Is Jesus Your Treasure?

Last night, I had the privilege of sharing a Bible Study with the young adults in my church.  The main idea was that a gospel driven life “Desires God above All Things.” 

If you don’t make God your chief treasure, if God is not the thing you are most happy about, if He is not the person in whom you find your joy and satisfaction

You May Not Be Saved!

That’s a strong statement.  But it is important and it is Biblical.  Let me give you a brief overview:

• God commands you to Love Him (Mark 12:28-30; Deuteronomy 6:5)

• God commands you to seek joy in Him (Psalm 37:4; 32:11; Deuteronomy 28:47-48)

• God is the greatest pleasure in the World (Psalm 16)

• God is the only thing that will ultimately satisfy.  To seek anything else is evil and stupid (Jeremiah 2:12-13)

As John Piper says in his book, Desiring God

The pursuit of joy in God is not optional.  It is not an “extra” that a person might grow into after he comes to faith.  Until your heart has hit upon this pursuit (of joy) your “faith” cannot please God.  It is not saving faith.

My hope and prayer for you is that you will abandon everything in a passionate, intense pursuit for joy in Jesus.  Please don’t settle for anything less. Don’t buy the world’s lies.

In Christ

Pastor Mike

“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.”  Matthew 13:44

 

What’s the Bible Really About?

How would you answer the question, “What’s the Bible About?”   

Mark Dever, the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, has given his answer in the first chapter of Promises Made.  Very simply it is that “God makes promises to his people in the Old Testament, and he keeps his promises in the New Testament.” (p26)  Ultimately, these promises are about and are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 

Indeed, Jesus Christ is the point of the Bible.  It is all about Him.  If you wanted to sum up the Bible in one word, you could do so by pointing to Christ.  The Old Testament makes promises about Christ, and the New Testament keeps promises in Christ. (p35) 

The next time you pick up your Bible ask yourself, “How does what I am reading relate to Jesus Christ?” If you are having trouble relating Jesus to what you are reading, focus on the following ideas.  There are other questions you could ask, but these provide a good start and are easy to remember.

Is there a promise about Jesus?

• Is there a prophecy about Jesus?
• Is there something here that points to our need for Jesus?
• Is there something here that foreshadows the character of Jesus?
• Is there something about how Jesus relates to His people?  Those who are not His people?
• Is there something here about how Jesus fulfills the promises of God?

In Christ

Pastor Mike Walters

P.S. I still have limited access to the internet, so there may not be posts over the next few days.  I hope to have everything running by the 14th or 15th of June.