Amber Terrace Full Gospel Community Church

The Treasure In Us Through Jesus

Pastor R. James Thornton

      I'd like to speak to you about the treasure that resides within every Christian believer. In Matthew 13:52 Jesus gives this parable to the disciples, "Then said He unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed for the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old."

      In the Old Testament scribes were the men responsible for the written word of God. Their job was to copy scripture onto new transcripts when old transcripts wore out. The copied every word by hand and I imagine after a lifetime of doing this most of them knew the Old Testament by heart. But these were not the scribes Jesus was talking about here. The scribes He was talking about here are you and I, believers who care immensely about the word of God and His plan for the Kingdom of Heaven.

      This is a message the devil hates. He hates it because he staked his claim over this world when he tempted Adam and Eve in the garden. And when Adam and Eve gave into temptation and sinned, they handed the devil their Kingdom rights.  They handed their Kingdom rights over to the most evil being imaginable, and that's why there is so much evil in the world today. But God sent His son Jesus to die on our behalf and reclaim this world as His own, and the devil wants to rob you of this treasure God has provided for you.

      The second part of this verse, "Which bringeth forth out of his treasure both new things and old", is referring to the way God ties the Old and New Testament together. People in the past have tried to live for God through the Old Testament alone and it hasn't worked. Because God reveals His word to us by tying the Old and New Testament together, we are in a wonderful position to take out of this treasure both the Old and the New.

      In Ephesians 1: 15-17, Paul says "Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of Glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." You see we start with salvation, but that's just the beginning. There must be a working on out part to receive this knowledge of God. It's not something that's handed over to us the day we get saved. There is a depth to the plan of salvation...and God wants to take us into the " volume " of the book.

      In 2 Corinthians 4 :6-7, Paul speaks of this treasure God has given us, "For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in out hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us." We are those earthen vesels, made from clay of the earth, and our vessels are fragile. People fall from grace because their vessels are weak. We have to keep our vessel from cracking, breaking, or being stolen from us. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak," Matthew 26:41. The flesh is the part of us that does not get saved. The flesh is constantly speaking out on behalf of your old life, and the devil will use that to damage your vessel.

      In Revelation 2:9 God says, "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, but thou art rich". God surely knows the value of this treasure within us. Jesus told the rich young ruler to give up his earthly treasures and follow Him. But the rich young ruler could not. He could not see the treasure that awaited him in God. Moses, however, was aware of the treasure God had for him, he gave up everything to serve God. He was next in line to be Prince of Egypt. He gave up wealth, power, and privilege that most of us could not even imagine. But he "Chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt." Hebrews 11:25,26.

      Now God does not call every beleiver to give up all earthly possesions to follow Him. We have this opportunity to follow Him right where we are. But there is a sacrifice on our part. We are to live a holy life, a life set apart for God. And we are to seek the things of God, He has wonderful things for His people. "For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11.

      Your walk with the Lord shouldn't be a drag, or a walk of agony, or one of constant defeat. If it is, you are doing something wrong. Yes, there will be trials, valleys, and hard places, but God is there to see you through it all. This life is but a season, we are just passing through. When it comes to spritual things, we can't afford not to make the investment of our life in God. If you seek after the treasure God has for you, you will see a life invested in God is well worth it.