The Treasure of the Gospel

By Pastor William R. Cunningham
June 25, 2006

2 Corinthians 4:7 (NKJV) -- {7} But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Introduction

Sometimes great treasures are placed in worthless containers.  Great treasures are stored in safes that don’t compare in value to its contents.  Priceless documents are placed in containers that are worthless in comparison.  Likewise, God has placed in mere mortal people the greatest treasure of all, namely the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have in us this great treasure that we proclaim to those that would be saved.  We have in us a treasure that has more value than any other treasure on earth.  We have the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we can proclaim to others.

The Treasure

The gospel is the one great treasure of the church

1. It is the “pearl of great price” for which the jeweler will pay all that he has (Matthew 13:45-46).
2. It is the great truth for which Stephen died and which Paul devoted his life to proclaim.
3. It is the one thing which clearly distinguishes the church from all other religious and benevolent organizations.
4. It is the priceless treasure unto salvation

What if you had really good news that you just had to share with others?  You would proclaim it to your friends and family.  You would perhaps be anxious to tell those that you met the good news that you have.  Well we have even greater news than that.  We have the priceless gospel of Jesus Christ.  We have the message of salvation and the Kingdom of God to share with those who are lost so that they would be found.

It is interesting because the things that we typically hold as treasures are not readily shared by horded.  For example, one wouldn’t go around proclaiming on the rooftops how you have just won or inherited one million dollars.  We would tend to want to keep that good news to ourselves.

The gospel is far different, however.  It is the greatest treasure of all that we should share.  Jesus gave us illustrations of the value of those things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.  Consider the following.

Matthew 13:44-46 (NKJV) -- {44} “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. {45} “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, {46} who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Matthew 13:47-50 (NKJV) -- {47} “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, {48} which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. {49} So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, {50} and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

We indeed have a great treasure that we can share.  This treasure is so great that people gave their lives to share (not to keep).  We would risk our lives to protect our great treasures such as a priceless diamond or other such treasures.  However, the gospel of Christ is far more valuable than that because for one thing it leads to eternity.  The greatest diamond on earth will eventually be worthless.

Christianity is the only religion with such a treasure.  The Christian objective is not to conquer the world or to assimilate everyone else.  Christians simply want people to come to Christ and believe in Christ.  This is for their own good because it would lead to their own salvation and eternal life.

Christianity does not claim to have the secret of life.  Christianity has the path to life, namely Jesus Christ.

John 14:6 (NKJV) -- {6} Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

So the treasure that we have, the gospel of Jesus Christ, is indeed the greatest treasure of all and one we should not take for granted.  If you are indeed a Christian then you should realize that the gospel that you believed and consequently put your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation is the very treasure that brought you into eternal life.  The treasure is truly in you.

The Church and Its Lack of Esteem for the Treasure

Church Business

The church is sometimes tempted to emphasize its own human dynamics rather than that which God offers us in Jesus Christ.  Many churches today place material possessions over and above the truth of the Christian faith. The treasure is then material things instead of the gospel.  In this case many people do not come to know Christ.  Instead they come to know a false gospel that they think is the path to salvation.  As a matter of fact, salvation isn’t an issue in this case because the objective is to acquire riches and glory and not salvation and eternal life.

Many ministers preach a Christless gospel in that Jesus Christ is not the objective.  People think that becoming a Christian provides benefits for the “good life.”  They don’t know about eternal life.  Many people think that the purpose of becoming a Christian is so that they would merely not go to hell.  They miss the whole mark in regards to eternal life and being reconciled to the Father.

All this is because the church (religious institutions) does not hold the gospel of Jesus Christ in high esteem.  It is meaningless to them in its truthfulness.  Christianity has been diluted to a social club by many.  The people believe what they are taught and what they are taught has little or nothing to do with the true gospel of Christ. 

Church Activities

The church sometimes calls people to its ministry, its programs, or to its facilities instead of calling people to salvation in Jesus Christ.  I’ve witnessed this very thing many times in my church experiences.  There are a plethora of church services, programs, and activities.  Many if not most of these are business and have little to do with leading people to Christ.

I’ve seen fashion shows, trips, games, dinners, various services and anniversaries, and much more.  However, most of these have nothing to do with spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.  However, I should also say that there is nothing wrong with people enjoying a fellowship on a trip, playing a game, or just having fun together at a fashion show.  The problem is that many times these are all the activities of the church.

It’s OK in my opinion to have fun together as a Christian family.  You may want to have a fashion show to raise money or just to have fun together.  A local church or Christian organization may decide to sponsor a trip to an amusement park or the like.  However, these should be contrasted by a genuine effort to spread the gospel of Christ to people and to edify those who believe.  The church shouldn’t be merely a social club, but a center for Christian education, fellowship, and worship of the Lord God.

These things occur because again the church organizations do not hold the gospel in high regard.  Church is not about Christ.  Church is about members and raising money.  Many times church is a person’s chance to build a kingdom for him or herself.  It’s all about business.  Church is all about business, but not the business of spreading the gospel. 

The Vessel

Though we would expect the world’s greatest treasure to be placed in its most priceless container, we find the gospel committed to a very ordinary church.

There is indeed nothing special about us though some would like to think so.  I am no better than you in regards to eternal life and spiritual things.  The Bible says that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (See Romans 3:23).  These mortal vessels of ours house the greatest treasure of all.  I am reminded when Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is within us (See Luke 17:21).

The Corinthian church to which Paul wrote was a handful of converted slaves and artisans.  These were those who where not very high on the social ladder so to speak.

Paul, himself, was a most “earthen vessel”—haunted by his past, crippled by his inadequacies, continually challenged by his never-ending struggle with temptation.

Yes it is true that Paul was a great apostle of Jesus Christ.  Peter was also a great apostle of Christ.  However, they were just men doing what God called them to do.  They were just people (See Acts 10:25-26).

The church is corrupt just like the body.  Though the gospel is entrusted with us, we must still realize that we are nothing special.  The vessel does not compare with the treasure inside of it.  The church organization is about its own agenda, which many times have little to do with the treasure it holds. 

There are divisions, lack of commitment to the preaching of the truth, and worldliness.  The world has permeated the church and the message of the gospel is replaced or at best hidden in many institutions.
A ministry becomes weak when it abandons its God given objective to preach the gospel.  People are lazy and don’t want to do their part.  They put everything on the pastor or leader while they sit back and do nothing.  The ministers become burned out and susceptible to all kinds of temptations just as the body becomes more susceptible to sickness when it is weakened.

We have to come alive and remember the importance of the gospel that is within us.  We are not important in regards to spiritual things.  However, the treasure that we do hold is the most valuable thing on earth today because it leads to salvation and eternal life.  Nothing else compares with that.

Dealing with the Disparity

Some people are not content to allow the contrast to exist.

1. Some would try to accept the treasure but reject the jar. They say “yes” to Christ but “no” to the church, and in the process scorn the very ones for whom Christ died.  This is a very common scenario.  People want Christ, but at the same time they scorn the fellowship or body of Christ.  This is primarily because they have suffered pain in the church institution and want no parts of it.  I understand this myself because I was like that at one time.
2. Others try to make the treasure more like the vessel, stripping Christ of His divinity.  Others would rather have a form of Christianity so that they could live like they want.  They make the church more palatable to the world and therefore make the church worldly.
3. Still others try to make the vessel more “worthy” of the treasure by changing the clay pot into a silver chalice. This leads to a situation where the vessel takes on more importance than the treasure.  How many times have you seen this?  Churches have become grand edifices with all of the luxuries and amenities of a castle.  People want to be a part of that church not because of the gospel that goes forth, but because of the building or the hype that is preached.  Here the vessel is more prominent than the treasure.

The proper response is to acknowledge the disparity and learn the great lesson which it teaches.

1. The disparity is there by God’s design to demonstrate that it is upon human weakness, not human strength that God chooses to build His church.  It is not about how good we are or how rich we are.  It is God that chose us to hold His treasure.  We are the vessels and we must ensure that we don’t place ourselves in a position where we appear more important than the treasure, namely the gospel of Christ.
2. God can use the church best when it depends less on its own resources and learns to trust in the power of the God who alone can save.  We are agents of God to minister His word to the people.  Paul said that we are ambassadors of Christ and we have the message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

Conclusion

Let’s stay focused on doing what we were called to do.  Let us not leave our first love, namely the preaching of the Truth.  Let’s not go the way of many religious organizations that want to appease the people and appeal to their lusts.  Let’s stay focused on the primary objective, which is to get people to be saved by putting their faith in Jesus Christ.  How can they believe unless they hear, and how can they hear unless the word is preached, and how can the word be preached unless we are sent to preach it (Romans 10:14-15).  God has given unworthy vessels the most priceless treasure.  Let’s treat it that way and promote the truth, the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Amen.