Wherever your heart is reveals where your treasure is.Last night I taught part 2 of Ephesians 4:1. I have created eleven points reviewing Ephesians 1-3 and showing what God has done for us in our calling. At the end of each main point, I have a “so that” because Paul commands all believers in Eph 4:1 to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.”
One of my points last night was that in Ephesians 2:6, God has raised us up, and seated us in the heavenly places in Christ. My point was that every true believer who is united to Christ (= “in Christ”) is raised and seated with Christ in heaven spiritually. Because that’s the case, the believer’s home is heaven and the believer’s longing should be heaven.
The ‘so that’ of my point was to exhort my hearers to live for heaven not for this earth. After a couple of illustrations showing the folly of living for the here and now while neglecting to think about, long for, yearn for, meditate on, and live for heaven, I told them to set their minds on things above (Col 3:1-2).
But how do you set your heart on things above? We turned to Jesus in Matthew 6. He said:
Matthew 6:19-21 9 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
19 Μὴ θησαυρίζετε ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅπου σὴς καὶ βρῶσις ἀφανίζει καὶ ὅπου κλέπται διορύσσουσιν καὶ κλέπτουσιν· 20 θησαυρίζετε δὲ ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ, ὅπου οὔτε σὴς οὔτε βρῶσις ἀφανίζει καὶ ὅπου κλέπται οὐ διορύσσουσιν οὐδὲ κλέπτουσιν· 21 ὅπου γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θησαυρός σου, ἐκεῖ ἔσται καὶ ἡ καρδία σου.
The point of these verses is simply this: don’t live and store goods in this present earth that is destined to perish. Rather, live for heaven. Store treasures there where nothing can corrupt or steal or destroy that treasure! But then you ask how? Verse 21 provides the answer: “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Jesus says that whatever consumes your heart reveals the treasure in your heart and life. Very simply, whatever you think about, whatever you love doing, whatever occupies your heart and soul in this life, that very thing is your treasure. And treasures come in a myriad of forms—relationships, friendships, dating relationships, marital unity, financial gain, vocational reputation, church ministry, cars, video games, musical instruments, a house and on and on one could go in naming possible “treasures”. These are things that our hearts can be consumed with and what Jesus says is that it is the very thing that consumes our heart that is our treasure.
So instead of living for this earth and placing our heart upon goods in this life, we are to strive to set our heart upon heavenly things. Think about heaven; read God’s Word; engage in deliberate fellowship; partake in sincere worship. These are some ways in which the Christian can set establish his treasure in heaven.
Luke 12:33-34 33 "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. 34 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.