Matthew 6:20 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Matthew 6:20

Comments

Many live as if they expected to spend eternity on earth and never to leave this world. They set themselves the task of gathering the whole world into their possession in order to feel safe. This applies not only to those who seek riches, but to all who value possessions too much and think that their life consists in the abundance of their possessions. Providing only for the body, the covetous person thinks all he wants can be obtained on earth, while forgetting that the vehicle of his satisfaction – his own body – is already marked out for death. We cannot secure anything beyond that point; physical things will be removed from us however much we store up. Their ambitions for gain go far beyond what is necessary, and they burden themselves with a task that is impossible and never allows them to rest satisfied. Since we can take nothing with us when we depart, we ought rather to set ourselves a more modest goal. It is enough that the body is provided for on a day-to-day basis, without gathering excess. As Martin Lloyd Jones comments, this is a fault of the poor just as much as of the rich.The moth secretly enters the cupboard and silently consumes that fashionable suit, that beautiful dress. You cannot wear clothes after they have been spoiled in this way; they are good for nothing. Rust eats away at strong metal and turns it into worthless powder. God has appointed the moth and the rust to carry out his work of consuming man’s pride. Thieves break through and steal. We cannot be overly distraught if corruption eats away at our goods. God has cursed creation on account of sin, and there is nothing left of its original perfection. When Adam chose sin rather than obedience and set his desire on the things that God had made rather than on the Creator who made them, God would not allow the world to continue as it was, but reflected that inner corruption of man’s heart in the visible world around him. The curse in intended to weaken our infatuation with this world. If we still cling to what is passing away as if we could restore the original perfection of the earth, we only bring pain on ourselves. We cannot successfully store up what God has marked for destruction, but the Christian has escaped this corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:4).The Christian’s home is in heaven and all his treasure should be there. God has wisely placed that treasure on the far side of death so that we are forced to re-assess the treasures of this world which cannot be taken with us. This earth is only for a time; heaven is for eternity. We cannot have both, and this is an underlying assumption of the verse. There is a choice to be made between earth and heaven, righteousness and sin, God and the devil. The treasures that men store up in this world are largely the treasures of unrighteousness, obtained at the expense of others and occupying a place in their hearts that belongs to God. He has commanded us not to covet, because he knows how easily we can make an idol out of this world. The treasures that are kept for the believer in heaven are treasures of righteousness, obtained through faith. They are the Lord’s reward to his people, their inheritance, Christ’s own inheritance shared with his people. If it comes to a competition between the good things of this world and the good things of heaven, how can they compare? Many strive all their lives for what they never obtain. Others spend all their time storing up goods, and leave themselves no time to enjoy them, for the end of our life is unpredictable. They find that God has given their goods to another. Then again, the things of this world have a curious inability to satisfy, even when we do acquire them. The world is convinced that abundance of goods equals happiness, and so is genuinely surprised when it turns out not to be the case. But heaven is for eternity and nothing that belongs to it can be lost. How can thieves break into heaven when God has said barred their entry? How can moth or rust eat away at what is preserved incorruptible? What then is the point of all our labour?

Application

It is greatly to our encouragement that though we cannot see into heaven, though it is a realm we have not yet entered, even now we can store up goods in heaven, which will be kept for us until our arrival. Where better to put what we value most than in a place which is beyond the reach of all harm? A man who saves does so because he looks forward to some great future purchase, or to a day when the purchasing power of his money will be so much greater. We cannot take earthly currency to heaven, but God will ensure that when we arrive in heaven, we are rich beyond measure. Our treasure is first of all the Lord himself: he is our exceeding great reward. We have eternity to look forward to with him. We have the gold of a sanctified heart, the enjoyment of others who have come to Christ through our testimony, a store of knowledge of God’s truth, a record of having served him in the world.

How do we lay up treasure in heaven? We often face a choice between pleasing ourselves or pleasing the Lord. It is obvious to us that in choosing to please the Lord we forfeit some earthly advantage: the opportunity to boost our reputation before men, or to enrich ourselves, or hide some evil we have done, to hurt another we dislike, or to make friends with God’s enemies. We have the opportunity to witness to our boss but we hesitate to do so in case he thinks the worse of us and we lose promotion prospects. Do we give time to the study of Scripture, to go out and evangelise, to prepare a Sunday School lesson, when we are tempted to use our time for our own entertainment? We have already spent a sufficient amount of time on our own pleasure, but now we must give God a due portion of our time. The reward will be great, but we must discipline ourselves to start this.

Questions

How can we be said to receive a reward in heaven which we can never deserve? All the blessings of heaven and our eternal reward come to us by grace alone. They are purchased for us by our Saviour. When he suffered and died on Calvary’s cross he took the entire weight of punishment which we should have deserved and borne throughout eternity. At the same time, by his perfect life he earned the blessings and the rewards of heaven for us all. So what does he mean when he says, ‘Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven’? God in his grace has given us a system of encouragement which we do not deserve. It is as if we could earn a reward in heaven by in this life obeying Christ, rejecting the world, denying our lusts, and by doing these things genuinely please him. This provides us with a motivation, but it is a motivation based on love and gratitude, not on any mercenary consideration. When the saints reach heaven, they will cast their crowns before God’s throne in recognition that they do not deserve any reward at all, and they will acknowledge that all has come from him. Nevertheless, he has given them crowns and a reward and both are real, and that will be a further cause of gratitude and worship. The saints anticipate all these wonderful things.

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Introduction

Matthew 6:20 Commentary and Bible Study