Storing Up Treasures

How often do you think about eternity? Do you consider your decisions with heaven in mind, or are you focused on the present and what is right in front of you? I bring this up because I recently saw someone talking about how delayed gratification is becoming increasingly difficult for Western culture as a whole. In this conversation, the person also pointed out how researchers are finding that many people, especially from Gen Z and Gen Alpha, tend to prefer instant gratification and have little patience for waiting.

As a result of this research and other similar research, some pastors of my generation and younger believe that the traditional long-term view of eternity in Christianity is no longer relevant. They feel that they shouldn't preach about heaven or hell, but rather focus solely on what a relationship with Jesus can offer us in the present moment. Their belief is that by emphasizing immediate benefits, they can attract more young people to the church. What I am saying here is not based on research or speculation; it is something I know to be true because a pastor in our denomination expressed this view to me directly as we discussed this topic.

And while I understand their position and the thought behind it. I completely disagree. If we never preach about or address heaven and hell, and consequences, we send you out as sheep without a shepherd, vulnerable to everything that intends to destroy you, and we have failed our duties to you, which is to teach, equip, and prepare the church.

So this morning, after I’ve had time to reflect on the idea of the present-instant view of life versus the long-term/eternity view, I decided that eternity is more significant; it’s more real than the present and will last much longer. This is why I inquired earlier if you take heaven into account when making decisions, and it is also part of the reason why last week we discussed gossip and the importance of our language, emphasizing that one day we will account for every word and action.

I am trying to teach you that our words and actions have consequences, not just here but in eternity. That carrying our cross isn't just carrying the weight of living in this life, but the responsibility of living for Christ in this world. And that isn't a belief I just came up with; Jesus said as much in Matthew 16.

Matthew 16:24-27

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

What have you done? Are your choices pulling you to heaven or hell? Will you be rewarded in heaven for the work you have done for the kingdom, or are you getting in like the thief on the cross? Now hear me: I hope for many in the world to make it to heaven, even if in a deathbed confession, and like the laborers who came last in the story of the rich man who went out each hour of the day to gather workers and then paid them all the same at the end of the day, they will be given the same access to heaven. But my hope for all of you is different. I don't hope for a thief-on-the-cross moment for you. I hope that, as Christians, as believers in the death, burial, and resurrection, you are weighing your choices with heaven in mind, with honoring Jesus on your mind.

As believers, we should not pursue things that are temporary and fleeting. Instead, we need to focus our time and talents on storing up treasures in heaven, rather than chasing after pleasures and rewards that will ultimately fade away like grass. Many lose sight of, or even deny, the eternal value, choosing instead the convenient, comfortable, and immediate satisfaction of the present. But we were warned about that mentality:

Matthew 6:19-21

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So where is your heart? Is your heart in heaven? In the world to come and eternity with God, or is it locked on the present comfort, desires, and what needs to be done in the here and now? Now listen, there's nothing wrong with taking care of our responsibilities; we need to. The danger is when we let our responsibilities, pursuits of pleasure, and desires take us away from the work God would have us do. So I am just asking that you take a moment and weigh things out: are you serving God by how you are living, and are you choosing what is in your life based on what honors Him? Or are you just floating along, following the crowd, fitting in, and hoping things work out?

Listen, folks, I want to be very blunt with you: this world is heading for destruction, and we need to unite ourselves with Jesus now. When the Lord comes back, it is set to be cleansed by fire, and the Bible explicitly teaches that our works here on earth will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ, which can be seen at 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:11‑15; and again at the final judgment described in Revelation 20:12‑13. This is not about salvation, which is by grace through faith, but about accountability: reward or loss for the use of our lives, time, and talent. It's an evaluation of how we handled what He entrusted to our care. One of the passages I mentioned here illustrates that in a way where the imagery has stayed with me:

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 reads like this:

11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

In 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, Paul is emphasizing that faithful, enduring work built on Christ will be rewarded, while superficial or self-serving efforts will not last, and instead be burned away as if they never were. Salvation is assured for all believers, but the eternal value of our deeds will be tested, highlighting the importance of living a life of genuine faith and obedience. This passage calls for us to reflect on the motives, quality, and eternal significance of our actions in the Christian life.

So I encourage you today, take a moment to pause and reflect. Are your choices wood, hay, and straw, or are you opting for the better things? Are you creating a legacy of gold and silver? And how do you do that without giving up everything and spending your whole life working in ministry or for the church? Paul has an answer for that too.

Colossians 3:23-24

23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Ephesians 6:6–7

Do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man

and

1 Corinthians 10:31

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Stepping out of the scriptures for a moment, I want to share with you

about my grandmother, who taught me this lesson in so many ways, but none so vivid as by how she lived. When my grandmother Himelsbaugh passed away, I wrote a eulogy for her, and one of the things I mentioned was that in everything Grandma did, you could feel the love of God. Whether it was the food she cooked or the laundry she folded, the love she put into her work was palpable. Grandma truly believed that by loving each of us and serving us with love, she was serving and honoring God in the process, and that made it all worthwhile. I know this because she told me so, and that has sat with me for a long time.

Our work and our lives should glorify God. Our choices should honor Him, and even as we set about our daily chores and responsibilities, we need to work not for ourselves or others but for God. That is how we store up treasures in heaven. By serving God in all we do, even the mundane.

So as I close the message for today, I take you back to where we started, only a little more knowledgeable than we began. As the world leans into the instant, the now, the present, and the how can I benefit me in the moment mindset. Christians are called to look ahead to eternity. To the right, and the righteous, to the Holy and set apart, to the service of those around us. We are called not to look at our own convenience but to how we can show the love of God to others.

No one can escape eternity or judgment. Therefore, we must carefully consider in our hearts each day to determine whether we are living for the Lord and serving Him, or if we expect the Lord to serve us. Do we follow Him because we desire to be with Him forever and are grateful for what He has already done for us, or do we think He can improve our lives here on Earth? The intentions of our hearts matter; our works, words, actions, and deeds all matter. And one day we will stand before God and receive the reward we have earned, whether it be silver and gold, or ashes blown away in the wind. How will your life look when the fire of judgment is set to it?