The Greatest Treasure

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King James Bible Study[Mark 8:34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]

Date: Monday, November 01, 2021
Chapters: Luke 19, John 12
Message: The Greatest Treasure

Hello My Friend,

Last night, near the end of my work shift, I had a customer that called asking for help with an order that she placed, when I told her that the order had not actually been completed I could hear the sadness in her voice. I asked her if she was okay, then she proceeded to tell me that she had just gotten out of the hospital. I knew right away that what she tried to order was really needed to assist in her recovery. We had gotten disconnected, and normally we are not allowed to make outbound calls unless we get permission, but in this case, I decided that it was best to call her back right away. Her husband answered the phone, and I was able to walk him through to complete the sale. I ended the call by telling him that I was going to pray for his wife and him and that meant more to them than me helping them. Sometimes, we have no idea why God places us in the positions we are in, but He sure does, if He can get us to lead just one lost sheep to His fold, then we have completed our sale, [Matthew 18:12-13  How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?  13  And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.]

Next to the testimony of the woman with the issue of blood, my favorite from the Gospels is Zacchaeus. As we continue in the reading of the Gospels, we learn about Zacchaeus, the people hated Zacchaeus because he was not only a tax collector, he was in charge of them, and also very rich. Did you ever notice that the only people who are offended by the rich are those whom actually have deceitfully gotten rich by taking other peoples money? Well, Zacchaeus had everything he could possibly imagine, but he knew something was missing from his life that money could buy. He too, heard the stories about Jesus, how He healed the sick, raised the dead, and fed thousands of people, and perhaps Jesus could give me that one thing that was missing. When he heard that Jesus was in Jericho he quickly found the crowd, but there were so many people that he could not see Him, beside the fact that he was too short to see anything. He saw a tree and decided to climb it, and as he began to look around for Jesus, he hears a voice shouting his name, only to discover that Jesus was right below him.

[Luke 19:2-6  And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.  3  And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.  4  And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.  5  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.  6  And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.]

[he looked up, and saw him,] You see, when we seek Jesus, He is the one who literally comes to us, and it does not matter where we are when He does. Notice that Jesus tells Zacchaeus that He must abide in his house, this is actually the only way that we can be saved. If Jesus does not abide in us, then we will not be saved, but He does just force Himself in, we must believe in and receive Him joyfully into our home (our soul), just like Zacchaeus did, [John 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.]

When we do discover that Jesus is the most valuable treasure we will ever possess, and receive Him, not everyone believes that we should be saved. I will tell you what, religion and society itself is really good at trying to fool everyone into believing that we are all equal, what they actually mean is that we are equal as long as we believe in what they believe. Now, when the people saw Jesus walking with Zacchaeus they were appalled, and literally murmured as they were walking together, and Zacchaeus heard everything they said.

[Luke 19:7-10  And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.  8  And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.  9  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.  10  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.]

[the half of my goods I give to the poor;] Remember the rich ruler who walked away sorrowfully when Jesus told him that if he wanted to have eternal life he needed to sell everything he had? Well, this is what Zacchaeus was ready to do, and what Jesus meant by what He said. Jesus does something to us that we discover very quickly that the things of this world have no value, and our greatest treasure truly is Him, [Matthew 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.]

Speaking of buying a field, when we discover that Jesus is our greatest treasure, we do not hesitate to start telling everyone we know about Jesus. I guess we also attempt to get society and religion to believe what we know is true. The difference is that we are no respecter of persons, and will tell anyone about Jesus that God lays upon our heart. Now, as Jesus watched the crowd respond to Him telling them that Zacchaeus and his entire household got saved, He speaks a parable that He knew would ruffle the Pharisees feathers.

[Luke 19:11-15  And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.  12  He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.  13  And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.  14  But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.  15  And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.]

[We will not have this man to reign over us.] Do not let society or religion fool you, they all want to be in heaven when they die, and even those who say there is no such thing as heaven secretly hope that it is true. The harsh reality is that they do not want Jesus to be the way, the truth, and the life, because if they did then that would mean every false doctrine they taught to the ones who believed them would be exposed. They can deny that fact or alter it to suit their cause, but Jesus is still going to return for His people, and only those whom have accepted Him will be saved. Jesus tells us this as He continues the parable, [Luke 19:16-20  Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.  17  And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.  18  And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.  19  And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.  20  And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:]

[which I have kept laid up in a napkin:] So, the money is the Gospel, each and every person has some kind of faith in God is presented with the Gospel, those who accept it and received Christ as their Saviour will go on and be witnesses for Christ. Those who ignore it, well, their fate is no better than the reprobates, we learn of this as Jesus finished the parable, [Luke 19:22-27  And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:  23  Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?  24  And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.  25  (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)  26  For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.  27  But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.]

[which would not that I should reign over them,] You see, the proud Jews and religious nuts foolishly thought that they were saved because of who they are, it did not matter what the Scriptures said, they refused to believe that Jesus is their only way into heaven. Jesus will take their opportunity to get saved away from them and hand it to one of the heathens who will receive Him, [John 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.]

Society and Religion despise Jesus, they cannot stand the fact that He is the only way to God, and will not accept Him. That sadly includes many religions who call themselves Christians. I find it appalling that they have the nerve to call themselves Christians when they do not believe in who He is. I can only imagine how that makes Jesus feel, which is why He will not hesitate to take His gift of salvation away from them and give it to those who do believe in Him. Through another parable about a vineyard, Jesus explains this again.

[Mark 12:1-5  And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.  2  And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.  3  And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.  4  And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.  5  And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.]

[A certain man planted a vineyard,] The man is God, the husbandmen were the priests and Levites that God had used to be ministers to Him and the people, and to teach them the Law. [he sent to the husbandmen a servant,] Over the years, the priests and Levites would start forgetting the ministry or neglecting their duties, and the people would stray. That was when God would send a prophet to warn them, hence a servant, these would be prophets like Jeremiah. [And again he sent another; and him they killed,] John the Baptist, was the last prophet that God had sent before Jesus came here in the flesh, and he too lost his life. Now, things were much worse, the priests and Levites not only stopped ministering to the people, they changed everything that pertained to the Law of Moses, [Mark 7:7-8  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.  8  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.].

Jesus knew that it would be the religious Jews who would by screaming out, “Crucify Him!”, when He is captured and judged. He ends the parable by telling them what will happen to them, [Mark 12:6-9,12  Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.  7  But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.  8  And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.  9  What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. 12  And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.]

[and the inheritance shall be ours.] This is no different than false religion, they reject Christ, in fact, hang Him on the cross every single time they say His name, and expect God to just hand heaven to them. These men were determined to kill Jesus, they thought themselves to be righteous and God fearing, but the reality was they made up their own religion. Religion is not only what destroys God’s Word, it is what sends multitudes to hell. Ignorance saves no one, and all these people who are trusting in their religion to save them have some knowledge of the truth of Christ, so it is all on them if they reject Him, [Acts 4:10-12  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.  11  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.  12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.]

Today’s Prayer: God, You have sent the greatest treasure that cannot be bought or sold on any level, that treasure is eternal life with You, and the only way that we can obtain that is by believing in the Gospel of Your Son and receiving Him as our Saviour. Once we receive Christ as our Saviour we are instantly granted eternal life, it is Your gift to us for solely putting our faith and trust in Him to save our soul from hell. Lord, You have given us the greatest example of a servant in the person of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Others in this world may earn titles and win prizes for earthly pursuits, but the greatest treasure that I will ever obtain is my entrance into heaven where I will see you face to face. And amazingly it is not because I earned it, but solely because I put my faith and trust in Your Son to get me there. I just want to thank You, Lord, and ask that You continue to lead me by Your example and let me be fruitful in my efforts. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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