Storing Treasures in Heaven

e praise God brothers and sisters it's nice to be in the house of the Lord um I'd like to read today from Deuteronomy chapter 28 verses 1 to two now it shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God to observe carefully all his Commandments which I command you today that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth and all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you because you obey the V the the voice of the Lord your God you know a lot of people think there's really nothing in it for them you know when when they become Christians they think that it's a there is just a hard life it's boring you know there's nothing in it for them but the bible promises to us if we obey the Lord's commands we will be set high above all the nations you know we will receive blessings we will receive good health uh there's a whole list that uh goes on if you keep reading this chapter um but you receive blessings and this is one thing there's there's a large misconception that people think uh just because you obey God's commands you know they think that you might not receive anything for it but it says here clearly that you can receive the blessings of the Lord uh so with that being said today uh let's keep that in mind and let's stand up and pray Lord God we thank you for this service you've given us today and for this morning Lord thank you God we ask you and we pray fill his SP the Holy Spirit God and help us to learn what is being taught here today Lord and not to forget it Lord but to learn from it and to become better followers of Christ through Lord we ask you God bless the singing bless the preaching today Lord we ask you in Jesus name we pray amen amen and good morning church as we stand we're going to be singing a song by the name of above all [Music] powers above all po above all King above all nature and all created things above all wisdom and all the ways of [Music] men you were here before the world began above all kingom [Music] above all Thrones above all wonders the world does ever know above all wealth and Treasures of the [Music] earth there's no way to measure what your word [Music] crfi L behind the stone you made to die rejected and alone like a ro trampled on the ground you took the fall and thought of me Above All Above All poers Above All Kings above all nature and all Crea above all wisdom and all the ways of men you are here before the world [Music] began Above All kingom Above All Thrones above all wonders the world has ever know above all well and trees of the [Music] earth there a way to measure what you're [Music] worthy L behind the sto to die rejected and alone my cor trampled on the ground the fall God Of Me Above All crucified laid behind the sto you live to die rejected and alone like a rose trampled on the ground he took the fall and thought of [Music] me above all Marvel is grace of our love loing Lord Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt Yonder on calvar Mount outpour there where the blood of the Lamb was [Music] SP Grace Grace God's Grace Grace th will parten in within Grace Grace God's Grace Grace that is greater than all our sins marvelous infinite matchless praise freely bestowed on all who believe you who are longing to see his face will you this moment his grace receive gra Grace God's Grace Grace that will paron and cleanse with him Grace Grace God's Grace Grace that iser than all our sin Grace Grace God's grace red out of paren and cleans Within gra Grace God's Grace Grace that is greater than all our sin praise the Lord brothers and sisters for this morning you know even though it's raining it's a promise from God so praise the Lord and um I'm going to read the Bible verse in Deuteronomy 6: 6-7 and it says here these Commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts impress them on your children talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road when you lie down and when you get up praise God and I also want to announce our prayam for this morning we will have brother Mike sing a testimony for us um and then we will have brother Daniel sing a song right after that and then uh at the very end we'll have brother Tim continuing his series God bless well hello everybody hello I don't know everyone here but uh I'm glad that I'm here glad you're all here well I've been going through my struggles and trials in my life and uh trying trying to get the right kind of job trying to get myself on track trying to get out of my problems stumbling and falling and somewhat failing maybe in ways but I put my faith in God and I've been praying and I've been trying and I've been trying this trying that and it's happened sooner than I thought so I got a I got a job I was working with Chicago Connection pizza but it's a lowp paying job and it's not enough to pay my bills but it was enough to do something with with that I can have in the meantime so I got with I was on indeed and I found a job I called the guy and uh he never answered but the last day I worked was Wednesday and then I had a Miss call from Nikolai is his name and uh I called him back and he wanted to give me an interview this was like a nine at night when I got off of work and uh when I got there he just we had a really good conversation uh he just hired me on the spot really and it just uplifted me and um it's a very big relief not to have those kind of worries about what am I going to do you know but I knew in in my heart and everything else that this would eventually happen but not just what I have to put you know my effort into it you know and pray and everything and keep myself focused done what I need to do and be determined and confident and everything and I just I praise the Lord for this you know yeah and I start my job Tuesday and um yeah I'm ready it's like I was telling Tim you know it's like I remember back when I was in high school I was afraid to get up in front of people you know it's kind of funny you know like yeah I was like really scared like oh I don't know what am I because you had to come up with a speech like a topic about something and I I I didn't do it you know like yeah yeah praise God always I guess I'm finished with what I because if I if I ain't careful I'll talk and talk and talk yeah for [Music] Lord you left the Splender of Heaven a crown of Rome and the throne but what kind of love would lead you to leave the safety of of that kind of home I know that you willingly suffered but why would you suffer for me I know what I am and I don't understand how I could be worth Calvary [Music] when you knew I was lost and you knew that a cross was the price you have to pay when we cried crucified Lord you didn't have to die but you did it anyway [Music] now I'll never see what you saw in me cuz you knew I would never be perfect but I'm just so glad that somehow you thought I was worth it Lord some times I feel like a vessel just useless old pces of clay but somehow you saw more something worth dying for you paid more than you should have paid when you knew I was lost and you knew that a cross was the price You' have to pay when we CED crucified Lord you didn't have to die but you did it [Music] anyway now I'll never see what you saw in me because you knew I would never be perfect but I'm just so glad that somehow you thought I was worth now I'll never see what you saw in me cuz you know what I would never be perfect but I'm just so glad that somehow you thought I was worth it but I'm just so glad that somehow you thought I was worth it praise God praise God my dear friends uh we're going to be continuing the Book of James and I hope everybody has their Bibles with them if you don't we have some Bibles for you so I would like for all of us to open up to the first chapter of James um in the Bible that is given out that's page 1,496 um so let's turn to that but we're going to be reading from passages 9 to 12 and you know sometimes sometimes we wonder that or like sometimes we hear that um that wealth is a sign of God's blessing and poverty is a curse but James he actually challenges that idea you know um like in today's world we see very very successful rich men and women that are just UT Al depressed um they the the wealth that they have doesn't bring them happiness nor does it bring them joy and and so over here when James he's talking to his church there might be some kind of I would say somebody's maybe uplifting himself because he has more than somebody else and James wants to make it clear that that's not the case you know it's not about how much money you have the real issue is where do we place our hearts the rich are often harder to to convince about Jesus because they are not in need yet sometimes times they are the most in need they are the most in need while the poor you know having less to hold on to is more open to receiving God in his life so i' would like for us to to open up to James chapter 1 and we'll be reading from passages 9-2 let the lowly let the lowly uh brother glory in his exaltation but the rich in his humiliation because as the flower of the field he will pass away for no sooner the sun risen with with heat then it Withers the grass with burning heat then it Withers the grass it's its flower Falls and its beautiful appearance perishes so the rich man also will fade away in his Pursuits blesses the man who endures Temptation for when he has been approved he will receive the Crown of Life which the Lord has promised to those who love him you know in second Corinthians we don't need to open this passage 129 it says my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness and the Jesus also says blessed are the poor in spirit blessed are the poor in spirit why because they are the ones who understand that they need something greater than what they have right and so over here passage n says let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation when over here it says lowly brother it refers to a person that's that's maybe of the low status in this Society that's that's uh not popular that's not on the TV that's not the person that that everybody is looking at and and says oh I want to be like this guy maybe living paycheck to paycheck struggling to make ends meet maybe this person has to go into debt to pay for his or her mortgage just struggling through life but over here James opens up that your struggle my struggle the lowly brother is not forever he will be exalted when Jesus comes glory in your exaltation when you are saved just know that you're not going to be poor in heaven you're going to have a lot more than what you have here you know our identity and our worth is not found in our possessions you know in this world we see that people show their worth and their identity by how much money they have in their bank account because the more they have it seems the more power they have have you know uh they're they're able to to control corporations they're able to you know like I would say um like walk over the little guy they have so much money that they're able to even sway the mind of top leaders in the world but what we see is that their possessions the identity in their wealth and power does not bring them happiness a lot of them when you look at their lives have a very sad life and over here James is saying to the poor if you don't have much Rejoice Rejoice because your life is temporary on this Earth You will be exalted at Salvation and you will receive great rewards Matthew 13 it says over here the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field which a man found and hid and for Joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field so what is that field what is this man doing that he sells everything to get at this field it says the Kingdom of Heaven there's some people who know that the Kingdom of Heaven offer the offers them a lot more than what we have here and they are willing to go and sacrifice all they have to receive Jesus into their life they they are willing to be rejected by their friends to receive Jesus into their life you know I personally have a friend from a Muslim background his parents are Muslim his relatives are Muslim he's the only one who turned his life to Christ and he lost everything his parents kicked him out his uncle's ants turned on him he lost everything he sold everything of the world to receive the Kingdom of Heaven because he knew that he has a greater reward in heaven and sometimes my dear friends in order to receive that reward in order to receive that Kingdom we have to accept the fact that we will lose our friends those who are dear to us and close to us because they chose another path but you know the the true inheritance that we can make being poor or rich is the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven is selling all selling our friendships our possessions if we need to just to accept Jesus Christ you know it also seems in James 2:5 James 25 just the next chapter it says that has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and Heirs of the Kingdom which he prom promise to those who love him look at that it says here and hirs of the Kingdom or inheritors of the Kingdom you know when we look at the life of the Apostles when we look at the life of those who who turn this world up upside down they were of the poor we don't see Jesus coming down and choosing you know Herod the the king you know those around him okay guys you have so much influence let's spread the gospel no he didn't choose none of them he chose those of the poor of the L LLY to spread the the good news of Salvation because those who are of the lowly are the ones who receive it with an open heart this Earth will pass away our possessions will pass away everything that that we have here will pass away but my dear friend where is our true treasure Treasures where are our true Treasures that's the question where are our true Treasures is it on this Earth or are we storing them up in heaven and over here in passage 10 it says but the rich in his humiliation because as a flower of the field he will pass away but the rich in his humiliation you know James warns the rich over here not to trust in their wealth why because we all know riches they come they go they will fade away they will we will not be taking them with us when we are dead you know one of the richest man Warren Buffett he's almost a hundred years billionaire invested his whole life into gaining wealth divorced his wife left his children just so he can get richer well at the end of the day they ask him what was your biggest mistake what was your biggest mistake in your career and he says leaving my wife at the end of his life he realizes that the things that God gave him were the most important in his life and everything else that he tried to gain he cannot take any of that with him he cannot take any of that with him so our wealth here is going to pass away it's temporary but eternity eternity is forever eternity is forever and over here James tells the rich glory in your humiliation you know being wealthy is not bad we know in the Bible job was a very wealthy man very wealthy man and influential we know Daniel was a very wealthy man he was like in the senator or like whatever he was in the in the Kingdom very wealthy man but you see these men they knew where to put their trust in they knew who to submit to they knew where to store up their Treasures that's why when God tested them when they were going through trials and they lost everything they were not shaken they even grew stronger in God and once again wealth is a false I'll say false picture or for like an illusion of of happiness and joy but those that had something and lost it you can testify today how easy it is to lose you know I have a friend who who was asking for advice he was looking for a house and stuff like that his um uh like he he was having more kids he needed a a bigger home and and I say you know go get yourself a bigger house I mean you have the money you know he he was telling me that he's invested into stocks he's working at Micron and in Micron they they have this program where some of your paycheck they they invest into their stocks and so he's been working them for for 10 12 years so he has all these [Music] stocks but he's not buying what he needs at the moment and I'm like brother go and get what you need just understand money comes money goes it doesn't stay forever you know and he didn't listen and um a couple of months later he's running to me and he's like Tim did you look at the stock market I'm like no what's happening it's crashing all that money I've been saving for 10 years I lost already half of it I'm like listen with that half you could have already had what you wanted you know some people live to save to save to save to grow grow but as we know over here the Bible teaches us that it all perishes it all perishes it runs away it comes and it goes live in the moment live for God store up your Treasures in Heaven in uh you know I would say that the the true joy and peace that we have nobody can give it to you not I I can't give you joy and peace you know there's there's like some people that that that I'll you know maybe help but I can't change their hearts I can't change their walk with God but if we start putting our trust in God in Christ you will see how he will exalt you and people in this world they kill over wealth countries they War uh when we read in the scriptures over gold countries would War right now it's the same thing over oil over this over that countries War for money but in Revelation 21:21 it says that in heaven the streets are made out of gold the thing that the countries are killing each other over today in heaven that's pavement do not store your Treasures in pavement if somebody right now told me Tim look at this pavement I have and he's just so happy I would have said poor are you sad man are you and that's what people are doing right now you know they're so happy having this pavement when God wants to offer each one of us here much more not only Sal ation to be saved but to receive rewards the Crown of Life the true Treasures that we cannot receive from anybody here and there's this one um Sportsman like his name I know a lot of the younger people uh know him but his name is Ashton Genty and um he's a Boise State running back and like one of the reporters asked him hey Ashton so so how do you identify yourself you're doing so great you're like you're going to get the Heisman this and that and that and he stops her and he's like I don't identify myself in anything on this world but I identify myself as a True Believer in Jesus Christ a Christian and it's nice to see that even these people having having more than than Allah lot know their identity they know their identity their identity is not in his skill or in his possessions their identity is in Christ in mine in your identity if we have Jesus Christ in our life it should be only in Christ only in Christ because he is the one who's going to give us the true inheritance the True Rewards that we're that we're storing but the question is are we storing for no sooner passage 11 has the sun risen with a burning heat and it Withers the grass its flower Falls and its beautiful appearance per perishes so the rich man also will fade away in his Pursuits like once I said again it's it's not wrong or bad to be rich it's just when people become rich they put their mind and their heart on their riches a lot of sometimes a believer that tastes wealth that wealth it slowly separates him from the true relationship with God that's why when we have anything when God gives us anything we have to know that's a gift from him be it where we're staying at be it what we're wearing that's a gift from him that's a gift from him and never to to cling onto things in this world knowing that one day it will perish so how do we how do we invest into the Kingdom of Heaven once again it says the rich glory in in your humiliation how does a rich glory in his humiliation and a poor Glory in his exaltation how well we heard to store up our Treasures in Heaven and how do we do that that's to serve Christ you know Jesus when he came he said I did not come to be served but I came to serve and when we have the heart of Christ when we have the heart of God in our life our mission as Christians is to serve to serve at church to serve outside to serve others what does the Bible says when you give water to the to the Thirsty one you will not lose your reward it's as easy as that we don't have to put a dollar into it serving Christ is free free and that's how we store up Treasures in Heaven when we serve him when we serve each other through Jesus Christ knowing that whatever we're doing for others we were we're doing that for him that is how a rich man walks in his humiliation is by understanding that whatever God gave him with that he's going to serve he's going to serve there was a very rich man he wrote a book and he had a huge company and he was said you know Lord I'm going to give 10% to you and he was serving and then he gave more and more more and more and in that book he said he started giving 90% to serving God from all that he had and 10% for him and it was enough I'm not saying my dear friends that go and do 90% give everything away you know God he knows how much you can serve but all I'm saying is that serving God is free doesn't cost a dollar but before we can serve God we have to lay the right out say ground we have to be unstable ground and how do we become unstable ground how does a poor man and a rich man become unstable ground is when we truly have a a relationship with our Lord and Jesus our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ you know if we don't have a prayer life we need to start one if we don't have a prayer life we need to start one we need to start laying laying that that I'll say ground under our feet who needs to start playing that I say rocks or something that can that can hold us up when we are able to go and Minister and not be shaken also how do we before we can go and serve what are we supposed to do we're supposed to learn learn learn the Bible learn who God is learn what he wants from us and then it doesn't matter who you are poor Rich middle class but once we learn Lord this is what you need for me we go and serve you know like I said serving is free and we can serve in our church you can serve in your church you can serve in your communities you know but that is the thing that Jesus did he came to serve and and I would just like to to end off saying that we need to start living in the mindset when we are serving for God understanding that we are doing this for him when we are serving at church when we are serving outside when we are serving where we are when we are ministering to our friends when we are at work everything we are doing it's because of God it's for him and you will see God sees that God sees that and it says that in Colossians 3:23 is that God sees wherever you are how you're how you're serving and how you're living when we invest in the in God's kingdom we are storing Treasures that will last forever love God live a holy Life share Jesus and help help those in need that is the best investment you and I can make and as a rich man on Earth and a poor man on Earth this is the way we Glory our father and our King and with those words let's pray amen e and as we stand we're going to sing the song by the name of there is a fountain filled with blood [Music] there is a fountain f with blood drawn from me made your SP and siners plunged that flood loose all their guilty stay loose all their guilty [Music] St lose all their guilty St and sers pled beeath that flood loose all their gift stay the ding feet Rejoice to see that fountain in his day and there I go I see wash all my sins away was all my sins [Music] away wash all my sins away and there where have I go last see was my sins away here die lamb thy preious blood shall never lose it to all the red of Church of God be sa to S no more be safe to S no more be save to sin no Lord till all the ransome Church of God we sa to S no more there s by faith I saw the street thy flow [Music] wound great deing love has been my fee and shall be till high God and shall be till I die and shall be till I die [Music] leing love has been my and sh be God praise God praise God my dear friends uh today we we're going through passages 9 through 11 next week we will continue 12 12 to 18 but I just want to remind us that don't live for what will perish live for what is eternal Eternal and I think everybody understood what that is today um I'm not going to repeat myself but if anybody has any needs um we'll pray for you if anybody wants to share any needs we'll pray for you if anybody is sick and you want us to pray for you we will do that um so does anybody have any needs yes Alan okay okay amen okay yeah yeah Amen to that and uh we'll pray for Allan uh for those that didn't hear on online uh he just came out of a hospital he had a nervous uh breakdown and uh he's saying for us to pray for him and he's at a shelter staying and he's asking for for prayers that God you know uh puts his protection upon him there and also maybe gets him something better right something better okay anybody else if not then yes okay we'll pray okay elizar elizar okay elizar okay we'll pray for elizar as well Lord God we thank you for today God that we could come together and and listen God to your word and and worship you and praise your Holy Name Lord God we also thankful are so thankful God that you loved us that you saved us Lord God and if there's somebody here Lord God that is still not saved Lord God may you touch their heart may you touch their heart Lord Jesus may you open up to them and may you save them Lord God Lord we thank you Lord for this wonderful morning God and we're praying for the needs Lord would give these needs into your hands Lord for for Allan Lord we're praying God we're praying for him God you see his struggles Lord you see his needs you see you see what he needs Lord God we ask for you to come out and bless him bless him give him give him good health Lord God God and also protect him where he is Lord God and Lord if it's possible get him out of that shelter and get him a a place to live and a place to stay in Lord you bless him Lord God because we know we know you have the power to do that Lord and we also pray for elizar Lord God may you bless him as well Lord may he may he pass his uh driving test in his job and everything God may you bless him and have protection upon him and the and Lord I uh bless the rest of this day in Jesus name we pray amen Our Father in heaven Hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us lead us not into temptation but Deliver Us from the evil one for your kingdom your power and Glory forever are yours amen