June 3, 2916 A HIDDEN TREASURE
Matthew 13:44: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought the field.”
The idea of selling all we have may not sound like such a great idea-unless we have a good reason for doing so. To some, selling all we have, or forsaking all, sounds like a high price to pay in order to experience the kingdom of heaven. Jesus taught, and emphasized the necessity of forsaking all in order to follow Him, and this message of sacrifice and forsaking had a way of thinning out the crowd. Jesus was not saying that in order to experience the kingdom of heaven, one could not own possessions, but he was addressing the heart and the priorities one has in life. To value things and our own comfort more than we value the kingdom of heaven is the point Jesus was making. (By the way, the kingdom of heaven can be experienced here on earth.) So for sure, the call to sacrifice and forsake all is scriptural. BUT, there is a key point that we must not overlook when we are talking about forsaking and sacrificing. If we miss this point, “sacrificing and forsaking all” can become a work of our flesh in an effort to earn God’s approval. When the man found the treasure in the field, he had no problem selling ALL he had in order to buy the field, and in fact, the scripture says that “in his joy he went and sold all he had.” The treasure in the field represents the kingdom of heaven, and when see and taste, when we find this “treasure,” our possessions we once valued so highly will not compare to our new-found treasure. So yes, we do sacrifice and we do forsake all, but we do so with joy, once we find the treasure. Finding the treasure starts with a desire and a hunger to know God. The treasure-the kingdom of God-is not in plain sight of everyone, but is found only by those who seek it. Seeking God involves reading and meditating on the scriptures because the scriptures were given to reveal God. In reading the scriptures, read without pre-conceived “interpretations,” letting the scriptures speak for themselves, and believe what you read to be the word of God and that it applies to you personally. Ask God to reveal truth to you and ask Him correct any misunderstanding of scripture you may have, and obey, or apply what you read. It is also essential to pray- to have honest conversations with God. Finally, become engaged in a church where the gospel is proclaimed, and fellowship is enjoyed. The treasure never gets old, and the more we find, the more we find! Finding, and enjoying the treasure is to be our chief aim in life-and it will be, once we see it.
Matthew 7:7: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Matthew 13:44: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought the field.”
The idea of selling all we have may not sound like such a great idea-unless we have a good reason for doing so. To some, selling all we have, or forsaking all, sounds like a high price to pay in order to experience the kingdom of heaven. Jesus taught, and emphasized the necessity of forsaking all in order to follow Him, and this message of sacrifice and forsaking had a way of thinning out the crowd. Jesus was not saying that in order to experience the kingdom of heaven, one could not own possessions, but he was addressing the heart and the priorities one has in life. To value things and our own comfort more than we value the kingdom of heaven is the point Jesus was making. (By the way, the kingdom of heaven can be experienced here on earth.) So for sure, the call to sacrifice and forsake all is scriptural. BUT, there is a key point that we must not overlook when we are talking about forsaking and sacrificing. If we miss this point, “sacrificing and forsaking all” can become a work of our flesh in an effort to earn God’s approval. When the man found the treasure in the field, he had no problem selling ALL he had in order to buy the field, and in fact, the scripture says that “in his joy he went and sold all he had.” The treasure in the field represents the kingdom of heaven, and when see and taste, when we find this “treasure,” our possessions we once valued so highly will not compare to our new-found treasure. So yes, we do sacrifice and we do forsake all, but we do so with joy, once we find the treasure. Finding the treasure starts with a desire and a hunger to know God. The treasure-the kingdom of God-is not in plain sight of everyone, but is found only by those who seek it. Seeking God involves reading and meditating on the scriptures because the scriptures were given to reveal God. In reading the scriptures, read without pre-conceived “interpretations,” letting the scriptures speak for themselves, and believe what you read to be the word of God and that it applies to you personally. Ask God to reveal truth to you and ask Him correct any misunderstanding of scripture you may have, and obey, or apply what you read. It is also essential to pray- to have honest conversations with God. Finally, become engaged in a church where the gospel is proclaimed, and fellowship is enjoyed. The treasure never gets old, and the more we find, the more we find! Finding, and enjoying the treasure is to be our chief aim in life-and it will be, once we see it.
Matthew 7:7: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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