Discerning Treasure

You are our letter, 

written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 

being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, 

written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

2 Corinthians 3:2-3

Now in order to find the treasure we discussed in the previous post, I will assume a few conclusions here. These points are critically important.

First, you need to have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and His free gift of eternal life.

Next, you must understand the nature of the treasure. It is inside of you. It is God’s eternal Truth.  And you receive this Truth through His Holy Word by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Your goal is: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2. … “so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

The key reference: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; … Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”  2 Corinthians 4:7-16

Now having established a starting point, we need to understand what this all means. When we receive Christ’s free gift of eternal life, we receive the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised. "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive“ John 14:16-17

This promise from Jesus was given in response to a question from the one we have come to know as “Doubting Thomas” as follows:

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:5-6

The Holy Spirit will guide us in being transformed and renewed day by day, and being grounded in the Truth of Jesus Christ.

But why is it that millions of professing Christians have never applied this truth in their lives? There are a number of reasons.

   1. Although they are in the world, but no longer of the world … they have been trained by the secular world and accepted worldly false teachings as truth.

   2. As in the times of the Pharisees, they have allowed the religious teachings of men to come between them and God’s Truth.

   3. They have been blinded by the god of this world and his false teachings.

   4. They are still following their lust and pride; rather than the Holy Spirit.

Consider for a moment that the gold coins in the picture above each represent a measure of Eternal Truth. Now we must test each belief or view so as to not be conformed but rather be transformed. All we then need to do is follow God’s Word by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Continual prayer and meditation on the specific text is critical here.

Pray for guidance, meditate on the Word, and listen. The Truth will become known to you. Once again, we are to test each belief or view with the understanding that we are: to not be conformed; but rather to be transformed.

There are an unlimited number of Truths. When we allow false beliefs to become a stronghold in our thinking … we become blinded on that particular point. One false conclusion can infect our thinking on a number of eternal Truths. 

A great example is “the theory of evolution.”  To accept evolution we must reject the Creator God who as Christians we have also received as our Lord and Savior ... and along with that reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ that saves us for eternity. Do we wonder where the phrase Christians are hypocrites was born?

Here is another key point: Jesus said; “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me” What does this Truth say to religions, denominations, and other teachings of men? God says: "The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God" There is a big danger here of following the teachings of men; rather than God.

We need to challenge and test everything we have come to believe by the eternal Truth of God’s Word. False beliefs are a barrier between us and the leading of the Holy Spirit. As Americans we are committed to freedom of religion for all. But that does not mean that these false religions are valid; or that we should trust the teachings of those who have been misled by them.

Sending our kids to wrong university could negatively impact their entire life. And this Truth includes supposed Christian universities. Think about it. A professor at a Christian university who is not guided by the Holy Spirit and God’s Word can easily lead many sincere young Christians in the wrong direction … especially if they are not calling upon the leadership of God’s eternal Truth and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Now let’s look back at Warren Buffett. What is the value of his counsel in finding this eternal treasure of God’s wisdom that all Christians already possess? ZERO. Although extremely valuable in the ways of the world, Buffett’s advice is most apt to lead us away from God’s Treasure ... and possibly to the treasures of the world.

Don’t get me wrong, Warren Buffett or Peter Drucker have great ideas on how to succeed in the world. But  God’s Word tells us that we are Ambassadors for Christ with a ministry of reconciliation …  “so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 As Ambassadors we are now foreigners here on earth. Jesus makes it clear that the world will hate us, and the things that we believe.

We know that Jesus rejected the treasures of the world. “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'" Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.” Matthew 4:8-11

Why are Christians still chasing after temporary treasure that Jesus rejected when they have eternal treasure readily available to them? 

They are still under the control of their lust and pride.

God bless you my friends, Bob

Finding Treasure

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. 1 Corinthians 4:7

If you were offered a treasure map that leads to unlimited treasure, how much would you be willing to pay?

Well in the verse above we are told that we already have “this treasure in earthen vessels” and it is fairly simple to determine the location of the treasure map.

So the next logical questions are: What is the treasure, and why do so many choose to disregard this treasure and the map that leads to it?

It is also clear that the treasure we speak of here is not gold, silver, Dollars or Euros, but rather knowledge and wisdom which will bring good fortune.

How much would you pay? Here is one example to demonstrate the perceived value of wisdom to some … Billionaire Warren Buffett’s annual lunch auction set a record for a third straight year in 2012 with a winning bid of $3,456,789 and has averaged more than a million a year over the past 13 years.

What would lead someone to pay $3.5 million to have lunch with Warren Buffett … you might ask? What could they hope to receive from Buffett beyond ideas that might bring them future treasure?

My point here is that there are things that are valued by most far beyond worldly treasure. How much do you think the $3.5 million man above would pay in ransom for a loved one; or for a hand, or a foot, or for his health? What if he could be assured that his life would be extended an additional hundred years? What are these things worth?

Paul talks about the treasure he has been given, and that we all have received in chapters 3-5 of 2 Corinthians.

I was recently drawn to this favorite passage as a result of my illness and extended hospital stay. The earthen vessel is our body which is temporary and like a flower withering or wasting away. But the treasure Paul speaks of here is eternal and is being renewed day by day.

Surely anyone can understand this difference. Warren Buffett on his best day has nothing to offer anyone beyond that which is temporary.

And this leads to the reason why many Christians and non-Christians alike do not seek this treasure Paul speaks of here. 

They just don’t really believe in the internal presence of the Holy Spirit or the never-ending Truth of God’s Word. Many make a decision for Christ; but rather than be renewed spiritually day by day … they remain in the temporal. They choose to ignore the clear steps to accessing the treasure God promises to us all.

So how would we go about finding this treasure that the apostle refers to here? The steps are clear and this treasure is available to all.

The first step is to move from the temporal to the eternal in our heart and mind. This is accomplished the moment you receive Jesus Christ’s free gift of eternal life in heaven.

When we believe in Jesus Christ and His promises, we are not judged and receive forgiveness and eternal life. Those who do not believe come under judgment and receive the consequences of unbelief.

You do not need to do anything to receive this free gift. Salvation is by Grace and Grace alone. “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.”  Romans 11:6

Eternal life in heaven is the most amazing treasure ever; but I am convinced that it is not the treasure the apostle talks about here. Paul is referring to an internal spiritual reality here and now. He says we have this treasure in earthen vessels. These earthen vessels are not with us in heaven. We will have a new heavenly body. “Old things pass away and new things have come.”

So what is the treasure we all possess? 

Well the answer to this question is made clear when the scripture says:   “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” 1 Corinthians 3:16. The key words here are: “yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”

Paul explains more  here: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

One of the first things people will say is that the Bible is so hard to understand. 

But Jesus made it clear that it does not need to be this way when He gave us this promise: "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; [that is] the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, [but] you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17

This is the treasure Paul speaks of: God’s Word … the gospel; plus the indwelling Holy Spirit who is with each of us forever. When we seek to be transformed … the Holy Spirit will guide us into all knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.

So how does this compare to lunch with Warren Buffett?

This question was answered thousands of years ago as well: “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God.” 1 Corinthians 3:18-19

God Bless you my friends, Bob