Learn to Value and Pursue Eternal Treasures

(Messiah's 21st & 22nd Command)
By Brother R. Michel Lankford

Matthew 6:19-24 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, There your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body; so Then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Matthew 6:19-24 (NASB)

 

The Specific Commands

#21. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
#22. store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, There your heart will be also.

"If we truly want our hearts to be genuinely right before God, then it's imperative that we learn to to desire and pursue or chase after the right things, because what we treasure and choose to chase after will determine the ultimate destination and condition of our heart.”

So the question is, what kind of person do you want to become? What kind of heart do you want to have before God? What ever you choose to desire and pursue or chase after will determine where your heart goes. So we need to make sure that we learn to  desire and chase those things which will help us develop the kind of heart we want to have before God. Our heart will be changed to match the character of that which we have trained ourselves to desire and pursue. This is a fundamental principle of the Kingdom.

We see from the outset that these two commands involve what Messiah called treasures. Treasures are anything of value that people wish to possess. In this case Messiah's commands deal with the idea of pursuing and keeping our treasures in one of two locations. We will either pursue and keep our treasures in heaven, or we will pursue and keep our treasures on Earth.
If you want to discover what you truly treasure, ask yourself some key questions:
· "I believe I can consider my life a success if ..."
· What are your desires?
· What are your ambitions?
· What are your core motivations when you are evaluating your possible choices, making decisions, or choosing a course of action?
· What subject consumes most of your daily conversations?
· Everyone has the same 24 hours in any given day. When you are not working sleeping or eating how do you spend your time?
· Everyone has different areas in their lives where they are tempted to be worried or concerned. When you do worry (even if you feel you should not), about what topics or situations do you worry?
It may take a little bit of self-evaluation and scrutiny, but if you dig deep and honestly answer those questions, then you have a clearer picture of what it is that you personally treasure and whether your primary attention is focused on Earth or in Heaven.
These two imperatives are all about having the correct values goals and motives behind what we do. It's all about desiring the best eternal blessings. It's about seeking the best eternal blessings. It's about directing our consistent efforts towards pursuing or chasing after those blessings, and then putting the majority of our physical effort towards achieving, obtaining and growing in those blessings which have everlasting rewards and benefits.

 

 

What We Should NOT Chase

As Messiah has done so often in the past, Jesus once again tries to teach His followers what they should do, by first declaring for them what they should NOT do:

Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, (Matthew 6:19 ESV)

In order to understand and obey this command properly, we must first understand what are earthly treasures? How do people generally lay up for themselves these earthly treasures? Lastly, how do we avoid becoming ensnared in pursuing earthly treasures?
I believe that the earthly treasures that Christ is commanding us to avoid pursuing would come into the following broad categories: Pursuing earthly wealth, pursuing earthly power, pursuing prestige, fame or popularity, and pursuing our own pleasures. All of these are earthly treasures. They are temporary, and often pursued by many people, but they do not add to our eternal character or our eternal wealth.
We should not be focused on the constant pursuit of earthly wealth: We are not to set our life's goals on pursuing and amassing ever greater quantities of earthly wealth. As Christians our lives should never be consumed with frequently desiring or pursuing more money, more property and more stuff.
When we really We should not be focused on pursuing and increasing our earthly power: As Christians and God followers, the Lord may at times bless us to come into position where we are called upon to exercise some power and authority over other people's lives and situations. God may bless some of His followers to be lawmakers, judges, an office supervisor, job foreperson, etc. By itself there is nothing wrong with Christ followers desiring and equipping themselves to be ready to take those positions if you should be called upon to do so. We must not forget however that achieving that position (or achieving the next higher position) should never be our primary focus. If God has blessed you to come into such a position, His intention was that you should bring Godly character and His principles into the place where you have such authority and influence.
So then, how do we know if we have crossed the line from being an emissary for Christ who just happens to be placed in a position of authority and have the opportunity to bring Godly principles into their environment, but that we have not crossed the line into pursuing the earthly treasure of power? There are some key questions that you can ask yourself. Did you violate God's word, character and principles in order to achieve that position so that you could 'do good?' Furthermore, did you compromise the ethical standards of your industry either to maintain your position or get ahead? Did you compromise your own conscience in order to maintain or improve your position? When you finally reached the position you now have, are you more interested in throwing your weight around and showing that you are the boss then you are about making sure that Christ is truly exemplified and glorified in what you are doing? If the answer is yes to any of these four questions, then you have fallen into the trap of seeking the earthly treasure of power for yourself (Matthew 20:25-28; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Philippians 2:3).

James 3:14-16 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. (James 3:14-16 NKJV)

We should not be focused on pursuing popularity or prestige for ourselves: The same questions that you ask yourself concerning the pursuit of power, can also be applied when speaking of popularity or prestige. Did you violate God's word, character and principles in order to achieve popularity? Did you compromise relationships either to maintain your position or get ahead? Did you compromise your own conscience in order to receive the approval of the 'A group of people', or to get ahead among your peers? If so, then you are showing that you care more about receiving the approval of other people than you value having God's approval. That is dangerous. Honestly, the way of popularity is the way of destruction and death (Matthew 7:13-14; Proverbs 14:12; Proverbs 16:25).

Galatians 1:10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10 NASB)

We should not be focused on pursuing our own pleasures: As believers and Messiah followers, we understand that God created all things (Genesis 1:1-31; Deuteronomy 4:35; Psalm 100:3; John 1:3; Romans 1:18-21; Romans 11:36; Revelation 4:11). Since God created all things including us, He had a plan and purpose for us and our lives (Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 2:10). We were created to become God pleasers (Colossians 1:16), NOT people pleasers and NOT self pleasers. Since we were created to become God pleasers, we will never find lasting fulfillment, satisfaction, rest or contentment by focusing our lives on pursuing our own pleasures and entertainments. God does allow us time for rest and enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17), but our lives cannot be focused on the pursuit of pleasure because it will never truly satisfy us, since we were not designed for this, therefore, it becomes futile (Ecclesiastes 2:1-3).

Isaiah 55:2-3a Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live.... (Isaiah 55:2-3a NKJV)

 

What Are the Eternal Treasures We Should Be Chasing?

If God specifically spelled out the things that we should not be pursuing or chasing after in our lives, then it also stands to reason that He would give us a list of the things that we should Be chasing. What are the Eternal Treasures? How do we lay up the valuable treasures in heaven that we ultimately want?

Matthew 6:20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:20 ESV)

Ultimately there are only three broad categories of Eternal Treasures that we will take with us to heaven. Within these three broad categories there are contained many positive blessings, characteristics and facets, but ultimately all of these things will fit into one of three categories. So I will mention the broad categories first, then I will discuss some of the particular treasures. I will not list every one of them under each category, because the majority overlaps one another anyway. The three major categories of treasures that we will be able to bring with us to heaven are as follows:
· Our growing and thriving relationship with Almighty God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
· The Godly character that we have nurtured and developed by submitting to and cooperating with God and Jesus Christ: This would include whatever measure we have grown in our faith, in our hope and in our love (1 Corinthians 13:13), as well as other godly characteristics (2 Peter 1:3-10; Galatians 5:22-24; Psalm 15:1-5).
· Other people: The third category of eternal treasure that we can take with us to heaven is other people. The numbers are not everything, but they are not completely meaningless either. It's useful to periodically think about things such as; among the people with whom I 'do life,' how many of them are coming to heaven with me? With whom am I investing my time, my talent, and my treasure in order to help them to begin a thriving relationship with God? With whom am I investing my time talent and treasure in order to help them develop into the same godly character that I would want or need for myself?

1 Corinthians 13:13 Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13 HCSB)

Our Faith: One of the treasures within the category of godly character that we will bring with us is Our Faith and our thriving relationship with Almighty God and His Son Jesus Christ. Putting our faith in the right source and growing in that is eternally valuable. Anything we can do to nurture, to grow and to increase our faith and dependency on God and Jesus Christ, is infinitely worth doing.
So how do we get and grow our Faith?
· Recognize our need: First we must recognize the value of faith because righteousness is impossible without it (Genesis 15:6; Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Hebrews 11:6).
· Recognize our weakness or lack of faith (Luke 17:5-6; Mark 9:24; 1 Peter 5:7).
· Ask God and Jesus Christ for faith so that you will trust and believe (Matthew 7:7-8; John 6:37; Hebrews 12:2).
· Listen to God's word often. Only plant things into your ears heart and mind that agree with God's word (Romans 10:17; Psalm 1; Joshua 1:8; Galatians 6:7).
· Practice doing the word of God that you hear and read (James 1:19-24; Matthew 7:24-25). Remember that Jesus Christ will reveal and make Himself more clearly known and understood to those who obey His commands (John 14:21). Christ will be a friend to them (John 15:14).
· Keep doing and persevering in doing these things until your faith is solid (Galatians 6:9).
Our Hope: The second eternal treasure within this category of Godly character that we will bring with us into eternity is the result of the hope that we have managed to grow and increase throughout our lives. Before we continue we must understand what genuine biblical hope is. In our modern language, the concept of hope has been diluted. Today we tend to think of hope as something that we very much want to happen, but you have no real concrete expectation of your 'wish' coming to pass. That is not biblical hope. That's wishful thinking, but not real hope. In the biblical sense, the word hope literally means being certain of an expected result. The best word picture that I can give you for the biblical concept of hope is that of an expectant mother. She gets the word that the test results show that she is with child. She believes the word she has received (this is faith). You can see this future mom mixing her faith with her hope when she starts acting with certainty that the baby is coming. The mother to be then begins acting consistently with the future result that she is expecting. She starts looking at and laying aside baby clothes, researching baby names, getting prenatal care, going to baby showers etc. etc. etc. Generally, she is planning and doing all the things that one would normally do when they are expecting a new infant into the family. She even started doing some of those things before she is visibly "showing." That's hope. Hope is doing something that is physically consistent with what you believe to be an upcoming result. So hope is putting action to your faith.
So how Do we get and grow our Hope?

· Believe in Jesus Christ. Believe in His miraculous birth, His life, His words, His works, His death and His Resurrection (Romans 5:1-2). God gives us hope and without Him, there is no real hope whatsoever (Ephesians 2:12).
· Choose to maintain a good attitude through hardships and difficulties. "Lord, I am having a really difficult time with ____________. I don't like it. It's Not fun. It hurts, but I choose to have and keep a good attitude in the midst of this. Please help me to fulfill that choice. Help me to correctly seek, receive and obey Your guidance and direction so that I can successfully overcome, and will experience Your very best results in my life through this trial and beyond. Help me to successfully submit to You until this challenge produces perseverance, until perseverance produces character, and until character produces everlasting hope, so that I will ultimately never be disappointed (Romans 5:3-4)."
o Abraham applied hope to his faith when he physically moved his household away from Ur, when God revealed Himself (Genesis 12:1-5), also when he demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac before the Lord, but God spared him (Genesis 22:1-13).
o Jacob applied hope to his faith when he willingly worked an extra seven years because he confidently expected that at the end of those seven years Rachel would be his wife (Genesis 29:30).
o Joseph the patriarch applied hope to his faith when he put in his will that his remains would be brought out of Egypt when God's people were given the land that God promised to Israel. Joseph left those instructions 400 years before the promised was fulfilled, but he believed it, and he left instructions that specific action should be taken which were consistent with what he confidently expected would occur (Exodus 13:19).
o The three Hebrew children applied hope to their faith when they refused to bow down or make a false god out of King Nebuchadnezzar. They stayed true to Almighty God, confidently expecting Him to deliver them (Daniel 3).
o Jesus Christ the Son of God demonstrated His confident expectation and hope by willingly dying on the cross for the sins of others, confidently expecting that His Father Almighty God would resurrect Him. He also hoped and confidently expected that through His obedience there would be many people saved and reconciled to God (John 17:20-21; John 2:19-21; Matthew 26:28)
o Every time we as believers actively look at a promise in God's word, and then we seek out what the scriptural conditions are to obtain the promise and then we persevere in obeying and fulfilling the conditions required to obtain the scriptural promise, in those moments we are exercising and growing our hope in the Lord.
Our Love: The third eternal treasure within this category of godly character that we will bring with us into eternity is the Love that we have allowed God to grow and cultivate within us throughout our lives. It's almost impossible to describe godly love adequately, because you cannot describe God adequately, and God is love (1 John 4:8). In Scripture love is almost always described by what it does or how it behaves. It is very rarely described as a feeling of affection or an emotion. Love is a purposeful decision followed by actions that coincide with that decision. This is how I summarize the definition of love:
Love is the intense and sincere desire for intimate fellowship with another, which is so strong, that it culminates in the willingness to sacrifice for the benefit of the other individual or to benefit the relationship.
So what kind of decisions does love choose, and what kind of actions coincide with those choices?
· Love chooses to be patient; to endure hardship a long time before complaining
· Love chooses to be kind
· Love chooses not to be jealous nor behave out of jealousy
· Love chooses not to brag. It does not puff itself up. It does not parade its own accomplishments. Love especially chooses not to lift itself up at the expense of another person. Love chooses not to be arrogant
· Love chooses not to be rude, so it does not behave in a manner unbecoming a member of God's household.
· Love chooses not to demand its own way; nor to manipulate, nor to use force or coercion to get its own way.
· Love chooses not to allow itself to get provoked to anger easily; it can and does get righteously angry, but it's not easy.
· Love chooses to forgive. It chooses not to keep records of the offenses it has suffered. Love chooses not to hold a grudge.
· At the same time, love does not ignore sin. It does not make light of sin. It does not pretend like no sin or wrong has been committed. It does not rejoice nor celebrate wickedness. Love chooses to fully acknowledge sin for what it is and then chooses to forgive. That's because true love cannot celebrate wickedness, but it only chooses to celebrate and honor what agrees with God's truth.
· True love chooses to trust God and believe for His best through every circumstance.
· True love chooses to endure and persevere. In other words it continues to make the above choices through every circumstance, and refuses to quit doing so.
(Taken from the Love chapter 1 Corinthians 13:4-8; with the English definitions of key original Greek words infused for clarity).
So how do we get and grow our Love?
If you review the above sections on, "So how do we get and grow faith, and how do we get and grow hope?" The same principles must be applied in growing in our Love. Remember also that growing in godly love is a process. There are other characteristics that we must learn to build on before our godly love will become truly evident. You cannot skip building these characteristics because they are indispensable supports to building strong and enduring Godly love. These characteristics are described in 2 Peter 1:3-11. Above all, remember that while we can and MUST put forth real diligent effort in cooperating with God in order to grow and cultivate these characteristics in our lives, ultimately it is God who accomplishes His work in us. He gives us the willingness and the ability to cooperate with Him and what He is doing. He also gives us the ability to do what pleases God (Philippians 2:13). Remember that this is the true Biblical definition of "Grace." So if I do not see a growing willingness and ability to desire and to do what God says is pleasing to Him, then I'm not really walking in His Grace.

One of the most serious indicators that we are growing in Godly Love is our response to God's Word and His Commandments. Simply put, the more difficult, bothersome or burdensome it seems for you to obey and practice the Commands of God and Jesus Christ, then the less mature you are in Godly Love. Conversely, the more eager, willing and able one is to obey the commands of God and Jesus Christ, the more mature that person is in Godly Love. This is not merely my opinion. It is a spiritual and Scriptural fact:

1 John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:2-3 NKJV)

Ultimately, we can more clearly see what it is that we are valuing and chasing by our response to Christ's Commandments. Here's what I mean. With rare exceptions, almost every promise in Scripture as a command and a condition attached. You can even review the previous study within this study series and see some of the great promises that are guaranteed to those who give correctly, pray correctly, and fast correctly. Generally our level of acceptance or resistance to God and Christ's commands reveals a great deal about what we truly treasure.
Whenever one seeks to discuss what it is that God requires us to do, and how He requires it to be done, sometimes it is tempting to think, since we are now under grace, aren't we making too much of this? Aren't we getting too hung up on all the details? Does God still care so precisely about the details of what we do and how we do it? The answer is God absolutely still cares about what we do and He still cares about our doing it correctly. The details still matter greatly even if we are under grace. To think otherwise actually demonstrates a profound lack of spiritual knowledge, wisdom, understanding and a serious immaturity. Here is what I mean.
Whenever we run across a spiritual promise from God's word, we should really ask ourselves, "Can I really afford to do without this promise from God?" Are there any promised blessings listed there that you don't need? Which of those promises would you not want to receive? Considering the blessings that God's offering, isn't doing whatever God requires and doing them in the manner that God says that He requires them to be done really worth it? From where I sit, I fully need and want those blessings to operate continually in my life. Whatever changes that I need to allow God to make within me, and whatever I have to do in order to cooperate with God so that He can rightly bless me with those things, I want to be willing and able to do those consistently and correctly. If I choose to retain any attitude that is opposite of this, then I am demonstrating that I have one or more of three major spiritual problems:
· It demonstrates that I do not seriously believe the promises God made.
· It demonstrates that I do not place a high enough value on the promises that God is offering, or that I do not prize what God has promised enough to allow it to motivate me to change.
· It demonstrates that I still want to do things my own way. In such a case, I myself am still operating as lord of my own life while claiming to be under the Lordship and grace of Jesus Christ, which is a practice that is incredibly dangerous and self deceiving.

Luke 6:46 "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46 NASB)

What We Choose to Treasure Matters

This whole study has been about choosing to treasure, choosing to value, and choosing to pursue the most valuable and eternal things, because these are the only things that will transcend our temporary circumstances and survive throughout eternity. Moreover, whatever we choose to value treasure and chase after is critical because it will determine the very condition and position of our heart.

It always amazes me when I hear one believer speaking to another about a particular sin or situation with which they are struggling, and the listener says to the other, "Well, God knows your heart." Oftentimes Christians will say that to one another in an effort to offer grace, but what we end up doing is giving each other a free pass and we are not really helping each other confront the weaknesses and heart attitude that caused this shortcoming we're discussing. If I am struggling with stealing, greed or coveting for example, it demonstrates that I'm definitely pursuing earthly wealth more than I’m pursuing God in that area of my life. That's a real problem. If it keeps going it will defile my heart. If I am willing to gossip or backbite, that illustrates that I treasure earthly position and prestige more than I should, because I am willing to hurt another person in order to become more popular.
We must learn to treasure, to desire, and to chase after the right things, because our heart will inevitably take on the nature and character of whatever we treasure and chase:

Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21 ESV).

So, we must begin to think and walk proactively. Where ultimately Do you want your heart to be? Then you must make the determination to value and chase after the things that match where you want your heart to be, because your heart will take on the nature and character of whatever you pursue. That is why we are told to Pursue Love (1 Corinthians 14:1).
Lord Almighty God, mercifully heal our blind eyes and give us great spiritual eyesight so that we will value treasure and pursue the most worthwhile things. Give us Grace to diligently pursue You and Your Righteousness with an undivided heart of true devotion. In Yeshua the Messiah's name, amen.
Brother R. Michel Lankford