Sermons

Introduction

Turn in your Bible, if you will, to Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12. I've entitled this message, “Trusting and Treasuring.” “Trusting and Treasuring.” Let's read the scripture together real quick, starting in verse 29.

“And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. 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. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Ever since Genesis chapter three, “All of us,” says R.C. Sproul, “in our fallen condition, go through life on the edge of anxiety.” “All of us go through life on the edge of anxiety.” We experience fears about the future, financial fears. We can have fears related to family and work. We can feel the stress created by accruing responsibilities and maybe our felt inadequacies.

We experience fear about loss and about change and about grief, and even the fear of death. Maybe you've been there. Maybe sometimes you've lost sleep. We can lose weight. We can lose opportunities and emotional stability in our unchecked worry. We can even lose relationships, all because of unchecked fear, worry, and anxiety.

Fear and worry though, you know, are not new phenomenons. They're really consistent across all times and all cultures and all places. They're as ancient as sin itself. And you'll remember back in Genesis chapter three, when Adam fell and Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the garden, the first response was fear. We read Adam saying this, “I heard the sound of you in the garden and I was afraid, because I was naked and I hid myself.”

And which of us this morning, Trinity Bible Church, cannot attest to that anxiety or that fear in one form or another, or to one degree or another? If we were just to take an honest look at our hearts, which of us would say we were completely free of those things? We all go through life on the edge of anxiety and our fallen condition because opportunities for fear in this world are pervasive.

Jesus said in John 16, “in the world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” And in our parallel passage in Matthew chapter 6, He says. “sufficient for each day is its trouble.” He's acknowledging that this world is troublesome and there are plenty of opportunity for fear. And Job adds to that in Job chapter five, verse seven, “for man is born for trouble as sparks fly upward.”

And that's why the negative prohibition that Jesus gave more than any other in the scriptures was those two words, “fear not,” “fear not.” And our greater passage this morning, Trinity, is three examples of that prohibition. Look with me at verse 22, Jesus says, “do not worry.” And again, in verse 29, “do not keep worrying.” And then in verse 33, “do not be afraid.”

So the thrust of our passage this morning is quite evident. Jesus Christ desires His followers to escape from anxiety-ridden and fear-dominated lives. But the question is how? How do we do that? Because sometimes, I don't know if you identify with this, but sometimes in my own life, fear and worry and anxiety can feel like Michael Jordan and we're the middle school JV water boy. And we read these commands, stop worrying, do not keep worrying. And it feels like to us equivalent to saying, just stop letting MJ score on you. And we go, how? How do we do that?

This section of the Word of God begins to help us by evaluating our hearts as it relates to our trust and our treasure. Our trust and our treasure. This is a passage about the location of our hearts. Where are our hearts? We need to evaluate that question. Jesus would have us peek under the skin this morning and get underneath the bones and peek into our heart and ask two primary questions that will form the basic outline for us this morning.

So if you're taking notes, question number one is this: “In whom does my heart place its trust?” It's found in verses 29 and 30. In whom does my heart place its trust? And question number two: “where does my heart invest its treasure?” That's verses 31 through 34. So trust and treasure. Will you pray with me this morning as we begin to unpack God's word and ask for his help.

[Prayer] Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, Lord, our daily bread, and forgive us of our trespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. In Christ's name, amen. [End]

So where does worry come from? Where does worry come from? There are many answers to that question in our modern world, is there not? Our modern world is grappling afresh with this issue of anxiety. If you just take a look at the New York Times bestselling list, you'll find books like “The Anxious Generation” and “Bad Therapy” and all of these things. Our culture is creating categories by which to understand the prevalence of anxiety and aiming at remedies to manage it. Anxiety is all around us.

But where does it come from? Well, look back with me in verse 28 in our context, and Jesus answers that question. He says five English words. “You men of little faith.” “You men of little faith.” Worry at its root is a failure to trust God, and we need to come to grips with that. It's a failure to trust God, and as Jake so helpfully outlined last week for you all in your study of Luke, it's a failure to trust God's perspective on this life. It's a failure to trust God's provision for this life, His providence and His protection.

Worry comes from not believing in the God who feeds the ravens and who dresses the lilies, and to the extent that we worry in our lives. To the extent that we worry, to that very extent, we are not trusting in our Heavenly Father. It is a matter of faith. “You men of little faith.” Will God care for me? Or will God not care for me? Do I believe in the Word of God and the God of the Word, or do I not? It is a matter of faith.

And that means that the primary remedy to beginning chipping away at our worries is greater faith. It's greater faith, cultivating greater faith. But I would like for you to note something this morning, beloved brothers and sisters, in the text, lest you be discouraged by that. Look down at verse 28 again. And I'd like for you to note that Jesus does not say, you men of no faith. He does not say, you men of no faith. He says, “you men of little faith.” Of little faith.

Jesus' heart is not to condemn you this morning, but He would want to awaken your trust so that you can more deeply love Him and enjoy Him, so that you can bear more fruit in kingdom work, and so that you can more eagerly anticipate that reward coming to each follower of Christ who lovingly endures. His heart is to help you, not to condemn you.

Christ does not wish for us to languish in our fears and acquiesce to our worries, but He Himself was no stranger to these things. He was no stranger to worry. Hebrews tells us that He was tempted in every way like unto us, yet without sin. And so He wouldn't have us acquiesce in our worries, but He would say, “come, follow in my footsteps of faith, even as I, in the garden, was grieved to the point of death. I was crushed when my disciples were falling asleep. I was grieved. Come, follow in my footsteps of faith. Follow me.”

In Whom Does My Heart Place Its Trust?

So how do we build back up our faith so that we can break down our worries? That's the question for us this morning. And the first way that we're gonna evaluate our hearts together is by looking at verses 29 and 30. In whom does my heart place its trust? Read those again with me if you would look down at your scriptures. “And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek, but your Father knows that you need these things.” Jesus here is doubling down on what he's already said back in verse 22, is he not? All right, in verse 22, He says, “I say to you, do not worry about your life as to what you will eat, nor for your body as to what you will put on.”

And we know that people in Jesus' day were worried about these things. These were matters of survival to them, what one would eat, and what one would drink, and what one would wear to keep them safe from the blazing sun, or safe from the brittle cold. Their lives were, by inevitability, consumed by the tasks that were required to meet just basic human needs for survival.

You know, there was no fast food joints. There was no Walmart grocery delivery services. Somehow, bags just magically appear on my front porch sometimes. I don't know how that happens. There was none of these things. And you know, people even in our modern world still live like that.

My wife and I had the privilege of going to Uganda back in March, and we were one evening having dinner with this wonderful Christian couple in their mud hut. We were working hard to make conversation through a translator, right? And so maybe you've been in a situation like that, and you're just trying to figure out common ground and questions to ask. And I think either Lisa and I at one point said, so ask them about their hobbies. What do they do for fun? And you could just kind of see the translator pause. They paused. She looked at us and she said, you know, that's more of an American question. And it dawned on me all of a sudden that people still in our modern world are consumed by preparing daily provisions. They don't have the time for the leisure and the hobbies that we do in America with our convenience.

And so the question is, why is Jesus giving these people a hard time? They're just trying to survive. They're just trying to make their daily needs. And the answer to that question is that Jesus is not critiquing the activities themselves. Jesus is critiquing the way in which the activities are conducted. He's saying, this is not a let go and let God mentality that Jesus is advocating for here.

He's not saying, you know what, just fling off personal responsibilities, all that stuff in the Proverbs about godly work ethic, eh, toss it. That's not what he's saying. What's he saying? He's simply saying that we are not to be consumed with these things as if that's all there is to life.

We're not to conduct ourselves with fear as we make provision because life is more than food. It's more than drink. It's more than clothing and sustenance and leisure. God's got good works for you to do. He's got good works for you to walk in. He's got eternal influence for you to exercise. He's given you gifts and He's given you resources to steward for His kingdom purposes.

You know, this life is more than just making yourself comfortable for 70 to 80 years. That's why Moses says in Psalm 90,” teach us to number our days, Lord, so that we might gain a heart of wisdom,” because life is more than these things. And so Jesus says this, stop operating as if the physical is all there is. Stop conducting your life like that and do not keep worrying because it's short-sighted and it's destructive.

Corrie ten Boom has a famous quote. You probably have heard it before. She said, “worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” I'm not sure there was a truer statement ever penned. Worry is a thief. It takes. It never adds anything.

You know, back in verse 25, Jesus says, “you can't even add a cubic to your lifespan,” because worry never adds anything. It only subtracts. It only takes. And as Jake so helpfully, again, mentioned last week, that the root there is that it strangles. It strangles out vitality, and it chokes out the productivity of the Word and the fruitfulness in our lives. It's a taker. It always takes.

Look back down at verse 30. I want to draw your attention to an important contrast that Jesus makes here. He says, “For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek, but your Father knows that you need these things.” All of these things, the eating and the drinking, the frantic pursuit of survival, safety and comfort, and the stockpiling of assets and resources for oneself, the nations of the world, the Gentiles, eagerly seek those things.

That word translated, eagerly seek, is epizēteō in the Greek. It means to wish for, to inquire about, to search for intensely. It can even mean to demand or crave something. Now we know why the nations of the world are anxious. It's communicated quite clearly here in the text. We know why non-believers are fretfully worried. It's because in their ignorance or their arrogance, they don't know a Heavenly Father. They don't know an unseen world. This is all that there is for them. And they are on their own. And that's a scary place to live.

And so it makes sense that they would be worried. “Children go to school,” says R.C. Sproul, “and their teachers tell them that life in the universe came into existence through macroevolution. That they are cosmic accidents, grown-up germs sitting on the wheel of a vast cosmic machine that is destined for annihilation. They came from nothing. Their future is nothing. And all of that eats away at their sense of significance and security.”

He's right. What's left but the material to pursue after that? What's left but to just stockpile and survive? If there's no cosmic care, if there's no unseen hand directing and guiding, then I am on my own. And this is a dog-eat-dog world. And it is me against everybody else. And it's every man for themselves, and that's a scary place to live because we know that we control so little. So little.

And so we know why the nations of the world are anxious, but believers know better, do they not? This is time for you to talk to me, okay? Believers know better. We have a Heavenly Father. And our Father knows the things that we need. And so Christ is looking at you and me right in the eyes and He's going, don't live like a practical pagan. Don't live like this is all that there is.

God knows what you need better than you do. He sees the whole picture. And how often in our lives, and I know it by personal experience so intimately, how often in our lives are we like the three-year-old telling their dad what's good for their lives? You know what, Dad? I think it would be great for me to eat ice cream three times today. And what does the faithful father do? No, no, my son. That's not healthy for you. Let me direct you over here to the vegetable aisle.

We have a Heavenly Father who knows and loves us. Back in Luke 12, he says, ”the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” And in Psalm 68:5, “He is the Father to the fatherless, a Defender of widows.” In Isaiah 9:6, “He is the everlasting Father.” In Matthew 5:48, "He is the perfect Father.” In 2 Corinthians 1:3, “He is the Father of compassion and all mercy.” In Ephesians 1:17, “He is the glorious Father.”

But maybe the best thing you could hear, Trinity Bible Church, from our text this morning is that He is your Father. He's your Father, it's said twice in our text. He is your Father who knows what you need. Down in 32, it says, “your Father has gladly given you the kingdom. He is your Father. Personal, intimate.

Back in Luke 11, just a chapter before, Jesus says, “if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, How much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” So He won't give you a snake when you ask for a fish. He won't give you a scorpion when you ask for an egg. Psalm 40:84 says, “no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” He is your Father.

So let me pause and ask you a question. Will you trust His fatherly heart in whatever situation you are tempted to be anxious about this morning? This Father causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him. This Father did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us. How will He not also with Christ freely give us all things?

Look down to verse 32. I want to highlight another few things for you. He says, “Do not be afraid, little flock. Your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” But notice two other descriptors of God that are implied in verse 32. When Christ says, “do not be afraid little flock,” He evokes the role of the good shepherd. Who leads us through the valley of the shadow of death and comforts us with his rod and staff. The good shepherd that lays down his life for the sheep.

And when He says, “your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom,” it evokes His role as a benevolent king. The sovereign over the universe with endless power, endless resource at his fingertips. So right here in one verse, verse 32, see these three things. You have a Father and a family. You have a Shepherd and the sheep. You have a King and the kingdom.

And let me ask you, Trinity, with a Father's loving affection and willingness, with a shepherd's patient correction and guidance, with a king's supreme control and might, what does the believer have to worry about? What is there to worry about? With a God like that, cast all of your anxieties on him because he cares for you. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything through prayer and pleading with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Question number one for us this morning, in whom does my heart place its trust? In whom does my heart place its trust? If the answer to that question is in me, then you will be all kinds of anxious because there's so little that you can control if you actually take an honest look at your life. But if the answer to that question is increasingly in my Father who loves, in my Shepherd who leads, and in my King who provides, then I can begin to live in a new type of freedom, can I not?

Where Does My Heart Invest Its Treasure?

Let's look at question number two. Where does my heart invest its treasure? Starting in verse 31. Look back down in the text. “But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” If we're gonna leave our worries behind, if we're gonna leave our concerns behind, we have to first leave the world's priorities behind. This is what Jesus is saying. If we're going to overcome our anxiety, if we're going to leave our worries behind, we have to first leave the world's priorities behind.

In Galatians chapter 6, the Apostle Paul said that through Christ the world had been crucified to Him. That is, it had been killed, suffocated, and destroyed. And the world to Him. It was mutual. He had been crucified to the world, and the world had crucified Him. And in Colossians 3 we're told to put to death that which is earthly in us, and seek the things above where Christ is.

Now to have an anxious mind, to have an anxious mind is literally, it means to be divided and distracted. To be divided and distracted. It's to be pulled apart, literally, in two directions. To not be whole, to be double-minded, it's to have two parts heaven, three parts earth, one foot heaven, one foot earth. It's to be pulled, it's to have an anxious mind.

But to seek God's kingdom, verse 31, is to be singular. To seek God's kingdom is to be whole, to have clarity on the highest priority, the main objectives, the core pursuits, and to have our hearts' desires and our minds' preoccupations increasingly, day to day, move Godward, move heavenward, move to other people. To seek His kingdom is to have clarity on those things.

And the kingdom here, it refers to the sphere of God's dominion in the hearts and lives of believers. His rule in their lives. The kingdom of God in scripture has present and future manifestations. The Kingdom of God is at hand in the here and now, and it's present in the hearts of believers when they become surrendered to the complete governance of the Holy Spirit in their lives. That's what it means to have the Kingdom of God come. We experience the fruits of the Spirit as we're filled with the Spirit.

Listen to Romans 14:17 -18, “for the kingdom of God,” hear the similar language, “is not eating and drinking, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The kingdom of God is within us when we increasingly can say, not my will, but Yours be done. That's when we know the kingdom of God has come. Not in perfection, right? But in increasing direction in our lives. When we can say, ”not my will, but Yours be done.”

And then all these things will be added to us. What things? What things? Well, the full care and provision of God. When we can say, “not my will, Yours be done,” these things will be added to us, the full care and provision of God, the basic necessities of life, both physically and spiritually for all of the days that God has apportioned out for each of us.

You know, Edith Schaeffer, love to tell you a story, testifies to this type of divine surrender and divine provision in her book about “L'Abri,” the Christian shelter that she and her husband Francis established in Switzerland. And Philip Reichen details a story from that book in his commentary on Luke, and I'd love to share it with you. God had called the Schaeffers, Edith and Francis, to make a home in Europe for young people who needed to find Christ.

Yet, their visas were about to expire. Unless they found permanent residence, they would be expelled from the country. So in desperation, Edith prayed out loud, “O Heavenly Father, If you want us to stay in Switzerland, if your word to me concerning L'Abri means our being in the mountains, then I know you are able to find a house and lead me to it in the next half hour. Nothing is impossible for you.”

You ever pray like that? That's pretty bold. “But you will have to do it,” she said. Suddenly, Edith Schaefer heard someone in the street calling her name. It was a real estate agent dealer who wanted to know if she had found anything yet. Soon he was driving her to the mountain chalet that was unexpectedly available. Her prayers were answered.

God had found the house, but there was a greater difficulty. The house was for sale, but the Schaeffers didn't have any money to buy it. And they were nearly out of time, about to get shipped back to the States. And as Edith prayed that night, she had faith that God would still provide, but she also asked for a sign. “Oh, please show us thy will about this house tomorrow. And if we are to buy it, send us $1,000 before 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.”

The next morning, a letter came in the mail by post and by train. It was from a couple who had been praying for the Schaeffers, but had never supported them financially because they had so little to give. However, the couple had come into some money unexpectedly, and this time they were sending a check in the amount of, you guessed it, $1,000.

What's the point? Well, the point is that as the Schaeffers sought first the kingdom of God, their Father and their Shepherd and their King provided what they needed, what they needed. Our text goes on, look back down at verse 32. “Do not be afraid, little flock. For your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom." Circle that word gladly in your Bible if you're a Bible writer person. Okay? Circle that word. Gladly. He has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

It is the very pleasure of God's heart to give us the things that we need as we seek His kingdom. He doesn't do it coldly or unwillingly. James says that He gives us wisdom generously, without reproach. He gladly does these things for us. He'll gladly give us the kingdom. But there's also, in this verse, a recognition of our vulnerability. Believers are a little flock. They always have been, and they always will be in this world a little flock.

Scripture reminds us that the gate of the kingdom is straight, and the path of the kingdom is quite narrow, and the way that leads to life, few find it. And 1 Corinthians adds that in the constitution of the family of God, there are not many wise according to the flesh. There's not many mighty, there's not many noble. God chose the foolish and the weak, the base and despised.

And because of that, we know that there will be mockers and there will be ridiculers and there will be persecutors who seek to intimidate that little flock. They won't understand our choices, and they'll resent our rejection of this earthly city as all that there is. You guys know as well as I do, true believers through all centuries have endured all kinds of hostilities from the world. From crucifixion, to being sawn in two, to losing jobs. The world has always been hostile towards this little flock.

And of course, this could bring and create even more temptation to be fearful. And so Jesus reminds them once more that they are tenderly loved by their Father. Just right before this text, He tells them not to fear those who kill the body. And after that, they have nothing more that they can do. He reminds them that there actually is a glorious future manifestation of the kingdom awaiting them and that the sufferings that they endure during this small age are not to be compared with the glory of eternity when it should be revealed.

And so He says to them, carry on little flock. It's God's delight to give you the kingdom. So do not keep worrying. In fact, look what He says. “Sell your possessions.” “Give to charity.” Double down on all this stuff. “Make yourselves money belts which do not wear out.” An unfailing treasure in heaven. “Where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys.”

For where your heart is, excuse me, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So follow the argument here. Follow the argument. We are not to worry because our Father knows what we need. And because our Father knows what we need, we do not need to be afraid of giving away what we have. Anxiety can often make us have a lack of generosity, because we're so consumed with ourselves. We're so worried about our situations that we can't see other people. It can hinder our generosity.

Now, we're not to learn from this text, and this is where we need to be careful. We're not to learn from this text that we're somehow to take a vow of poverty. We need to be consistent when we read the Scripture. We need to take on the whole counsel of God. So we're not to take a vow of poverty or adopt some sort of heavenly welfare scheme. Or to even confuse the gospel of grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

But Jesus is undeniably in this text challenging us to make more and more costly sacrifices for the Kingdom of God. So that we will know the joy and the satisfaction of living only for Him. His glory and His Kingdom. He is offering us a kingdom. He was offering the people following Him a kingdom. But He made very clear in other portions of Scripture that His kingdom was not of this world. He is offering an eternal kingdom.

It is not of this world, but those who would receive His offer must count the cost of following Him. And they must be willing, and here's the hard part, but they must be willing to abandon everything in their life that is truly precious to them. And this is not an isolated text. This is Jesus' consistent teaching throughout the Gospels.

You'll remember even when He interacted with the rich young ruler. And the rich young ruler asked, ”what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus answered, “keep the commandments and go sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.”

On other occasions He said, “if you don't hate your brother, your sister, your mother, your wife, your children, yea your very life, you cannot be my disciple.” And in another text in Luke He says, “if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Now is Jesus promoting works righteousness? Is He saying to inherit eternal life you have to do all these things? No, He's not. What is He doing? He's advocating for kingdom living. When the kingdom's inside of us, by faith in Christ, this is how we increasingly begin living. He's promoting the lifestyle of true faith.

Now, we don't do this perfectly. He knows that. We need a Savior who died for us on the cross. So it is not by works, but He's promoting this lifestyle of true faith, this lifestyle of kingdom living, this lifestyle where we stop putting all the intention on, what do I need for my leisure? And what do I need for my comfort? And what do I need for my basic needs? And we start to see eternal things. That's what Jesus is doing.

There's only two ways to live. We either invest in the purposes of ourself and of the earth, or we begin to invest in the purposes of God and in heaven. And what Jesus is saying here is He's saying, earthly investments are subject to all sorts of loss. They wear out. They fade. They can be destroyed or they can be stolen. But heavenly investments endure forever. They're perfectly safe. They are unfailing treasure in heaven.

Earthly investments may help you retire, but they won't accrue to the glory of God. So we need to be willing to part with the possessions that we hold onto so tightly. Because a man's life doesn't consist in the things that he has. It doesn't consist in the abundance of what he owns.

Satisfaction, freedom from worry and anxiety, and happiness come from living inside the promises of God to provide, as we sacrifice more and more for his kingdom work, and as we follow Christ more fully in faith. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. This is about the location of the heart.

If all of our investments are in earth, then our heart will be knit to the earth, Trinity. But if our investments are in heaven, then our heart will be knit to heaven. If all of our investments are in earth, we'll be like the man in the parable that Jesus talks about right before our texts, who He said to, “you fool, this very night your soul is required of you. And now who will own everything that you prepared?”

We need to start to invest our time and our energy and our affections and our money in heaven. And then we'll have the remarkable privilege, the remarkable privilege of living by faith and seeing the hand of God provide for us, guide our life, and wash away our worries little by little.

And I would just say on a pastoral note, If you are somebody who is more given to anxiousness, then I would put my own self in that category. Again, it's not that you have no faith, it's you have little faith. And it's not that this can turn a corner tomorrow, but little by little, God, as He relocates your heart, can chip away at your worries, and you can make progress in this area of faith and trust in your Heavenly Father.

Where I invest my treasure does tell me what I love, does it not? Where I invest my treasure tells me what I love. It's an inspection of my faith and it is a true test of my character. You see, Ryle adds this in his commentary on Luke. “It matters little what we say or what we profess or what preaching we admire? Or what place of worship we attend? What do we love? On what are our affections set? This is the great question.”

Conclusion

As we wrap up, I wanna tell you the other side of that Edith Schaefer's story mentioned earlier. The $1,000 checks she received actually came with a letter. And this is what the letter said. “Three months ago, Art came home from work with an unexpected amount of money. We decided at first to buy a new car. Then, came to the conclusion that we didn't need a new car.

Our next thought was to invest in buying a little house, which we would rent. We went to look at houses, and as we looked over a very likely small house, I suddenly saw signs of termites in the beams. “Look, Art,” I said. “Doesn't that remind you of the verse that says, ‘lay not up for yourself treasure on earth? Where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourself treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break in and steal.’” I then asked, “Art, would you be willing to take this money and invest it literally in heaven? Rather than investing it in another house on earth for added income? Would you be willing to give it to the Lord's work somewhere?”

He replied, “yes, Helen, I would.” Well, that was three months ago. And all during these three months, we've been asking God to show us what he would have us do with this money. Now, tonight, we have come to a definitive decision, and both of us feel certain that we are meant to send you this money to buy a house somewhere that will always be open to young people.

It's an amazing, amazing story of God's providence. Famous missionary Jim Elliot once said, “He is no fool that gives what He cannot keep to gain what He cannot lose, an unfailing treasure in heaven.”

So where's your heart this morning, Trinity? Evaluate with me. Where is your heart? Is it trusting in the Father and clinging to His word, His character and His promises? Or is it striving to control the things that expressly belong to God?

Where's your heart this morning? Where is it? Is it eagerly seeking the unseen world? Is it seeking first the kingdom of God or have lesser earthly things become the recipient of your highest love? Even good things like homes and children and all sorts of things that are good, they're just not best.

Have they taken first place in your heart? And I trust that the Holy Spirit will use our collective honest evaluation in our fight against fear, in our fight against worry, in our fight against anxiety.

He is a faithful Father. He tells us to seek first His kingdom and all of these things will be added to us. And He is worthy of our greatest faith independence. Is He not? Say something to me. Amen. He is, he is. Let me close us in prayer and then we're gonna take communion together and I'll just walk us through that quickly. Pray with me.

[Prayer] Father, this is hard. It is hard for people, even redeemed people, who are trying to crucify the old man, to not worry. It's hard to think about giving away the things that are so dear to us and entrusting them to you. It's hard. And so I pray for any anxious heart and anxious soul in this room this morning, that they would not feel condemned by your Word. I don't believe that that's Your heart. Your heart is actually to take them into the sweetness of reliance upon Your fatherly care and to actually rid them of the distractions and the difficulties that come by our desire for control.

And so encourage our hearts this morning. Encourage us to live Godly lives, understanding that our lives are a vapor, that they're here and gone like the grass in the field. But that we do have a Heavenly Father who cares for us. So help us seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and know with confidence of faith that all these things will then be added to us as well. We ask it in your precious name, amen. [End]