Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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Matthew, Chapter 13.
And verse 44.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like under treasure hid in a field, the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
And then in Matthew chapter 6, verse 19.
Laying out up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves breakthrough and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal, Or where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
And just one other verse in Second Corinthians chapter.
For Two Corinthians chapter 4.
Verse 6.
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.
But we have this treasury in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
We are troubled on every side, yet not distress. We are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed.
Just thought of these three passages, brethren, in connection with that theme about treasures. Isn't this lovely in the 13th chapter of Matthew where the Lord is Speaking of the similitudes of the Kingdom of heaven? That is what would take place during His absence.
Until the time that all would be ordered according to his mind and will and it says here it's like on the treasure hid in a field. All we're told in this chapter that the field is the world and I think this is most amazing thing that God should speak of us as being a treasure. Our brother was talking to us in the meeting this afternoon and how well we're appointed with the failures of our own hearts and lives. God's graciousness.
Restoring. But isn't it blessed for us to think that the Lord found a treasure in US, and as he looks down upon this room, in spite of all that we are, He looks upon us as a treasure, a treasure for which He was willing to give himself. I believe the thought of this can't help but touch our hearts. That creates a response because it says the love of Christ.
Constraineth us that we should not live unto ourselves.
But unto him who died for us, and rose again. Surely, as I say, if we think of ourselves, we hang our heads, and we say, Why would He ever find delight in me whatever? What did He find in me that He wanted? But it says there was a treasure hit in the field. How much did the Lord give for that treasure? We see things that we value, and we think, is it really worth it? I would I be willing to pay so much for that thing?
Is that a sufficient treasure to me that I'd be willing to pay that price? How much did the Lord give for you? And I, the beloved apostle, could say, the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me? And I want each one of our hearts, brethren, this afternoon to get hold of this.
And I wanted for myself to how much we mean to the Lord, how dear we are to Him.
That he went all the way to Calvary and paid the price in full in order that we might belong to him. And so the apostle could say, you're not your own, you're bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body. I believe, brethren, that there's no greater.
Constraining power than to think of what we really meant to him and how much he gave for us. When someone gives us something that has cost them a great deal.
Why? It means a lot to us. Perhaps the thing itself is not as important as the fact that it costs this person so much, whether it's labor or money, whatever it may be, that they thought that much of us, that they would be willing to pay such a price just to give something to us. But the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
I know a brother and he had a text hanging on his wall, that very one.
The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me, a business acquaintance came in to visit him in his home and to talk over some business. And when this man stepped out of the room, this businessman who was not a saved man, just kept looking at that text hanging on the wall. The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. And when my friend came back again, he said to him, Do you really believe that?
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Oh, he said, I certainly do. He said, no wonder you're happy, No wonder you're happy. And brethren, that's true. It says there was a treasure hid in this field, this field as we know the world, the world with all its system, the world with all its confusion, the world with all its sin. And the Lord looked down and He has a personal love for you. He gave Himself for you. We know that He loved the Church and gave himself.
But it's very blessed when we lay hold of it personally for ourselves. What was the effect in the life of the apostle Paul? Well, when he realized that, why he was willing to give up everything in order to follow that blessed one. He didn't place himself under a certain code of rules or how much he had to give. He didn't say it. Well, I should give a 10th. No, he was. He gave himself.
And he valued the fact that it says of the Corinthians, they first gave themselves to the Lord.
So isn't this very beautiful? The treasure hid in a field for which he gave it, it says.
Which in a man hath found he hideth, And for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, And buyeth that field notice he hideth he caused. The thought of this produces separation, just like in marriage. Maybe a person has been very popular with a number of people, but when they realize that this particular person really wants them for their own.
And then it produces separation. They belong to that person. They love to be with them.
Their relaxation and their joy to be in their company. And isn't this beautiful?
Whom for the joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath. Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. He brought out his Father's heart, He did his Father's will, and that will was your blessing. And so that well known verse in Nehemiah says, the joy of the Lord is your strength. It's not our joy in the Lord.
You know what will give you an eye strength to go on to think that the Lord is finding joy in it. Did you ever do something for a friend? And you're looking forward to the time that that friend is going to see that thing that you have done and they're going to really admire it. They're going to love it. And you say, well.
It's worth all, it's worth all the effort just to do that and see what what's on their face when they look at what I've done. Well, what is it that will keep us going on? The joy that the Lord is going to have when He has all His own around himself. He'll present us to the Father's house, brethren, with singing for the joy thereof. And that joy the Lord is waiting for when He's going to have that which for which He gave.
With him now he's hiding us, we're hidden in this field, so to speak, but there's a good day coming when he's going to joy over his own with singing and rest in his love. So this is perhaps we might say the starting point. And in that 6th chapter of Matthew that we read, the Lord says here.
In the 19th verse, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth.
Where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves breakthrough and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, Than where your treasure is there where your heart be also. Now we have an opportunity to lay up a treasure. The Lord found a treasure in us, a treasure that was sufficient to make him willing to give himself for us, and to look forward to the day when He'll see of the travail of his soul.
Be satisfied, but we also have the privilege of laying up a treasure.
Now that which is going to be manifested someday at the judgment seat of Christ, a life that in some little measure responded to his love, because the Lord is going to review our lives. And one of the most wonderful verses to me is that verse in Second Corinthians chapter, First Corinthians chapter 4, where it says, and then shall every man have praise of God.
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I can certainly understand why I should praise him, but why he should praise me? That's totally beyond my mind.
But it says that every man shall have praise of God, and that as he looks over your life and mine, every little thing that you and I did for him out of love and in obedience to His word, it says we'll have praise of God. I say, brethren, is it worth it to lay up our treasures in heaven? We can get a lot of praise for what we do down here, and it's nice, too, when we do recognize what others do. That's right and proper.
But isn't it more important? Everything here fails to lay up treasure in heaven, where moth and rust don't corrupt. And so many of us have laid up things down here, and they've been a disappointment.
Class was graduating in high school and the man who was addressing them said never set your sights high enough that you can attain to because you'll never be happy when you've attained to it.
The door will not be in possessing the thing, the joy will be in striving for it. When you get it, it will be a disappointment. And so it is with everything here, brethren. Moth and rust corrupt. Many of us have thought, wouldn't it be wonderful when I get that when we got it, it wasn't all that we expected at all, but all those treasures in heaven, to have the Lord Jesus say that He's pleased with something that we did for Him.
To have praise of God.
Is it worth to lay up our treasures in heaven? And then the Lord adds that little comment, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also? He doesn't want just lip service. He doesn't want us just following certain rules. He wants that which comes from the heart. And so for your treasure is there will your heart be also. Think I can repeat a little thing that my father used to say to us at home, he said.
We can have as much of Christ as we want, and our lives show how much we want.
We know that we can have as much as we want because He's willing to bless us more abundantly than we ask or think. He really has for us far more than our little hearts can contain. But our lives show how much we want. Do we? Do people really recognize in our lives, brethren, that Christ is the object? I don't believe we should go around telling them. I think that's all.
Self to say I want to do this and I want to do that, but I believe that our lives are what speak.
And it says where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. And the Lord would have us to set our hearts on things above those things that are really lasting, those things that are really abiding. And if going away from these three days or 2 1/2 days of meetings have the result that the joy that we have found, that the Lord has found a treasure in US.
Fills our hearts to the point that we want to live for Him and we want to lay up our treasures, not on earth.
But in heaven, then they have accomplished the purpose that the meetings were arranged that we should be drawn closer to him that in this world would be living as those who are not like the people of the world. And the third chapter of first John. It says, therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not the world will understand if you're living for things that are seen you'll they'll say you're a wise person. You're really.
Shrewd, and they'll understand that. They'll praise you for it. But if you're living and I'm living for what is unseen and eternal, they won't understand because they have no such motivation in their life. They don't see that the Lord finds a treasure in his own. They don't see what it is to lay up treasure in heaven. All that's very dim to them as we grow older.
We get papers that continually trying to encourage us.
To still try and find pleasure in life in this world and really live for things down here. Because don't let the fact that you're getting old dim the fact that you're living for things here. All brethren, isn't it lovely that as we get toward the end of the journey, which is that much closer to where our treasure really is, it's up there in the glory. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
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And then the last one that we looked at is in Second Corinthians chapter 4.
Says they are for God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, as verse 6, pardon me, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not.
In despair.
Could I illustrate it something like this? You have a gift that you want to give to a person, but you don't want them to get occupied with a nice box it's in. So you say, I'm just going to put it in an old cardboard box because I don't want them to get occupied with the box. I want them to get occupied with this treasure, this gift that I'm putting inside. And then they'll just throw away the box and they'll enjoy the treasure that's inside. And you know God does that with us, brethren.
He allows things in everyone of our lives that break us down.
Troubles, sorrows, difficulties, disappointments, all kinds of things because he wants to bring out the treasure. And we see a brother and maybe things were going along quite nicely in his life, quite smoothly. And then a big disappointment comes and you see the treasure that was inside, all that that he seemed to have outwardly that looked very.
Shall I say successful and nice? It all fades in a moment.
See the treasure that's inside, that the Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. You can honor a man because he's been successful in his farming or in his business or in something that he has attained for perhaps. But when all those things fade, then you find what's inside the treasure in the earthen vessel. And God allows these difficulties and troubles that come into our lives and the world of sun.
And they can understand that we should enjoy the natural things. And as our brother said, it's not wrong to enjoy them providing they're kept in their place. But the world looks on and said, as they said to our brother Stan Dodds, when he had his disappointment and sickness, and they said you have something, you have something. They saw the treasure in the earthen vessel. And God allows these things as it says here.
He caused the light to shine out of darkness.
And he gave to us the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord in our hearts, that the world said, well, they have to get a good job. They have to provide for their homes the same as we do. They have to go to the store and buy a night's clothes like ourselves. Then they saw a problem come into your life. They saw a disappointment, but they saw a sickness. Then what did they see? Did they see that there was something inside?
Well, God allows that. That's the way it was with Gideon.
People around would have known that there was those lights in the earth and vessels, but when the earth and vessels were broken and 300 shining torches shone out in the darkness, the Midianites ran and fled. They realized that there was something there. And brethren, the Lord allows these things. May we have grace when the trials and difficulties of life come, when He upsets and the disappointments that it's only an opportunity that He has given.
That this light, this treasure that he put in the earthen vessel should shine out and be a testimony in this world. So I say again, I saw a treasure in the field. It was you and I. He gave all that he had for us because he wanted us. He's going to see if the travail of his soul and be satisfied. And now he says, I'm going to give you the privilege the rest of your life of laying up treasure in heaven.
So that you can live and I can live.
With a different view than the man of the world who's only thinking of this earth. But we can lay up our treasures in heaven. And then he's going to say, I am not going to give you anything that you can glory in in yourself. Not going to give you anything that you can boast about because I may give you like I gave the apostle Paul a thorn in the flesh. Let me give you an accident. Let me give you some sickness so that what I want to be seen is not.
Just that everything's going well for you and your life.
But the world can look on and see that treasure in earthen vessels. And I might just say in first Peter chapter one, where it says the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found under praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Isn't it? Is not the thought, brethren, that the trial?
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Is some honor to the Lord, but it's the trial of your faith that is that when the trial comes, what God values is the faith that trusts him. As the little song says, trust him. When to simply trust him seems the hardest thing of all, and that's what the Lord values. Sometimes illustrated it like this. You have to do something that hurts your child.
But you say to the child, I really can't explain it to you now. You wouldn't understand if I did.
But I'm doing it for your good. A child looks up with a smile and says, Dad, mother, I know you love me and I know you wouldn't do it unless it was for my good. Doesn't that make you feel happy inside? That they have that confidence in you and the Lord allows a trial to come in your life and mine. And when faith responds and says he doeth all things well, that brings praise and honor and glory to the Lord, the faith that trusts him.
When we can't understand, even when things seem to go under reverse in our lives, that faith that trusts Him. And so we know that all things work together for good to them, that love God to them, that are the called according to His purpose. Well, may the Lord make these thoughts precious to our hearts, that He found a treasure in us, that He gives us a privilege here, and that He may allow trials just to bring out that treasure.
That He has put in the earthen vessel. Maybe we have grace, brethren, and I say it to myself, to receive all the circumstances of life, pleasing or painful, dark or bright, as best may seem to thee.