8/12/2019 2006 Issue 2 - Let's Talk: Talks About the Bible Chapter 4 - Hidden Treasure - Counsel of Chalcedon

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LETS TALK:Talks About the Bible

Chapter 4 - HIDDEN TREASURE Ernest Kevin [out of print]

(Adapted and Edited by Wayne Rogers)

Have you ever seen a Treasure map? If you found one would you follow it?What if you knew there really was a treasure at the end of it? I believe youprobably would. Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure

hidden in a eld, Mat. 13:44. Where are we to dig for this treasure? In theBible! When the Queen of England is crowned, a minister presents a Bible toher and says, Our gracious Queen; we present you with this book, themost valuable thing that this world affords. Here is wisdom, this is theRoyal law; these are the lively oracles of God.

You will never know the value of the Bible or receive its full blessing until you dig into it. What do I mean by digging? You cant dig in a book! Oh yes you can! You do not digwith a shovel but you can dig in the Bible. Of course, you must dig with the right tools. You must dig bycareful searching in the Bible, and by remembering what you read, and by comparing the Old Testamentwith the New and the New Testament with the Old.

What do I mean by hidden treasure? I mean the knowlege of God, Prov. 2:4-5. God has shownus what He is like and what His will for us is. Some of this treasure is not hidden at all; its lying on thesurface of Gods word. The youngest person can understand the meaning of the words Come unto me,Mat. 11:28 and the simplest believer can rest in the Lord, Ps. 37:7. But there are many great things andreally rich treasures of wisdom and understanding which the Bible gives only to those who study it.

The Bible is not just a story book like those you buy at a store. Jesus said that Moses had writtenabout Him, John 5:46. When Jesus was speaking to two of his disciples, He began at Moses and all theprophets and expounded the things concerning Himself, Luke 24:27. On another occasion Jesus saidSearch the Scriptures (the O.T) ...they are which testify of me , John 5:39. In other words,the Bible is more than a collection of stories; the whole O.T was about Jesus. The O.T. set forth thework of Jesus in the deliverance from Egypt, in the of ces of prophet, priest, and king, etc. The O.Tforeshadowed His purpose in coming, to gather and form a people for Himself who would live and worshipHim in holiness and extend His kingdom into all the world through the preaching of the Gospel.

The hidden treasures in the Bible for which we must seek are KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM. Prov. 2:6,For the Lord gives wisdom. From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Prov. 3:13 says happy isthe man who nds WISDOM. Ps 119:14 says I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies as much as allriches. You can see that this man loved his Bible because of its hidden treasure.

8/12/2019 2006 Issue 2 - Let's Talk: Talks About the Bible Chapter 4 - Hidden Treasure - Counsel of Chalcedon

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What treasure is there in the Bible? It is the treasure of the KINGDOM OF GOD. When Jesus beganpreaching He announced that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, Mat. 4:17. At hand means here! Repent,and believe the good news!

We can nd out how to enter the kingdom of God in the Bible. The Bible tells us something about OURSELVES. It is like a mirror that shows us what we look like. We discover that we are sinnersand under Gods displeasure. We deserve eternal punishment for our unbelief and disobedience. The

Bible tells us how we can be JUSTIFIED. That means that God does not hold our sins against us anymore. The Bible tells us that although God hates every sin, He so loved the world that He gave Hisonly begotten Son that whoever believes in Him might have new life. To BELIEVE is more than simplybelieving that He existed, that He is Gods son, even that He died on the cross. To Believe means toacknowledge that He is the Son of God and Savior of sinners through His sacri cial and suf cient deathon the cross for sin, but it also means to trust and embrace His as your Lord as well as your Savior. Itmeans to follow him as a disciple, learner, seeking to obey His will and worship and serve Him.

The Bible tells us how we can be SANCTIFIED . Everyone God saves, justi es, he also sancti es, works inthem by His Word and Spirit to make them really holy. Those who are saved have been born again. Theyhave a new heart and a new life. This new, eternal life is a life of holiness, obedience, and righteousnessnow.

When we dig deeper, we discover that we did not save ourselves, but that we love and come to Himbecause He loved us rst and called us to Himself. He CHOSE us and because He chose us, we choseHim. We were dead in our sins but God made us alive by His Holy Spirit. God is building His kingdom. Thisis not something that God left up to men but something that He chose to do to glorify His grace.

We should also remember that when Jesus went back to heaven after his resurrection from the dead,He gave and continues to give some men to be TEACHERS of the Bible to other Christians. They havelearned how to dig out the treasures of Gods word and teach other Christians. We are to go to a churchwhere we are being taught the Bible by men who know and teach the Bible in truth. Not all sincereChristians and Preachers understand the Bible the same way about some things. We believe the way the

teachers and preachers at the time of the Reformation, like John Calvin, John Knox, and other men likethose who wrote the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms best understood the teaching ofthe Bible. Those preachers and teachers today that we should look to for our instruction in the Word ofGod ought to be those men who understand the Bible the same way those men did. This is what we meanby the Reformed faith, that understanding of the Bible that was rediscovered and set forth at thetime of the Reformation in England, Scotland, and Europe, during the 16 th and 17 th centuries, and whichwas the primary theological and political foundation for our own nation, America.

The Bible is a hidden treasure to many people because they do not dig. But, even if a person digs with alltheir might, God must still open their heart and eyes to see and believe. All of Gods word is pro tableand He wants us to worship Him in truth, to proclaim the truth, and to live by the truth. We must dig inHis word!

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