THE world, the flesh and the devil. These are the three great enemies of the Christian. Jesus has been helping us to face and deal with these enemies from chapter 5:21. From chapter 5:21 to 48 Jesus has been helping us deal with the problem of the flesh, and exposing the depth of this problem. From chapter 6:1 to 18 Jesus has been helping us to face the problems of the devil?s attack on our spiritual lives. Now from chapter 6:19 to 34 Jesus is helping us the face this last enemy, which is the world. He helps us to understand the problem and helps us in dealing with it.

In these first three verses (Matthew 6:19-21) Jesus is dealing with the problem of the love of the world. The world is all around us, and presents us with manifold attractions. We live in a society where we are encouraged to seek the treasurers of the world, whether it is more money, or whether it is enjoyment, or success. It is presented as normal and expected that we will try and get rich if we can, because wealth is promoted as the secret of happiness. All around us people are seeking happiness in the world in whatever way they can. Christians have the same human nature as anyone else, and we find in our flesh that we are drawn to the world and the apparent happiness and excitement it offers.

However if we a true believers and we have truly experienced the new life in the Spirit through faith in Jesus, we will find that these words of Jesus ring bells for us, and we will approve them. The difficulty is that it is more difficult to remember these words, and also difficult to enquire into the meaning of what Jesus says, and so we find ourselves seduced by the world, and led away from the Lord.

Jesus warns us not to seek our treasure in earthly things, and he gives the reason which is that all earthly treasure fades and passes. It can be easily won and easily lost. It can be stolen from us in one way or another. Earthly treasure is not lasting and can not meet our deepest needs and longings.

The first thing we need to enquire into is what Jesus means by treasure on earth. It certainly means monetary wealth. Money buys things which make life more exciting or easy. Money gains us position and consideration in society. Money gives us power. These and more make the appeal for wealth. But earthly treasure is more than money. Some people are not attracted to being rich, but they still lay up treasure on earth. Treasurer on earth is anything that we crave in this world to make us happier, superior, or powerful. So earthly treasure can be found in intellectual excellence. It can be found in position in society where people accept our superiority over them. Earthly treasure can be the living for some gift we have been given and becoming an expert in the use of it, so earthly treasure can be living for success in music, or politics, or even religion, and so on. Laying up treasure on earth is more than having a lot of money, and so includes all things which have as their goal glory and privilege in this earthly life.

Then we need to face and realise the ways which earthly treasure rusts, etc. The truth we realise very soon in life is that earthly riches have serious limitations. Money can be lost. The more we have the more we want, because what we have is never enough, and because the pleasures of the world have only a short time span, and in the end never satisfy. People deceive themselves all the time over this very matter. What is certain is that all earthly wealth has to be left behind when this life is over, and therefore it has no lasting value. A person may go down in history with a fine reputation, but this has no value or knowledge for us when we have left this world through physical death. All earthly treasure can be stolen. The more money we have the more likely we will suffer theft. Our good name can be taken from us. The adulation of the crowd is very fickle. Every Prime Minister soon finds that their popularity wanes, and they have to relinquish this position with all its glory. Jesus pressed this on us when he told the parable of the man who gained great wealth, and said he could settle down to enjoy it, but found that the next day he died and lost it all.

Treasure in heaven lasts. It can?t rust or be stolen. Its joy grows and does not diminish. Heavenly treasure satisfies the soul. Heavenly treasure is laid up in heaven and is waiting for us to enjoy when this life is over. Heavenly treasure is worth all the sacrifice of earthly things, even though the pursuit of it brings the need for sacrifice, and sometimes pain and suffering.

So we need to enquire into the nature of this heavenly treasure. The first thing that we can realise is that it is the supreme treasure to be sure of our eternal destiny. Laying up treasure in heaven commences with being certain that we have obtained the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus as our Saviour and sin bearer. This means that we are sure we have renounced all trust in our own righteousness and have placed our hope for forgiveness and life only in our Saviour Jesus Christ.

We progress in this heavenly treasure by constant and deep and prayerful study and meditation in the Bible. By this we grow in the knowledge of the love of God and enter more fully into the blessings of our salvation. By this we grow strong in the Lord, and deepen our assurance of eternal life.

Laying up treasure in heaven means that we use our earthly wealth and gifts for the good of others. This means that first and foremost we use the gifts we are given by God in such a way that it builds up the kingdom of God and does good to others. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 and Christ?s words at the end of that chapter point this out. All we have is given to us on trust by God. We have no possessions of our own, and even our life is not ours, so we live for God and his glory and the good of his church and people. We have glorious examples of this in the record of the hero?s of faith in Hebrews 11.