December 21 - God’s Kingdom Must Be Personally Appropriated

“‘The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again’” (Matthew 13:44).

Jesus’ concise but profound parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value show us that, above all, we must personally appropriate God’s kingdom. People automatically at birth become members of their parents’ family and country, but such natural inheritance doesn’t apply regarding the kingdom.

Everyone is under God’s dominion because they live on the earth, which is under His sovereign control. And if unbelievers associate with believers, they can potentially enjoy many kingdom benefits. But if an unbeliever attends a biblical church, enjoys sound preaching, and gets baptized, he or she is not necessarily a kingdom citizen. More often than not, such are “sons of the kingdom [who] will be cast out into the outer darkness” where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 8:12)—in other words, they are not really children of God.

Paul reminds his readers, Jews in particular, “They are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants” (Rom. 9:6–7). Even during the Old Testament era one could be Jewish—fully identified with God’s people racially, nationally, and religiously—and still not be a member of the true spiritual Israel.

Similarly, you can be a member of a family that has had membership in a good church for many generations and yet not be part of Christ’s true church. Being born into a godly family does not make you a believer. Under the Spirit’s guidance, you must personally decide to trust Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Here toward the end of the year, settle this issue in your heart once and for all. You can live with the full assurance of your salvation by surrendering your life to Christ—repenting of your sins and believing in His sacrifice on your behalf. Don’t live another day unsure.

If the parable is applied to the Christian epoch, the man who finds the treasure is the unregenerated man. He find the treasure eternal life and possesses it, he literally buys (faith being the currency) the source of treasure, the kingdom of heaven for the individual man, purchased by faith in the Promise of God in Christ. The man becomes a member of the Church, the body of Believers.

A clue is that Jesus was still offering the Kingdom to begin for the Jews. The parable could also refer to the Jewish nation, in that the treasure is the kingdom and 'Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.'

The buyer is not Jesus because He did not need to 'discover treasure', it was at hand when He was with them yet they rejected Him and the treasure / the kingdom.

“‘The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again’”

Literally, the Kingdom of Heaven was present when Jesus was with them and offering to beginning of the Kingdom Age for the Jews. The Jewish leaders rejected the kingdom so the treasure of the Kingdom remained hidden. But a man discovers it, the Kingdom of Heaven and then covers it again until it is his to posses. Thus the offer of the kingdsom goes from a nation to the individual, to the acwuiring of eternal life in Christ.

What was Jesus conveying? He is the treasure through which the Kingdom becomes real, offered first to the nation of the jewish people, then upon rejection it is hidden from them (He began teaching in parables so the Jews who rejected Him would not see and be converted. The treasure of His Life as door to the kingdom of eternal life is then found by the individual and seen for the treasure it is and acquired for the individual. The treasure is the reality of The Kingdom of God where eternal life is the state of all who believe on The Treasure, Jesus, the Way, Truth, and Life.

If the parable is applied to the Christian epoch, the man who finds the treasure is the unregenerated man.

Correct.

He find the treasure eternal life and possesses it, he literally buys (faith being the currency) the source of treasure, the kingdom of heaven for the individual man, purchased by faith in the Promise of God in Christ.

Well, sort of. The treasure (everlasting life) comes to him who has become a constituent of the Kingdom of God/Christ (with Christ as His servant in His Kingdom which is not of this world) which is purchased by the one irrevocable decision to turn over everything that one has and is, to His Savior. The regenerated believers are the constituents f the Church of the Firstborn, written in Heaven (Heb. 12:23) and citizens of the Kingdom of God (which is noit of this world). But both they and unregenerated "believers" (of the type JMac describes above) constitute the Kingdom of Heaven (which is of this world; epitomized by good fish and bad fish, wheat and tares, etc) mixed together such that to the fellow constituents the boundary between them may be indistinguishable, but Jesus will decided who is His and who is not.

So it is the Heavenly invisible church that is (to the spiritually undiscerning unregenerated "believers" and to the remaining onlooking worldlings as well) hidden within the confines of the visible church which is seen by all. Here is a simplified diagram of Church history that employs this illustration:

(courtesy of Happy Heralds, Inc. publisher)

A clue is that Jesus was still offering the Kingdom to begin for the Jews.

Yes, it was John Baptist that came to preach the Kingdom of Heaven that if all Israel, starting with its Kings and priests, would have submitted themselves to The Messiah Jesus of Nazareth, whom John was appointed to identify and announce. Jesus preached both the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God up to the point of John's death, but only the KOG afterward. At that time the nation could have received world rule immediately. But the proud Herodians, the father of whom Herod the Great killed all the local baby children age two and under, to eliminate any threat to his line of "royalty." His son beheaded John the herald of Messiah, and later on killed other Christians (Acts 12:2). They would not receive Him (Jn. 1:11), so they lost out for the time, at least a couple thousand years, at least.

The parable could also refer to the Jewish nation, in that the treasure is the kingdom and 'Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.'

I don't think so. Any passage can have one fundamental meaning and one only, and I doubt tjat this would be it.

The buyer is not Jesus because He did not need to 'discover treasure', it was at hand when He was with them yet they rejected Him and the treasure / the kingdom. Posting HTML

I believe that is absolutely correct.

Good job, M! Thanks for the opportunity to elaborate your conclusions.

The buyer is not Jesus because He did not need to 'discover treasure'

The interpretation of the parable of the treasure, which makes the buyer of the field to be a sinner who is seeking Christ, has no warrant in the parable itself. The field is defined (v. 38) to be the world. The seeking sinner does not buy, but forsakes, the world to win Christ. Furthermore, the sinner has nothing to sell, nor is Christ for sale, nor is He hidden in a field, nor, having found Christ, does the sinner hide Him again (cf) Mark7:24,Acts4:20; At every point the interpretation breaks down. (Scofield notes Matthew 13)

The meaning of the symbols in scripture can often be found in scripture.

Exod 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

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