Jesus Came to Make Us Rich, Part One

Matthew 6:19-24
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, August 17, 1997
Copyright © 1997, P. G. Mathew

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 eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 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.

Matthew 6:19-24

What is true wealth? According to Jesus, every person has some kind of treasure. Every person is rich, but for the vast majority of people their riches are on earth and of the earth. Their riches may leave them while they live, and certainly, they must leave their riches when they die. In this passage, however, which is spoken not to pagans but to God’s people, Jesus is telling us that there are riches which will never leave us. In fact, the purpose of Christ’s incarnation, the reason Christ came into the world, was that he might make his elect poor rich in Christ, that they may have true treasures, not on earth, but in heaven.

Jesus is teaching here that true wealth, as the old Puritan Thomas Fuller said, is that which we store in heaven. True wealth comes from spending our time, talents, and material riches for heavenly purposes. Whatever we invest in ministering to others is the true capital which we are laying away in God’s heavenly bank.

In Luke 10:42 Jesus told Mary that only one thing is needful in life. What is that one thing? It is not money; it is communion with God and service to him. Therefore, it is utterly impossible for us to be slaves of God and slaves of money at the same time. Why? Because both of these masters make totalitarian demands.

We must also clarify at this point that money stands for anything in the world–spouse, children, friends, parents, toys, self, artworks, power, or honor–from which one receives one’s main or total satisfaction in life.

Worldly or Heavenly Riches?

In the book of James we read, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God”(Jas. 4:4). And in 1 John 2:15, 17 we read, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. . . .The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

Jesus came to teach us that those who are rich in this world are poor toward God. In fact, such people are enemies of God. Every sinner is lost and poor, yet Christ came down from heaven to make poor lost sinners rich in God. So in 2 Corinthians 8:9 Paul wrote, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich.” For our sakes Jesus became poor and bore our sins. He who knew no sin became a sin offering for us. He became so poor that he cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” He became poor so that we, through his poverty, meaning through the cross, might be justified and enjoy the true riches of fellowship and communion with God.

As we study this passage, therefore, we must ask ourselves: Where are our riches? Are they in the world–in the stock market, in our education, in our health, in our beauty, in our position, or in our friends? Or are our riches in heaven? We must examine ourselves. Do we find our riches in this world or in our communion and service to the true and living God? Let me assure you, you and I will die soon, and at that time we must part from all our riches in the world. It is appointed for man once to die and then comes the judgment. We must think seriously about these things.

Is Money Evil?

First, we must declare that money itself is necessary, not evil. What is evil? The love of money, slavery to money, greed for money, and covetousness of money.

The word mammon is an Aramaic word which meant originally wealth. Later it came to mean that which is entrusted for safekeeping. Then, in the evolution of language, it came to mean that in which man trusts–in other words, a god. Therefore, when Jesus spoke of mammon, what he was condemning is people’s heart attitudes toward money, wealth, and material things. Money, like sex, is neutral. But if we look upon money as our god, we are practicing idolatry and serving it as slaves. That is when money rules us and makes totalitarian demands of us.

Can A Christian Have Money?

An unbeliever in Jesus is a slave of money and the other perceived riches of the world. But it is not wrong for a Christian to have money. A Christian can possess great wealth without it becoming a god. In fact, the Bible says God himself gives us riches. In Deuteronomy 8:18 we read, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.” God gives us wealth.

We see several examples in the Bible of people who were rich and yet remained godly. Abraham, who was called the friend of God, was rich, yet he did not serve his wealth. Job was rich also. Not only did he not serve his wealth but we see that he also continued trusting in his God when his wealth was gone. Joseph was rich, and yet he also did not serve his money.

Therefore, we see that the Bible teaches that Christians may have money. All money comes from God and he will give it to us. It is he who told us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” and, thus, he must provide us with money to meet our every need.

Biblical Use of Money

We also know that money is necessary, not evil, because the Bible gives us several commands that deal with money. For example, we find that the idea of private property is biblical because there are a number of commandments that govern its use. What does the eighth commandment tell us? “You shall not steal.” In other words, I am not to steal your property and you are not to steal my property. And in the tenth commandment we read, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

God also commands believers in 1 Timothy 5:8 to provide for their families, adding that if we do not, we are worse than pagans. Money is necessary for us to fulfill this command.

Beyond that, God commands us to save for retirement rather than looking to the government or anyone else to take care of us. In Proverbs 6 God tells us to go to the ant and study how it works very, very hard to store up food for the winter. We are commanded to work, make money, and save for our own retirement.

Finally, the Bible says it is proper for parents to save money to give to their children. In 2 Corinthians 12:14 we read, “After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.”

Other Uses of Money

What else does God give us money for? Beyond all these divine requirements, God commands us and gives us the privilege of helping the poor and supporting the work of the kingdom of God with our money. If you study the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, you notice that Christians have certain sacrifices to offer to God. One sacrifice is to provide money for the work of God’s kingdom.

In Philippians 4 we read how Paul was given support in his ministry by the Macedonians: “Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (Phil. 4:15-18).

Jesus Christ did not have money when he ministered on the earth. In fact, he told his disciples, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Where did his support come from? In Luke 8:2,3, we are introduced to some rich women who were followers of Jesus: “Mary, from whom seven demons had come out, followed Jesus; Joanna, the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household, Susanna and many others.” What were these women doing? “These women were helping to support them out of their own means.” In other words, there were people who gathered together their monies for the support of Jesus Christ and his disciples.

Members of the early church also used their money to support the poor in their congregations. In Acts 4:34 we read, “There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands and houses sold them, brought the money from the sales, and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”

Our Wealth Is Not Our Own

Therefore, we see from the Bible that money is not evil but necessary, and it is provided to us by God himself for various purposes including the supporting of God’s work. However, we must realize that we do not own our wealth.

This is a very difficult idea for us to understand. We do not own our wealth; rather, we are merely stewards, or custodians, of the wealth that belongs to God. Psalm 24:1 tells us, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” Therefore, as stewards of God’s money, we are to receive it from God and spend it for his glory and by his direction. Think about that. Maybe you have thought that as Christians we have total freedom to use our money however we want, buying whatever we want and giving the way we want. No! We have no authority to do such things. Our money belongs to God, and so we must go to him and hear from him before we use the money he has entrusted to us.

The Dangers of Materialism

The next thing Jesus is teaching us from this passage is the danger of materialism. There is no such thing as Christian, or spiritual, materialism. All materialism is atheistic. Why? Materialism by definition is the worship of creation. It is a denial of the true and living God.

Now, in Luke 16:14 we are told that the Pharisees loved money. They were materialists at heart. Even though they believed in the supernatural, for all practical purposes the Pharisees were like the Sadducees.

“All materialism,” Dr. John Stott said, “tethers our hearts to this earth.” But do you remember Solomon’s refrain from the first chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes? “Meaningless, meaningless! Vanity, vanity! Everything is meaningless! Everything is vanity!” What Solomon was saying was that the person who tries to find ultimate satisfaction in the things of this world will be frustrated. Why? These things are transient and will not endure. Materialism is ultimately meaningless and frustrating. It lacks transcendence and fails to satisfy those who are created in the image and likeness of God.

Riches Will Disappear

So Jesus is telling us in Matthew 6:19-24 of the temporary nature of earthly riches. What will happen to them? First, he says, the moth will destroy them. One of the riches of the ancient world was expensive garments. But what happens to such garments? The larvae of moths can destroy them by making lots of holes in them.

Another treasure in the ancient world was grain, and in Luke 12 we read of a rich man who stored an abundance of grain in his barn. But the grain was eaten by rats and other animals, and the rich man suffered loss. The word rust in this passage in Greek is brōsis, which means eating. So the idea here is that the grain that was stored in barns was consumed by rats and other animals.

The rich man of ancient times also accumulated precious metals like gold and silver. But if the owner of such items was away or sleeping, thieves could come and take them away. The idea here again is that the rich man would suffer loss and total frustration.

Men’s riches have a way of disappearing. And today we also have the moths, rats, and thieves of inflation, higher and higher taxes, devaluation of currency by a government, bank failures, business failures, confiscation of land by a government which might occur when land is declared a wetlands and development is prohibited, and stock market crashes. These are all ways our earthly wealth can be destroyed today.

Have you ever heard the saying, “Wealth develops wings”? In other words, now you see your wealth and now you don’t. Our earthly wealth can, in effect, fly away, and that is why the apostle Paul speaks of “uncertain riches.”

The Danger of Loving Money

What, then, is the danger of money? It is dangerous when we begin to love it. The love of money, Paul says, is the root of all evil. So money itself is not the root of all evil, but loving it, worshiping it and considering it as the highest value in the whole world, is evil. That is idolatry. That is worshiping creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. It is when your heart loves money, not God, and you serve money, not God. It is when money has become one’s god, one’s mammon.

There is great danger in loving money. First, those who love money will suffer great pain. In 1 Timothy 6:9,10 we read, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Materialism can result in destruction, ruination, and pain in our lives.

Second, the love of money can cause people to become arrogant. I recently met some people whom I had not seen for many years, and when I saw them, I observed that something happened to them. (PGM) They had made millions of dollars during that time, but in the process they had somehow become twisted, perverted and arrogant. Amazingly, they did not even recognize what had happened. But we read about this danger in 1 Timothy 6:17, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth which is so uncertain.”

The Deception of Riches

What else can happen when we look upon money as our greatest treasure? It will deceive us. The Bible speaks about the deceitfulness of wealth, meaning that wealth can deceive a person into having a sense of false security. In the parable of the sower Jesus speaks about the third soil, saying that the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of riches and pleasures will choke the plants, causing them to waste away.

Money can lull and mesmerize us into thinking that everything is okay when it is not and that we do not need to trust in God. It can cause us to think that money, the new god, will save us. But if we think that way, we are deceived, and that money will only choke us.

In Luke 12 Jesus Christ gave a warning to people who thought that life consisted in material wealth. “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ Jesus replied, ‘Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.'” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”‘ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God'” (Luke 12:13-21).

In Luke 16 we read the parable of the rich man Dives and the beggar Lazarus. We are told Dives dressed in purple and lived in luxury every day, but after he died he went to hell. Why? His wealth deceived him and he never served God.

In Revelation 3 we read God’s message to the church of Laodicea. And in verse 17 the Lord Jesus Christ says, “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” It is amazing how money can cause this to happen to people, especially making them blind to the dangers of materialism. Their eyes become diseased, full of the cataracts of worldliness, so that they cannot perceive true reality. They have blurred vision, like the blind man of Mark 8 who saw men as trees walking. Such people, however, pretend that they see correctly. They think that they are rich toward God and yet they will go to hell. Such people will hear this awesome word: “You did not serve me, you workers of iniquity. Depart from me!”

How do such people end up in that condition? They are darkened in their spiritual understanding. Their eyes are not single and healthy. They are double-minded and unstable. They do not fix their eyes on Jesus; rather, they fix their eyes on worldly riches, honor and fame. They do not receive any understanding of the true nature of the riches of the kingdom of heaven. To them Jesus appears to be just a man, a teacher of ethics, a Samaritan, a demonized man, a false prophet, rather than the Christ, the Son of the living God, who came to make the poor rich in God through the cross.

The Slavery of Materialism

A further danger of materialism is that people become slaves to their riches. Show me a rich man who is not a believer in Jesus Christ, and I will show you a slave. Such people are proud of their riches, yet they do not realize they are slaves to them. They do not realize they have no freedom. But such people do not control their riches; rather, their riches control them. Such people think they are serving God in some way and because of that he is blessing them with lots of money. They claim to be nearer to God than most people because they have more possessions.

But that is not true. In fact, God is the enemy of such people. So you can imagine the terrible condition of an unbelieving worldly rich man–he is a slave to riches, an enemy of God, and one on whom the wrath of God abides. Such a person will suffer total and absolute loss in the last day. Jesus Christ himself told us, “What does it profit if a man gains the whole world and loses his soul?”

Riches Don’t Satisfy

Another danger of materialism is that a person may think that material riches will quench his thirst and satisfy him. However, I assure you, such a person will thirst again. Remember what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman? “Everyone who drinks from this well shall thirst again.” The man who trusts in money, worldly honor, and position is like a one who drinks salt water. He is always thirsty, and the truth is, he will never be satisfied.

Materialism Breeds Boredom

Another danger of materialism is boredom. Speak to rich people who have all kinds of things. Talk to children who are born in rich homes. Listen to their conversation and you will discover that such people suffer from the disease called boredom. They must always have new things, because the things of yesterday bore them. They must always have new clothes, new wives, new husbands, new toys, and new perversions to keep them excited. But all these worldly things will merely plunge a person deeper into the ocean of boredom.

Materialists Are Lonely

Not only that, another danger of being a materialist is that such a person has no real friends. Oh, their lives may be full of people. They might even throw parties every day but those who come are usually not true friends. Rather, they are people coming to get money or influence–to use the rich person to achieve their own ends. I assure you, if you talk to rich people, they will tell you they are lonely for true friends.

The Waste of Materialism

What is another problem with materialism? Material things perish and spoil. In John 6:27 Jesus said, “Do not work for food that spoils, but food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” Jesus Christ came to give us food that will not spoil nor perish but will truly satisfy.

So if you read Matthew 6:19-24 in the Greek, you notice Jesus is telling his disciples, in effect, “Stop storing up treasures upon the earth! Stop it! I see you are doing it. Stop it!” Why? “Because” Jesus is saying, “it will result in your total frustration.”

What did Solomon say? Vanity! Meaningless! Earthly treasures are transient, in other words. There is no transcendence in them. No, they will spoil, perish and disappear, and frustration will be your lot.

In Isaiah 55:2 we read, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?” In effect, God is looking at us, saying, “You know, you are wasting your life and your labor. You are wasting everything, and yet I can see that you are not satisfied. Why do you do that?”

Riches Choke You

What is another danger of materialism? It will choke you. Worries, riches, pleasures and a commitment to them will finally choke a person. Whenever I hear people speaking the language of the earth, talking about the latest food, the latest restaurant, the latest clothes, the latest car, and so on, I go home grieved in my spirit. Why? There is no transcendence in their speech. The worries of life and its riches and pleasures have choked them.

Examples of Worldliness

The Bible gives us several examples of worldly people. First, there is Esau, who sold his birthright, which stands for spiritual realities, to Jacob (Genesis 25 and Hebrews 12). He told his brother, “Give me that soup. One cup is good enough.” He ate and wiped his face and the text says by doing so he was despising spiritual realities.

Second, in Joshua 7 we read of Achan, who was told not to take any treasure that was forbidden. This directive word, this gospel, was clearly declared to him but Achan did not want to listen to it. When he saw a beautiful Babylonish garment, some gold and some silver, he coveted these things, took them and hid them. But in the end he was destroyed because of them. He was a materialist who despised the gospel.

Third, in 2 Kings 5 we read about a character named Gehazi. We must study Gehazi, because this country is now filled with Gehazi ministry. Do you know what that is? A Gehazi ministry means one runs after money just as Gehazi ran after Naaman to collect some expensive clothes and a talent of silver. There are many Gehazi preachers in the world. Now, they are not running after people like Naaman, who was rich. No, they are running after the poor people of the evangelical churches and taking their money. Then these ministers, whose souls are lean and filled with leprosy, cover themselves by creating theological propositions that God’s people must be very rich and famous.

Gehazi was a disciple of Elisha and could have succeeded Elisha as prophet. But in his heart he longed for material things. Even though he walked closely with Elisha, he was a materialist, and as such, he is a warning to all of us. A person can be in a church and be a materialist. A person can sing and hear the word of God preached and read the word, and yet his heart will be that of a materialist. That is the tragedy of Gehazi. Second Kings 5:21 tells us he ran after Naaman, and Jesus said the Gentiles run after the things of the world. But Jesus told his disciples, “You seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Fourth, there are the Gadarenes of the New Testament. Jesus went to the land of Gadara where he found a man filled with a legion of demons. Jesus cast out the demons, sending them into a herd of pigs which rushed into the Sea of Galilee and died. When the people of the region came to see what happened, they found the man who had been naked and wild dressed and seated, calm and in his right mind, at the feet of Jesus. God had saved this man! The man wanted to follow Jesus wherever he went, but Jesus told him, “No. Go to your family in the Decapolis and declare to them what God has done for you,” which he did.

But how did the Gadarenes react to this man’s miraculous healing? Did they come out to praise Jesus and invite him to stay with them? No, they pleaded with Jesus, saying, “Please get out of our country. We love our pigs, but you are destroying them. We are materialists. We are not interested in the kingdom of God, salvation through Jesus Christ, and spiritual health. We don’t want any of it. We only want to make money through our pigs, and we can’t do that if they are all destroyed. Therefore, Jesus, please leave–now!”

Have we ever told Jesus to leave us alone? Have we ever said, “Go away, Jesus. I just want to make some money”? If you are a student, what motivates you to go to school? What is in the depth of your being? Oh, many people tell me, “I just want to get my education so I can serve God.” Well, come and see me in ten or fifteen years. If materialism is in your heart, it will be manifested by then. I will be able to tell you are a materialist by listening to your language. Your speech will be of the earth and there will be no transcendence, no eternal significance, in your words.

The fifth example of a materialist is Mrs. Lot. We read about her in Genesis 19. God’s angels graciously brought her out of Sodom and told her, “Flee! Do not turn back.” But at heart she was a materialist and she loved Sodom. She ignored the angelic warning, turned back, and became a pillar of salt. Here again we see the terrible danger of being a materialist.

We find the sixth example of a materialist in Matthew 19, where we read about the rich young ruler. This young man was a fine fellow who had probably inherited a lot of money. But he was a materialist at heart. He came to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said, “Keep the commandments.” “I do that,” he said, so Jesus told them, “Go, sell all that you have and give the money to the poor. Then come, and follow me, and you will have treasure in heaven.” This young man went away from Jesus pretty sad. Why? He was a materialist. He preferred riches on the earth to treasures in heaven. That was his choice.

The seventh example is Judas Iscariot. Judas was a disciple and apostle of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is no doubt that Judas heard the gospel and witnessed great miracles. But, although he saw all these things, at heart Judas was a greedy, covetous man who worshiped creation rather than the Creator. What did Judas do? He sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver and suffered total damnation.

The Greatest Tragedy

Finally, Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Oh, we might try to cover our materialism up with some spiritual terminology, but there is a connection between one’s treasure and one’s heart. A treasure is that which you value most, and as we said before, everyone has some treasure. Even the poorest of the poor have treasures, whether on earth or in heaven. And the condition of your heart is dependent on the location of your treasure. Like a sunflower turns toward the sun, your heart will surely turn toward your treasure, whether it is on earth or in heaven.

If your treasure is on earth, what will your mind be thinking of? Earthly things. You will think about earthly things and speak about earthly things. So we must examine ourselves. What are we thinking and speaking about? Vacations, children, sex, food, houses, cars, work, boyfriend, girlfriend, education, investments? We always speak about our treasures. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

If your treasure is on earth, you will love the things of the earth. Your affections will be drawn to them and you will delight in them. And if your treasure is on earth, your will be to will the things of the earth. You will decide and act in favor of the things of the earth.

If your treasure is on the earth, your eye will not be single, meaning it will not be healthy. You will have blurred vision due to cataracts of worldliness. You will be double-minded and unstable in all your ways. The so-called light within you will be darkness on the last day–great darkness.

If your treasure is on the earth, you may speak of freedom and security, but, in truth, you will not be free at all. You will be governed by the totalitarian master mammon, which stands for money, power, influence, position, honor. You will be merely a slave, owned totally by worldliness.

But if your treasure is on the earth and you pretend to be spiritual, what will happen? You will experience the greatest possible tragedy. If we pretend that we are spiritual when we are not, on that day God will say to us, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” That is the greatest tragedy.

The Lord’s Calf

In his commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells this story: “I remember once hearing a preacher tell a story which he assured us was simple, literal truth. It illustrates perfectly the point which we are considering. It is the story of a farmer who one day went happily and with great joy in his heart to report to his wife and family that their best cow had given birth to twin calves, one red and one white. And he said, ‘You know, I have suddenly had a feeling and impulse that we must dedicate one of these calves to the Lord. We will bring them up together, and when the time comes we will sell one and keep the proceeds, and we will sell the other and give the proceeds to the Lord’s work.’ His wife asked him which he was going to dedicate to the Lord. ‘There is no need to bother about that now,’ he replied, ‘we will treat them both in the same way, and when the time comes we will do as I say.’ And off he went. In a few months the man entered his kitchen looking very miserable and unhappy. When his wife asked him what was troubling him, he answered, ‘I have bad news to give you. The Lord’s calf is dead.’ ‘But,’ she said, ‘you had not decided which was to be the Lord’s calf.’ ‘Oh, yes,’ he said, ‘I had always decided. It was to be the white one, and it is the white one that has died. The Lord’s calf is dead.'”

And then Dr. Lloyd-Jones said, “We may laugh at that story, but God forbid that we should be laughing at ourselves. It is always the Lord’s calf that dies. When money becomes difficult, the first thing we economize on is our contribution to God’s work. It is always the first thing to go. Perhaps we must not say ‘always,’ for that would be unfair; but with so many it is the first thing, and the things we really like are the last to go” (D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Vol. 2 [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982], 95-96).

Where Is Your Treasure?

In conclusion, then, let me ask you: Are you a slave to money? Are you bored? Are you dissatisfied? Are you laboring for bread that spoils? Is your vision blurred? Are you frustrated? Are you without true friends? Are you cumbered about many things? Are you a Gehazi? Are you the rich young ruler? Are you a materialist? If these things are true about you, you must examine your heart and see whether you are truly a Christian. You must ask whether you see clearly and can agree with Paul when he said, “What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen [but perceived by faith] is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18).

Let me ask you this: Are you ready to die? Can you say, “To me to live is Christ and to die is gain”? Do you long to die and be with the Lord? You see, only when we have true riches in heaven will we be unafraid to die because death will put us in the closest proximity to the heavenly treasures that delight our soul forever.

Therefore, I ask again: Do you have true riches? In 2 Corinthians 8:9 Paul wrote of Jesus, “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” God desires us to be truly rich in the things that will not spoil, fade or perish, meaning the things of God, the things that abide and satisfy. If we are not, our hearts will remain restless until they find such true riches in God.

God promises true riches to us. Remember what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman? “But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). It is he who also said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” And listen to Isaiah in the Old Testament: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare” (Isaiah 55:1-3).

Seek True Riches

How, then, can we have true riches? Isaiah 55:7 tells us, “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

May God deliver us from the grip of materialism, from the worship of creation, that we may serve the true and living God, worshiping him, praying to him and delighting in him. May we seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness first, knowing that all that we need will be added unto us. And if you are not a Christian, may you realize that God sent his Son to die on the cross for your sins. May he grant you repentance and faith to trust in Jesus Christ alone that you may eat of the living bread and drink of the living water that you may be totally satisfied and refreshed now and forevermore. Amen.