BURIED TREASURE: Exploring The Parables Of Jesus
by J. W. Jepson, D.Min.
Life In Christ Center, 3095 Cherry Heights Road, The Dalles, Oregon 97058
(541) 296-1136
Copyright © 1997 by J. W. Jepson
All rights reserved, including the right to grant the following permission and to prohibit the misuse thereof:
The Author hereby grants permission to reproduce the text of this article, without changes or alterations*, as a ministry, but not for commercial or non-ministry purposes.
*Permission is given for publication of excerpts and condensed versions.
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10.
A DISCIPLE OF THE KINGDOM
Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
--Matthew 13:51,52
A DISCIPLE OF THE KINGDOM
Today's minister of the gospel is the target of a variety of pressures.
First, there is the good, wholesome pressure of Christ's love. "For the love of Christ constrains us," Paul said (2 Corinthians 5:14). This is positive, productive pressure. The Holy Spirit mobilizes this mighty force and directs it wisely to the salvation of the lost and the edification of believers.
But mingled with this divinely-prompted energy come other pressures, some subtle and counter-productive.
There is pressure to measure success by statistical criteria. We thank God for every far-reaching ministry that He has raised up. And we value every resource that will help us in our work. God requires us to do our best as faithful stewards. There is no place in the program of God these days for a lazy preacher!
The danger lies in listening to so many voices and being awed by so many success stories that we lose sight of God's goals for our own lives and ministries.
Personalities can overwhelm us. Good examples challenge and instruct us, but trying to be exactly like someone else can demoralize us. The Holy Spirit is able to liberate us to become what God intends us to be.
We must beware of the strong pressure to emulate wrong examples. Many ministers have judged their personal spiritual state by the success of their ministry, even if there has been ethical failure. It is very easy to assume that we have God's approval because He is blessing our ministry. This is a fatal trap. It is the wrong criterion. There is only one standard for all believers and that is Jesus Christ.
Might does not make right, even in the kingdom of God. The fact that a clergyman is popular and powerful is no guarantee that he is right. Big crowds, spectacular buildings, awesome programs and broad recognition might or might not follow faithful ministry. But they are not proof of personal integrity. In the sight of God they certainly do not compensate for moral misconduct or doctrinal error.
We must also resist the pressure of fads. Many of us have been around long enough to see a number of fads come and go. As each one passes we are reinforced in our conviction that the basics are what really count.
Be faithful. Preach the word and live it. Be a person of prayer and faith. Act wisely and prudently. Love the people and minister to them in the power of the Spirit. If you will do this, you will succeed whether you are struggling along with twenty or rolling along with two thousand.
Jesus had just given His disciples a series of parables on the kingdom. At the close He asked them, "Have you understood all these things?" "Yes, Lord," they replied confidently.
Then He gave them another parable, one especially appropriate for ministers. It is sometimes called the parable of the householder.
In Jesus' question the word "all" is important. "Have you understood all these things?"
All the truths of Scripture inter-relate. History, prophecy, poetry, Gospels, Epistles--all integrate perfectly. For a clear understanding of the kingdom it is necessary to see all parts in their interrelationship within the whole. If we are to be successful ministers of the word, we must have a full and balanced understanding of the whole counsel of God.
"Yes, Lord," the disciples said, claiming to understand all the teachings Christ had just given them concerning the kingdom. And the Lord took them at their word. By saying "therefore" He built upon their answer.
"Scribe" was a term they understood. Since the days of Ezra the scribes were the authoritative Bible expositors. And so the disciples knew now what the Master intended them to be--authoritative expositors of the word of God.
The same charge is ours today. If we are faithful to our Lord and to the commission He has given us, we will turn a deaf ear to all who would counsel us to preach a human-centered rather than a God-centered message.
The hurts of humanity cannot be healed by avoiding the reality of sin (as Biblically defined), repentance, and faith in Jesus Christ and His redemptive work on the cross. "Be ye reconciled to God" must be our message if the sin-burdened are to find true wholeness and self-worth.
Yet it is not enough to have merely a head-knowledge of the word. "The husbandman that laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits" (2 Timothy 2:6). We are called to be examples "in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12).
To be "instructed unto the kingdom" means to be made a disciple of the kingdom. Whatever we teach we must model. Whatever we preach we must live. To lead others along the path of Biblical living, we must be walking in it ourselves.
As we do, we shall be like a householder (house-ruler) who brings out of his storeroom things that are new and things that are old. We shall bring out Old Testament truth in New Testament light. We bring new practical fruit from old Biblical roots. We make new timely applications of old, timeless principles.
The true minister of the gospel is like the head chef at the White House or Buckingham Palace. He has some very important people to feed--God's people. No warmed-over snack will do. The storeroom should be well stocked with the nourishing food of the word, and the table should be set lavishly.
What we have in our storeroom is what we feed the people. A lot of spiritual junk food is on the market and some people have developed an appetite for it. If we feed on it ourselves and stock our shelves with it, that is what we will feed God's people. But it will not nourish the soul, neither theirs nor ours.
Let us make sure that we give then the riches of Christ, not fads, fancies and foam. Part of our responsibility is to develop in them an appetite for wholesome spiritual food.
I remember well the words of Leland R. Keys to our class of ministerial students many years ago: "If you want to build great saints, feed them great food." That admonition was never more timely than today.
"Brings forth" literally means "casts out." If the minister's storeroom is stocked with the riches of Christ, if his heart and mind are full of Scripture, and if he has prepared the spiritual food with recipes that are hermeneutically and homiletically sound, the nourishing truth will pop out of the oven of diligent preparation.
The Holy Spirit knows how to flavor it just right and to send its delicious aroma to the waiting "household," whetting their appetites for solid spiritual nourishment.
"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?" (Matthew 24:45).
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11. Hands Off The Other Person's Throat!
introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Bibliography