Expositions of Holy Scripture : St. Matthew Chaps. IX to XXVIIIMaclaren, Alexander
Religion
Expositions of Holy Scripture : St. Matthew Chaps. IX to XXVIII
Maclaren, Alexander
Bible -- Commentaries; Bible. Matthew IX-XXVIII -- Commentaries
It is not exactly said that the treasure is the kingdom, but the
treasure is found in the kingdom, and nowhere else. Let us put away
the metaphor; it means that the only thing that will make us rich is
loving submission to the supreme law of the God whom we love because
we know that He loves us. You may put that thought into half a
dozen different forms. You may say that the treasure is the blessing
that comes from Christianity, or the inward wealth of a submissive
heart, or may use various modes of expression, but below them all
lies this one great thought, that it is laid on my heart, dear
brethren, to try and lay on yours now, that, when all is said and
done, the only possession that makes us rich is--is what? God
Himself. For that is the deepest meaning of the treasure. And
whatever other forms of expression we may use to designate it, they
all come back at last to this, that the wealth of the human soul is
to have God for its very own.
Let me run over two or three points that show us that. That treasure
is the only one that meets our deepest poverty. We do not all know
what that is, but whether you know it or not, dear friend, the thing
that you want most is to have your sins dealt with, in the double
way of having them forgiven as guilt, and in having them taken away
from you as tyrants and dominators over your wills. And it is only
God who can do that, 'God in Christ reconciling the world unto
Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them,' and giving them,
by a new life which He breathes into dead souls, emancipation from
the tyrants that rule over them, and thus bringing them 'into the
liberty of the glory of the sons of God.' 'Thou sayest that Thou art
rich and increased with goods ... and knowest not that thou art poor
... and naked.' Brother, until you have found out that it is only God
who will save you from being bankrupt, and enable you to pay your
debts, which are your duties, you do not know where your true riches
are. And if you have all that men can acquire of the lower things of
life, whether of what is generally called wealth or of other material
benefits, and have that great indebtedness standing against you, you
are but an insolvent after all. Here is the treasure that will make
you rich, because it will pay your debts, and endow you with capacity
enough to meet all future expenditure--viz. the possession of the
forgiving and cleansing grace of God which is in Jesus Christ. If
you have that, you are rich; if you do not possess it, you are poor.
Now you believe that, as much as I do, most of you. Well, what do you
do in consequence?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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