How Precious Is Our Treasure

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
(Matthew 13:44-46)

Consider the value man puts on literal treasure! This first man found a treasure in a field. We are not told how or why he found it but simply that he did find it and it was so important to him that he sold everything he owned so that he could buy the field and make the treasure his own. And again the kingdom is like a precious pearl that a merchant finds. It is so vital to him---just the one pearl---that he again sells everything he has so that he can possess it.

Then let us consider how important this Salvation is to us. Modern religion has made so much of the 'free gift' of salvation that it has many times lost its value to nominal Christians. The claim of being 'born again' is bandied about by many who evince every evidence of not having experienced real Salvation. Even some who have been born again by their daily life demonstrate that they fail to recognize its value.

These mundane physical treasures were so important that the men finding them were willing to give their ALL to possess them.

Jesus tells us we must do the same thing. whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:33. Paul tells us let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us (Hebrews 12:1)

May we search our hearts and consider exactly how important this great salvation is to us. For how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; (Hebrews 2:3) We do not neglect those things that are truly important to us.

Implications Of The Lordship Of Christ

The basic confession of faith is simply: Jesus is Lord. What are some of the implications of His Lordship? Before suggesting two such implications, note several statements:

If Jesus is Lord, He can brook no rivals. The very name, "Lord," implies that He is "ruler," "one who has authority." Therefore, all others are His subjects. This thought in the New Testament goes much beyond the mere meaning of the title itself. This meaning is drawn from the Old Testament. The very heart of the Old Testament was this: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord." There is but one God, and that God is absolute Ruler of the universe. Men and nations are ruled by Him and subject to His authority. Since there is but one Lord, He is Lord of all. In the New Testament calling upon Jesus as Lord was the same thing as calling upon God as Lord. (Rom. 10:9-13). If this be true, and it is, two implications follow:

1. Jesus demands from men not admiration, sympathy, interest, approval, He demands surrender. To be Christian is first of all to "bow the knee" to Jesus, to "crown Him Lord of all." He is as well as counselor, example, guide. But before all these He is absolute Lord. "For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns" was the theme song of the early church. Some one has pointed out that in this sense Christianity is not a democracy but a monarchy. And it is not a constitutional monarchy, wherein subject and ruler agree on the limits of rule. It is an absolute monarchy. Men are subject to Him not by a compact they have made with Him, but because they belong to Him. His Lordship is not arbitrary, for it is exercised as an expression of His gracious nature, but that gracious nature is not of our choice, and His kindness is not the result of an agreement which we have forced on Him. It is the free exercise of His own nature. We receive, but do not contribute. He reigns over men absolutely by virtue of His Lordship. It is our source of blessings that His Lordship is gracious. God’s people confront the world then, not primarily with an offer to heal its ills or solve its problems. Our first appeal is to rebels who have taken up arms against their Creator, an appeal which is nothing less than the demand for surrender. P. T. Forsyth says, "The gospel faces the world with terms, and does not simply suffuse it with a glow." The message is still, "Jesus is Lord. Bow down!"

2. Another implication of Christ’s absolute Lordship is that there is no other way of salvation for man than surrender to Jesus. In this sense Christianity is absolutely intolerant. Both the Old and New Testaments are clear here. "For I am God, and there is no other," cries Isaiah. What then? The conclusion is inevitable. "Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth." If there is no God but one, then He is God of all men, and there can be salvation in no other. The New Testament says, "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved."

Christ does not just add to the world’s knowledge. He is not the concern of a process. He is not the capstone to be placed on the pillar of others faiths. He does not supplement them. Thus our message is absolutely intolerant and adamant. This world belongs to Him. All other efforts at salvation are vain. All who are saved are saved by Him. Despite criticism, fast growing now, in this connection this dogmatic message, this absolute call to surrender, is not to be shrunk from. If God has done what the Bible says He has in Christ, it is not the mark of intolerance to tell men of His great act. If one should be in a burning building with many doors, but only one of which moved open, should one not with desperate command point to that door alone? To keep silent is to shame Christ and bring reproach to Him. God grant His Spirit of boldness upon us to cry aloud to all whom we may touch. He is the door, the only door, the way, the only way, the Lord, and only Lord! Bow to Him!

Paul---The Extra-Terrestrial View

At this point I must suggest (again) that you start reading this amazing letter to the Ephesians. And don't say, "I've read it."

Most of us have. Spurgeon had read it before he dedicated a week to reading these six chapters fifty-six times. I suggest that you read the six chapters at least three times---each time underlining key words that seem to leap out with astonishing regularity. To get you started, here are a few words to begin noticing: called, heaven and heavenly, mystery, hidden, together, "In Christ." If you have colored pencils, use a different color for each of these and when you finish reading, flip through the pages. What a kaleidoscope of color will flash before your mind! What a veritable rainbow of promise! Criss-crossing through this letter glow these same threads, woven together. And it is together that they will make a garment of praise, a tent of blessing, and a blanket of security to warm your chilly soul. Halford E. Luccock wrote a book titled Marching Off the Map. He wasn't writing about Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he was simply encouraging people to venture beyond their normal thoughts and behavior patterns. We know Paul didn't read Mr. Luccock's book, but we know he obeyed his advice. He was off the map.

Maps record the visions or journeys of those who make them. There are city maps, state maps, national maps, and even world maps. There are even maps of the heavens. Paul's map is grander than any of these. He reaches not only around the world, but into "heavenly places." He spans not only the dusty dates of all human history, but speaks glibly of what was "before the foundations of the world."

Paul tantalizes us with the prospect of power so great that our own minds cannot map its course. Imagination fails. It's "beyond anything that we are able to ask or think." Where did Paul get this knowledge? Obviously he got it by revelation. And that's how he urges us to get it.

Without question, Paul in his early years was schooled in history. As a boy, he was tutored personally by the highly esteemed Gamaliel. Whatever he had learned as facts of Jewish history was later kindled into a revolutionary flame by the ardor of his own inquisitive and perceptive mind. He became a human coat rack for those who sweatily hurled jagged rocks at Christian preachers. He became a one-man war against any who could not see that Judaism was God's way of working with people. Any who stood in the way of that vision were promptly put in prison or simply put to death by stoning. Like a hound after a hare, he pursued the early Christians.

But something---in fact several "somethings"----happened to Paul. As the hooves stirred little clouds of dust on the well-traveled way to Damascus, he was hurled to earth by a hand he could not see. He heard a voice from a speaker he could not see. He was blinded to everything around him. He was led away like a prisoner of war. Paul, mighty Paul, who carried letters authorizing him to bring Christians back as slaves, was himself a slave. In the days of his physical blindness, Paul's mind began to march off all the maps of religious knowledge. Who knows what he thought? Whatever it was, it gave him a glimpse of God's plan for humankind. Not merely the "chosen people," but all who willed to be "chosen."

Another experience in Paul's life intrigues us: He was caught up to the third heaven. Read about it!

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one was caught up to the third heaven . . How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter (2 Cor. 12:2-4, KJV).

Whatever it was that Paul saw---and he never really tells us---it made him a different man. He could no longer be satisfied with the provincialism of his countrymen. He could not, in fact, be totally satisfied with the earth itself. "To be absent from the body," he wrote, "and to be present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8). In Philippians, he says he is "having a desire to depart, and be with Christ; which is far better" (1:23).

Even more important than any personal pleasure that might await Paul in paradise is the view of history he was granted. He was able to look at the plans of God "before the foundations of the world" (Eph. 1:4).

Not only did Paul glimpse the gleam in God's eye as he planned creation, but Paul also glimpsed the end of all things---the last day.

Of course, neither Paul nor any person since Paul has any idea of when that last day will come: the Bible clearly tells us that. But Paul did see what would happen when all of God's plans are complete. "That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him" (Eph. 1:10, KJV).

It seems certain that Paul was in a Roman prison when he wrote to the church at Ephesus. If it's the same one that tourists are shown today, it was a large abandoned well. Water flowed under it, chilling and dampening the mossy walls. Meager rations were let down to the prisoners by a rope. When the prison became too crowded, some unfortunate prisoner was dropped through the well opening into the underground river. Gloomy as this was, it did not depress the apostle. He endured the present because he had seen the future.

What a balance this brought to his life. "I know both how to be abased," (how well he had learned this) "and I know how to abound" (Phil. 4:12). Neither the grimness of the prison nor the grandeur of palaces impressed him. He had seen visions too spectacular to put into words. No small thing when we consider that Paul was a master of words---words in many languages. Because of these visions, Paul writes to instruct the Ephesians. His message is clear: Friends, you have an inheritance greater than I can describe to you. But I will pray that God will open your eyes. He will even give you a little glimpse of its magnitude, but don't think you can understand it. Your mind cannot take it in. And I can't find any words that do it justice. It's a source of power---and I am going to tell you how to receive that power. God has great plans for you. Don't miss them!

Preaching the Gospel

And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation: But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand. (Romans 15:14-21)

Paul wants it known that the Roman Christians are not evil; nor are they ignoramuses. They're good, knowledgeable people who are able to correct one another's mistakes in good judgment. God had separated Paul to minister to the Gentiles, a task he was already performing successfully.

The Jewish element in the church at Rome needed to see more clearly the limitations of Judaism and the full inclusion of the Gentiles in Christ's redemptive plan.

Paul had already spread the gospel over an amazing amount of territory, but the fire still burned within him. He meant to evangelize both Spain and Rome.

With our modern means of communication and transportation, are we doing enough to make Christ's saving gospel to the ends of the earth?

Righteous Living

"He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?"
(Luke 16:10-12)

Tax time is here once again! Many people will be getting abundant refunds, and some will be paying the government more than it needs.

However, if you are getting money back, count it a blessing! And although you may have already tithed your tenth of annual earnings, remember: Our pocketbooks and wallets are still at God's disposal, and if they aren't, your heart is probably not entirely surrendered to God.

Everything that comes into a disciple's possession is actually God's, lest we forget. In context, "that which is your own" means the heavenly riches that will accrue to the accounts of disciples who live so as to become "rich toward God."

It is not the amount of our assets that determines whether we shall be faithful or unfaithful in our stewardship. Only love and faith can do that. To be faithful in our stewardship over one dollar is just as important as being faithful over thousands of dollars.

Money has a tremendous power for good when we offer God the portion due Him.

"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy: That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate: Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
(1Timothy 6:17-19)

The Devotion Of Hearing

"Speak; for Thy servant heareth."
(1 Samuel 3:10)

Because we've listened to one thing from God...it doesn't follow that we'll listen to everything He says. The way we show God that we neither love nor respect Him is by the obtuseness of our heart and mind towards what He says. If we love a friend, we intuitively detect what he/she wants, and Jesus says, "Ye are My friends." Have we disobeyed some command of our Lord's this week? If we had realized that it was a command of Jesus, we wouldn't consciously have disobeyed it; but most of us show such disrespect to God that we don't even hear what He says, He might never have spoken.

The destiny of our spiritual life is such identification with Jesus Christ that we always hear God, and we know that God always hears us (John 11:41). If we're united with Jesus Christ, we hear God, by the devotion of hearing all the time. A lily, or a tree, or a servant of God, may convey God's message to us. What hinders us from hearing is that we're taken up with other things. It's not that we won't hear God, but we're not devoted in the right place. We're devoted to things, to service, to convictions, and God may say what He likes, but we don't hear Him. The child attitude is always, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth." If we haven't cultivated this devotion of hearing, we can only hear God's voice at certain times---at other times we're taken up with things--- things which we say we must do, and we become deaf to Him. We're not living the life of a child---Have we heard God's voice to-day?

Peace and Tribulation

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:7)
In the world ye shall have tribulation:
(John 16:33)

Peace that passes all understanding.... In this world ye shall have tribulation,

It is sometimes difficult to reconcile these two concepts in living for Christ. How can one have peace in the midst of tribulation and hardship? We are told there whall be wars and rumors of wars. ( Mark 13:7) How can we have peace when there is war being threatened on every side and sometimes right around us? And we are told that men cry "Peace, peace when there is no peace". (Jeremiah 6:14) But yet we are also told WE have a peace that passes comprehension. How can this be?

In this world today we hear a constant yearning for peace on every side. Peace in the middle east. Peace on the homefront, Peace from terrorists. Peace between classes. Peace between races. Peace among cultural differences. Men go so far as to question the very God of Peace for allowing such situations to exist. But they are demanding of God something that has not been promised.

It is not politically correct to refer to the unsaved world as 'wicked' but God does just that. There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. (Isaiah 48:22) As humans, we like to refer to our country as a "christian" country and also some other countries...maybe Great Britain and Canada and others. But God calls all who are not born again and living daily for him 'wicked.' So in all actuality we cannot expect ever to have peace on a world-wide front. All the prayers for peace in the world won't achieve this. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Psalm 14: 2-3) Natural Man cannot have peace. Only through being born again can men and women become reconciled to God and experience peace.

One thing we as the children of God must keep foremost in our minds: God is not focused on 'this present world'. His focus is on things eternal. His promises are for our spiritual well being and blessings. As we see in Galatians, Paul promised deliverance from this present world. He didn't promise to change the world, only to deliver us. Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: (Galatians 1:3 & 4 )

How can we be delivered from this present evil world? Notice that the peace that passes understanding is not promised for out physical bodies, but for our hearts and minds. Going back to the verse in Mark that predicts tribulation, we can notice the first portion: in me ye might have peace. Our peace is in Christ. Peace from the turmoil of sin and the threat of retribution. Peace from the guilt and the chaos of sinning and hiding sins. Peace of heart and mind in the midst of the world's storm of unrighteousness around us. Peace of heart in the midst of physical tribulation and hardship.

There is no conflict when we understand God's separation between the literal physical portion of our lives and the spiritual.

Thank you, Lord, for hearts that can experience the Peace that Passes All Understanding.

Power to the People of God

Is any problem you have more difficult than the Resurrection? There was, you know, a resurrection. Spears and nails, crosses and thorny crowns guaranteed it. And the most methodical, brutal, inhumane government in the world declared it was so. Then, with an amazing inward fear, they put the body of a teacher who claimed to be God into a tomb carved out of the unyielding rock. A stone door was fixed and, to add a touch of thoroughness verging on the ridiculous, they posted soldiers to watch this drama of a dead man sealed in a tomb of rock.

The body was as dead as the stone shelf on, which it lay. The spirit had returned to God. "Into thy hands I commend my spirit," Jesus said. (Luke 23:46) At that moment there was no power in the body. The power was above the body. And it was as Paul says, "Above all principality [Rome included], and power, and might, and dominion, and every name [Caesar included] that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come ." (Eph. 1:21) Nothing can resist power like that. And nothing did.

The stone rolled back, the grave clothes unwound, the sleeping cells of Jesus' body, the cytoplasm, the protoplasm, and the nuclei all felt it. The coronation of the king of the universe could not be disputed. God raised the body of Jesus from the dead, making a mockery of all earthly powers. Shame-faced death stood helplessly by, while the king of kings rode off in triumph. So great was the power of God that when Christ's spirit was ascending to the Father, the reverberations caused an earthquake, graves were opened, and those who were in them were strangely stirred with life. After the resurrection, they came out of the graves and into the city and were seen by many. (Matt. 27:52-53)

Power without limit---infinite! And, amazingly, power that can come to us! And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places. (Eph. 1:19-20)

The most amazing part of this whole story is the phrase "to us-ward." In looking at history from before time to the time when time will be no more, Paul has seen the purpose of God's power. It is to do for us what he did for Christ. He raised Jesus. He will raise us. He made a mockery of all the combined powers of politics, personality, purse, and persecution. Nothing can withstand that power. It is true that death is still our enemy, unconquered---but it will indeed be destroyed. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. "Death is swallowed up in victory". (1 Cor. 15:54)

Not long ago, I stood at the empty tomb of Christ in Jerusalem. (I know there are two places that claim to be the authentic tomb of Christ. No matter, they're both empty.) Standing in that empty tomb, I thought, "Someday the tomb in which I shall be buried shall be opened. The dark, damp earth that walled in my decaying body will be flooded with light. The power of the resurrection shall have come."

But I do not wait until then. The other enemies I face until that time must also bow to the power of God. I should not be surprised when miracles happen. I should instead be surprised if they do not happen.

Not long ago, as I attended an international convention, I was, stopped by a woman, I did not know. "You are Maurice Berquist," she said. "Yes." "I read your book The Miracle and Power of Blessing and enjoyed it, so I read it to my brother." I wanted to ask why she had read it to him instead of letting him read it himself, but I simply listened. "My brother," she said, "was blind." "Was blind?" I asked, emphasizing the word was. "As I read to him the book about Psalm 103, God suddenly restored his sight. He now has 20-30 vision."

Why, am I surprised by this? Why do you find it difficult to believe? This same power that raised Jesus from death is to us-ward.

No wonder Paul prayed that our eyes would be opened so that we could see the extent of the power of God at work in our lives, our communities, and our homes. So much of our worship is a pious repetition of static truth instead of a celebration of the present power of God. If our ideas, our theology, and our doctrines were to suddenly come to life, we would suspect God of unfair invasion. If our theological gingerbread men were suddenly to come to life and run down the street, we would chase them, tie them, and put them back in the worship folders where they belong. Vitality is frightening. One day I watched a little child sitting on the mechanical horse in front of the supermarket. The horse was cold and still, innocent of life as a fireplug. The child had an active imagination and was bouncing up and down in the saddle, making believe that the animal was real and that he was the Lone Ranger.

A stranger coming by dropped a quarter in the appropriate slot. The horse started to move, pitching forward and backward. The child, half-frightened and half-pleased, held the reins tightly. "He's alive! he's alive!!" he cried.

The "parking lot" parable, is needed by the church. When someone pays the price, things begin to happen. Ancient creeds no longer have to be defended or argued. If they were ever true, they are true today. If they were not true, their falsehood becomes obvious. They can be discarded.

Do we need an infusion of that kind of power? What a waste of paper to write such a question! What a waste of energy to read it!

Our weary routines of trying to do God's work with the power of unspiritual people leaves us with burn out, stress, contention, and flimsy explanations. Oh, we talk about it, but as one observer put it, "When all is said and done, more is said than done."

Good news---the Resurrection power is available---It is promised. And Paul instructs the Ephesians (and us) in the use of it.

Back To Our Index Page