Jesus’ instruction to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” appears in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 6:19–21 (KJV)
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Jesus contrasts two kinds of treasure. One belongs to this world and can be lost. The other is beyond the reach of moth, rust and thieves. He does not explain in these verses exactly what the heavenly treasure consists of. The rest of the New Testament gives us the answer gradually.
Jesus returned to the subject during His ministry, and the apostles took up the same ideas in their letters. When those passages are read together, heavenly treasure is repeatedly associated with generosity, faithful service, sacrifice, perseverance, good works and reward from God.
The question, then, is not simply what Jesus meant by the word treasure. It is how Scripture describes the things that have lasting value before God.
Jesus Connected Heavenly Treasure With Giving and Surrender
Jesus gave one of His clearest examples of heavenly treasure when a rich young man asked Him about eternal life. The man said he had kept the commandments from his youth. Jesus then addressed the thing the man was unwilling to give up.
Matthew 19:21 (KJV)
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
The man’s response came immediately.
Matthew 19:22 (KJV)
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
Jesus was not merely asking the man to become poorer. He was asking him to surrender what had taken first place in his life and follow Him.
Jesus gave His disciples a similar instruction in Luke:
Luke 12:33–34 (KJV)
Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Paul later addressed wealthy believers in much the same terms. He did not tell them that having money was itself wrong. He warned them about trusting in it and told them to use what they had for good.
1 Timothy 6:17–19 (KJV)
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Paul’s language is worth noticing. The wealthy are told to be “rich in good works,” generous and willing to share, “laying up in store” for the future. Jesus’ teaching about treasure therefore reaches beyond the question of how much money a person owns. What matters is what he does with what he has and where his confidence rests.
God Rewards What Is Done in Secret
Jesus also spoke about heavenly reward in the same Sermon on the Mount while teaching about giving, prayer and fasting.
He warned His disciples not to practice righteousness simply to be noticed by other people.
Matthew 6:1–4 (KJV)
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
The same principle appears in prayer.
Matthew 6:5–6 (KJV)
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
And again with fasting:
Matthew 6:16–18 (KJV)
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Jesus makes the distinction plainly. A person can receive the approval of other people, or seek the approval of God. The first may be all the reward that person receives. The second is seen by the Father.
That matters when considering heavenly treasure. Jesus was not speaking only about visible acts of generosity. He was also talking about the ordinary acts of faithfulness that may never attract anyone else’s attention.
Faithfulness Has a Reward
Jesus also associated heavenly reward with remaining faithful when doing so comes at a cost.
Matthew 5:11–12 (KJV)
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Here there is no mention of money or possessions. The reward is connected with enduring persecution for Christ.
Jesus made the point again when He spoke about receiving His servants and even offering a small kindness to one of His followers.
Matthew 10:40–42 (KJV)
He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
The example is deliberately small. A cup of cold water is hardly an impressive accomplishment. Yet Jesus says it will not be forgotten when it is done in His name.
Hebrews makes the same point about service:
Hebrews 6:10 (KJV)
For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
There is a recurring idea in these passages: God sees work that other people may overlook.
The Work of a Believer Will Be Tested
Paul adds an important qualification to the subject of reward. Not everything done by a believer will necessarily endure.
1 Corinthians 3:11–15 (KJV)
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Paul begins with Christ as the foundation. The question then becomes what is built upon that foundation. Some work remains and receives a reward. Some does not. The distinction between salvation and reward is important. Paul says that the person’s work can be lost while the person himself is saved.
That is why the New Testament’s teaching about treasure cannot be reduced to “do enough good things and you will get into heaven.” Salvation and reward are not presented as the same thing.
Paul encouraged believers to continue working faithfully:
1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
And he wrote to the Colossians:
Colossians 3:23–24 (KJV)
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
The work may be ordinary. The person benefiting from it may never know how much effort went into it. But Paul tells believers to regard their work as service to Christ.
Scripture Speaks of Crowns and Future Reward
The New Testament uses the language of crowns several times when describing future reward.
Near the end of his life, Paul wrote:
2 Timothy 4:7–8 (KJV)
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
James connects a crown with endurance:
James 1:12 (KJV)
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Jesus gave a similar promise to the church at Smyrna:
Revelation 2:10 (KJV)
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Peter described another crown in connection with faithfully caring for God’s people:
1 Peter 5:2–4 (KJV)
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
These passages do not give us a detailed description of what a crown looks like in heaven. They do establish something more important for this question: Scripture repeatedly speaks of God giving future rewards to believers for faithful endurance and service.
Faithful Work Can Benefit Others
Paul’s relationship with the believers at Thessalonica provides another example.
1 Thessalonians 2:19–20 (KJV)
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.
Paul regarded the people he had helped bring to Christ as part of his joy and as a “crown of rejoicing.”
He described gospel ministry in similar terms when writing to the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 3:6–9 (KJV)
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
Paul gives God the credit for the growth, while still saying that each worker will receive a reward according to his labor.
Jesus used the same picture when speaking to His disciples:
John 4:35–38 (KJV)
Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
The work of bringing another person to Christ may involve several people over a long period of time. One person plants. Another waters. Another sees the result.
Jesus’ point is that the work matters even when the person doing it does not see the whole harvest.
Sacrifice for Christ Has Eternal Significance
Jesus also spoke of reward in connection with sacrifice.
When Peter pointed out what the disciples had left behind to follow Him, Jesus answered:
Mark 10:29–30 (KJV)
And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Following Christ can involve genuine sacrifice. Jesus did not pretend otherwise.
Paul likewise connected suffering with future glory:
Romans 8:17 (KJV)
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
And:
2 Corinthians 4:17 (KJV)
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
The New Testament does not treat suffering for Christ as something meaningless or wasted. It places it in the context of a future glory that lasts beyond the present circumstances.
Being Rich Toward God
Jesus’ parable of the rich man gives another way to understand the difference between earthly and heavenly treasure.
The man’s concern was what he could accumulate and how long he could enjoy it.
Luke 12:18–19 (KJV)
And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
God’s response was different.
Luke 12:20–21 (KJV)
But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
The man had spent his life accumulating treasure for himself. Jesus calls attention instead to being “rich toward God.” That fits closely with the teaching in Matthew 6. The question is not simply whether a person possesses wealth. It is whether his life is organized around accumulating things for himself or serving God with what he has been given.
An Inheritance Is Reserved in Heaven
The New Testament also describes the believer’s future in terms of an inheritance.
Peter writes:
1 Peter 1:3–5 (KJV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
The language echoes Jesus’ description of treasure that cannot be corrupted or stolen. Peter’s inheritance is incorruptible. It is undefiled. It does not fade away. And it is reserved in heaven. This is not something the believer purchases through good works. Peter places it in the context of God’s mercy, Christ’s resurrection and salvation through faith.
That distinction helps keep the whole subject in its proper place.
Laying Up Treasure Does Not Mean Earning Salvation
The Bible does not teach that a person earns eternal life by accumulating enough good works.
Paul could hardly have stated the point more directly:
Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Salvation is a gift.
But Paul does not stop there.
Ephesians 2:10 (KJV)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
The good works come as part of the life of someone who has been saved. They are not the price of admission.
Paul makes the same point to Titus:
Titus 3:8 (KJV)
This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
The distinction is important when reading Jesus’ words about heavenly treasure. He was not giving His followers a way to buy eternal life. He was teaching people who follow Him to live with eternity in view.
What Does It Mean to Lay Up Treasure in Heaven?
By this point, the New Testament has given us a fairly consistent picture.
Heavenly treasure is connected with the things God values and rewards: generosity, faithful service, sacrifice, perseverance, obedience, love, and work done for Christ. Scripture also speaks of crowns, future glory and an inheritance reserved in heaven.
To lay up treasure in heaven, then, means to use the life God has given us in ways that have lasting value before Him.
When we give generously rather than hold everything for ourselves, Scripture says we are laying up in store.
When we serve someone who cannot repay us, God sees it.
When we pray without an audience, the Father sees it.
When we endure hardship rather than abandon Christ, Scripture says there is a reward in heaven.
When we use our time, possessions and abilities in the service of God, our labor is not in vain.
When we help someone come to Christ, Scripture speaks of harvest, joy and reward.
When we remain faithful in work that nobody notices, God does not forget it.
And when we do these things simply to be seen by other people, Jesus warns that the praise of men may be the only reward we receive.
That brings us back to the words Jesus spoke in the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 6:21 (KJV)
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Jesus’ teaching was about more than where a person keeps his possessions. He was addressing what a person values and what that value does to the direction of his life.
Earthly treasure is temporary. It can be lost, stolen or destroyed. What is done faithfully for God is different. Scripture does not tell us to earn salvation by building up a storehouse of good deeds. Salvation rests on Christ and is received by grace through faith. But Scripture is equally clear that the life of a believer matters. God sees the generosity, the service, the sacrifice, the suffering, the work and the quiet acts of faithfulness that may never be noticed by anyone else. He does not forget them.
And that is the sense in which Jesus told His followers to lay up for themselves treasures in heaven.
– By SAP for almondtreerod.com