That Precious Deposit
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler
The
story is told of how a wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare
works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to
Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of
art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was
very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The
father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. About a month
later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man
stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, “Sir, you
don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He
saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a
bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked
about you, and your love for art.”
The
young man held out his package. “I know this isn’t very much, I’m not
really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to
have this.” The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son,
painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had
captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so
drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the
young man and offered to pay him for the picture. “Oh, no sir, I could
never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.” The father hung the
portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took
them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the
great works of art he had collected.
The
man died a few months later. Shortly thereafter, there was to be a
great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered,
excited over seeing the great paintings and having the opportunity to
purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of
the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. “We will start the bidding
with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?” There was
silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, “We want to see
the famous paintings. Skip this one.” But the auctioneer persisted.
“Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100,
$200?” Another voice shouted angrily. “We didn’t come to see this
painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the
real bids!” But still the auctioneer continued. “The son! The son!
Who’ll take the son?”
Finally,
a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime
gardener of the man and his son. “I’ll give $10 for the painting.” Being
a poor man, it was all he could afford. “We have $10, who will bid
$20?” “Give it to him for $10. Let’s see the masters.” The crowd was
becoming angry. They didn’t want the picture of the son. They wanted the
more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded
the gavel. “Going once, going twice, SOLD for $10!” A man sitting on the
second row shouted, “Now let’s get on with the collection.”
The
auctioneer laid down his gavel. “I’m sorry, the auction is over.” “What
about the paintings?” “I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this
auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not
allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of
the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit
the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son
gets every thing!”
God
gave His Son 2000 years ago to die on a cruel Cross. Much like the
auctioneer, His message today is, “The Son, the Son, who’ll take the
Son?” Because, you see, whoever takes the Son inherits everything!
(Author unknown.)
EARTHEN VESSELS
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (II Cor. 4:7).
In
biblical times earthen vessels were clay pots that had been thoroughly
baked in an oven. They were fraught with imperfections, which meant that
no two were exactly alike. Archeologists have discovered that those who
lived during that period secretly buried their treasures in clay pots
for safekeeping. As we shall see, the master illustrator uses this facet
of everyday life to illustrate a grand spiritual truth.
Those who have taken
the Son are heirs, joint-heirs with Him. As members of the Body of
Christ, we are partakers of His glory, His power, and His reign. In
short, we are the recipients of the wealth of heaven! While the
believing Gentiles will partake of the blessings of the kingdom, they
are not said to be heirs. In the kingdom, heirship is a question of nationality. In the present dispensation of Grace, heirship is based upon relationship.
We are one in Him. Therefore, what rightfully belongs to Him, we have
come into possession of, and will share it mutually with Him for
eternity (Rom. 8:17 cf. Eph. 3:6).
Today
when men want to safeguard their riches they place them in vaults made
of steel and concrete. But God’s ways are not man’s ways. God has
deposited the riches of His grace in earthen vessels. We need not wait
until we arrive in heaven to learn what we presently possess in Christ.
We have this treasure, that is, the gospel of the grace of God in
earthen vessels. Those who have been saved by grace are blessed with all
spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. But what we positionally enjoy
in Christ must become a practical reality in the Christian
experience if we ever hope to maintain a godly testimony among men. For
example, we are forgiven in Christ, but grace teaches us that we are to
forgive others even as Christ has forgiven us.
In
the year 1818, Tamatoe, King of Huahine, one of the South Sea Islands,
believed the gospel. He discovered a plot among his fellow natives to
seize him and other converts and burn them to death. However, he
organized a band to attack the plotters and captured them unawares.
Having exposed the plot, he forgave them, and set a feast before his
would-be captors. This unexpected kindness amazed the savages, who
burned their idols and became Christians. (Paul Lee Tan, Signs of the Times, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, Assurance Publishers, Rockville, MD, 1979.)
But
why would God place these unspeakable riches in such an unsecure place?
We are unworthy sinners, weak and frail, who have the sentence of death
within us. Perhaps the hymn-writer, Robert Robinson, has expressed it
best, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.”
The answer to the question is found in the latter part of our passage.
“That the excellency [exceeding greatness] of the power may be of God,
and not of us.” While others usually think more highly of us than they
should, essentially it is the power of God working through us that
produces results in the Lord’s work.
Many
years ago I was invited to minister the gospel at a Bible camp in the
Rocky Mountains. On the last evening, I spoke on “The Danger of Falling
Into the Hands of An Angry God.” Earlier that day I hadn’t been feeling
well, due to altitude sickness. In addition to being exhausted that
night, I was short of breath. At ten thousand feet it doesn’t take much
to get winded. I now understand why it took Moses so long to return from
Mount Sinai with the tablets of stone. He undoubtedly had to keep
stopping on his way down to catch his breath! As I arose to speak that
evening I thought to myself, this is going to be an absolute disaster.
It was, or at least I thought it was, until I learned two months later
that an entire family was saved that night. Brethren, the gospel is the
“power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Rom 1:16).
At
the Judgment Seat of Christ no one will be able to boast regarding what
he or she has accomplished, for the power is solely of God and not of
us. “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” In the final
analysis, God will receive all the glory and honor and praise and
adoration for the great things He has done. We are merely vessels
through whom God has poured out the riches of His grace to a lost and
dying world.
What is your attitude
toward the Mystery? When the final chapter of your life is written and
the book is closed, will you be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith”? May you have no regrets at that day!
Les Feldick Ministries
30706 W. Lona Valley Rd.
Kinta, OK 74552
Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
E-mail
this BIBLE STUDY to all your friends
No comments:
Post a Comment