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The special object and "Divine purpose in the Gospel of Matthew is to set forth the Lord as Yahveh's King" who shall return at the sound of the 7th Trump and establish the Kingdom of God upon the earth.

To that end, those who love and serve the King of kings in this final generation have a part in preparing the way for His return at the second advent and though they seek not glory for themselves, they shall be richly rewarded for the wonderful works they do according to His will, which rewards we read of in the Eight Beatitudes.

Not only that, it is also written that He has made them kings and priests to reign with Him on the earth (Rev. 5:10 "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.")

Since the beginning of the 5th chapter of Matthew, we have been studying the in-depth teachings of Jesus Christ in what is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount, which we noted from the beginning is not "general instruction to the multitudes" but rather "personal instruction to His disciples" who follow Him and seek to hear His voice and obey His commands.

(Matthew 5:1 "And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him.")

Isn't it interesting that when we see Hollywood movies depicting Christ giving the Sermon on the Mount, we see Him either standing before throngs of people or walking through the crowds.

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

As background for what we will be learning today we should be reminded that Satan, the king of Tyrus, effectively used prosperity and merchandising (Ezek. 28:16), i.e. trafficking, in the first earth age to draw (chata) one third of God's children (Rev. 12:4) away from the mercy seat of truth and justice.

And you know what?

He's doing a pretty good job accomplishing the same thing at the end of this earth age too, wouldn't you say?

Are you familiar with the riches of the great harlot in Revelation 18 who makes the whole world spiritually drunken and the merchants of the earth to become rich through the abundance of her delicacies?

Rev. 18:3 "For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies."

However, a "wise" person, even one who has read the great Book of Ecclesiastes (Christ will mention Solomon in this teaching), knows that this flesh age and all that is contained herein is "vanity", emptiness, i.e. it is TEMPORAL for it shall ALL pass away at the sound of the 7th Trump... including these flesh bodies (1 Cor. 15:51-52).

So while many of our brothers and sisters spend an inordinate amount of their time seeking security and peace of mind in the "system", with all its retirement funds and insurances with assurances, entitlements, etc., God's elect are busy doing their Father's will knowing full well that though they must live in this world, their heart and soul are not of this world.

In other words, God's elect look past this flesh and all that it has to offer because they know that there is NOTHING in this world that can compare to the riches and glory of the kingdom of God.

[20] But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

The Greek word for "treasures" is "thesauros" which is #G2344 in your Strong's Concordance and means; a deposit, that is, wealth, (literally or figuratively):--treasure.

So let's keep this real simple and use an example.

When you "lay up" or make a deposit into the bank or your 401k you stand the chance of losing it, slowly through inflation and taxation or having it ripped off by thieves.

I think the ex-employees of Enron, once the largest corporation in America, will attest to the crooks and thieves stealing their treasures, i.e. their retirement money!

That is not to say that we should not have retirement accounts or wisely plan for the future, etc.
However, we should always be wiser that the serpent and know where our true trust and security and peace of mind do lie, eternally.

Dr. Luke's account gives us great insight into the answer, i.e. how to "lay up treasures" in heaven.

It is actually very simple if you have eyes to see. Christ says to "Sell thatLuke 12: you have, and give alms".

How you do your "selling" depends on the talents you have which have been given unto you

(Matthew 25:29 "For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.").

Luke 12:33 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.

The word "bags" is #G905 and means a pouch (for money) and to "wax not old" means it will never wear out.

You see, when you make a spiritual deposit in heaven there is no one who can take it from you.

It is yours for all eternity.

Then too, the "wise" also know that the time is soon coming, the hour of darkness, when Satan, the spurious messiah, is here defacto and no one will be able to spiritually "buy or sell" unless he or she is part of and has the authority of (the name of) the beast!

That leaves God's elect out, doesn't it?

Rev. 13:17 "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

The bottom line to all of this is,

"Where and with whom does your heart lie?"

In what and in whom do you put your trust and security?

Do you desire more to make deposits in the First Bank and Trust Co. or is your number one priority to love and serve your Father by declaring His righteousness, thereby making deposits in the First Bank of Heaven?

Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Live Link to- The Sermon on the Mount

Always Remember: Your righteous acts are the only things you can take with you when you leave the flesh

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals. We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

The American Wisdom Series

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Published by:

Rhine Publishing Co.
E-mail address - americanwisdomseries@verizon.net
Here at the American Wisdom Series our goal is to make you think about and question the wisdom of the current:
doctrine of many of our Christian churches, (The Man on a White Horse)
political direction of our country, (The Man on a Red Horse)
economic direction our country has taken, (The Man on a Black Horse)
and teaching of our schools and media, (The Man on a Pale Horse)

The Four Hidden Dynasties of the New World Order Revelation 6:1-8
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"
Did you know all four are being ridden by Satan?