Confirmation

SERMON - You have a Treasure for Service

INI

I. Store up Treasure in Heaven

Text: Matthew 6:19-21

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

In Christ Jesus, our Priceless Treasure, dear fellow redeemed, but especially on this day—our Confirmands:

Treasure—of what do you first think when you hear that word? Do you envision Johnny Depp in the movie “The Pirates of the Caribbean” standing amidst piles and piles of gold coins, jeweled goblets, and gemmed necklaces? I think that is probably what most people think about when they hear that word treasure. On the other hand at our Friday Men’s Morning Bible Study we considered Proverbs 21:20, which reads, “There is desirable treasure…in the dwelling of the wise.” Rather quickly one husband and father suggested that among a man’s true treasures are his wife and children and the time he is able to spend with them.

Treasure—I suppose as we consider our text, it really does not matter what you and I think of when we hear the words, but rather what does Jesus have in mind when He tells us “not (to) lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…; but (rather to) lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” The context of these words in Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” suggests that Jesus had in mind three different categories of “treasures on earth” that we are not to lay up: the good opinions and favors of men, money, and then all of the things money can buy. “Treasures in heaven,” are not so clearly defined, but rather are described in this manner as “the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (cf. Matthew 6:33). This morning, as we consider the thought—YOU HAVE A TREASURE FOR SERVICE, let us focus on Jesus’ command to store up treasure in heaven and explore, first, those seeming treasures of this earth, but then the much superior treasures of God’s kingdom and His righteousness.

I.

Jesus says: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” It is always dangerous and foolish to narrow our view of treasure in this life to the flattery of men and the material things of this world—highly fashionable and expensive clothing, valuable pieces of art and fine furniture, luxury cars, jewels, stocks and bonds, silver and gold. It is dangerous, because as Jesus flatly states in His sermon shortly after saying the words of our text: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (money)” (cf. Matthew 6:24). It is all too easy to be misled by the praise of men and to be enamored by the things of this world and quite frankly to begin to worship them—loving them, trusting in them, finding our joy and hope in them…rather than in God. It is foolish to do so, however, because all of these material things do not last and are subject to corruption and ultimate destruction.

You will notice that Pastor Eichstadt and I are not wearing our white robes this morning, something we have customarily done in the past. The reason is because when I took my robe to the cleaners this past week, I discovered an assortment of holes in the cloth. The lady at the dry cleaners commented that it looked like moths must have gotten into my closet and eaten part of the fabric, thus ruining the robe and causing me a bit of distress, since that robe had been hand-made by my mother upon my graduation from the Seminary twenty-eight years ago. It was a good object lesson, however, for me not to “lay up treasures on earth, where moths…destroy!”

The word that Jesus used and is translated as “rust” in our English Bibles, literally means “eating away,” and so Jesus was probably not thinking of metal corrosion as do we when we think about rust. Rather, in the agricultural setting of the day, He was probably thinking about how grain stored away in a granary might be eaten away by rats or mice, or how various food products can be contaminated by worms or other vermin. There is a perfect example of what Jesus probably had in mind described in this week’s edition of World magazine. In an article entitled “Tiny Bandits” a situation that arose recently in the Central Bank of India was described. A man by the name of Dwarika Prasad had been keeping his entire life’s savings, made up of paper money and investment notes, in a safe deposit box. Termites infested the box and ate his savings. Authorities at the bank say they are not responsible, noting that they had done their job of keeping his belongings safe from human threat.

Dear friends…dear Confirmands: You can buy the most expensive car available, but in time you will have to replace it, for it will grow old and begin to rust. You can own the most exquisite clothing, but fabric wears and tears, and body sizes change and that which causes so much joy simply does not fit and is unusable. You can make millions…even billions of dollars, but you cannot use a debit card in the grave. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

II.

The apostle Paul says, “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). You cannot put a dollar value on the greatest of treasures. The men who met for Bible Study this past Friday were correct in identifying a man’s wife and children and the time he spends with them as a great treasure in his dwelling and a great gift from God in heaven above. Jesus is indeed our priceless treasure, for our relationship with Him by virtue of our faith in Him brings us the forgiveness of our sins, the promise of His presence in our hearts while we live on this earth, and the gift of everlasting life in heaven after we die. You cannot put a price tag on these blessings, nor can they ever be taken away from you. Be wise and count them as treasures!

But how do we store up treasure in heaven? Up to this point I have simply identified for you the nature of true treasure. Storing up treasure involves looking ahead and implementing a plan for the future. The apostle Paul, in writing to Timothy, warns us that “those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:9-10a). Notice that Paul does not say that “money” is a root of all kinds of evil, but that rather “the love of money” or our possible attitude towards money is the problem. Paul goes on, however, just a few verses later to discuss what Jesus meant by “storing up” treasure in heaven. He writes: “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, (and now note the following words) storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19). Dear friends and Confirmands—you and I store up treasure in heaven, when we in faith recognize our Lord’s will and use everything we have—our time, our talents, and our treasures—to love and to serve and to help others! YOU HAVE A TREASURE FOR SERVICE—store up treasure in heaven! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting

II. Present Yourselves in Service to God

Text: Romans 12:1-8

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

In the name of Jesus—our Savior whom we serve—dear fellow servants of Christ, dear confirmands:

You remember the story of Hannah (Nicole mentioned the story in her presentation last week). You remember how Hannah prayed mightily and repetitively for the gift of a son. As she prayed she promised that if God would give her that treasure of a son, she would give him back to the Lord in service to Him. The rest of the story is exactly that. God gave her Samuel, she gave him back to the Lord for service, and Samuel became a great prophet and the last judge in the history of God’s Old Testament people. Samuel was a God-given treasure who served the Lord.

Dan talked about stewardship in his presentation last week. We are told by God that we are to make good and faithful use of all that He has given us. Good stewardship is living, not for ourselves, but for Christ and giving gifts and service back to Him from all that He so richly gives to us—our abilities, our time, and other resources.

You have a treasure. What will you do with it? You heard about this treasure through the Words of God and Pastor Nolting. You know that God encourages you to store up treasure in heaven and not here on earth. In connection with the treasure that you’re storing up in heaven, the Gospel is the treasure of which God has made you stewards above everything else. God says that we are “…stewards of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1).

Your treasure is not your confirmation. Your treasure that you are storing up and that you use really has nothing exclusively to do with this day. Your treasure is found in the Word of God you have studied and the Word you will continue to study. You have the treasure of God’s Word, you’re storing up treasures in Heaven through that Word, and God encourages you to present your body as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. [v.1]

Paul is pretty emphatic when he says “I beseech you, I plead with you, I implore you!” In other words, it is vitally important that you don’t let your treasure go to waste, but that you present your bodies, your life, and everything about you as a sacrifice to God. It is a reasonable service, it’s what we do. It’s not a thunderous command from God that is burdensome saying, “I’ve given you this, now you must use it!” Rather, it’s a joyful service that naturally occurs out of thankful hearts.

God has richly and abundantly blessed you with the Gospel, with all of your own individual gifts, abilities, and resources. God says, “Use these things for My glory. Use it to serve Me and not selfishly for yourself, but for Christ.” This service means being willing to sacrifice.

Paul says, present yourselves “living sacrifices.” In your vows, twice you promised that you would serve Your Lord even to the point of death. Prayerfully martyrdom will never be anything you will have to face. It is easy to stand here in the United States in Mankato and promise “I will give up my life for Christ if I need to.” If we ever found ourselves in that position may God give each of us strength to fulfill that promise.

Being willing to lay down our lives is the “big and dramatic.” God calls upon us to serve Him and to sacrifice ourselves, not just if it’s a life and death situation, but in little ways too.

When it comes to how you will spend your time from this day forward and all the way through adulthood, will you sacrifice time that you could spend on yourselves and use that time to serve God instead? Will you sacrifice something you’d really like in order to serve and use your treasure for God’s purposes? You are stewards of your money, talents, and whatever resources God may bless you with. It’s easy to use all of these things for ourselves, but those who have the treasures are called upon to sacrifice and to live as a sacrifice in service to our Lord.

Part of that service is, as Paul describes, to not be conformed to this world. “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” [v.2] How we live reflects our Savior. What people see in us is what they will see about our Lord and our God. You could go with the flow. You could be just like everyone else around you. You could follow the corruption that is in the world. You could find humor and entertainment in the same sin as the world. You could pursue and enjoy the same kind of TV, movies, and style of living. You could mold your lives and make them look just like everyone else’s in the world. But you have a treasure which means that you are enabled to serve. You are enabled not to be conformed to the world and look like everyone else, but be transformed by the love of Christ to serve Him.

You have thousands of peers with whom you could conform and blend right in, but that will not glorify God. Be transformed and be a witness to God as you serve Your Savior. It is the Word of God you study that will accomplish that transformation.

As you serve your Lord, God also warns against pride. “I say…to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” [v.3]

God certainly condemns pride in general, but also “faith pride.” What is faith pride? Faith pride is a proud spirit that assumes that because I am confirmed I have reached the pinnacle in my study of God’s Word. Faith pride is a pride that relies on my knowledge that I have attained in my study of God’s Word and therefore concludes I don’t need all of the Bible stuff that I needed when I was a little boy or a little girl. Faith pride is the attitude that says, “Going to Sunday School and studying the Bible is for kids, I’m an adult, I don’t need it.” Faith pride is seen in the sobering statistics of how many confirmands such as yourselves are not seen in worship services after their confirmation, do not partake of the sacrament, and eventually drift from the truth of God’s Word.

As you make your way into adulthood you will be making choices that put your schedules, your work, and your play alongside time spent in God’s Word, worship, study, and receiving the sacraments. Sinful pride will make you choose all of those other things over your Savior. Paul says, “Don’t do it—don’t think more highly of yourselves than you ought to think.”

A truthful evaluation of ourselves leads us to recognize our great weaknesses. To the Corinthians Paul wrote, “we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (1 Corinthians 4:7). That means we have this wonderful treasure of God in spite of our weakness. We need to go back to the Word of God continually—no matter how much we know—to be convicted in our sins by the Law and restored by the message of forgiveness in the Gospel.

You have a reason to serve. Christ’s purpose is that we all become His witnesses and share the Gospel with everyone whom we meet. God has a purpose for each of you because each of you is a part of a body. “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” [vv.4-5]

As you serve your Savior you are serving all of your fellow believers—those in this building and beyond. We need you. You are part of our body, part of Christ’s body, part of the same body we are in. That means if you stop your service there is a part of the body that is not working and all of the rest of us need you.

There are boards of leaders in our congregation, there are voters, there are Sunday School teachers, there are Vacation Bible School teachers, there are volunteers that are needed in all sorts of ways in our ministry and you are not too young to serve. You are not unable. You are part of the body of Christ. You are part of this congregation. You have the treasure and you have the opportunity to serve using your gifts and your abilities. This opportunity is yours—even now before “official adulthood”—to serve your Lord and be part of the body of Christ as indeed you are.

Finally, Paul tells us how to serve. Whatever gifts you have, use them! If the gift of prophecy, then prophesy; if you have the gift of ministry, then minister; if teaching, then teach; if exhortation, then exhort; if giving, then do so generously; if leading, then lead with diligence; and if mercy, then show mercy with cheerfulness. Whatever your gift is—use it! Don’t try to be someone else, don’t view your service as a competition with someone else. Simply use your gifts!

Every single one of you has gifts given by God. Some of them overlap, some are unique, and you are beginning to discover them. They have begun to show themselves in the last years of training in Doctrine Class an in Confirmation class. As you go forward into high school and beyond, you will continue to discover more of what God has given you in terms of gifts and abilities. God calls you to use those gifts for His glory. Whatever gifts you discover, whatever they may be, use them faithfully, use them joyfully, and in service to Your Lord.

All of this comes to us by grace—the privilege to serve and the treasure itself. You have a treasure in heaven. You have gifts. It is your awesome opportunity as a child of God to present yourselves in service to the Lord and to do so with joy. Amen.

—Pastor Wayne C. Eichstadt