Sermon Date: 2008/11/30

Sermon DATE: 2008/11/30

SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 119:97-105
SERMON: The most precious treasure.

We have entered into the season of Advent which is a period of four weeks of anticipation. During this period we hope for the best and prepare for the worst in the midst of darkness and desperation, knowing that the dawn of brightness and deliverance is at hand. Winter Solstice, the darkest and shortest day of the year as well as the longest and deepest night for the northern hemisphere inhabitants, is pressing on us in the next four weeks before it will leave us for the brighter happier days. US president elect Barack Obama spoke to his hopeful Americans last week. The people are anticipating for a quick recovery from the current financial stressful situation. Barack Obama said, “This situation will become worse before it will become better.” And he is right. If you look only to the dark side of the world, you will not have patience to wait for the bright days to return. If you read the news everyday only to focus on how much your possessions have depreciated in the dismay economy you may not anticipate that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. You will not be there when the happy days return.
We all have possessions in this world. Our possessions help us to sustain our life while we live here on earth. When our possessions suffer substantial depreciation with the bad economy what resource do we draw from to remain tranquil? The Bible is the answer and the wisdom. The Bible teaches us not to put too much emphasis on our possessions. The value of our houses, our RRSP, our investments, fluctuates abruptly with the stock market. But not the words that comes from the mouth of God. Earthly possessions are not reliable. But the word of God is. Although possessions provide us with security and necessities for our earthly life, the Bible on the other hand provides us with treasures that keep us wise and happy for our eternal life. The Bible teaches us at least three wisdom about our possessions:
1. Do not crave for money—“People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grieves.”(I Timothy 6:9-10) Craving for money can either ruin us or destroy us. Gently speaking it can ruin us by piercing us with many grieves. Seriously speaking it can cause us to wander from the faith.
2. Trust that the Lord will provide—“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”(Matthew 6:25-27) We should not rely on treasure that fluctuates. We came to this earth naked, so we will leave this earth in the same way. When we have food to eat, clothes to wear, we ought to be content.
3. Store up treasures in heaven—“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”(Matthew 6:19-20)

As Christians and children of God, we receive gift and grace from God. We have the assurance of God’s promise of abundant life through our love, faith, and hope towards Him. However as saved Christians we have to continue our journey to sainthood. We have to ask for more blessings and strive for more abundance in the life eternal. And the way to do it, is to value the most precious treasure given to us from God—which is the Bible.
Everyone of us is seeker for the higher goal in life.—It is for this reason we migrate to north America. We study here, we work here, and we make the treasure hunt here.
1. In Matthew 13:44 Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Here Jesus tells us the kingdom of heaven is a hidden treasure. It takes a man’s determination to sell all he has to trade for it. This treasure is most valuable because the kingdom of God is the place where God’s will is done. It is the place where human beings’ ultimate blessing and hope rests. It is the place where God is to be with us. He is to be our God, we are to be his people. Jesus says the kingdom of God is in our heart. If we let the will of God be done in our heart, and let the life of our Lord Jesus Christ shine through from there, then we will find the kingdom of God there. It is worth laying down all that we have in search of this treasure. Let us pray and ask for God’s help. Through repentance and enlightenment from the Holy Spirit we receive new life and become a new being in Christ Jesus. We will seek holiness, righteousness, and love. We will bear fruits of kindness humbleness and joy. I pray the Lord to plant this seed of the kingdom in our heart. So that we will extend our root deep down into the soil, and make flower to bloom and fruit to produce above the ground.
2. Psalm 119:97-104 “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.”
a. This part describes vividly the psalmist’s attitude to the word of God. He loves God’s law. He meditates on it all day long. He treasures it in his heart. He keeps it. He obeys it. He practises it. He lives it out without infringing any part of it. As a result he becomes wiser than his enemy. He understands and observes it more readily than his elders. Thus he walks on the right path naturally. He loves what is true and hates what is false. He won’t go astray or fall out of track from the statute even when he is not conscious. Confucius not until the age of 70 said, “I am happy that after all these years of living and learning, I can now walk freely within the track, without much difficulty. 七十而從心所欲不逾舉。How lucky are the Christians who can achieve what Confucius achieved at the age of 70 by taking the word of God seriously and by believing the truth as promised in the Bible.
b. But we haven’t reached the most valuable part yet if we do not continue to read on. Let’s look at the next line. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”(Psalm 119:105) We are living in a world overcome by darkness. We need a lamp to our feet. We need a light for our path so that we know and see which way we are going. We need the light of life to show the direction. Lacking faith sometimes, we can not see that light, not to mention finding the right direction. How do we find that light? I pray that brothers and sisters will pray with me. Together we treasure the word of God like the psalmist did. Together we learn to obey the Bible which gives us directions. Together we take the lamp to our feet and light for our path to discern right from wrong on our path way through this dark world.
Recently, one of our brothers shared with me how the word of God helped him to walk on the right path. Like what most people do, this brother puts his savings in stocks and bonds. When the stock market melt down he suffered considerable loss just like everybody else. Two months ago Dow Jones index reached 9,000 points. One of the world famous investors gave advice to the public and said this is the best time for stock exchange investors. When stock market re-bounces, it is opportunity for investors to make money. The former Hong Kong minister of finance Mr. Liang Jin Song 梁錦松 also said this was the golden time for people who would like to take advantage of the bottom speculation. On hearing the news, this brother’s heart was moved. He wanted to gain back what he had lost in the last transaction. He said to himself, “If I can get back what I lost, I will give more to the Lord in thanksgiving. Wouldn’t it be nice to both God and me?” Thank God on the next morning while he was doing his morning devotion he read I Timothy 6:9-10. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grieves.” The word of God gave this brother great enlightenment. He controlled himself within the bounds of righteous living. He retained himself in pious and Godly life. He did not fall into the trap of greed. The word of God is not an empty saying. It is a practical guiding light for our life.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Do you know what your most valuable possession in life is? It is not your money. It is not your worry about money in this world wide financial difficult times. It is the Bible which is the living word of God.