You have an Insensitive Heart & You have a Pagan Heart

Scripture: Jeremiah 8:5

Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.”

Insights:  As we continue looking at the ten evidences of a backslidden heart from Jeremiah chapters two and three, we move on to the third and fourth evidence.  Evidence number three is you have an insensitive heart and the scriptural location for this particular evidence is verse eight.  It states, “"The priests did not say, 'Where is the LORD?' And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me, And the prophets prophesied by Baal And walked after things that did not profit.”  You have a progressively top down rebellion against God taking place in this verse.  It starts with the priests, moves to the leaders, quickly is followed by the prophets and finally the people themselves are transgressing against God.  This iniquity all began when the spiritual leaders engaged in activities totally devoid of spiritual benefit.  As a result they did not even recognize that God’s Spirit had departed from them.  Their hearts had grown so cold toward God that they were unaware that He was no longer listening to them.  Beloved, this is a very sad indictment against the people of Judah.  The fourth evidence is you have a pagan heart and is found in verses eleven and twelve.  They state, “"Has a nation changed gods When they were not gods? But My people have changed their glory For that which does not profit.  "Be appalled, O heavens, at this, And shudder, be very desolate," declares the LORD.”  Even though they had grown insensitive to the things of God, they knew down deep they were designed for worship.  Instead, however, of turning to God, they turned to their own heart’s desire for a, lower case “g”, god to serve. Later in the week we will discuss the types of little “g” gods we place in front of the Lord, but as for now it is sufficient to understand that when we are in a backslidden state when we are worshipping something other than God.  Beloved, it is far better to worship the one true God whom you were designed to worship than chase after the gods of this world.  They will disappoint you every time.  Seek after the Lord while He may be found and give Him your heart. 

Questions:

1. Have you lost the sensitivity to know when the Lord is speaking to you?
2. Have you begun to worship other people and things in place of the Lord God?

Prayer: Father, forgive me for when I have become so consumed with myself that I have lost the sensitivity to hear Your voice.  Spare me from the punishment associated with service to pagan gods because my heart so often leaves You my first love to chase after the gods of this world that do not last.  Transform my heart to be wholly Yours.  Amen.

You have a Vain Heart & You have a Thankless Heart

Scripture: Jeremiah 8:5

Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.” 

Insights:  In Jeremiah 8:5 the Lord says of Israel, “Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.”  The New American Standard Bible uses the word apostasy to describe this backsliding condition of Israel.  If we go back to chapters two and three we will find ten evidences of the backslidden heart of Israel.  Each day this week we will look at two of those evidences and give a brief explanation.  The first nine evidences are all found in chapter two.  Then tenth evidence is found in chapter three.  Evidence one is you have a vain heart.  Jeremiah wrote in verse five, “Thus says the LORD, "What injustice did your fathers find in Me, That they went far from Me And walked after emptiness and became empty?”  The King James Version of the Bible renders the word emptiness and empty as vanity and vain.  In other words, these people forgot about the Lord and thought only of themselves and their desires.  They had foolishly come to believe that they had picked themselves up by the bootstraps and made their lives something to behold.  As a result their lives had no real substance, but were rather filled with empty or vain self-promotion.  Evidence two is you have a thankless heart.  Jeremiah wrote in verses six and seven, “"They did not say, 'Where is the LORD Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and of pits, Through a land of drought and of deep darkness, Through a land that no one crossed And where no man dwelt?'  "I brought you into the fruitful land To eat its fruit and its good things. But you came and defiled My land, And My inheritance you made an abomination.”  The people had forgotten what the Lord had done for them in the past and as a result they no longer had a thankful heart or a heart of gratitude.  This second evidence flows right out of the first.  If you had believed you were the one that accomplished all of your greatness, then why would you show gratitude and thankfulness to God or anyone else for that matter?  If these are true of you, you need to repent. 

Questions:

1. Do you have a self-serving and self-seeking heart that promotes your vanity and false greatness?
2. Do you have a thankless heart that believes you have accomplished all the great things in your life?

Prayer: Father, as we look at these ten evidences of a backslidden heart I pray You convict my heart when they are true of me.  That You stir me to biblical repentance and give me the courage to walk resolutely with You and give You the praise, honor and glory You rightfully deserve.  Amen.

The Kingdom May Be Entered by Different Circumstances & The Kingdom is Made Personal by a Transaction

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 

Insights:  The fifth principle is the kingdom may be entered by different circumstances.  Notice I said circumstances not ways.  There is only one way to heaven and that is through faith in Jesus Christ for your salvation, but the circumstances in which one finds Jesus may be different.  In the first parable the man just comes across the treasure while working the field.  He was not out there intentionally trying to find it.  In the second parable the man knows exactly what he's looking for and is spending his life trying to find it.  The sixth principle is the kingdom is made personal by a transaction.  In both of these cases, the word buying or bought is involved.  You may be saying to yourself, “Wait a minute, you're not telling us you buy your salvation or work for it, are you?”  The kingdom of God is bought, but not with money or works.  The transaction price is you give up all you are and have for all Jesus is and has.  I don't think people who are saved at the moment they're saved, understand all the ramifications of that statement, but I believe true salvation is marked by a willingness to do that as that understanding unfolds. That's the transaction, the willingness to abandon everything under Christ's Lordship.  I think the cost factor in the presentation of salvation is not stressed often enough. We are calling for a transaction.  In Luke 14, the Lord says a man builds a tower and he counts the cost to determine whether he has enough funds sufficient to finish it.  If a king makes war, he counts the cost, consults whether he's able with ten thousand to meet him that comes against him with twenty thousand. Nobody enters the kingdom blind.  One must count the cost first.  Let me interject here, however, that the transaction price of total surrender and abandonment of self is absolutely nothing in comparison to the great joy and satisfaction found in Jesus Christ.  For it was through His work on Calvary with His death that the true price of this transaction was paid.  For He also gave up everything for You! 

Questions:

1. Are you actively searching for the kingdom of God or have you stumbled upon it?
2. Are you willing to give up all that you are and have to receive all that Jesus is and has?

Prayer: Father, Your plan of leading people to You is amazing.  May all of humanity surrender their entire being to You in order to receive Your gift of grace.  Amen.

The Kingdom is Personally Appropriated & The Kingdom is the Source of Joy

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 

Insights:  The third principle is the kingdom is personally appropriated.  This third principle is the crux of the parables.  The previous two parables give us the idea that the kingdom is just influential, or it's just large in nature.  It doesn't say anything about the personal appropriation. And that's why our Lord gives us these two parables.  You have a man in verse 44; you have another man in verse 45.  Now we're dealing with individuals. And each of them finds something specifically for himself and appropriates it unto himself.  This is to show us that you can be sort of in the kingdom, under the dominion of God and not be a citizen of the kingdom.  If you're alive in the earth, you’re under God’s rule, but you're not a subject of the King; you're not a personal citizen of the kingdom.  There are people in the earth who are here but have never appropriated the kingdom.  It is not enough to be under the influence of the kingdom.  It is not enough to just be under the influence of the church, or the influence of Christianity.  It is not enough to just, as it were, lodge in the branches or be touched by its permeating influence.  There must be personal appropriation.  In other words, you must personally receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  The fourth principle is the kingdom is the source of joy.  Now that is a very, very insightful addition to this parable.  It doesn't have to say that in the parable, but it does and it's very, very important.  The world is seeking for happiness.  People want to feel good.  The Lord knows that and offers real joy, which is far better and greater than mere happiness.  Jesus even said in John 15:11 to His disciples, in summing up the best of what He had to offer, “the things I've spoken unto you, I've spoken that My joy might remain in you and your joy might be full.”  True joy comes in the discovery of the kingdom of heaven and in the Lord Jesus Christ.  You must personally receive or appropriate this joy through Jesus.  Another person’s faith cannot save you. 

Questions:

1. Have you come to the place where you recognize that another person’s faith cannot save you?
2. Have you personally experienced the joy of salvation found in Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Father, thank You for the all surpassing joy You give to those born again.  May my life Lord exemplify such a grace gift as You have bestowed on me.  Amen.

The Kingdom is Priceless in Value & The Kingdom is NOT Superficially Visible

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 

Insights:  The first principle is the kingdom is priceless in value.  When we talk about the kingdom of the Lord, we're talking about salvation.  We're talking about Christ Himself and the gift of salvation He gives to those who are born again.  The blessedness of the kingdom is so valuable that it is the most valuable commodity that can ever be found and only a fool is not willing to sell everything he has to gain it.  There is a heavenly treasure lying in the field of this poverty stricken, bankrupt, and accursed world.  It is a treasure sufficient to eternally enrich every one of earth's poor, miserable, blind and naked inhabitants.  The second principle is the kingdom is not superficially visible.  The treasure was hidden and the pearl had to be sought.  The treasure is not obvious to men.  The preciousness of salvation is not viewed by men.  They don't see it although it stands there and looks them in the eye. The world looks at Christians and they don't understand why we're all about this business of worshiping God. They don't understand why we want to live and obey a code of ethics and rules that goes against the grain of their deepest lusts and drives.  They don't understand why we price this so highly when it means so little to them. That is why Matthew 7:14 states, "That narrow is the way and few there be that find it." And that is why it says in Matthew 11 that the kingdom is taken by the violent who take it by force.  In other words, it must be pursued.  And John speaking about Jesus wrote, “He was in the world and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not.”  You see, just the average run-of-the-mill superficial approach to life, just pumping your way through, trampling across the path of life, day to day, with never a thought for anything that is deep or profound or of true value is not going to render you the truth at all.  There has to come that desire at some point to respond to Jesus’ rich offer of salvation. 

Questions:

1. Have you recognized the value of your salvation?
2. Are you still perplexed as to why Christians are so transfixed on worshipping the Lord?

Prayer: Father, what You offer in salvation is so much greater than anything I could ever possibly pursue that it boggles my mind.  May You draw all people to You.  Amen.

The Parable of the Pearls

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 

Insights:  At this juncture the parable introduces an ethical situation that some find difficult to get past, and therefore, miss the point of the parable.  The man uncovers a treasure, and then he hides it without telling the man who owns the field, he goes and buys the field, and thus the treasure, right out from under the original owner’s nose.  There are three responses to this potential dilemma.  Firstly, Jewish Rabbinic law said, "If a man finds scattered fruit or money, it belongs to the finder."   In this parable, the man is within the permission of the Jewish Rabbinic law and the Jews listening to Jesus would not have perceived this man as unethical.  Secondly, that which was hidden in the field did not belong to the man who owned the field.  If it had been his, he wouldn't be selling his field without digging up the treasure first.  Thirdly, this man was very equitable and very fair.  If this man had not been an honest man, when he found the treasure he would he have just taken it.  Another thing the guy might have done was taken the treasure and liquidated a portion of it and with the money he had gained from the treasure, he could have purchased that field.  But he did not do that either.  What this very ethical man did, however, was to bury the treasure and liquidate every single thing he owned in order to purchase the field at a good market rate.  Let's look at the second parable of the pearl for a moment.  This man was an entrepreneur in the pearl-wholesaling business.  He would make a diligent search to find pearls in which there was worth for investment purposes.  Pearls were the most valuable gem available at that time in the world.  The one thing you didn't do if you're a smart investor, and still don't do today, is to put all of your investments into just one type of investment.  Isn't it interesting that in both cases that's exactly what these two men did.  The first man sold everything and bought the one field, the second man sold everything and bought the one pearl.  Tomorrow, we are going to start looking at the six principles we learn from these two parables. 

Questions:

1. Are you presently looking for fine pearls?
2. Do you understand that Jesus is the only fine pearl worth having?

Prayer: Father, again I am overwhelmed by Your grace.  Let the truth of Your Pearl, Jesus be evident in my life and to those around me.  Amen.

The Parable of the Treasure

Scripture: Matthew 13:44

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 

Insights:  The first two parables Jesus told dealt with the nature of God’s mysterious church age kingdom.  The parable of the soils told us that in this kingdom there would be those who believed and there will be those who would not.  In the second parable of the wheat and the tares, we found that the believers and the nonbelievers would grow together until the harvest that comes in the end; therefore, the nature of the kingdom is that it encompasses good and evil.  The next two parables spoke of the power of God’s mysterious church age kingdom.  In spite of the fact that good and evil are growing together, the good will triumph in the end.  These four parables spoke of the kingdom in general terms as it affects all people.  At this point the disciples would have asked themselves another question.  And that question would have been: If the kingdom covers the earth and permeates the earth and influences the earth, do we just get naturally born into the kingdom?  Well that question is what led to Jesus telling this 3^rd couplet of parables, because these talk about the appropriation of the kingdom.  The first verse describes a very common practice of the people during the Lord’s time on earth.  Today, we put our money in the bank or we put our money in stocks and bonds or securities or real estate; but in those days, they had no banks as such for common people and the banks they did have weren't necessarily a good places to put all of your resources.  It was normal, therefore, for people to take their valuables and bury them in the ground.  Think about the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.  The third slave took his talent and buried it in the ground.  So, we have a man who is in the field and he does not own the field.  More than likely he is a hireling working the field for the land owner.  As he is working in that field, maybe he's plowing or maybe he's tilling the ground, or whatever, he comes across a treasure buried in the ground.  Immediately upon finding the treasure he puts it back where he found it and sells every single thing he possesses in the world and buys that field in order that he may gain that treasure. 

Questions:

1. In what location are you looking for treasure?
2. Have you come to the place where you recognize the only true treasure is found in Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Father, thank You for the eminence treasure of Jesus and the gift of salvation He offers all of humanity.  Thank You for becoming my Lord and Savior through the work of Your Son, Jesus.  Amen.