In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Captain Jack Sparrow is being hunted down by Captain Salazar, one of his old enemies, who manages to escape from the Devil’s Triangle. The only way Jack can save himself is by searching for and finding the legendary treasure, the Trident of Poseidon. He’s joined by Will Turner’s son, Henry, who is trying to find the Trident in order to break his dad’s curse so he will be free.

We are all like those pirates who are always searching. God placed something inside of us that searches.

I (Wisdom) give wealth to those who love me, filling their houses with treasures. Proverbs 8:21

When you search wisely, and live wisely, one of the natural results from that is a house full of treasure! But, what kind of treasure are we talking about? And where do you find it?

In Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow uses a magic compass that points to the thing your heart desires the most. Our heart is our compass that directs us to our destination.

1) My Desires Determine My Direction.

How do you know what you really love? Ask, “What do I think about when I’m not thinking about anything else?” Our natural tendency is to want the wrong things, instead of the right things!

There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)

Our heart is a compass, but it leads you to a literal dead-end!

We look for life in things that don’t bring life.

Music and movies will tell you to listen to your heart and to follow your heart. But left unchecked, your heart will steer you in the wrong direction.

Where do you find what you’re looking for? What is the treasure that will really satisfy my life? The treasure that you’re searching for is nothing less than God Himself. You find God by looking for Him with all you’ve got!

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:13

God is not playing a cosmic game of “hide and seek” with you. He wants you to find Him. 

Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Psalm 37:4

When I start really following, loving, worshipping, and obeying Him, something incredible happens. My wants change. I start wanting what He wants for my life.

You get to choose to be passionate and excited about Jesus. Choose what you desire most so you get to the right destination.

2) My Heart Follows My Treasure.

Your heart always follows what you truly treasure.

Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:21

The treasure comes first, and the heart comes second.

When you invest in God’s church, your heart will be with the church. Because that will direct your heart to follow after what Jesus cares about: the church.

3) Make Jesus my Greatest Treasure.

Too many times, the way we live says: what Jesus offers is not as good as what the world offers.

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. 45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it! Matthew 13:44-46

Jesus is worth everything we’ve got! He is the Treasure of life!

4) Give my Treasure away.

We don’t keep the treasure buried or hoard it for ourselves.

Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, He graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. Ephesians 3:8

He wants us to share the wealth! It is a privilege for us to get to reach people for Jesus!

One way we’re doing this as a church is by expanding to become one church in two locations as we start a new campus in San Marcos.

How do I keep my heart focused on the treasure of Jesus? Remember that to Jesus, you are His treasure!

To Jesus, you are His treasure!

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7

When we look to the cross, we see how passionate Jesus is about us! And our response to Him is “HERE’S MY HEART! I GIVE IT TO YOU! I WANT TO FOLLOW AFTER YOU AND FIND ALL MY TREASURE IN YOU!”