Category: Matthew

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Treasures in Heaven – Part 1

Summary of my sermon, based on Matthew 6:19-24. Preached at Greenhills Christian Fellowship Toronto on January 7, 2024.

Have you ever heard of the game called Minecraft? If you haven’t, it’s what they call a “sandbox game.” Unlike traditional games with clear objectives—like saving Princess Peach in Super Mario or clearing lines in Tetris—Minecraft gives players the freedom to interact with the game world however they want. You can mine blocks, which are your raw resources, and build whatever your imagination can conjure up. Whether it’s a simple house, a model of the Titanic, or even entire cities, the possibilities are endless.

Though it might seem like a simple child’s game, Minecraft is actually the best-selling video game of all time by a huge margin. It has sold over 300 million copies, far surpassing the next best-selling game, Grand Theft Auto V, which has sold 190 million copies. Even though Minecraft was released in 2011, it remains incredibly popular, averaging 140 million monthly active players in 2023. That’s more than three times the population of Canada playing the game every month!

With such popularity and success, it’s no surprise that Minecraft made someone very wealthy. The game’s creator, Markus Persson, sold it to Microsoft in 2014 for a staggering $2.5 billion. To put that in perspective, Facebook bought Instagram for just $1 billion in 2012, and Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006. Markus Persson became incredibly rich from Minecraft, which would make you think he’d be happy. But just a year after selling the game, he tweeted, “The problem with getting everything is… you run out of reasons to keep trying, and human interaction becomes impossible due to imbalance.”

Persson also tweeted about his struggles with relationships, saying, “Found a great girl, but she’s afraid of me and my lifestyle and went with a normal person instead.” He further expressed his isolation by stating, “Hanging out in Ibiza with a bunch of friends and partying with famous people, able to do whatever I want, and I’ve never felt more isolated.”

It’s hard to feel sorry for a billionaire, but Persson’s experience reveals a profound truth: the riches of this world don’t bring the happiness most people think they will. Yet, this is what many strive for. Whether it’s the dream of becoming a billionaire or just wishing for a million dollars, a nicer car, or a bigger house, these thoughts often lead to a sense of despair. Despite living in one of the wealthiest places in the world during the wealthiest period in history, many people still feel empty.

This isn’t a new phenomenon. Over a hundred years ago, the French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville observed a “strange melancholy” haunting the inhabitants of democratic countries, even in the midst of their abundance. This “strange melancholy” persists today because, as the riches of this world lead to despair, we must learn to treasure Jesus Christ instead.

In Matthew 6:19–21, Jesus teaches, “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.” The message is clear: the treasures of earth don’t last forever. Everything we own will be left behind when we die. But the treasures we store in heaven—good works, generosity, and devotion to God—are eternal.

The Apostle Paul echoes this teaching in 1 Timothy 6:17–19, saying, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

This passage is a reminder that we are the “rich in this present age,” and our focus should not be on accumulating wealth but on laying up treasures in heaven through good works and generosity. While God has given us good things to enjoy, we must remember that our ultimate purpose is to glorify Him in all that we do (1 Corinthians 10:31).

In Matthew 6:22–23, Jesus continues, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” Here, “healthy” refers to a sincere and generous spirit, the opposite of stinginess and jealousy. When we set our eyes on Christ and His righteousness, our whole being is filled with light.

Finally, in Matthew 6:24, Jesus warns, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” As believers, we must choose to serve God, setting our minds on things above (Colossians 3:1–3) and storing up treasures in heaven rather than being consumed by the fleeting riches of this world. In doing so, we find true fulfillment in Christ, who is our greatest treasure.

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O Come: Christ is Born

Summary of my sermon, based on Matthew 1:18-25. Preached at Greenhills Christian Fellowship Toronto on December 24, 2023.

In the hustle and bustle of life, there’s something uniquely satisfying about receiving those small brown boxes on our porches. Those little Amazon deliveries bring excitement, especially during the holidays. Have you ever paused to ponder where these parcels originate?

Near my place, there’s a colossal Amazon warehouse, spanning over a million square feet and built with a budget exceeding $100 million. They call these hubs “Fulfillment Centers.” These are the nerve centers ensuring Amazon’s swift delivery of our impulse purchases from halfway across the world.

Recently, as I prepared for a family gathering, I found myself relying on Amazon for White Elephant gifts. Ordering on Monday, the packages arrived promptly on Tuesday. Amazon once again fulfilled their promise, as they so often do. But as impressive as this fulfillment process is, it pales in comparison to the fulfillment observed at Christmas.

The Birth of Jesus was the culmination of a promise, an assurance generations in the making. Old Testament scriptures foretold specific events that Jesus, the Messiah, would fulfill. Isaiah prophesied, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV)

Micah predicted the birthplace, saying, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel.” (Micah 5:2, ESV) And indeed, in Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary registered for the census, paving the way for the birth of Jesus.

The birth of Jesus wasn’t in opulence but in humble surroundings. Born in a manger because “there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7, ESV), this marked the beginning of a life defined by humility.

This humble birth echoed the greater purpose of Jesus’ life. As stated in Philippians, Jesus “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:7, ESV) This humility foreshadowed his ultimate sacrifice on the cross.

Christmas isn’t merely about past fulfillment. It’s a precursor to more than 300 Old Testament prophecies that Jesus would ultimately fulfill. The birth of Jesus signaled the commencement of a journey that would fulfill God’s promises in profound ways.

Jesus’ life was a testament to humility, signifying his willingness to embrace a human experience, ultimately leading to his sacrificial death. As we celebrate Christmas, it’s crucial to reflect on the humility of Jesus’ birth amidst the clamor of festivities. It’s a reminder that the essence of this celebration lies not in material grandeur but in the fulfillment of a promise and the embodiment of humility.

This is especially important because we know that Christmas can also be a difficult time for many of us. There are some of us who are hurting during despite the joy all around. Some of us may have lost loved ones recently, or spending Christmas away from home for the first time, or maybe we’re just burnt out by the busyness of the season.

To tie this back in to our theme song, O Come All You Unfaithful, I want to quickly share the story of Lisa Crow, who wrote it. She tells us how the song came to be:

I was struggling. It had been a long year and a half. Finances were stressful, I miscarried twins, and on top of it I was battling a deep relational bitterness…That Sunday morning, I stood at my seat as they began to sing “O Come All Ye Faithful” and the first line of the song just clobbered me. It hit me like a giant wave of guilt. 

O come all you faithful, joyful and triumphant!

I remember hearing those words and thinking, “I have been so unfaithful. My joy has dwindled, and I am a triumphant…failure.” And I didn’t sing the rest of the service. I drove home, my mind still churning, “Is that really who is invited to come to Jesus? The faithful? The joyful? The triumphant? If so, then I am hopeless.”

The Story Behind O Come, All You Unfaithful

Lisa found solace in the final verse I want to share. It is an incredible verse of how the humility of Christ is an invitation to those who are struggling. He invites us:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30