Treasure of Christ

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” ^ESV Matthew 13:44

Any parent can attest to the fact that children have to learn the concept of cost and value. Especially in America perhaps, where a consumerism mentality thrives and is still promoted in advertising even in the midst of a deep recession, children, teens, and some adults, seem oblivious to the fact that something of value is exchanged in every transaction.

With children, examples are endless; ice cream cones at the park, toys at the store, candy in the checkout lane, electronic games, etc. Parents are forever making purchase (value-exchange) decisions for children. With teens, the decisions are sometimes very similar, but the value exchange part of the equation is much, much larger!

I’m convinced that it’s not until we begin to work and earn that we begin to have an internal sense of cost and value-exchange (an internal compass of sorts) that enables us to begin making wise purchase choices. Sadly, it never “clicks” with some folks and they enter adulthood in a state of blissful ignorance with the eyes of a child.

Far from being a spendthrift, it seems that Matthew is writing about an adult who has learned the concept of value-exchange even though this person is willing to exchange all that he owns for a single field. Of course it’s not just any field; it is a field containing great treasure in the purchaser’s eyes; a treasure that he saw even as others walked past and overlooked. I can’t help but imagine people casually walking past the same field everyday and seeing nothing of particular value in it.

Now, just for a moment, imagine people walking past our churches and seeing nothing of particular value; no reason to darken the doors. Imagine people ignoring Jesus and seeing nothing of value in a relationship with him. Imagine casually walking past the person of whom God the Father commanded “...Let all God’s angels worship him.” (Hebrews 1:6 ESV) It happens every day with alarming frequency. We worship the red carpet. We are attracted (some would say distracted) by the latest, glitziest bit of bling that Hollywood and media dangles before us, all the while ignoring the person that even angels are commanded to worship.

Permit me two observations while emphasizing that this passage is about the treasure; not the church per se. First, the church today (at least in America) appears to be doing a pretty good job of holding the status quo; of keeping its members content and entertained. But, secondly, she also appears to be doing a poor job of revealing her treasure, her head; Jesus Christ. That is to say that the church is failing in its calling to make disciples (followers of Jesus) of all nations.

Christ exchanged his life for your eternal life. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s moving in our midst to reveal the treasure of Jesus.

The Checkbook Chronicles

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

Money matters; and, according to Howard Dayton, “our checkbooks tell us more about our priorities than does anything else.” Your check register is a journal of sorts that records much more than your cash balance; it records (chronicles) your lifestyle and priorities.

In and of itself, it’s a harmless object, but its details can reveal where you’ve vacationed, your favorite restaurant, where you buy groceries, gas and medicine. It can tell where you buy clothes for the kids and how much your car payment is. For married couples it can be the fuel for many and angry fight. For all, the check register tells a story.

Every now and then you learn a phrase or principle that you commit to memory and carry for life. Once such phrase for me was, “It’s just money.” Far from being a careless comment about the importance of money, money is of course a vital means of trade for everyone, the phrase puts money in proper perspective. Money is vital as a tool but not a treasure. Let me explain.

To treasure something is to place a high, personal value on it. Off hand I’d say that most folks treasure their health and the health of their families more than their checkbooks. In our community, most folks might even agree that personal relationships are more important than their checkbooks. Both examples, though important, may be shortsighted. What about eternity?

We’ve been conditioned to live for today. Many folks live for today and also save for tomorrow (saving, by the way, is both prudent and biblical). A few folks are able to live today with a long-term perspective, but I’m afraid only a precious few live today with eternity in mind. If your Checkbook Chronicles were published as a book, what would it say about you? Would it indicate that your treasure and priorities are rooted in the here and now or would it show that you were living today with eternity in mind?

We must live today, but not “for” today, so don’t be taken captive by the here and now; it will be gone soon enough. True treasure is in heaven, so live each day with eternity in mind.

Limitations

“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.” ^ESV Psalm 72:18

What are you going to give up? That was the question Melisa (my wife) asked when I announced a grand new adventure that captured my attention. The question is both reasonable and common around my house. Oft times I find that my appetite for doing is greater than my capacity for doing. You’d have to look no further than my bookcase to see that my appetite for good books is greater than my ability to plow through them. But hey, it sure is fun trying! Anyway, it’s good to be reminded on occasion that there are limits to what one can do.

Paul Tripp has written a good book titled Broken-Down House: Living Productively In A World Gone Bad. (I highly recommend it by the way.) One chapter in the book summarizes limitations by pointing out that the human race is subject to three inescapable limitations. He says: “We are limited in wisdom, in power and in righteousness.” If you think about it, to argue to the contrary would be to argue that you are, in some sense, God; the only person with unlimited wisdom, power and righteousness.

As I thought about these limitations I was able to look back on the past week and see how each of these limitations was true in my own life. Had my words and actions in that meeting last week been charitable and wise? No, certainly not as charitable and wise and I would have liked. Did I have the power within me to change the opinion, thoughts or actions of others? No, I may have the power to influence others, but I don’t have the power to change them. And power to be righteous? I don’t even want to think about it.

Next week, I think I’ll purposefully remind myself each morning of these limitations in the hopes that the thought will allow me to live each day less dependent on myself and more dependent on God. Too, I hope that it will allow me to give God glory and credit for any and all “accomplishments” that I might otherwise be tempted to take credit for myself and thus feed my be pride.

In a prayer book called The Valley of Vision, a prayer titled God The All offers this food for thought: “I am well pleased with thy will, whatever it is, or should be in all respects, and if thou bidst me decide for myself in any affair, I would choose to refer all to thee, for thou art infinitely wise and cannot do amiss, as I am in danger of doing. I rejoice to think that all things are at thy disposal, and it delights me to leave them there.”

“....it delights me to leave [things in God’s hands].” Hmmm, what a concept. “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.”

Teach the people

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” ^ESV Matthew 28:19-20

It was a steamy, sticky, hot evening in the little wooden church in the jungle of northern Peru. Yet people filed in and listened from outside to teaching and preaching from the bible. As I sat in amazement at their attentiveness, I wondered, “Who will teach the children in this jungle village the gospel?” The answer of came quickly; the local Christian believers in their local churches would teach the children about Jesus.

The motionless city stirred to life when the morning call to prayer began echoing from the loud speakers at the local Mosque at 4:30 in the morning. India is a country of about 1.3 billion people. Christians are relatively few by any measure here while Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists thrive to varying degrees across India. Who will teach these masses here about biblical truth? The task will largely be accomplished through the few, dedicated local churches and Christian believers there.

My friend Luis and the people in his church in Santo Domingo ran into the streets as the ground shook beneath them completely unaware at the moment that the same earthquake had just devastated the country of Haiti on the other side of the island they share. As the devastation came into clear focus, the local church in Santo Domingo and other parts of the Dominican Republic began to mobilize to provide food, shelter, medical supplies and teaching about Jesus to this devastated region. They printed water bottles with scripture printed on them. They sent pastors and teachers into the devastated areas and they found ways to deliver their aid and the word through local churches in Haiti.

My friend and those local churches are still at work in Haiti today even as other relief agencies have begun to pull their resources. And when everyone else is gone, the local churches in Haiti will still be there—teaching and making disciples.

Do you see a pattern emerging here? Christ commanded us to go and make disciples (Christian believers) and to teach those disciples all that Christ had commanded. While I am not in the least diminishing the role of missionary endeavors, as a matter of fact they are a crucial part in the overall process, I see that teaching abut Christ is a necessary and often neglected charge for local congregations.

The church is the bride of Christ and until the bridegroom comes again it is her duty to make disciples and teach the world all that Christ has commanded. Is your church honoring its role as a teacher in your community? What might you do to make it more effective in making and teaching disciples?

Doom comes swiftly

“Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.'” ^ESV Deuteronomy 32:35

“'Boom,' it busted off and I saw him clawing for the edge with a startled look on his face, and then he disappeared.” That’s how a fellow climber described the sudden accident that took the life of his climbing partner, Joe Bohling, to KGW news of Portland.

A group had climbed to the top of Mt. St. Helens and paused for a picturesque photo at the rim. Unbeknownst to them their friend was perched on a precarious snow cornice that would give way suddenly and take his life in an instant. A navy helicopter would recover his body the next day. In an instant triumph turned to tragedy; “doom comes swiftly.”

Jonathan Edwards, an 18^th century preacher considered by many to be the greatest theologian the United States has ever produced, is perhaps best known by his harshest sermon; “Sinners in the Hands of an angry God.” Speaking of sinful men, Edwards used the text above in the sermon to point out that there will come a time, often suddenly and without warning, “when their foot shall slip” and they will meet their doom and the wrath of an angry God.

Now, I realize that the notion of hell is not one that will endear me to our modern culture. But the bible seems to me to be quite clear on the matter. Hell is much more than some theoretical place where souls simply cease to exist. Hell is a place of never ending torment and yet we carry on in our daily lives as if hell did not exist at all. We carry on as if we should have all the time in the world to be reconciled to God; tomorrow perhaps. Yet each day we stand on a slippery slope. Each day we are perched on a precarious snow cornice that may give way, much to our surprise, at any moment.

Edwards also points out, oddly enough, that it is the very hand of God that sustains us each and every day. It is the very hand of God that keeps our feet from slipping immediately—today. It is the very hand of God that grants us another day in which to seek reconciliation with him through Christ, his son. If not for the great mercies, patience and love of God, we would never have an opportunity to repent and believe the good news of Christ! Yet Christians and sinners alike live as though there will always be a tomorrow.

A day will come when your foot will slip and death will overtake you. Will you slip into the wrath of God or be welcomed home?

It's Just Money

“A PSALM OF DAVID. The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” ^ESV Psalm 24:1-2

When it comes to money, and the things money will buy, perspective is everything. That’s why it is so vitally important to realize that money as we know it today has no intrinsic value at all; it’s just paper. What’s more, the things we exchange money for seldom bring contentment in and of themselves, but true wealth and contentment can be had without money.

I was reading a post on The Artist Farm website this past week and come across this thought in regards to wealth: “Rather than stressing about how you can get more money for money’s sake, focus instead on how you can provide more value to more people. All sorts of wealth will flow from this mindset.” Now that’s an interesting thought, living and working to serve others, but it’s not a new thought; Martin Luther maintained the same thing back in the 16^th century. But I digress.

The point I wish to make is that regardless of how hotly we pursue money or how successful we are at acquiring and growing it, it’s merely a means of exchange. More importantly, money and the things money can buy (everything) belongs to God. The earth is the Lord’s! Now that’s a revelation of old that we need to embrace anew.

It all belongs to God; everything. Can you say that about all your possessions? If you can’t, it may be time to examine whether your faith rests in the Creator or in the created. This Great Recession we find ourselves in should be an eye opener to the fragile nature of a currency-based faith.

Faith in the Creator allows one to remove the baggage and worries of ownership. As Larry Burkett put it, “When we acknowledge God’s ownership, every spending decision becomes a spiritual decision. No longer do we ask, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do with my money?’ The question is restated, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do with your money?’” Think about it.

The Apostle Paul maintained that he had learned to be content in whatever circumstances he found himself in at the moment. Paul was not a man of meager means, so it is safe to say that t he had learned to be content while ‘stewarding’ money. Yet his statement also indicates that he was content in the absence of money. As testimony to that fact, Acts 16:23-25 records an account of he and Silas praying and singing hymns while bound in leg irons in a foreign jail. Now that takes a contented spirit!

If money woes are troubling your spirit, if contentment escapes you, then let me challenge you to cease being an owner and start being a steward. It all belongs to God. Ask the Creator how you should manage His finances.

The Duty of All

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,^{” ESV} Acts 17:30

(Adapted for print from a sermon recently delivered by Pastor Jonathan Sims of Shelbyville Mills Baptist Church located in Shelbyville, Tennessee.)

Last week in a small group study we talked about some basic things Christians believe and how those beliefs should drive our actions. Among other things, we talked about Christ sacrificing himself for our sins, his resurrection, and hell. Now, any discussion that includes candid talk about the gift of redemption and the torments of hell has to lead one to recognize the importance of outreach. With that in mind, I wanted to share the following sermon notes with you.

“Why must we urge all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel? Because that’s what God commands! God the Son did this. John the Baptist did this.” The apostles did the same. The New Testament is built on the prophets and apostles with Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. If we want to biblical and faithful to scripture, we must do the same; urge all to repent and believe.

“Paul exposed the wrong and revealed the right on Mars Hill; that’s good preaching.” Paul urged all men to repent and believe the gospel (Acts 17:30-34) and from these verse, we can clearly see at least five reasons why we must urge all men to repent and believe the gospel:

1. Because all men are ignorant (Acts 17:30). People craft a god of their own imagination when they remain in ignorance. All people are like this. So, “What qualifies a man to hear the gospel? Is he breathing?”

2. Because God himself commands all men everywhere to repent. This is what the Spirit of God does through his preacher; “repent and believe the gospel.” God’s commands are not meant to be considered. God’s commandments are meant to be obeyed. It is the sinner’s responsibility to repent, repent, repent! It is appropriate to command people to repent.

3. Because all men will one day face the judgment of God (Acts 17:31). The standard of God’s judgment will be the righteousness of Christ. Yet we have all fallen short of that perfection. No man can attain the standard on his own. Assurances of these truths are contained in Christ’s resurrection (Acts 17:32). This nation needs faithful preachers to stand up and proclaim these truths.

4. Because, thanks be to God, some will repent and believe (Acts 17:32-34). To see someone cling to Jesus, to come to saving faith, makes the trials of ministry worthwhile.

5. Because this is our calling. God calls us to proclaim the gospel to all people. This is our life, our calling, our sacred duty. This ought to be our passion, to urge all men to repent and believe the gospel.

As I reflect on these notes and brother Jonathan’s sermon, I realize that this isn’t just a task for preachers. Outreach, evangelism, witnessing, making disciples, call it what you will, is a duty of all who believe. Tell someone about Christ today.