Do you have treasure?

Scripture thinks of treasure differently than man thinks of it. Sure Scripture mentions riches, and gives practical wisdom on handling money, but Scripture often mentions earthly treasure in the sense that the love of it can be a snare, 

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away  from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Tim 6:10 NASB)

He who trusts in his riches will fall (Prov 11:28a NASB)

or that they pass away.

For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations (Prov 27:24 NASB)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. (Matt 6:19 NASB)

Real treasure on the other hand, is always associated with God.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; (Matt 6:20)

And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the Lord is his treasure. (Isa 33:6 NASB)

Jesus goes on to say that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also (Matt 6:21). 

Therefore, these are the questions knocking at our hearts today: 
Where is our treasure? and  Do we possess the true treasure that will not pass away?

Worthless Things

May we follow David's example as he penned, "I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip on me." 
(Psa 101:3 NASB) 








What worthless things do we set before our own eyes? The word translated as worthless can carry the idea of destruction or ungodliness. The King James translates the first part of verse 3 this way: 

 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.

These things are all around us. The funny thing about worthless, wicked things...they have a way, as the Psalmist writes, of "fastening its grip on us." Let us keep diligent to keep our lives free of all that does not honor our Saviour.

Our "song" of praise!

O sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.

 (Psalm 98:1 NASB)

No matter where we are in our lives right now, good times or hard times, we can praise knowing that GOD is victorious and if we know Jesus, we are His. 

Isaiah 46:13 says, 

"I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; And My salvation will not delay.

This is exactly what God did in Christ Jesus. Paul penned: If you confess with your mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same [Lord] is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." (Rom 10:9-13 NASB)

Hallelujah!

Perfect Peace

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. -

 (Isaiah 26:3 ESV)

Perfect Peace - what beautiful words! Who doesn't want that? The words translated perfect peace,  in the Hebrew is "Shalom Shalom". Shalom means peace and well being.

 The double shalom here is well conveyed in our English Bibles as "Perfect Peace" ....not just peace, but perfect peace. How do we get it? By keeping our minds stayed on God! What a blessing!

The Christian and Life's Spiritual Battles

No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. (2 Tim 2:4 ESV) 

Life can sometimes make us weary or worn down as wave after wave of unpleasant events, circumstances or physical conditions pound us. Don't be discouraged. 

Sometimes the LORD does not want to deliver us from the battle, but wants us to stay and fight the good fight. 

A soldier in the military fighting for his country will expect to be shot at, and possibly wounded. He is loyal and will give his life to defend his country. He considers it an honor to die on the battle field. 

Yet, his ultimate goal is to war the good warfare and win. He wins the battle both through his training, trust in his commander and knowledge of His weapons and how to use them.

Should it be so different for a Christian?

We too must know our weapons - salvation,  the Bible, prayer and all the armor of God. 

It is much more comfortable to pray to be delivered from the battle - and the LORD will sometimes, in His love and mercy, take the battle away. But should we be so surprised when He expects us to stand and fight? Christian, lift your head high. We can do all things through Him who strengthens us! (Phil 4:13)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

 (Eph 6:10-18a ESV)

Poured out for others

Thoughts from Sunday's Sermon:

But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, [I urge you], rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me. (Phil 2:17-18 NASB)

Mutual joy comes from shared sacrifice. Paul rejoiced in the two fold sacrifice being made both for the LORD and for each other: the Philippians sacrifice of service and his sacrifice for them. 

If we are to have the same attitude as Christ (Phil 2:5), then we must be prepared both to serve and sacrifice. Greater joy comes from the shared sacrifice of working toward a common goal in the LORD.

The Gospel as a Gift

We usually estimate the contents of a gift by the attractiveness of the paper with which it is wrapped.  If the paper is plain, we might not think very much of the present itself at first.  But judging a box by its trimmings and bows can never accurately determine the worth it possesses.  This was definitely the case when God sent the greatest gift, His Son, Jesus Christ. The unattractive wrapping was intentional.  Isaiah says, “He had no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.” (Isaiah 53:2) The people of Christ’s day did not think very much of who He was or the town that He came from (“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Jn. 1:46). Neither was his father’s trade held in high regard (“Is not this the carpenter’s son?” Mt. 13:55). Outward appearances and displays of power meant as much to Christ’s contemporaries as they do to us today. Not only were these people displeased with the appearance of Jesus, but they despised His purpose as well. It was the wrappings of a political savior that the multitudes longed for; a man who would free them from Roman oppression.  But the Savior who would come was to free them from much more than from any tyrannical leader; He had come to release them from the bondage of their own sinful hearts.  As the angel said to Mary, “You shall name Him Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.”  Adding to all this uncomeliness, Jesus Christ was hung on a cross to be crucified, the most shameful way for any man to die during this period. 

Jesus was and is the greatest gift that mankind has or will ever know.  In considering this great Gift and the unattractive, humble state in which He came, we need to shift our focus to the wrapping that covers our eyes. As sinners, we are spiritually dead and “blinded by the prince of this world” so that we cannot “see the light of the gospel of Christ.” We must study the Gift with new eyes, eyes that will enable us to see Jesus- God incarnate, fully God and fully man, who lived a life of perfect obedience and suffered and died as the only sacrifice for our sins. When we do this, we will see not the unattractiveness of God’s own Son, but the unattractiveness of our sin.  Once we allow Christ to unveil the filth of our own hearts, we will be able to love and delight in the magnitude of His gift, the beauty of Calvary’s love and the riches of God’s mercy, which will then allow us to share in the experience of what happened three days after Christ’s death—His resurrection! Only then will we see Jesus for who He truly is.  

Morning Meditation

Our morning meditation is from Spurgeon's Daily Devotions:

The place which is called Calvary."—Luke 23:33.

HE hill of comfort is the hill of Calvary; the house of consolation is built with the wood of the cross; the temple of heavenly blessing is founded upon the riven rock—riven by the spear which pierced His side. No scene in sacred history ever gladdens the soul like Calvary's tragedy.

"Is it not strange, the darkest hour
That ever dawned on sinful earth,
Should touch the heart with softer power,
For comfort, than an angel's mirth?
That to the Cross the mourner's eye should turn,
Sooner than where the stars of Bethlehem burn?"
Light springs from the midday-midnight of Golgotha, and every herb of the field blooms sweetly beneath the shadow of the once accursed tree. In that place of thirst, grace hath dug a fountain which ever gusheth with waters pure as crystal, each drop capable of alleviating the woes of mankind. You who have had your seasons of conflict, will confess that it was not at Olivet that you ever found comfort, not on the hill of Sinai, nor on Tabor; but Gethsemane, Gabbatha, and Golgotha have been a means of comfort to you. The bitter herbs of Gethsemane have often taken away the bitters of your life; the scourge of Gabbatha has often scourged away your cares, and the groans of Calvary yields us comfort rare and rich. We never should have known Christ's love in all its heights and depths if He had not died; nor could we guess the Father's deep affection if He had not given His Son to die. The common mercies we enjoy all sing of love, just as the sea-shell, when we put it to our ears, whispers of the deep sea whence it came; but if we desire to hear the ocean itself, we must not look at every-day blessings, but at the transactions of the crucifixion. He who would know love, let him retire to Calvary and see the Man of sorrows die.

No Mumbly Grumblies!

Do all things without grumbling or disputing,that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Philippians 2:14-16 ESV)

A Christ-like mind eliminates a contentious spirit. Shine your light. Raise the volume of your life's testimony, not your voice. We want to use our lives along with the precious words of Jesus to share the gospel. Paul exhorts us to possess a good testimony and proclaim the living word. 

-A few thoughts from last Sunday's sermon

Why do you weep?

A thought from C. H. Spurgeon's daily devotions:"For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."—2 Corinthians 5:21. 

MOURNING Christian! why weepest thou? Art thou mourning over thine own corruptions? Look to thy perfect Lord, and remember, thou art complete in Him; thou art in God's sight as perfect as if thou hadst never sinned; nay, more than that, the Lord our Righteousness hath put a divine garment upon thee, so that thou hast more than the righteousness of man—thou hast the righteousness of God.

O Thou who art mourning by reason of inbred sin and depravity, remember, none of thy sins can condemn thee. Thou hast learned to hate sin; but thou hast learned also to know that sin is not thine—it was laid upon Christ's head. Thy standing is not in thyself—it is in Christ; thine acceptance is not in thyself, but in thy Lord; thou art as much accepted of God to-day, with all thy sinfulness, as thou wilt be when thou standest before His throne, free from all corruption. O, I beseech thee, lay hold on this precious thought, perfection in Christ! For thou art "complete in Him."

With thy Saviour's garment on, thou art holy as the Holy one. "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

Christian, let thy heart rejoice, for thou art "accepted in the beloved"—what hast thou to fear? Let thy face ever wear a smile; live near thy Master; live in the suburbs of the Celestial City; for soon, when thy time has come, thou shalt rise up where thy Jesus sits, and reign at His right hand; and all this because the divine Lord "was made to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

Empty Tombs...Full Hearts

If the tomb was still full, our hearts would be empty, but praise the Lord, the tomb is empty so our hearts are full!!

1. 
   
   
   
   Low in the grave He lay,
   Jesus, my Savior,
   Waiting the coming day,
   Jesus, my Lord!
   • Refrain:
     Up from the grave He arose,
     With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
     He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
     And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
     He arose! He arose!
     Hallelujah! Christ arose!
2. Vainly they watch His bed,
   Jesus, my Savior;
   Vainly they seal the dead,
   Jesus, my Lord!
3. Death cannot keep his Prey,
   Jesus, my Savior;
   He tore the bars away,
   Jesus, my Lord!