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GOD’S TREASURE

These three scriptures all bear some reference to treasure. I seek help to speak respectfully to my brethren on the understanding and appreciation that, in these bodies of ours, there is a work of God that in His eye represents treasure. That is a marvellous thing. We are not yet in the enjoyment of the bodies of glory like Christ’s glorious body that we have been speaking about earlier. On that account, Paul says in this passage in Corinthians that the treasure is in “earthen vessels”, vessels which in one way are quite inadequate to give full expression to the wonderful thoughts of God for the heavenly saints of the family to which we belong, but meantime there is hidden treasure in these earthen vessels.

That contributes to the point that was made earlier that to some extent there is a mystery connected with these things, because the value and the extent of the treasure is not wholly observable outside, nor appreciated or taken account of in a general way. I am not suggesting that there is nothing evident, because what has shone in through the marvellous sovereign operations of God finds, in some way, an outward expression in testimony here. To that extent, something of the value of the hidden treasure shines out in present testimony, though the lustre and fulness of it necessarily requires bodies of glory suited to house it eternally for God’s pleasure, and to bring about the answer that is suited to the purpose of God for His saints. Nevertheless, it is something worthy of our consideration, and I would say worthy of our respect for one another, that God has an investment there, an inward treasure wrought as a consequence of His own work and the formative activity of the Holy Spirit which is delightful to the eye of God, even if not fully seen by others. It merits respect on my part for the saints, because God loves His people. The securing of the treasure has been at immense cost. The apostle here makes reference to the outshining of God through the radiancy of the glad tidings. What an outshining there has been, the glad tidings bringing out into open and clear testimony the wonderful present grace of God towards men. It is towards all, and carries with it salvation for all men. That shows the scope of the work that has been wrought by my blessed Saviour.

If there is someone here who is not in the enjoyment of salvation, take that word home to your heart. You cannot fault God. You cannot fault the Saviour for the work that He has wrought at such a cost to Himself. The shedding of His precious blood and the yielding up of His life, going into death, and His triumphant rising again have made provision for the eternal welfare and blessing of your soul. Do not be neglectful, dear friend, of the availability of such blessing and of the marvellous grace of God that has brought it into radiant outshining in the glad tidings. What glad tidings! We hear reports about a multitude of things these days, some reports considered favourable and some quite unfavourable. But rising above all in glorious distinction stands the declaration of God’s grace in glad tidings to men. What else stands connected with eternity? There are all sorts of reports commissioned by men to do with affairs down here, and they may be considered of great importance in government or by politicians, but I just say again, rising above them all stands the radiancy of the glad tidings flowing out from the heart of God.

Paul thought in such an exalted way of the magnificence of the glad tidings that he spoke of himself and others as ambassadors, going out on God’s behalf. Think of the glad tidings proceeding from the throne above, carrying forth in testimony here some witness to the outstanding grace of God to men. No wonder the apostle here refers to it as the radiancy of the glad tidings of the Christ who is the image of God. We were enquiring earlier about this word “image”, but what a wonderful representation there has been of all that is to be known and expressed of God in the person of the Christ. I can say, as drawing from other scriptures, that He Himself is God, but there is, nevertheless, a wonderful setting forth in that blessed Man of the outshining of the glory of God radiating in His blessed face. “It is the God who spoke that out of darkness light should shine who has shone in our hearts for the shining forth of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”.

These are momentous transactions, beloved brethren, the outshining of the glory of God in the face of Jesus into these hearts of ours. Not only has there been outshining from God, but into our hearts where darkness existed as away from God, in order that they should be illuminated and that we should be brought to understand something of the marvellous character of the love of God towards us. What a shining in there has been. God has operated in such a way through the glad tidings and the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus to bring about an answer to His own glory.

Think of these vessels of ours referred to as earthen vessels. They are bodies of humiliation, feeble vessels in which we are still awaiting the prospect of our heavenly home to come from God Himself with all its suitability to the eternal abode of the heavenly saints. Through God’s sovereign work by the Spirit, there is something wrought there, born of God, secured through the finished work of the Lord Jesus and being added to, in the case of those of us who are amongst the living who remain, by the continuing work of the Holy Spirit here. That is a great work of formation adding to the treasure. How marvellous that is. What else could God treasure about me apart from His own work in me? Not a thing! Not one thing about me merits God’s appreciation save what He has wrought Himself in marvellous love. But in these earthen vessels, God has implanted a treasure through the shining in from the face of Jesus of the radiancy of His own blessedness, from the One who gives expression to the effulgence of God’s glory. I find that a marvellous expression used by the writer in the epistle to the Hebrews, “the effulgence of his glory”, Heb.1:3. Think of the wonder of such a glorious Person, able to give radiant expression to all that can be known of God.

The treasure is there: “we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassingness of the power may be of God, and not from us”. I sometimes hear and read of the expression, a ‘self-made man’, perhaps some man who, through his industry and ability in some human way, has acquired a measure of fame. But this has nothing to do with that. It is not of ourselves at all, nor from us. This is a witness to the wonderful surpassing greatness of the power of God, and that gives it a different character altogether. The treasure is of value. John says that all that is in the world is passing (1 John 2:17). Sometimes we are staggered by figures quoted by men to measure values. It used to be thousands, then millions, then billions, and sometimes now trillions: what expressions of financial value and, sadly, often of debt. But now we are speaking about a surpassing treasure in every way, something that is all of God, secured through the power of God and not from us, which shall abide for God’s glory eternally when time has ceased to be.. The treasure will not be hidden then in earthen vessels. It will find its radiant expression in those transformed through the final act of the Saviour’s power and made suitable to be before God eternally, giving expression then in fulness to His work and for His own delight.

In a special way, that is connected with the glory of what God has wrought in the assembly. There will be many other families. The Father of every family will have His own answer from all of them, each being named by Him and having been secured through what Christ has wrought. Each will possess some knowledge of God with its own particular value. But the assembly shines distinctively as the vessel of God’s coming abode, wherein the expression in such a full way of an answer to God will be secured and sustained by His own Spirit eternally. There will be glory to God in the assembly in Christ Jesus.

Paul uses words concerning himself and those who shared with him in the work that I would hesitate to use about myself, as not claiming any grandeur or particular excellence as to any service of mine – far from it. But Paul speaks about “bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body”. I think in some way we can say it is true in us that there is a bearing about in the body of the dying of Jesus, where there is an application of what the death of Jesus involves. So what is of the flesh should not be in prominence, but something of what is acceptable and pleasing to God of His own work should be coming into increasing expression in these bodies of ours. It is remarkable that Paul should go on to say, “that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh”. That is why I would not say that the treasure is totally hidden. Its full extent and value are screened because of these bodies in which as yet we are, but in some way there is manifested in these mortal bodies a testimony to what God has wrought that is so pleasing to Himself. May it be so more and more. We were carrying that exercise from our earlier occasion, and I would just seek to raise it again amongst us that meantime, in these mortal bodies of ours, there might increasingly be some expression of what is in accord with the life of Jesus and pleasing to the eye of God.

What a marvellous thing to think of treasure in the hearts of the saints. Mr Coates once said, ‘a new creation treasure in an old creation vessel’¹. I greatly enjoyed that when I read it. It is a marvellous thought that there is an indestructible work of new creation, meantime housed in earthen vessels here. How pleasing that must be under the eye of God. It is not fully seen in display, but God can see it all. Soon, in eternity, the bodies of the saints will be according to new creation as well, because the bodies of the old creation are not suited to the eternal abode of the saints of the assembly. There will then be bodies in keeping with the treasure inside, but meantime there is a new creation work there. That is something that is entirely of God: how pleasing to Him.

I read also in Matthew’s gospel. I would love to have some greater understanding of how valuable the treasure is that the Lord Jesus has secured for Himself. These words were penned by Matthew, but they were spoken by the Lord Himself. “The kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hid in the field, which a man having found has hid”. What wonderful language this is, indicating how precious it was to the Lord to find here, when He was moving on this earth, something of what God had wrought in drawing souls to the Saviour. The Lord Jesus discerned that there was something of value that He could describe as a treasure, as taking account of the work of God in one and another. He, through His own work, has established rights to the whole world; the field has been bought. As a consequence of the work of the Lord Jesus, He has laid claim to the whole field, the whole world. Redemptive rights are very great. The Lord has laid claim to the whole field in order that the treasure in it might be His. Meantime, it is hidden. We are not in the day of public manifestation yet but that will come. We have been referring to the time when the assembly will come down in all its radiance out of heaven, “having the glory of God”, Rev.21:10. I love that expression – “having the glory of God”. That does not in any way indicate that the assembly is possessed of deity. It would be blasphemy to say so, but it is possessed of the excellence of divine workmanship that will find its radiant expression, and will be seen, when it comes down having the glory of God. Think of what the assembly will be as a vessel for God in answering glory to His own wondrous purpose in love. Think of what the treasure will be for Christ as an answer to the joy of His own affections. The Lord Jesus has established His claim to that, and although the treasure is hidden meantime in the field, He is about to come soon to take those who are His to be with Himself. The treasure will be taken out of the field then, and He will have the saints taken up into glory, transforming the bodies of the saints and having them for His own eternal delight. The dead in Christ will be raised first, then we the living will be caught up with all the saints to be with Christ (1 Thess.4:15). Nothing of the treasure will be lost, not one bit of it; the entire treasure will be secured and held eternally for His delight.

What does the Lord think of the assembly? It is described in the second parable as a pearl. As another has said, it is like a connoisseur who is taking account of beautiful pearls, but who has found one pearl of great value. Oh, the distinctiveness of what the Lord has secured for Himself in the assembly; “he went and sold all whatever he had and bought it”. What a cost has been involved for the Lord Jesus in paying the price to secure the assembly. He has delivered Himself up in order to secure the assembly for Himself (Eph.5:25). He has bought it at such a cost, He has paid the price. It is His own possession, secured as an answer to His precious love and sacrificial work in paying the price to secure the assembly for Himself: one pearl.

There is something distinctive about a pearl. In some way it bears its own witness to its intrinsic value. Men take other precious stones and cut them and shape them and do various things with them to transform them into some better form whereby the lustre of the light may be reflected from within them, and their distinctiveness come into greater evidence. That is not so in regard of a pearl. I am aware of a jeweller locally who said that all that a man can do with a pearl is spoil it when he tries to machine it, or cut or drill it. There it is in its own peculiar lustre, just as it was formed. That is the beauty of what the Lord has secured as the product of His own love – a vessel entirely for His delight, a pearl of “great value”. How great? Who can tell? The Lord was prepared to sell all to secure it. I believe the Lord Jesus, Himself alone, could give the true evaluation of this pearl. We may appreciate something of the pearl, and speak about it, and some have been marvellously helped to write about it. We are thus enabled to sing about it, but the true value of the pearl is only known by the Lord Jesus as His own peculiar, distinctive possession in answer to His love.

How entitled He is to have the full response from the affections of the saints of the assembly. May we be increasingly exercised to yield it. Think of us having the privilege of gathering together. We cannot claim, and may we be preserved from attempting to claim, that we are the church, or from making any foolish claims as to our own position, but the Lord has an investment here in the saints which He takes account of. As faithful souls come together to remember Him, think of His eye being upon them, taking account of something that bears the character of the pearl seen in the local assemblies and finding its totality in the whole assembly. The Lord has something that is so delightful to Himself.

On that account, I read from the last chapter in Malachi. What a wonderful thing it is that God should observe all that is going on. We are gathered here today, and it is not being too adventurous for me to say that we are under heavenly observation. Think of God looking down. He knows all about us individually, He sees our gathering, He knows our hearts. If little more could be said than that we thought upon His name, how delightful to God to write it in the heavenly records. I think much more was true of many in these closing days, even in the Old Testament times, but it is very remarkable that it says, “a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name”.

May we be encouraged in these difficult times to seek grace to continue in faithfulness to the Lord Jesus and to honour His name. These things are not to be bypassed. They are taken account of by God Himself, and appreciatively by the Lord observing those that love Him and seek to honour His name. May we be encouraged to continue to honour the name of the Lord Jesus. If there is one thing I would say to my brethren here, never ever think to give up the remembrance of the Lord Jesus. Never think to give it up! It is a personal request of the Lord Himself and is a personal appeal made in love to us. It means so much to His own heart. May we cling to the opportunity to answer in returning love to Him who is so worthy of our affections. Do you not think every such gathering is recorded in heaven? Books are not written in heaven because divine Persons might forget. That is not why they are written. They are written because, amongst other things, they are a special appreciation of what takes place amongst the saints down here that is so pleasing to God, and written in a book of remembrance.

I know that the books in the coming day will be brought out in the time of judgment, not again because there has been any forgetfulness as to what has happened or taken place amongst any or all, but to bring out a perfect witness to the righteousness of God in judgment, through the Man whom He has appointed to execute the judgment. What a solemn time it will be before the great white throne for unbelievers, with a perfect witness in the books brought out, incontrovertible evidence of all that justifies the just judgment by Christ Himself.

But now we are talking about the appraisal by divine Persons being recorded in a book. Its being put down on record seems to me to indicate God’s special delight. “A book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be unto me a peculiar treasure …”. There is a treasure now, but think of the coming day when the fulness of the treasure will all be before God for His delight and in answer to the affections of the Lord Jesus eternally. “And they shall be unto me a peculiar treasure”, or as the footnote says, ‘my own possession’. Oh, the treasure for the heart of the Lord Jesus “in the day that I prepare”. It is linked with a reference to a man sparing and appreciating his son. There is just a hint there as to the blessedness of what God has secured for Himself in sonship amongst the saints, sons like Christ taken into favour in the Beloved (Eph.1:6). God so appreciates the Beloved that He has taken persons into dignity before Him and set them before Him in suitability to His own thoughts, and clearly in the enjoyment of His love as taken into favour in the Beloved.

I trust I have said something that will help us to appreciate what remains down here, albeit in partial mystery, but so pleasing under the eye of God. And again I would just say, let us be respectful of the saints of God down here. They are worthy of it. They are part of the accumulation of this great treasure that will be for God’s delight eternally. Let us love one another and appreciate what is God’s investment in the saints down here. May we be encouraged to walk faithfully to the Lord Jesus and have the joy and privilege, if we are left here, of remembering Him again and honouring His name on the coming Lord’s day.

May it be so to His glory.

Address at Grimsby

9 June 2018

J. Laurie

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