“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:27-34 NIV)
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” That’s a very well-known phrase. We just sang it eight times, so I bet you’ve got it stuck in head! “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” It doesn’t seem hard at all to understand. Put your heart in the right place, and then your treasure will follow. If your heart is with God, your treasure will follow. Simple, right?
Except, that’s not what Jesus says. Listen again: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” What follows what? According to Jesus, your treasure doesn’t follow your heart. It’s the other way around. Your heart follows your treasure. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” Can you see the difference? Jesus doesn’t say, “Put your heart in the right place, then your money will follow.” Jesus tells us to look at where we put our money, because wherever our money is, our hearts will follow. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.”
There’s a simple way to say that: “Follow the money!” Did you know that phrase comes from Jesus? “Follow the money!” We can say or pretend whatever we want, but the way we use our money tells the truth about our hearts. I once heard that put in a powerful way by a different pastor. He was talking about how you can determine if a married man is having an inappropriate relationship with another woman. He said, “Ask him, ‘Have you given her any gifts?’” Why? Because your heart follows the money. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
That contradicts the way we talk today. We like to think that we have control over our hearts. When we mess up, we say things like, “Well, at least my heart is in the right place.” Every single person in the world thinks they have their heart in the right place! The problem is, if you really think about it, you can’t control your heart. You can’t control what or whom you fall in love with. God knows that! But you can control your treasure, and controlling your treasure is one way to control your heart. Why does God ask for your money? Because he wants your heart!
Here are some examples. If you buy season tickets to OSU football games, what will you spend a lot of time dreaming about this fall? Football. If you buy a boat, what will you spend a lot of time and energy on? That boat. I’m not saying those things are bad, but it illustrates that what Jesus says is true. I read that it costs $300,000 to raise one child. If you have children, and you pour your treasure into them, what occupies your heart? Your children. If you gave as much as you could to gospel ministry at our church, what would you spend a lot of time thinking about? Gospel ministry. Jesus is right, isn’t he? “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.”
So where is your treasure? Of course, there are some things that everyone has to buy. If you picked up toilet paper at Walmart yesterday, I’m not going to accuse you of making toilet paper your god. You know that’s not what God’s talking about. It’s not wrong to spend money. It’s necessary. I want you to imagine, though, that if someone from the outside would look at your life and your finances, what would they think that you care most about? Would they guess sports? Or alcohol? Or your house? Or cars? Or God? Or vacation? If what Jesus says is true, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be,” if that’s really true, then where is your heart?
Do you know one way to tell? Worry. How many of us are worried about something? There’s nothing wrong with that, right? Actually, every worry is a sign that my treasure isn’t with Jesus. He says, “Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.” Huh. “Do not worry about it.” I sat down to pay our bills this past week. They are more than they are supposed to be. Do you find that too? I can’t explain it. I guess it’s inflation. There are more bills than there used to be. How does that make you feel? Worried. Anxious. Is that wrong? Yes!
Why? Listen: “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!” Who provides for all, even for the wild flowers? God does. So whom is every worry against? God. Every time we’re worried, whom are we not trusting in? God. The more your treasure is with football or cars or your children, the more worried you will be. Have you noticed this in your life? Because your heart follows your treasure away from God.
Here’s the kicker: “The pagan world runs after all such things.” This is so important. There should be a difference between Christians and the rest of the world. Christians have their treasure in a different place. Their hearts are set on different things. When we Christians don’t differ from unbelievers in the goals we have, in how we react to trials, in the way we spend our money… When we Christians don’t differ from unbelievers, when we run after all the things everybody else does, there is something wrong. If your treasure isn’t with Jesus, then don’t fool yourself. Because your heart isn’t with Jesus either. “Where your treasure is, there your heart shall be.”
Even for God. That statement is even true for God. God is very clear about where his treasure is. To our sinful, worried hearts torn in so many directions, Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” God is very clear about where his treasure is. Did you hear it? “Your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” God has this enormous chest of treasures—love, grace, forgiveness, the kingdom of heaven… What has God done with them? God has given them to us through Jesus our Savior. God has given you his treasure, and where God’s treasure is, there his heart is also—with you! Isn’t that cool?
King David got it. By God’s grace, King David was an incredibly rich man. God gave him victories on every side, and he amassed piles of gold worth billions of dollars. But we heard what David did with his treasure. What did he do? He gave it to the LORD for building a temple—a church—for God in Jerusalem. He gave God billions of dollars, but instead of boasting about it, he prayed, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14). Where David’s treasure was, there his heart was. With God!
The apostle Paul got it. His treasure was in heaven. Paul didn’t give a big offering. He actually lost everything. When Paul believed in Jesus, he went from being a highly respected Pharisee to being an outlaw. He lost everything, but with no regrets. He said, “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” Do you think he was cringing or smiling as he said that? Smiling! “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things” (Philippians 3:7-8). Do you know where Paul was when he wrote those words? In jail! His treasure was in heaven.
Martin Luther got it. His treasure was in heaven. His dad actually wanted him to be a lawyer, so that he could have a secure life financially. So Luther looked for his treasure in money. He never found what he was looking for. Then, after almost being killed in a thunderstorm, he decided to be a monk. His dad was irate. But Luther looked for his treasure in the Catholic Church and its rules. But he still didn’t find it. Then, by God’s grace, something amazing happened. He looked for his treasure in God and his Word. And he found God’s grace. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Suddenly, Luther found peace.
It all comes down to one word: “Give.” “Your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” God’s love and forgiveness—his kingdom—is free. That’s what “give” means, right? There’s no fighting. No earning. No worrying. It doesn’t depend on you. Grace is God’s gift! That’s what makes Christianity different from every religion in the world. Every other religion points you to you. “Do this.” “Wear this.” “Don’t eat this.” “Pull your share.” No! “Your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Because of Jesus, all of God’s gifts are free. By grace.
You have “a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” Do you know what that means? No one can ever take it away from you! Your sports car might crash. Your house might get foreclosed. The stock market might fall. Your boat might sink. Your team might lose. Your children might rebel. If your treasure is on earth, be worried. But if your true treasure is in heaven, no thief can come near. No moth can destroy. It’s safe!
Jesus gives you eternal life. That’s why he says: “Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” Do you know what the key is to a worry-free life? Trusting the phrase, “Your Father knows…” Whatever you need today, “your Father knows.” Whatever you need this week, “your Father knows.” Whatever you need this life, “your Father knows.” If God is willing to give you heaven through faith in Jesus, how much more won’t he certainly care for you here? “Seek his kingdom.”
Do you know one of the best ways to set your heart on Jesus? Give him your treasure. That’s why he says, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.” What’s Jesus saying? He’s not commanding you to get rid of all your money. He’s encouraging you to use your treasure to serve God and God’s people, because your heart will follow. The more your treasure goes to stuff, the more worried you will be. You know that’s true! The more your treasure goes to God and his people, so will your heart. Your heart follows the money! Can you see that? God asks for your money because he wants your heart. And “where your treasure is, there your heart will be.”
I was thinking up a great conclusion to this sermon, when I realized something. There is nothing greater than Jesus’ words. He says it all best. So hear Jesus’ encouragement one more time: “Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
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