08/17/2020
Is Jesus Christ like a treasure that you have discovered in your life, and did you give up everything else you once valued so that in overwhelming joy you could abide with Him? No? Well, once you have uncovered Jesus, and witnessed the value of His righteousness, holiness, and grace, there is nothing you own that you wouldn’t be willing to sacrifice for Him. Perhaps you have merely discovered the locked chest, but have never opened it to see the actual treasure inside, and then covered it back up. Are you afraid of what opening that chest will awaken in you, or of what it will require of you?
““The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Matthew 13:44 ESV
I am not a fan of horror movies, but have watched a few in my day. There is a common tactic that most of them use to bring out exceptional fear in you, and that is the anticipation of danger behind a closed door, or hidden just out of sight. We watch as the good guy or gal pauses before opening the door, or continuing on, and our heart begins to race as we say out loud to ourselves... “Don’t Open That Door!!!” We might not be certain what is waiting behind it, but the music and dark atmosphere has brought our dread to a crescendo, and we are biting our nails in fear. This is the type of terror, or anxiety that Satan would love to instill in us regarding our faith. He wants our spirit to stop, with its hand on the doorknob, and doubt the wisdom of proceeding on. He wants us to be like Lot’s wife...
“And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
Genesis 19:17, 26 ESV
Sometimes during a horror movie the door is opened to a loud BANG that startles us, and there is something awful there, but many times it is either a non-event, or a friendly face that appears. The dark one, can do nothing to harm us without God allowing it, but he builds fear in us with eerie music, and dark clouds, in an attempt to dissuade us from proceeding on in our faith, or to stop us just shy of opening the treasure chest of Christ’s amazing blessings. Listen as Satan asks to test Job...
“Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.”
Job 1:9-12 ESV
So here we are, standing before the treasure chest that contains Jesus in all His glory, and our hand is on the latch, but will we open it? At this pivotal moment Satan will do his best, with dreadful music, and darkness, to dissuade us from opening the chest, but he can’t touch us, or physically keep us from Jesus. All he can do is cloud our minds by casting a veil over the gospel; filling us with doubt, and fear.
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ESV
So will we proceed on, and open our hearts to the glory of God, and the grace that flows from His Son Jesus? Will we throw off the cover from the gospel of Christ, and find the gleaming treasure that awaits us there? Will what we witness cause us to give up our past life, and all it once held, as we are transformed by our journey with Jesus? Then again, perhaps Satan will have his way with us, and we will let go of the latch without opening the chest at all, or maybe we will begin to open the lid only to slam it back down out of unwarranted fear? Which of these will we choose?
Have you ever noticed that in horror movies almost everyone dies, and at the end only the good guy, and his girlfriend seem to survive? Well, it is similar in faith, although many are presented with the treasure chest of Jesus, only a few chose to open it. Which will you be? Are you prepared to receive the treasure of God’s Love, and life everlasting?
““Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Matthew 7:13-14 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the treasure you present us with, which is your Son Jesus Christ, and thank you for the strengthening of our faith that allows us to open our hearts to the mysteries He shows us. Help us Father to keep hold of His hand as we journey through the narrow gate that leads to you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who calls our name, and provides a treasure that will pay the price for our transgressions, and bring us to you. Praised be your name for the faithfulness, and obedience, of Jesus as He makes propitiation for us, and continues to cleanse us of sin. Merciful and full of grace are you Lord, and amazing is your loving kindness that brings us to your Son. Hear our prayers, as we pray for our faith, and taste our tears of repentance as you kiss them away to reveal the gift of joy that comes with your forgiveness. When we stand before you in judgement Father, see only the adornment Christ, of our treasure, and bring us into your home where we will worship you, and dine with you eternally.
Rich Forbes