The Treasure
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Mary Jones was about eight-years-old when she became a Christian. Having learned to read, she wanted to own a Bible in her native Welsh language. But in 1800, Bibles were expensive and hard to come by in Wales. A Bible owned by a relative of Mary's, who lived several miles from her home, was her only access.
So, she saved for six years until she had enough money to buy one of her own. When she sought out the Bible, she was told that a Mr. Charles was her best hope. The only problem was that he lived some 20 miles from Mary's home.
Undeterred, she walked the entire way, barefoot, to find Mr. Charles and fulfill her dream of owning her own Bible. Mary’s story lives on today at a visitor center in Wales dedicated to her memory.
The story of Mary Jones's Bible does not end with her. In 1802, at a meeting with church leaders in London, Mr. Charles recounted her dedication to owning her own Bible. He was there to urge a solution to the lack of affordable Bibles in Wales.
A pastor there named Joseph Hughes asked if a new society could be formed. But he went further, asking, “If for Wales, why not for the United Kingdom? And if for the Kingdom, why not for the world?”
That question was eventually answered, with the help of William Wilberforce and other members of the famous Clapham sect, by the formation of the British Foreign Bible Society. Today, it works with an international network of other Bible societies to produce and distribute millions of Bibles in hundreds of languages around the world. All of this stems from one girl's determination to own her own Bible.
Does it not seem that she acted like a person who found an amazing, an incredible, an incomprehensible treasure. Again, the scriptures. How do we actually see it? Do we really see it as more valuable than rubies? Do we really see it as more precious than millions in gold and silver? Is is more valuable than gold? Is it really sweeter than honey? How do we see the scriptures? Do we really see it as the very breath of the living God?
Its funny how we are when it comes to what it is we actually treasure. What we actually think and define as treasure. Of course for many of us … its money. I remember as a kid it became vivid to me one year. I was still brought up during a time where we were taught that boys do not cry. If you cry its a bad thing. One easter it was told to us that this year there is a golden egg (Yellow) egg and it has $50 in it. Early eighties 10 11 years old that was a lot. Now it got to the end no one could find it… I was next to one of my cousins and lifted a big washer and we both saw the egg and both reached for it, grabbed it at the same time and began to fight over it. My aunt stepped in and told my cousin to just let me have it… so in front of everybody I emerged victorious. I opened it up to receive my treasure only to see a little note that said… April fools early. I threw the egg on the ground and started crying. One of the most embarrassing days of my life. So embarrassed that when my family gave me the 50 i didn’t take it.
Treasure makes us weird. Treasure makes us crazy. Treasure dictates temperament. Treasure directs emotions. What we will risk for treasure. What we are willing to do for treasure. Treasure hunts. Gold rush. Gold or bust. Diamonds are forever. She’s my treasure. He’s my treasure. My group. My identity. Mo money mo money without using yo money. And when the treasure is found… we do the treasure dance. What’s your treasure dance? We do the treasure dance because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
But the passion, the craziness, the risk, the death defying, the hunting, the planning the scheming, the weirdness… for the scriptures? Is that our disposition? All of us who have the scriptures in our hands are the richest people in the world. Do we believe that? Our Psalmist did. Let’s take a look…
I rejoice in your word
like one who discovers a great treasure.
I hate and abhor all falsehood,
but I love your instructions.
I will praise you seven times a day
because all your regulations are just.
Grass withers the flower fades but the word of our God stands forever.
The Treasure
Falsehood
Reason for Praise
The first thing we will look at is the reality of the ultimate value of the Word of the living God. Second, because of its tremendous value, we will see why there is strong feelings for falsehood. Finally, we will see in the gospel a reason to praise the Lord multiple times a day.
Thesis: Though sin and the pattern of this world causes us to diminish the real value of the scriptures, it is the scriptures and the power of the Holy Spirit in light of the gospel that will open our eyes to the truth of what is the very breath of the living God.
I. The Treasure
- A reason to rejoice.
A. Our psalmist trembled in awe over the scriptures. He was struck with fear over the reality of the Word of God. He found it to be more fearful than all. And now he rejoices over it? He trembles before the Word of God and now he is rejoicing over it? That’s kinda different. And not just a normal rejoicing, but a rejoicing of an individual who has found and incredible treasure. But the contexts leads us to maybe a different kind of finding. Many translations will actually use the word Spoil.
B. The idea is that of a soldier who has been endlessly fighting a battle and the victory is finally won and now there is the dividing of the spoil. And what a moment of rejoicing for the mighty to receive and achieve all that they have been fighting for. But here we find our psalmist declaring the ultimate reason for his rejoicing. Spurgeon writes,
“David’s spoil was more than equal to the greatest gains of all the mighty men. His holy loot taken by his intense contention for the truth of God was greater than all the trophies that can be gained in war. Grace divides greater spoil than falls to the portion from sword or bow.”
C. Now with everything that we have experienced. With everything we have endured. All that we have gone through. The suffering we have survived. All the current affliction. The thing that I am to be most excited about on a day to day basis is the Bible. For real? Really Shane Really? I wonder if our problem when it comes to rejoicing over the scriptures is because we have not considered the source.
RC Sproul tells a story… When I was a little boy, there was a fellow in our community who was a couple of years older than me, and he was something of a bully. He made fun of me and called me names, which hurt my feelings. Sometimes I came home crying to my mother and told her what the other boy had said to upset me. My mother had a favorite response to this. As she wiped away my tears, she said, "When people talk like that about you, son, consider the source."
Have we considered the source of the Bible? Do we know and really believe that the source of the Bible is the very breath of God?
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
D. The literal interpretation of theoneustos … God breathed. Do we see that the source of the scriptures is God. So when we are engaged in academic type discussions where it is urged for us to consider the source. A kind of fact checking. How important is the source? Very. Our source is the living God.
E. But Shane… the value. Why is it a rejoicing over a treasure kind of thing? Paul tells us the value of it. First… the Bible teaches us what is true. What we need to know. What we need to know about God, life and godliness. In our culture that constantly diminishes doctrine it is of no question that the NT is concerned with doctrine and that we are taught it. The church is built by the teaching ministry of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. It is for the edifying of the Body of Christ. Can diamonds or gold do this?
F. Second, it corrects us. It tells us what is right and what is wrong. It changes our direction. It changes our way. If we are being lead astray it makes our paths straight. According to Duke, in city slickers, gold tells us… come and get me. What does the Bible tell us about gold?
Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
Be wise enough to know when to quit.
In the blink of an eye wealth disappears,
for it will sprout wings
and fly away like an eagle.
G. It teaches us the truth and directs our steps. And it does something awesome.
that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
H. What other treasure in this world can do this for us? The Word will make us complete. The Word will equip us for every good work. It will teach us what is true and it will order our steps. What treasure can do this? The Bible is the greatest of all treasure.
II. Falsehood
- Hate and Abhor
A. It is said that this is a double expression for an inexpressible loathing. It is the ultimate of falsehood… anything that misrepresents what the Bible truly is. Falsehood, false doctrine, false teaching, lying … errgh. I remember one individual asked me… Shane why are you so vehemently against falsehood, false teaching, false doctrine and yet be passive about falsehoods in the world lying from politicians, when people lie to you. You seems really passive about that stuff, but man when it come to misrepresenting the Bible, you don’t mess around. Because it is misrepresenting the greatest of treasures.
B. I remember in grade school we found out a candy that we liked was not the same one that we were buying … the lady changed it to a cheaper version and selling it like it was the same. We were upset. I remember buying a pair of cavarichis and found out it was a knock off and I was upset. When we first moved back to colorado… I bought some new Doc Martins at a good price and then found out later it was made in china and not England. I almost bought a piece of music gear for the church and found out that clones of it are out there and got a warning from the manufacturer and it fit the description. I was really upset. It gets worse… a lady bought a diamond ring for 10K and found out later that it was a fake. Really upset. How would you feel if you spent 100K on a guitar owned by Jimi Hendricks and found out that it was a fake. How bout the Salvator Mundi? A piece of artwork hanging in the Yatch of Saudi prince Mohammud Bin Salman. It was bought for 450 million … he thought it was the one by DaVinci then it was discovered to be a fake. Really Really upset. The greater the value the greater the disgust.
C. This is why there is hatred and abhorrence for falsehoods of the greatest and most valuable treasure in the world. Don’t mess with the Bible. Not even a hint of falsehood when it comes to the scriptures. Misrepresenting the very breath of God. Lying and falsehood is bad in it of it self period. So many people hate lying. But misrepresenting as truth a falsehood said to be the truth of the scriptures is the absolute worst thing you could do. Falsehood concerning the Word of God is an absolute abhorrence and what ilicits hatred from our Psalmist and the living God who forbids taking His name in vain. Any kind of falsehood attached to name of Christ is a awful sin.
III. Reason for Praise
- The Gospel of our Lord Jesus.
A. But falsehood is a clear reality for all of us today. Why?
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?
B. Deceit is at the very core of our being. We may not be lying to others, but maybe we are lying to ourselves. Trying to lie to God. Trying to deceive the Holy Spirit. Maybe we are lying to others. Maybe we are living a lie. Maybe we are surrounded by lies and deceit. But we love the falsehood. We really dont see the Bible as valuable because it is truth, but we don’t want to hear the truth. The Bible corrects our direction, but maybe we don’t want to be corrected. It gives us all we need for godly living, but maybe godly living is not what we really want.
C. It may be valuable, but not for me. I don’t want what it offers. I love my sin. I love what is wrong. We love sin that so easily besets us. We by nature love to be told lies. We love false teaching. We love false doctrine.
the prophets give false prophecies,
and the priests rule with an iron hand.
Worse yet, my people like it that way!
But what will you do when the end comes?
For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.
D. But this is the case because we are all by nature children of wrath. No one is righteous no not one. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is no one on earth who always does good and never sins.
The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
E. And the punishment for this is real. It is the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. The place of eternal fire. It is outer darkness. It is the place reseved forr the devil and his angels. But family we can rejoice 7 times a day… because we can be saved for all of this.
F. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures and he was buried and he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. He became sin who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. By his wounds we are healed.
G. The treasure also declares more truth. All who call uponn the name of the Lord shall be saved. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God rasied Him from the dead you will be saved. Believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God and you will have life in His name. He came to bring us life and life more abundant.
H. We can rejoice today. We can rejoice 7 times a day. We have in our possession the greatest treasure. We have the very breath of God. Rejoice and be glad. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.