HEAVENLY TREASURE

“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” (Matt. 13:44 NKJV).

This verse about the kingdom of heaven helps us to put things in perspective in life. It tells about the price of the kingdom, the priority of the kingdom, and the pleasure of the kingdom.

Price of the kingdom – “The kingdom of heaven is treasure hidden.” The word translated “treasure” denotes a place where something valuable was secured or hidden. Nothing is more valuable than heavenly things. Folks, however, are not inclined to put such a price on heavenly matters. They see little value in heavenly matters and are consumed with earthly matters. However, unless we put a high price on heavenly matters, we risk spending an eternity in hell.

Priority of the kingdom – “Which a man found, he . . . sells all that he has, and buys that field.” The kingdom of heaven is so important that it merits priority in our lives. When the man in our verse found the treasure, everything else took a lesser place and all that he was interested in was the treasure. Spiritual matters should have that same priority in our lives. Mark 8:36 states, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” This should be our priority.

Pleasure of the kingdom – “For joy over it he goes all that he has and buys that field.” The kingdom of heaven is a source of great joy. In fact, heavenly matters bring the greatest joys of life. Most folks are taken up with the pleasures of this life. But the greatest pleasures are heavenly. Psalm 16:11 states, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The greatest joys, the most lasting joys are found in the Lord of heaven. Do not ruin your life for lesser pleasures as so many have done.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Those who know where the treasure lies joyfully abandon everything else to secure it!”

Donald Arthur (DA) Carson (1946 –)

Canadian Biblical Scholar and Author

Word Study

Evil

In 2 Tim. 3:13 we read, “But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (NKJV).

Evil is the Geek word ponērós (πονηρός =pon-ay-ros'). The word means that which is morally or socially worthless, wicked. In classical Greek ponērós was used to mean being oppressed, but was also used to mean bad, wicked, evil in a moral sense. In the Septuagint, ponērós was used to denote something bad, evil, or useless. In the New Testament, ponērós carries the idea of evil, cruel, and can also mean bad or worthless. It denotes someone who is not content in being corrupt themselves but seek to corrupt others and draw them into the same destruction! It is therefore not surprising that ponērós is one of the synonyms for Satan himself.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isa. 41:10 KJV).

Did You Know…

The first set of stone tablets with the 10 Commandments and prepared by God (Ex.31:18) were smashed by Moses after the golden calf incident (Ex. 32:19). The second set of tablets were chiseled out by Moses himself and rewritten by God (Ex. 34:1-4).

Bible Quiz

What was the test proposed by Elijah to the prophets of Baal to see whose god was the true God?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: What reason is given by the apostle John for Nicodemus being a secret disciple of Jesus? Fear of the Jews (John 19:38).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“HOLY ONE”

"For You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption!” (Acts 2:27 NKJV).

1. Meaning – HOLY ONE speaks of the Lord Jesus as the One who is set apart to God.

2. Insights – The Hebrew word which is translated here as “Holy One,” denotes one who is tenderly and piously devoted to another, and answers to the expression used in the New Testament, “My beloved Son.” It is used several times in the New Testament as the well-known designation of the Messiah: “That Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35); “I know who You are - the Holy One of God!” (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34); “But you denied the Holy One and the Just” (Acts 3:14). “To see corruption” speaks of rotting or decaying. During its three days in the tomb, our Lord’s body experienced no corruption. So, in context, Peter quotes Psalm 16 to establish his point that God would raise the Messiah from the dead.

Did You Know – Christian History

Henry Alford was born October 7, 1810 in London, England. He was an English churchman, Theologian, Textual Critic, Scholar, Poet, Hymnodist, and Author.

Alford was nurtured by Christian parents and was greatly influenced by his father and grandfather who were Anglican clergyman. Their example was instrumental in him making a personal commitment to Jesus Christ.

In college, Alford rejected participating in ungodly behavior that was so common among young men at Cambridge. He became an outstanding scholar. Among scholars, he is better known for his commentary on the Greek New Testament, on which he labored for eighteen years. He did much of this work while carrying on the duties of a vicar to the small parish of Wymeswold. It had been neglected and he rebuilt it, visiting every parishioner in his charge. One of his major undertakings was a series of Sunday afternoon sermons in which he taught through books of the Bible, explaining their meaning.

Alford was also a talented artist, and musician. Besides editing the works of John Donne, he published several volumes of his own verse, The School of the Heart (1835), The Abbot of Muchelnaye (1841), The Greek Testament. The Four Gospels (1849), and a number of hymns, the best-known of which are “Forward! be our watchword,” “Come, ye thankful people, come,” and “Ten thousand times ten thousand.” He also wrote a well-known manual of idiom, entitled A Plea for the Queen’s English (1863), and was the first editor of the Contemporary Review (1866–1870).

After many years of hard work, chiefly at Wymeswold, Alford accepted a position at Canterbury Cathedral that allowed him more time to write. At Canterbury, he began a series of Sunday afternoon services as he had done at Wymeswold. Again, these attracted large crowds. His preaching was evangelical. Other church leaders considered him a bit radical, but his good humor and friendliness won their affection. He was notable for being able to see the best points in all Christian positions, however much he might disagree with them. Alford died rather unexpectedly in 1871.

A Little Humor

For the past year or so, Tim has helped count the collection money after church. One Sunday a visitor placed a $500 check in the plate. After the service Tim congratulated the priest on the large donation. “I'm sure it was because of your wonderful sermon,” he gushed. “Oh, boy,” replied the priest. “If you can’t be more honest than that, how can I trust you to count our money?”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Now is the time to invest in eternity!”