Treasure Part 3 of 4

Treasures In Heaven

Part 3—How Do You Store Up Treasure?

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. Matthew 6:19-21

Part 1 – What Is Your Treasure?

Part 2 – Where Is Your Treasure?

Part 3 – How Do You Store Up Treasure?

Part 4 – How Do You See Treasure Clearly?

Question: How do you store up treasures in heaven?

2 Corinthians 5:10 teaches that all men will one day appear before Christ in Judgment. At the Bema Seat¹ we will be recompensed, both good and bad, for our deeds in this life.

In 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, Paul gives an analogy of what happens at our Judgment. He describes our life’s work as going through a fire. If a believer’s life work consists of gold, silver, or precious stones, then his work will remain upon going through the fire, and he will receive eternal reward. If a believer’s life consists of wood, hay, or straw, it will get burned up upon going through the fire, and that man will suffer eternal loss.

How does a man live his life such that his life’s work will be considered gold, silver, and precious stones when he meets Lord Jesus at the Bema Seat? How do we store up treasures in heaven?

The question of how a man accumulates rewards in heaven is the subject of much of the New Testament. There are numerous discussions of this in the bible but let me focus on what Jesus says right after Matthew 6:19-21.

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! Matthew 6:22-23

By “eye,” Jesus means how we view life. It is our world view, or what we often refer to as our filter system. To what degree do we view life accurately? Do we view life the way God does? Is what we call good vs. evil consistent with what God calls good vs. evil? Do the things that we consider important and valuable match what God considers important and valuable?

Lord Jesus connects storing treasures in heaven with having an accurate filter system. Developing a biblical filter system is a major determinate on what our life will add up to and how we are judged at the Bema Seat. It is a clear eye/accurate filter system that helps us choose heavenly treasures over earthly treasures. Jesus connects an accurate filter system with living a life of holiness and storing up treasures in heaven.

Most men want to do good. Most men believe that, in general, their lives are characterized by light as opposed to darkness, good as opposed to evil. Most men believe that they are doing the right thing. It is commonly remarked of rebellious men in the Old Testament that “every man did what was right in his own eyes.”²

As Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:22-23, it is not enough to do what is right in your own eyes. This is why our filter system is so important. “If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” If what you believe is good is really evil, then how great is the evil! How one defines good is the question.

There stands a good chance that your eye is not clear in any number of issues that are important to God. Men are not born with clear eyes. A clear eye does not happen by accident, and a clear eye is not developed passively. The ideas, priorities, and morals of our culture are heavily influenced by Satan, and we must not underestimate the power of our culture to influence our view of what is true and what is important.³ Our parents, friends, education, and media all influence our thinking deeply.

Matthew 6:19-21 is a call for us to become expert appraisers. Being an expert appraiser requires seeing reality clearly. We must learn to assess value the way that God assesses value. We cannot appraise accurately if we do not see the world accurately. Developing an accurate filter system requires flushing out the world’s system and transforming our minds to learn God’s view of what is true and what is important. We cannot become expert appraisers if we do not submit ourselves to God’s definition of truth.

Questions:

1. Does your valuation of the things that are important in life match up with God’s valuation?

2. Can you think of examples of men who perform evil deeds and believe that they are good? Have you ever done this in your own life?

3. How do you develop a “clear eye” so that you see truth the way that God sees truth?

 

Notes

^1  The Greek word translated “judgment seat” in 2 Cor 5:10 is bema and means a tribunal. Thus our judgment before Christ is often referred to as the “Bema Seat.”

^{2 } See Deuteronomy 12:8, Judges 17:6 and 21:25. See also Proverbs 14:12 and 16:2

^3 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19

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