the total but rather by the degree of sacrifice. Where does your heart rest? A wealthy man could give much and still rest in his riches but the widow could only rest in her faith because she gave it all. Since God looks at the heart only He can judge the gift.
Why Such a Huge Concern with Our Money and Possessions?
Because of the importance of our hearts Jesus taught extensively about money and possessions. Here are some excerpts:
You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. (Mark 10:21)
Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven. . . . But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. (Luke 6:20)
Any of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:33)
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. (Luke 18:25)
One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. (Luke 12:15)
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matt. 6:33)
Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old. (Luke 12:33)
Zacchaeus . . . said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house.” (Luke 19:8-9)
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Matt. 13:44)
Jesus . . . saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.” (Luke 21:1)
But God said to [the man who built even bigger barns], “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:20-21)
Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. . . . Follow me. (Luke 9:58-59)
The underlying basis for this concern about our relationship to “stuff” is that “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21; Luke 12:34). You will value, cherish, and treasure something and that is worship. So will you worship a false God?
You Cannot Serve Two Masters: God and Money
Jesus’ warned that “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matt. 6:24).
Serving is not just providing a service but serving is in the sense servitude and looking to a master for care and direction. Do you look to God first or money when you have needs and require help in life? Do you seek your security from money or do you seek security from God? Does money deliver your security and happiness or God? Those who serve money treasure it because of the security and happiness they believe it can deliver. Do you treasure God because of the security and happiness that He can deliver?
Money is the great alternative to God. It gives a much better fit to our selfishness than God and in the short term can provide our needs and a deceptive security and shallow happiness. We treasure money as a substitute god that we can manipulate until the day we die.
Demand #36 – Lay Up for Yourselves Treasures in Heaven and Increase Your Joy in Jesus
How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.
—Luke 18:24-25
One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?
—Luke 16:10-12
The Rich Ruler and Eternal life
First, when the rich ruler asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus responded, “Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Luke 18:18, 22). Jesus went straight to man’s idolatry with money when the rich young ruler approached him. He was heavily invested in his god money. Being rich and having money as your god is so common that Jesus said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24-25). The disciples asked, “Then who can be saved?” (Luke 18:26) and Jesus says “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Only God can break the bondage that money holds on individuals. God must the gods we’ve created as He saves us but for a rich man it can be a particularly disruptive process.
Lots of churches deal with individuals who say, “What must I do to be saved?” and we rarely address the problem of idolatry up front. Americans would never look at a rich man as he came down the aisle and think they should back right up that aisle until they’ve dealt with the idolatry of money they almost certainly are bringing with them. Can you imagine asking a new Christian just to calculate 10% of their salary over the 7 years just prior to their salvation and promise to give that much away plus 10% of their current salary over the first 7 years of their salvation? Do you realize how much easier that would be than what Jesus told the rich young ruler? The selfishness of the rich young ruler and his love of money were so deeply entrenched that we have to assume that he refused to change because Scripture says that “He went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:22). As far as we know, his love of money kept him out of heaven.
The Rich Fool Who Loses His Soul
Jesus tells a parable of a rich fool. The man’s fields prosper, and he has more than he can use. Instead of thinking generously he says, “I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry” (Luke 12:18-19). To this selfish decision Jesus says that God responds with these words: “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Luke 12:20). His selfish spirit led to the loss of his soul.
How to Lose True and Lasting Riches
After the parable of the dishonest manager (Luke 16:1-9), Jesus draws out these conclusions:
One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? (Luke 16:10-12)
Spiritual riches and an eternal inheritance are what we want and on this earth we are stewards of perishable riches. We are to learn to be faithful with those things and those who are perishing are unfaithful with wealth and never find true riches or an inheritance.
The Ground of Our Acceptance with God
The only way that we respond correctly to material blessings is by the Grace of God. God doesn’t watch to see if we handle money correctly because we don’t. God saves us and teaches us to handle money correctly. Sometimes we go kicking and screaming. Our selfishness is overcome by the Grace of God. We do not acquire the Grace of God by overcoming our selfishness. After salvation you will be challenged to follow Him faithfully in stewardship and Jesus seems to indicate that there will be rewards in heaven for having been faithful (Luke 19:13-19).
The Measure You Use Will Be Used to Measure You
Jesus also says in Luke 6:37-38: “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” We clearly don’t see this Scripture fully worked out on earth so we must also understand this Scripture to mean that generosity here on earth will be rewarded in heaven. Of course as we yield to God then He is rewarding the outworking of His Grace in our lives. Being selfish will rob you of blessing on earth and in heaven.
“Lay Up for Yourselves Treasures in Heaven”
Jesus’ commands “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matt. 6:20). Consequently we would strive to be as generous as we could be. In Luke 12:33 Jesus says, “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.” Ultimately we can love and give because of His completed work (Matt. 6:33; 7:7-12; Luke 12:32).
Demand #37 – Lay Up for Yourselves Treasures in Heaven – “It Is Your Father’s Good Pleasure to Give You the Kingdom
Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
—Luke 12:32-34
Why Is This Not Just Sanctified Selfishness?
You could think that laying up treasure in heaven is just rational and any right thinking selfish person would do it. However, being heavenly minded and seeing Christ as your all sufficient source of joy and happiness prevents selfishness because by definition Christ calls us to selflessness. In service to Christ our hearts seek the good for others and it transforms us. No person who has been washed in the blood wants to be the last person and our joy is increased in fellowship.
In all our giving we want to see eternal joy as a product in the lives of others. We shouldn’t want to just give to another out of a sense of duty and not care about their spiritual condition. We may not see someone receive Christ and we may minister to them till the day they die but we are not uncaring about their salvation because that wouldn’t be a loving attitude.
Giving Sacrificially Shows Our Freedom from Bondage to Things
We can give of what we have and it shows our freedom. It may be money (Matt. 19:21), prayer/healing (Matt. 10:8), a cup of cold water (Mark 9:41) or time and effort (Luke 10:34-35) or your home and hospitality (Luke 14:13-14). The call is to see God as the provider and not be entangled with stuff. In fact to move into the model in which we distribute what God gives and then go back to Him for more. Then we are moving into alignment with the verse “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy” (Luke 12:32-33). If you think you earned it and it is yours then you can’t hear that Scripture. If you think God is your provider and trust His provision then you can hear what He is saying and begin to give sacrificially.
The Goodness of God Is the Ground of Our Giving
God’s good pleasure is to provide what you need and in particular to provide the Kingdom’s riches. An employer gives you what you’ve earned but God gives to you in Grace. Your safety net is God.
God Is the Best of Fathers—Far Better Than the One You Had!
God is a perfect father. Even those of us who had good fathers know that they were far from perfect. God as our father then King tells us that we will inherit a kingdom that He is happy to give us. Matthew 25:34 says that in the last day King Jesus will say, “Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” We don’t give to our Father King out of an obligation but out of love. Did you ever calculate what you cost your parents and pay them off? It would be absurd. He is our perfect omniscient and omnipotent Father who knows how to take care of us and answer our prayers (Matt. 7:7-11). He gives us the Kingdom out of His love and Grace and we receive it like a child
God calls us His “flock” or his “sheep” to remind us that Jesus served as the good shepherd who willingly laid down His life for the sheep (John 10:18). None of this is done with a grudge. This is joy.
The Gift of God’s Sovereign Rule on Our Behalf
God rules on our behalf and we know that his rule and authority will be exercised for us as the Body of Christ. We’ll be at the marriage supper of the Lamb. He knows that we are scared to give up our possessions and He promises that He’ll care for us in eternity (Luke 22:29-30).
The Simplicity and Generosity of William Carey
William Carey was a missionary to India in the late 1700s. He got a letter once from his home in England that criticized him for “engaging in affairs of trade,” instead of full-time missionary work (he eventually did thirty years without a furlough). He was hurt and angered by the accusation since he and his family would probably have starved otherwise with the limited support. This is part of what he wrote back.
“It is a constant maxim with me that, if my conduct will not vindicate itself, it is not worth vindicating. . . . I only say that, after my family’s obtaining a bare allowance, my whole income, and some months, much more, goes for the purposes of the gospel, in supporting persons to assist in the translation of the Bible, write copies, teach school, and the like. . . . I mention . . . [this] to show that the love of money has not prompted me to pursue the plan that I have engaged in. I am indeed poor, and shall always be so till the Bible is published in Bengali and Hindosthani, and the people [lack] no further instruction.”
Carey was doing his best to follow God and be a faithful steward. I pray that we’d all be able to always say that “the love of money has not prompted me to pursue the plan that I have engaged in” but rather the love of God.
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