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 moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(v. 24) “No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.”
I’m guessing that you may have seen this in the news last week: someone in Zephyrhills, Florida, purchased a $2 Powerball lottery ticket that ended up being worth an estimated $590.5 million. That’s over half a billion dollars and is the second largest lottery prize in history. As of today, no one has yet stepped forward to claim the prize, but when they do it will certainly change his or her life forever. Or will it?
Let me ask what at first will seem like a dumb question: why do people buy lottery tickets? The first answer that comes to mind is simple: to win a lot of money. But maybe we should think a little deeper!
A better question to ask might be: why do so many people buy lottery tickets when the chances of winning are pretty close to a statistical zero?
The odds of having the winning numbers in this particular lottery game were 175.2 million to 1. By comparison, the odds of getting struck by lightning are about 3 million to 1. You actually have a better chance of walking onto a golf course and hitting two consecutive holes-in-one than winning that jackpot. My Dad has played golf for 60 years and has exactly one hole-in-one.
And still we buy lottery tickets. According to research statistics the people of Georgia buy the most lottery tickets of any state in the U.S., spending a whopping $3.4 billion in the past year. That’s an average of over $470 per adult in the entire state.
In most states people spend an average of about 1% of their annual income on lottery tickets. Interestingly, people who live below the poverty line spend the most; investing about 5% of their income in different kinds of lotteries.
Back to our question: why do we buy lottery tickets? The simplest explanation is that people perceive it to be a very low risk investment with the potential of a huge return.
A more complex explanation is that people believe that more money will make them happier; that more money will bring them a different and better life.
While Jesus did not comment on lotteries directly, he did have quite a bit to say about how we are to understand and relate to money.
“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 moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The first thing we notice is that Jesus’ greatest concern is not our wealth but the condition of our hearts. He says that our hearts tend to become attached to that which we treasure. This is another way of saying that, as human beings, we tend to worship that which we value.
The question is, therefore, what is our treasure? What do we value the most? What do we love?
Jesus is saying that if what we treasure most is our wealth and possessions then we are investing our hearts in that which is fleeting and temporary; in that which will ultimately produce disappointment, anxiety and fear.
And then he talks about a different kind of treasure; a kind of treasure that is stored up in heaven; a kind of treasure that cannot be stolen and will never rust or lose value.
What kind of treasure is this?
He’s talking about spiritual treasure; he’s talking about the gospel.
Think about it.
As a believer in Christ what do you possess that can never be stolen? Through faith you have the grace and forgiveness of God in Christ.
As a Christian what wealth do you have that can never be taxed? Through faith you have the joy and peace that indwells your heart through the Holy Spirit.
As a follower of Jesus what do you have that can never be lost or devalued in a recession? Through faith you have the hope of your salvation.
Peter writes:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3-4
When Jesus warns us about “storing up treasure on earth” he’s not trying to make us poor, and he’s not telling us that money and possessions are evil. But he is teaching us where our true wealth lies!
Our true wealth lies in heaven and our hearts are to be rich in the hope and joy of the gospel.
Pastor Brian Coffey
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