Sermon on the Mount – Treasures in heaven – God’s gift

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THE HOLY BIBLE

Matt. 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.

Isa. 39:1, 2, 5-6 (NLT)

Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent Hezekiah his best wishes and a gift. . . . Hezekiah was delighted with the Babylonian envoys and showed them everything in his treasure-houses—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his armory and showed them everything in his royal treasuries! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the Lord.

Eccl. 1:2; 2:4, 8, 10-11

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: … I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces… And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

Prov 23:5 (KJV)

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Rev. 18:1, 2, 11-12, 15, 17 (NLT)

I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, . . .He gave a mighty shout: “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons., . . . The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods. She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; . .. ivory goods, objects made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble. The merchants who became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. In a single moment all the wealth of the city is gone!”

Ps. 62:10-11 (NLT)

Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life. Power, O God, belongs to you; unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.

Matt. 5: 40-42, 23-24 (KJV)

And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Luke 10:27, 28 (NLT)

“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.” And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”.. .. Do this and you will live!

Matt. 19:16, 20-23, 27, 29 (NLT)

Someone came to Jesus with this question: “I’ve obeyed all these commandments. What else must I do?” Jesus told him, If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. . . . “Jesus replied, . . . Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.

Luke 12:33 (NLT)

Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.

Prov. 8:10 (NLT)

Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold.

Mark 4:1, 13, 14, 18-20 (NLT)

Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore . . .[and] said to them, . . . The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. . .. The seed that fell among the thorns represents [those] who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. [T]he seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!

James 1:17 (KJV)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Matt. 6:31-33 (NLT)

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Ps. 68:19 (KJV)

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.

Matt. 15:21-22, 24, 26-28 (NLT)

Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.” Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel. . . It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.” “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.

Acts. 8:14, 7, 18, 20 (NLT)

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God’s message, they sent Peter and John there. Many evil spirits were cast out . . . . And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. . . . When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought!

Rom 6:23 (NLT)

[T]he free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

II Cor. 9:15 (NLT)

Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURE, by Mary Baker Eddy

SH 9:17-21

Dost thou “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”? This command includes much, even the surrender of all merely material sensation, affection, and worship.

SH 459:3-8

Paul and John had a clear apprehension that, as mortal man achieves no worldly honors except by sacrifice, so he must gain heavenly riches by forsaking all worldliness. Then he will have nothing in common with the worldling’s affections, motives, and aims.

SH 593:6 (only)

Purse. Laying up treasures in matter; error.

SH 241:5-11

Sensual treasures are laid up “where moth and rust doth corrupt.” Mortality is their doom. Sin breaks in upon them, and carries off their fleeting joys. The sensualist’s affections are as imaginary, whimsical, and unreal as his pleasures. Falsehood, envy, hypocrisy, malice, hate, revenge, and so forth, steal away the treasures of Truth.

SH 239:5

Take away wealth, fame, and social organizations, which weigh not one jot in the balance of God, and we get clearer views of Principle. Break up cliques, level wealth with honesty, let worth be judged according to wisdom, and we get better views of humanity.

SH 326:8

All nature teaches God’s love to man, but man cannot love God supremely and set his whole affections on spiritual things, while loving the material or trusting in it more than in the spiritual.

SH 4:32-2

Whatever materializes worship hinders man’s spiritual growth and keeps him from demonstrating his power over error.

SH 262:17

Job said: “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee.” Mortals will echo Job’s thought, when the supposed pain and pleasure of matter cease to predominate. They will then drop the false estimate of life and happiness, of joy and sorrow, and attain the bliss of loving unselfishly, working patiently, and conquering all that is unlike God. Starting from a higher standpoint, one rises spontaneously, even as light emits light without effort; for “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

SH 25:31

The divinity of the Christ was made manifest in the humanity of Jesus.

SH 26:21

Jesus’ teaching and practice of Truth involved such a sacrifice as makes us admit its Principle to be Love. This was the precious import of our Master’s sinless career and of his demonstration of power over death. He proved by his deeds that Christian Science destroys sickness, sin, and death.

SH 54:8-13, 16-17, 1

All must sooner or later plant themselves in Christ, the true idea of God. That he might liberally pour his dear-bought treasures into empty or sin-filled human storehouses, was the inspiration of Jesus’ intense human sacrifice. … This was the highest proof he could have offered of divine Love. . .. Through the magnitude of his human life, he demonstrated the divine Life. Out of the amplitude of his pure affection, he defined Love. With the affluence of Truth, he vanquished error

SH 518:15-21

The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother’s need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another’s good. Love giveth to the least spiritual idea might, immortality, and goodness, which shine through all as the blossom shines through the bud.

SH 206:15

In the scientific relation of God to man, we find that whatever blesses one blesses all, as Jesus showed with the loaves and the fishes, — Spirit, not matter, being the source of supply.

SH 451:14

Man walks in the direction towards which he looks, and where his treasure is, there will his heart be also. If our hopes and affections are spiritual, they come from above, not from beneath, and they bear as of old the fruits of the Spirit.

SH 70:2-5

The testimony of the corporeal senses cannot inform us what is real and what is delusive, but the revelations of Christian Science unlock the treasures of Truth.

SH 181:29

“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” If you have more faith in drugs than in Truth, this faith will incline you to the side of matter and error.

SH 182:9-11

We cannot obey both physiology and Spirit, for one absolutely destroys the other, and one or the other must be supreme in the affections.

SH 344:19-24

There are various methods of treating disease, which are not included in the commonly accepted systems; but there is only one which should be presented to the whole world, and that is the Christian Science which Jesus preached and practised and left to us as his rich legacy.

SH 109:11-16

For three years after my discovery, I sought the solution of this problem of Mind-healing, searched the Scriptures and read little else, kept aloof from society, and devoted time and energies to discovering a positive rule. The search was sweet, calm, and buoyant with hope, not selfish nor depressing.

SH 192:32-4; 193:9-14

I was called to visit Mr. Clark in Lynn, who had been confined to his bed six months with hip-disease, caused by a fall upon a wooden spike when quite a boy. On entering the house I met his physician, who said that the patient was dying. . . . I went to his bedside. In a few moments his face changed; its death-pallor gave place to a natural hue. The eyelids closed gently and the breathing became natural; he was asleep. In about ten minutes he opened his eyes and said: “I feel like a new man. My suffering is all gone.”

SH 108:1-4

Whence came to me this heavenly conviction, — a conviction antagonistic to the testimony of the physical senses? According to St. Paul, it was “the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power.”

SH 109:24

When a new spiritual idea is borne to earth, the prophetic Scripture of Isaiah is renewedly fulfilled: “Unto us a child is born, . . . and his name shall be called Wonderful.”

SH 265:3-15

Man understands spiritual existence in proportion as his treasures of Truth and Love are enlarged. Mortals must gravitate Godward, their affections and aims grow spiritual, — they must near the broader interpretations of being, and gain some proper sense of the infinite, — in order that sin and mortality may be put off.

This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for Spirit, by no means suggests man’s absorption into Deity and the loss of his identity, but confers upon man enlarged individuality, a wider sphere of thought and action, a more expansive love, a higher and more permanent peace.