As we were singing that song,
I was thinking about this message that I'm preparing to bring. That old, old story is the Gospel. Proverbs chapter 21. Turn with
me there. Proverbs 21. I'd like to look at verse 20. Proverbs 21 and verse 20. The scripture declares, there
is treasure to be desired and all in the dwelling of the wise. But a foolish man spendeth it
up. Man is born with a desire to
provide for himself and in his desire he seeks to
lay aside treasure for a rainy day. He desires to reserve for himself
wealth in case of an emergency, have a slush fund, you know,
nest egg. Makes him feel secure. You know, there's nothing wrong
with hard work, setting aside some money. Scripture says, though, if riches
increase, don't set your heart on That's a hard thing to do,
isn't it? We want to have some treasure. We want to have something just
in case. You never know. But the thing about an earthly
treasure, lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth. Moth, rust,
comes, decays. Why is that? Because the scripture
says in Matthew 24, 35, heaven and earth is going to pass away. I've said this before. You've
heard this before. It's not original with me. Someone dies and someone
says, how much did he leave? Answer, all of it. Doesn't matter
what you got. You're not going to keep it here.
It's not going to stay with you. But the scripture sets forth
that there is, according to this scripture, there is treasure
to be desired. There is that which is truly Now if you were going to ask
a man, what do you think is the most valuable thing that a person
could ever possess or have knowledge of? What is that which is absolutely
essential? It's not whatever a man can produce. I can tell you that, Isaiah 28,
we've read this before. Judgment also will I lay to the
lion in righteousness to the plummet, and the hail shall sweep
away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the
hiding place, and your covenant with death shall be disannulled,
and your agreement with hell shall not stand when the overflowing
scourge shall pass through, then you shall be trodden down by
it. So I know this, even that which
a man thinks that he has provided for himself for his eternal good. I know stuff here on earth is
not going to stay. I know the money and the land
and the things, the mess, the stuff. I know that ain't staying. But what about what a man thinks
he's doing for his eternal good? Well, if it's a refuge of lies,
then I know that's not going to stay either. So there's got
to be something that is more valuable. Hold your place in Proverbs and
turn to 2 Corinthians 4. What is the most valuable treasure
that a man or a woman could ever possess, 2 Corinthians 4, verse 5. Now listen to what the
Apostle Paul says, for we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus
the Lord, and ourselves, your servants, for Jesus' sake. For God who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. We have this treasure in earthen
vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not
of us. Now, what is that treasure? It's the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Let me tell
you what the treasure is. It's the knowledge of the gospel
of the Lord Jesus. It's the treasure of having the
knowledge by God's grace of who God is, who we are, who He is,
who Christ is, what God has done, because Romans 1.16 says this,
Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of God, gospel of
Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation. When it's all said and done,
without a knowledge of who God is, this is life eternal. The Lord said this. in His high
priestly prayer. This is life eternal, that they
may know Thee. Not know that God exists. Everybody
knows God exists. We've got a conscience that tells
us that. But to know that He is God Almighty,
who has mercy and compassion on whomsoever He will. He rules
in the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. Paul
the Apostle says, we don't preach ourselves, we don't preach our
opinions, we don't promote ourselves, but
we thankfully and we boldly preach the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah,
God's prophet and priest and king, he who loved his people. This is essential. that we know
who God is. He is the distinguishing, almighty
God. All is in His hands. None in
man. Almighty God declares that He
has a people that He's loved everlastingly. and that Christ
came into this world to save His people from their sins. Why is it so important that everything
is in the hands of God? Why? That man would get no honor. that Almighty God would be exalted
as the God of all grace. The gospel is the treasure. And Paul said we have this treasure
in earthen vessels. How did it get there? God Almighty
has shined in our hearts and has given us that knowledge of
God's glory in the face, in the character, in the person of the
Lord Jesus Christ. It's a revelation from the Lord
to the heart. This is the treasure. So our scripture says there is
treasure. There is treasure. There is a
gospel that proclaims the glory of God. This is the only message
that proclaims the glory of God. That gives Him all the honor
and all the glory and all the praise. And every believer loves
to have it so. Tell me one more time how almighty
God is God. Tell me again how God chose to
show mercy. I love election. I love it. I love it. I love predestination. You know what that means? That
means that God determined all of it before the foundation of
the world. That means it's always been.
Anytime you hear before the foundation of the world, that's eternal. Eternal. Before. Never started. He predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself. What a treasure. A treasure that
fadeth not away. It's reserved. in heaven for
you. And this treasure, according
to this scripture right here, there's a treasure to be desired. That treasure, the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ, it is to be desired. And by the grace
of God, there are some that do desire it. They didn't always. They didn't always. There was a time when all of
us, until the Lord opened our eyes, shined in our hearts, gave
us the knowledge of Christ. There was a time when we thought,
we desired to hear a message that told us how good we were,
how blessed we were, that we had given our hearts and we had,
but this treasure is to be desired. What desire does a believer have? He desires to hear one more time,
you tell me how Christ has redeemed me. What does that mean? He's redeemed me. That means
he's paid the cost. He paid the debt. What was owed
to God's law? Now you think about this. Now
we talk about redemption. What did God's law demand to
be satisfied? Well, you're not going to obey
because we were conceived in sin, came forth from our mother's
womb speaking lies, Reliers by birth, reliers by choice, by
practice. What's left? Death. Death. That's what's left. What
is the wages of sin? What does the law demand for
being broken? Death. Death. But listen to this
treasure right here. The gospel sets forth. that Christ
has redeemed us from the curse of the law. How? He was made a curse for us, made
Himself sin. That's what the scripture says. He, the Father, has made Him. What is desired in hearing this
treasure? Redemption. Tell me again. Tell me again how the Lord redeemed
me. Tell me again this sanctification. He has made unto us redemption
and sanctification. What does that mean, sanctification?
Well, it set apart, set apart in holiness, being found in Christ. Tell me again how The Word of
God says, because I can't see it. Tell me one more time, Almighty
God has set forth that in Christ there is no sin. No sin. Tell me one more time, you're
telling me that being found in Him, chosen in Him, that God
chose to put me in Him. And Almighty God was pleased
to call me out of darkness and give me a new nature. And that
new nature, which is born of God, is actually the life of
Christ Himself. His seed remaineth in me. That Christ in me is my hope
of glory. sanctified me, set me apart,
made me in Christ holy. You're telling me that there's
a man inside every believer that does not sin. That's what you're telling me?
That's exactly what I'm telling you. And though I can't see it,
and you that believe, you don't see it either. But I'm thankful
it's not what I see. Here's what I'm thankful for.
This treasure. Treasure. Tell me again about
being justified in Christ. What does that word mean again?
Justified. Justification. It is the law's
declaration looking upon one born again from above, created
in righteousness, true holiness. And the law says, based upon
His shed blood and His imputed righteousness, no charge, no
charge, no charge. There's therefore now no condemnation
to them that be in Christ Jesus. Paul says concerning this, we
have this treasure in earthen vessels. This treasure, this knowledge
of Christ as He is revealed in the good news of the gospel,
that gospel that's taught, given, what grace is displayed in this
treasure frail creatures of dust being the vessels in which such
knowledge is kept. God would keep this in this world,
in us, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in a weak,
frail, needy, earthen vessel. Why? Why? that the excellency
of the power may be of God and not of us. That light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, that
was Paul's desire. There's a treasure to be desired.
And how did Paul say it? How did he express his desire? Philippians 3.10, that I may
know him. and the power of his resurrection,
the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his
death. Paul and every believer in this
room knows him. Knows him by faith, knows him
by grace, but Paul's desire and ours too is that desire to become more
intimately acquainted with the person of the Lord Jesus. A man, his wife. Glenn and I have been married
over 15 years, 15 and a half years, something like that. And you know, I know her now,
and truthfully I can say this, I love her more now than I thought
I did when we first met. Why? Because I know her. I know
her more. You've been married for years.
You think about this. It's taken all these years to
know each other. And the more you know, the more
you know. And the more you know, the more
appreciative you are. Paul said, Oh, that I may know
Him, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. And through the hearing of the
gospel, that treasure, that growing in grace and the knowledge of
our Lord. We know now, we know in part. We see through a glass darkly. We know imperfectly. Oh, but
Paul says that I might know him, that I might know the power of
that resurrection. You think about this. How much
do we really know about the resurrection? The power of the resurrection.
Let me say it like that. I mean, here again, devils know
he came out of the grave. Everybody knows this. Do you
believe Jesus came out of the grave? Yeah, yeah, I believe
that. But Paul said the power of it, The power to know in heart,
the wonder, the power. What was accomplished? I know the Father was satisfied.
Raised Him from the dead. Why? For our justification. But understand what that word
means, for. It means because of. Almighty
God eternally justified us in Christ who was slain, the lamb
from the foundation of the world. Four. And he raised him from
the dead because of that death that put away my guilt. Oh, but
when he came out, let me tell you something. There's a promise
right there. There's a promise. This body is going to die. Unless
the Lord comes back, this body is going to die. This corruptible
is going to be put in the ground. But according to His resurrection,
it's coming out again. It's not going to stay in the
ground. It's going to come out incorruptible, raised, never to die again, never
to die. This body is getting frailer,
frailer, frailer, frailer. But there's coming a time that
when we come out of that ground, we see Him as He is going to
be like Him, know Him, not anymore by faith, by sight, and we'll
know Him as we're known. Fred, what does that mean? We'll know Him as we are known? Paul said, oh, that I might know
Him. That I might know Him. That I may know in power what
that resurrection promises. What the Lord has reserved and
prepared for those that love Him. Enter in to all that was
prepared for you. That I may know and be found
thankful. and his sufferings, not that
we'd ever suffer as he did, but the apostle sets forth that we
have fellowship in the sufferings as we die to this world. There's
something in a believer that is becoming more and more tired
of this world. You think, this ain't my home. All that I ever thought gave
me pleasures, disappointed me. And we consider the hatred of
this world to be an honor, to suffer for His namesake, finding
more and more the sufficiency of His grace to keep us. And
in the fellowship of His sufferings by faith, we share and we know
by faith it's not going to be forever. I know there's a treasure
and it's a treasure to be desired. How did we get it? Well, scripture
says there's oil. There's a treasure to be desired
and oil. This treasure that is to be desired
has got one way. One way. Almighty God must bestow
it. Give it. That oil, that word
oil, means an anointing, a richness, a blessing to become fat. I know in this age we're in,
nobody likes that word fat, you know. But that word right there.
means abundance, blessing. David spoke, Psalm 23 5, thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies,
thou anointest, thou make me fat. my head with oil, poured
out the blessing of the gladness of God's Spirit. Listen to this,
Psalm 45, 7. Thou lovest righteousness and
hatest wickedness. Therefore, thy God hath anointed
thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. This treasure that is desired
that must be given. But it's given by God's distinguishing
grace. He who has the right to give
it or withhold it. Hold your place right there and
turn with me as I wrap this up. Luke chapter 10. Luke 10. I've read this story. This is
an amazing passage of Scripture. Chapter 10, Luke 10, I'm going
to read from verses 17 to 21. Luke 10, 17, and the 70 returned
again with joy saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto
us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld
Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you
power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power
of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Now what
a blessing. Now that's a blessing. Now listen
to this. I beheld Satan fall as lightning from heaven. Behold,
I give you power to tread on serpents, scorpions, over all
the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you,
notwithstanding. In this, rejoice not that the
spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your
names are written in heaven. That's where you rejoice. But
listen to the next verse. In that hour, Jesus rejoiced
in spirit and said, Oh, Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent
and has revealed them unto babes, even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in thy sight. The Lord said, while you're rejoicing,
I want you to remember something. I give you power. Tread on scorpions
and serpents. That's what's happening right
now. We preach the gospel, these scorpions and serpents of demonic
activity and lies. He said, but I'll tell you where
you rejoice. You rejoice because your names
are written in heaven. How did they get there? God was
pleased to put them there. before the foundation of the
world. That book of life that everybody talks about, you know,
whenever someone gives their heart to Jesus, that name, that's
not what the Scripture says. Scripture says those names were
written before the foundation of the world. And then the Lord
said, Father, I thank You that You've hid these things from
the wise and prudent and You've revealed these unto them. Babes,
that oil, how did we get The knowledge that is to be desired. The knowledge of the glory of
God. How do we get it? God Almighty must anoint us with
it. Pour it out. And then, lastly, this treasure,
this rest, this glorious gospel is found only in Christ. There is treasure to be desired
and oil in the dwelling of the wise.
Now let me ask you this, where is the dwelling of the wise? It's in Christ. It's in Christ. It's found in Him. The rest of
the soul is found only as a man is found to be in the city of
refuge Himself. In Christ. In Him. He chosen us in Him. Every time
I try to explain that Chuck, I'm so inadequate. I don't even
know. I know it means in unity with.
I know that. I know dwelling in Him. But to
be found In Him, to be found in the dwelling of the wise,
how long have the wise, those that have been made so in regenerating
grace, how long have they been found in Christ? Forever. Chosen us in Him before
the foundation of the world. He's always been there. Always
there. In Him, when He came into this
world. In Him, still in Him. I've said
this, Brother Scott said this, where God puts a man, that's
where God keeps a man. Put Him in Christ and kept Him
there. When He lived, we lived. When
He obeyed, we were obeying. Whenever He died, we died in
Him. Whenever He was buried, we were
buried with Him. Whenever He rose, we rose. You
say, I don't understand that. I don't either. But my understanding
is not what makes it true. God's Word is what makes it true.
When He ascended, we ascended. He's seated on the right hand
of the majesty on high. And we're seated with Him. Yeah,
but we're still on this earth, I know. But we're in Him. Where is this
treasure? It's a treasure to be desired
and oil in the dwelling of the wise. But let me tell you the
last sentence of this verse. But a foolish man spendeth it up. He makes a way with it to destroy
it. Desires to cover it. Desires to make an end of it. And a believer, though he knows that Almighty God is going to
do as He will, with whom He will, when He will. A believer desires, man, to come
to Christ and knows that but for the grace of God, they're
going to treat it with disrespect and dishonor and have nothing
to do with this glorious message. My prayer this morning, may the
Lord give us a heart to behold by grace, by faith, Christ who
is revealed to be the treasure set forth in his gospel, the
treasure, the treasure that gives all found in the dwelling of
the wise hope, life, peace, joy. There is a treasure, a treasure
to be desired, a treasure that is given in anointing grace to
all that are found dwelling. in Christ the wise. May the Lord
bless this word to our hearts for Christ's sake. Amen.