Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Luke 12:29-34
Pastor: Pastor Jon Kehren
Sermon Date:  October 15, 2023

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Have you ever watched the show American Pickers on the history channel?  Two guys, Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, travel the United States looking in old barns and dusty attics, picking through endless piles of junk, all in search of that one-of-a-kind item, that rare find, that real treasure. And of course, just to prove what a great deal they got on it, at the end of each segment, they’ll list what they paid for each item and what they hope to sell it for.

I don’t know about you, but I kind of envy those guys. I wish I had the skill to sort through old stuff and determine which piece has the most value, to be able to distinguish what is trash and what is treasure.  Maybe you feel the same way. Actually, you do have that skill.  God has given you the ability to identify true treasure. No, maybe it’s not the ability to identify treasure in an old barn. Rather, God has given you the ability to identify real and lasting treasure in your life.  When God worked saving faith in your heart, when he called you to be a follower of Jesus, he gave you the ability to know what real treasure looks like when it’s been given to you. 

In our text for today, Jesus speaks about some of the various forms of treasure that people in our world are looking for in life. He talks about what happens when people can’t properly distinguish what is true treasure and what isn’t, to distinguish between trash and treasure. And the underscores that believers have already been given the greatest treasure of all. Our theme for today is simply this:

Christians, the true treasure is yours!  We’ll look at that from two angles. On the one hand, the world chases temporary treasures.  But your heavenly Father gives eternal treasures.

The words of our Savior on which we mediate today come on the heels of his parable of the rich fool who was only concerned about building bigger barns so that he could store up more things for himself. That man wasn’t concerned about God’s eternal treasures. He was fixated on his own earthly treasures. Treasures which, of course, were all taken away from him the moment 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?”

If you think about it, that man personifies the thinking of a lot of people in our world today, doesn’t he? This idea that our goal in life is to gather, yes to hoard up, as much earthly treasure as possible, to focus our attention on things that only serve are temporal bodies on this side of the grave.

Certainly nothing inherently wrong with being blessed with great wealth.  I think of how God blessed many faithful believers with great wealth – Job, Abraham, Solomon, to name just a few.  Also, there is nothing wrong with saving and storing wealth for future use – for building bigger barns, stocking your pantry, putting money aside for retirement.  The book of Proverbs says, “The wise store up choice food and olive oil.” (Proverbs 21:20)

No, the problem arises when people set their hearts on their material treasures valuing them above others and God, when we trust that they will meet our every need, thinking “If I have any kind of food I want to eat, plenty of clothes to wear, a nice car to drive, and a house to live in, and a large-sized retirement account, then I’ll be just fine. I can “take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.”  

Jesus puts a stop to that kind of thinking.  “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.”  The word “set your heart” means to “chase after.”  I picture those people who camp out at the stores on black Friday.  As soon as the doors open, they storm in and grab all they can get, pushing other people aside, with their only focus being on what they can get for themselves. 

We may laugh at their behavior, but are we that different?   What are we chasing after in life? Is our life goal just to make more and more money, just another buck?  Are we so focused on just getting wealthier and wealthier that we neglecting time for God and his word, spending so much of our time making money that we don’t have time to be a spiritual leader for our family?  Is our only goal for our children that they have high paying jobs and we give little thought to their spiritual growth?  Are we chasing after that luxury car, that bigger house, that latest gadget and we have only leftovers to give to God in the offering plate?  Are we so worried about having enough in retirement that we just hoard and hoard lacking trust that God will provide and have little if any willingness to be generous and share?  

Take to heart Jesus’ warning from another lesson, “You can’t serve two masters.  You can’t serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24).  Take to heart the apostle Paul’s warning about the danger of falling in love with money.  He says, “The love of money is a root of all sorts of evils. By striving for money, some have wandered away from the faith…” (1 Timothy 6:10).  The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil and it can steer us off the path to heaven and plunge us into ruin and never-ending destruction.  My friends, would God one day have to look at us and say those same words he said to the rich man in the parable, “You fool!”  

Thankfully, our Savior Jesus knows what we’re going through.  He knows how we falter and fail.  He knows how weak and misguided our hearts are.  So what does he do?  He tells us about the real treasures that we already have in our God.  He says, “Do not worry…  Your Father knows what you need.”  Think about that.  Your daily circumstances are not up to chance.  Your path through this life is not dependent on some giant roulette wheel in the sky landing on the right number.  You have a loving caring Father in heaven who knows your every need – better than you know yourself – and he provides for each and every one of those needs every moment of every day. He counts the hairs of your head. He knows your days before any of them come to be. He promises to work everything out for your good.  That’s a better deal than any insurance policy can provide.    

The treasure you have in him doesn’t end there.  Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”  He calls us a “little flock.”  Those words tell us that we are weak and helpless and wandering sheep on our own.  But we have a shepherd, who laid down his life for you, one of his precious sheep. Our shepherd took upon himself the guilt of our sins – including our selfishness and greed, including our lack of trust in God to provide.  He paid the price for those sins.  He clothed us in his perfect righteousness.  Because our shepherd has laid down his life for us, the “Father has been pleased go give us a kingdom.”  Notice he gives it to us – and not reluctantly, but he is pleased to give it.  We don’t have to earn it, or bargain for it.  It was bought and paid for by our Savior Jesus.  

What is this kingdom he has given?  It is not found on a map.  It is not of this world.  His kingdom is all the blessings he has poured into our hearts through his gospel.  It is the saving faith that he has worked in our Savior.  It is the blessing of full and free forgiveness, the sure and certain hope of eternal life.  

Do you realize what a treasure you have? Recently, I helped a widowed lady work on her estate plan.  We did an inventory of her financial assets and totaled them up.  With surprise she said, “I didn’t realize I was that wealthy.”  Do you realize the treasure you have?   Because you have Jesus, you are infinitely wealthy.  Everything that all the things that really matter, I mean the things that matter for more than your body here on Earth, but that that matters for your body and soul for eternity—they are all already yours in Christ.  Think of the treasure you have in Jesus.  1. You have knowledge that your sins are forgiven. God’s holding nothing against you. 2. You have the assurance that nothing can separate you from God’s love—not death, or famine or danger or nakedness or sword and whatever happens in your life, God is going to use it for your good.  He promised that. 3  You have the confidence that when you turn to him for help – he has a ready ear and will answer for your good.  4. Finally, you have the certainty that when you breathe your last breath, you will immediately be with Jesus in the joys of heaven.  My friends, this is a treasure that moth and rust can’t destroy.  It will never fade away.  It will never lose its value because of inflation or a market crash.  True treasure is yours!  

They say “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”  Many will say that the treasures we are talking about today are just trash.  They aren’t real.   Don’t let that discourage you from holding on to the treasures that you have.  Instead, keep up seeking these treasures by spending time in his word.  Value that time.  Make it a priority.   But by God’s grace, you can. God has opened your eyes to see the true treasure he’s given you in Christ.  

When we know where true treasure is found, our hearts change.  This knowledge helps us to loosen our grip on the earthly treasures. It gives us the freedom to do what Jesus says in our text, namely, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.” Notice, Jesus doesn’t say, “Sell everything you own and take a vow of poverty and become dependent on others.”  He’s simply saying, “Keep your priorities straight. Hang on to your eternal treasures and share your temporary treasures.  Recognize how you can use those earthly treasure to thank and glorify your Savior and show love for him and others.”  Consider how you can use those earthly treasures to make an impact in the lives of others.  Maybe you have a family member or friend in need that you can help.  Recognize the spiritual poverty that so many people are living in.  Maybe you would like to use those earthly treasures to help bring the real treasure of God’s forgiveness and eternal life to people who are still living in spiritual poverty, who don’t yet know where true treasure can be found. 

Ultimately, knowing what your true treasures are makes all the difference in the world.  It equips you to handle whatever life brings – whether good or not so good.  It makes you confident and ready for an eternity of joy 

My friends, you may not ever be able to go into a dusty attic, a cluttered garage, or an old barn and identify some hidden treasures like those guys on American Pickers, but by God’s grace, you know the true treasure that you have!  God has given you true treasure in Christ. True Treasure is yours. Cherish it, in life, and death and forever.  Amen.