Message 31 - By Jerry D. Green
The
Key to the Treasure
Introduction
This was originally a half page Mini-Tract message, written in the
interest of making a more compact tract. It has been edited for the web and is slightly
longer than the original version. Our hope is that it will bless the reader
with a greater spiritual understanding of the gospel. JDG
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The Key to the Treasure
Imagine with me if you will, that you have a rich benefactor who
has just given you a fortune in all manner of gold, silver, precious stones,
and more money than you could possibly spend in your lifetime. Wouldn’t that be
wonderful beyond your wildest fantasy? The only problem is that all this wealth
is locked safely away in a treasure house and the only possible way to access
it is that you have the key. Even
though these treasures have been freely given to you and they are legally
yours, without the key, you cannot
access them. This little story is an allegory, much like that which God has
provided for us spiritually. For in and through His Son Jesus Christ, God has
prepared for all mankind, that which the carnal mind of man can by no means
grasp. There is no possible way for the natural man to comprehend the glory of
that which God has prepared for those who love Him (I Corinthians 2:9). Nevertheless, it’s right there waiting for
those who will hear, and believe the true gospel message.
The first thing that must happen before a person can partake of
God’s treasure, is to hear that there IS a treasure (hear the true gospel of
Jesus Christ) which He (God) has prepared for US, BY and IN His Son. And having
heard this good and wonderful news of that which has been prepared for us, we
must then apply the key which
unlocks this treasure. And the key
is faith IN, the Lord, Jesus Christ,
AND, the true gospel of Him (Hebrews 4:2).
Paul says the “…riches of Christ” are “…unsearchable…” (Ephesians 3:8),
and that the rationality of man (the carnal mind) cannot comprehend the glory
of this great treasure which God has provided for us, BY and IN His Son, Jesus Christ, and the glorious gospel of Him (Romans; 1:16; I Corinthians
2:9). There are many great treasures in God’s treasure house, every one of
which were “…wrought (FOR US,) IN Christ, when He (God, the Father) raised Him (Jesus Christ) from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:20): The complete and finished
work of Calvary. Our “old man of sin” (the sin nature) WAS and IS “…crucified WITH Him…” (Romans
6:6; “…wrought IN Christ…”). Our “old man
of sin” WAS and IS “…buried WITH Him…” (Romans 6:3-4; “…wrought IN Christ…”), and IN His resurrection, we all were
and are, “…begotten, … (born) …again (or anew) unto a lively hope (The confident
expectation of everlasting, abundant
LIFE; NOT just eternal existence.) by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I
Peter 1:3). Yes, we were and are “…Raised… together (with Him, “…in newness of life…” [Romans
6:4]; “…wrought IN Christ…”), and (we all, in His
ascension, were and are) made …” to “…sit together in heavenly places IN Christ Jesus” (restored to fellowship with God; “…wrought IN Christ…”; Ephesians
2:6). Everyone of these were and are, “…wrought IN
Christ…” FOR each and every individual who has ever been, or ever will be
born on this planet. But even though all of these are a complete, finished
work, they are only effectual to those who use the key (We must believe the
gospel [the good news] of this which God has “…wrought [for us] IN Christ”). “For (Paul says that) unto us (the Jew of his day) was THE GOSPEL
preached, as well as unto them (their forefathers who came out of
Egypt):
but the word preached (unto their
forefathers) did NOT PROFIT THEM, NOT being MIXED
WITH FAITH in them that heard it” (Hebrews 4:2). Neither will “…the gospel…” message profit us today (work its work of
righteousness within us) if we do not hear
IT and believe IT FROM the heart.
Only then, can or will it profit US.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul attempts to reveal some of the
“…unsearchable riches of Christ.” He proceeds to
tell them that, Since I heard of your “…FAITH in the Lord
Jesus, and (your) love unto all saints, (I) Cease not to give
thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of WISDOM and
REVELATION in THE KNOWLEDGE of… (Jesus Christ and
His gospel; Please read message 29.): The
eyes of your (spiritual) understanding (your heart) being enlightened; that… (you) …may KNOW what IS
the hope of… (God’s) …calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints (the children of God, IS), And what IS the exceeding greatness of… (God’s) …POWER TO USWARD (toward or to us) WHO BELIEVE (‘…the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation…’; Ephesians
1:13; Romans 1:16), according to the working of… (God’s) …mighty power, Which He WROUGHT IN CHRIST, when HE RAISED Him from the dead, and set Him at His (God’s) own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and
power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all (of those) things (which he has just mentioned) under His (Christ’s) feet, and gave Him (Christ) to be the head (the administrator) over all (of those) things (he has just mentioned,) to the church,
Which is His body, the fulness of Him (Jesus Christ) that filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:15-23).
In II Corinthians 12:1-7,
Paul speaks of the abundance of revelations which God had given him in visions.
“How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard
UNSPEAKABLE WORDS, which… is not LAWFUL for a man to utter.” I often wondered
why God would not allow Paul to share those “…unspeakable
words…” with us, not understanding at the time that Paul had spent the
rest of his life preaching and teaching those inexpressible things which he had
heard, with all his might. He did this in the face of terrible persecution by
those who held to the religious laws of man (In his case, the law [or laws] of
Moses; These were the ones who the preaching of the true gospel of Jesus Christ
was unlawful to). Yet, in the face of continuous persecution, he prayed that
utterance be given him, that he might be able to convey the glory of that gospel (that good news) which had been
revealed both unto and in him (Galatians 1:11-17).
If a person can ever hear and see the glorious riches in God’s
treasure house, that person will never again be satisfied with the status quo
of their life and/or experience. For whether they have been enslaved by sin, religion, or both, they will gladly sell
all and “…count it but dung…,” that they may
win Christ, God’s great treasure
house, and all of the riches thereof. And all that a person must do to partake
of the riches of God’s treasure house is to repent (hate sin and its wages, death),
desire righteousness (the riches of
Christ, which is life), hear the
glorious gospel (the good news of
those riches), and (use the key) believe it from the heart. Amen!
Tract Message 31 - The Key to the Treasure
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