Saturday, October 14, 2017

2017-10-14 [Month of Mission 2017] Kingdom Parable#6 -- Treasures new and old


Kingdom Parable#6 -- Treasures new and old

He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."      (Matthew13:52)

This is the last of the parables of the Kingdom that we will be looking at for the Month of Mission, and it is beautiful! Martin Luther's story embodies this parable beautifully...
He was a teacher of the law but deeply and hopelessly aware of his failures and sinfulness. He served a church that was the custodian of a beautiful treasure - the gospel - but had locked it behind the walls of church tradition, indulgences, politics and legalism.
Luther discovered the truth of the Kingdom of God:
He rediscovered old treasures (some of them so long forgotten that they were like new):

  • Salvation by grace. (Sola Gratia)
  • A King who gave His life for us. (Solus Christos)
  • Justification by faith. (Sola Fide)
  • The Word of God. (Sola Scriptura)
  • The sovereignty and glory of God. (Soli Deo Gloria)
When the Spirit-empowered dynamic of the Kingdom drops the scales off our eyes and we (re)discover Christ's love in our lives, and it brings the beautiful treasures out of the storeroom:

  • The Bible becomes exciting to read.
  • The celebration of Easter becomes a glorious celebration of Christ as King over all
  • Faith becomes a journey of hope, trust and relationship
  • Grace becomes a well-spring of gratitude
  • Our lives have purpose in bringing glory to God.
The Kingdom opens our eyes to what God had in mind for us when He created us. The Kingdom has its roots in the promise of an offspring who would crush the serpent's head and its glorious fulfilment is the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and return of Christ. The law that was meant to bring life and reveal God, became a burden of legalism and guilt, but the Kingdom restores its glory.
The Kingdom - that God come near in Christ - is the key that unlocks the glorious treasure of our faith. It blows the cobwebs off dusty religion and offers abundant life!

Soli Deo Gloria!




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