December 26 - A Transaction Makes the Kingdom Personal - Protestant Caucus/Devotional

Gracetoyou.org ^ | 2008 | John Macarthur, Grace Community Church

[metmom]

“‘And from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field’” (Matthew 13:44).

Some believers feel uncomfortable about the parables we have been considering, thinking they teach salvation can be bought. But Scripture always teaches that salvation is completely free. Salvation is “bought” only in the sense that one trusts Jesus as Lord and Savior and surrenders all to Him. The treasure and the pearl illustrate the spiritual transaction of surrender. In salvation, we exchange the old for the new.

Isaiah 55:1 describes salvation as God’s gift, yet refers to buying: “Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” As in the two parables, the sinner gives up all the worthless things he or she has while receiving all the invaluable kingdom wealth. Therefore this does not depict a buying of salvation, because with God that is totally unacceptable (cf. Isa. 64:6).

Without surrendering everything, people’s professions of faith are meaningless (cf. Matt. 19:16–22). Jesus declared, “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it” (Matt. 10:39). Our Lord also said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24).

When confronted with the true gospel, most people don’t inventory all their possessions to see if Jesus is worth following (cf. Luke 14:28–33). When they see the infinite value of His kingdom riches, they simply yield to Him, surrender all, and faithfully follow.

Ask Yourself

Are you holding anything back from God in your service to Him, hoping He won’t ask to touch or remove it? If the Spirit has made you aware of a habit, activity, or possession that restricts the free flow of your worship, seek your security blanket in Him alone. He will be more than enough—a blessed replacement.

From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.

[metmom]

Studying God’s Word Ping

[chajin]

Short version: salvation is free; discipleship costs you all you have and all you are.

Extrabiblical parable: in The Magnificent Seven, the farmers come to Chris Adams (get it? Christ and man in one body?) to buy guns, and he offers them to buy him instead, that he will protect them, and also teach them. He then asks what they can pay, and they offer a bag of a few coins and a watch, saying it is not much but it is all they have. Chris' response: "I've been offered a lot for my services, but never everything."

Christ offers all of Him in return for all of us.

[Big Red Badger]

The Magnificent Seven...
.
I need to watch that again.

[invoman]

Actually, the man who does the "buying" is Jesus.
The field is the Hebrew children.
The pearl is the Church.

It appears the author of this has it backward.

[metmom]

Thanks for that insight

[Elsie]

I’ve never noticed that in the film, even after seeing it a couple of times.

Thanks!!

[invoman]

I blew that...
The TREASURE in the field is the Hebrew children...the FIELD is the entire world.
Thus Jesus bought the entire world by His sacrifice.

[Seven_0]

The treasure comes out of the earth and the pearl comes out of the sea. The pearl is a living gem formed because a grain of sand irritates the sea creature. Abraham’s seed is like the sand of the sea.