Jesus Wants You to be Rich!

⁴⁴ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13

Jesus often spoke to the masses in parables. He would use illustrations from everyday life to explain what “the kingdom of heaven is like”.

The parable of the “Hidden Treasure” is one of my favorites because it unlocks so much truth about coming to Christ.  So what does it mean?

As we have said, Jesus used illustrations from everyday life to explain what “the kingdom of heaven is like.”  However, things change and what was common to everyday life 2000 years ago may not be understood easily today.  Regarding this parable, one thing to keep in mind is that when Jesus walked the earth there were no banks to hold your money and valuables.  If foreign armies or raiders came, they would steal your treasure. People buried their money and valuables underground to avoid them being stolen. The Jewish historian Josephus put it this way: “The gold and the silver and the rest of that most precious furniture which the Jews had and which the owners treasured underground was done to withstand the fortunes of war.”^[1] Sometimes the owner of the treasure would be killed by the armies, raiders, or even die by natural causes and the treasure would be lost. No one else knew of it nor where it was.

The man in Jesus’ parable comes upon treasure hidden in a field. To obtain it he joyfully sells all he has to buy the field. Once he owns the field he owns the treasure which is worth much more than all he has now. Today it would be like selling a $200,000 house and $10,000 car to buy a field containing millions of dollars in gold. If you were certain of the gold’s worth and believed  you would own it once you bought the field, you’d gladly and joyfully sell your house and car in order to acquire the treasure.

What does this teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven?  Jesus said “whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Luke14:33) Jesus demands that we surrender all we have to Him and give up autonomy of our lives and follow Him (i.e. selling all we have).  The natural reaction to Jesus’ call is that the price is too great.  Most will say, “No thank you.” However the people who see Jesus for His infinite great worth and who believe that they will be with Him in His eternal kingdom gladly give all they have for the treasure (Jesus)! In giving up all they have, they will be rich beyond measure!

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^[1] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew. MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press.

Want Proof of God?

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.  Romans 1

Many people claim they don’t believe in God. You hear them say things like “If only God would reveal Himself to me, then I would believe” or “There is no way to prove that God exists and I need proof.”  The idea being they would believe or even want to believe, if only God would do more to prove His existence to them.

You want proof of God?  Look around. The Bible says that creation is proof enough of God’s existence. For example, we know intuitively when we see an automobile that it had a creator--so too with the world. I understand that scientists have come up with a theory that says in essence “once there was nothing, then there was a bang, then something crawled out of water, and then after millions upon millions of years, there was us.”  However, this isn’t what we see when we observe the world around us.  What we see is created things have a creator.  You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that the computer I’m writing on evolved from nothing. Why would you believe the world came from nothing?

The majesty and glory of creation also points to God. When we see the majesty of the mountains, the beauty of the leaves in fall or the glory of a brilliant starlit night, it points to the Glory of their creator. “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)

Creation’s witness to us is yes, there is a God. He sent His One and Only Son to save us from our own sin. Just as creation testifies to the existence of God, our lives testify to the law of sin and death. We all sin. No one can say that they have not lied. Sin causes death. However, God sent His Son to deliver us from the law of sin and death. His death on the cross paid for our sin and through His resurrection He overcame the grave. God now commands everyone everywhere to repent (Acts 17:31) and turn to Him in belief. 

I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,  for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”  Romans 1

The gospel of Christ is nothing to be ashamed of, nor is there anything more glorious. No One is more beautiful than Jesus. The gospel of Christ is the greatest story ever told and our one hope in this world.   However, many people who believe the gospel shrink back from talking about it.  We may not think we’re ashamed of the gospel, but our actions might tell a different story.

It’s time to reassess our priorities. It’s time to turn back to our First Love. It’s time to not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ!

Here are just a few reasons to remind us why:

We should not be ashamed of the gospel because it is Christ’s. If we love Jesus how can we not love or be faithful to His message?  Our Lord gave everything to save His people from their sins.

We should not be ashamed of the gospel because of its power to lead the lost to salvation. The gospel is the sole hope for a lost and dying world.  God has entrusted us with the cure for what ails humanity. We must not conceal it.

We should not be ashamed of the gospel because those who have faith in it are righteous. When we believe in the gospel, God imputes Christ’s righteousness on us. Our one path to righteousness is through the gospel of Christ.

The truth is that most everything we are passionate about in this world will pass away. Sports teams, political parties, entertainment and so on, will one day cease to exist.  However, the Kingdom of Heaven lasts forever!  Stand for the One who will not pass away.