Matthew 5:18, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
Certain portions of the Holy Bible have always been hard to understand. One of Jesus' very own apostles, Peter, had difficulty understanding Paul's writings:
2nd Peter 3:15-16, "And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."
The Apostle Peter admitted that he had difficulty understanding the writings of Paul. Nothing has changed 2,000 years later, except that with the invention of the internet we now have an incredible access to information and study tools that Christians even a hundred years ago could only have dreamed of having. We are so blessed!
Having said that, I humbly think that the common man can understand God's inspired Word, if he or she studies, just as Peter had to do. The false idea that we need a new Bible that reads like a newspaper or comic book that any lazy person can understand is not biblical. We are exhorted in the Bible in 2nd Timothy 2:15 to "study" to rightly divide the Word of Truth.
God authored the Bible in such a way that even unlearned men can read it and have their lives changed if they are humble and pure of heart, while highly educated scholars and learned men can read the Bible and remain unchanged because of their self-righteousness and pride that blinds them. Having a proper attitude toward God's Word is far more important than trying to water it down so that even Christ-rejecters can understand it. The Bible teaches in 1st Corinthians 2:14-16 that the natural (unsaved) man cannot understand the Scriptures. So, it is a folly to attempt to reduce the Bible to the level of hellbound infidels.
Here is a link to a missionary in China, who uses the English King James Bible as his basis to translate God's Word into dozens of other languages for the common people. I find no fault in the inspired King James Bible!!!
The Devil's modern Bible revisions may be easier to read, but since they are doctrinally corrupt the truth has been obliterated. The new bibles horribly change what it means to repent. They change God's simple plan of salvation, adding Lordship Salvation to faith, perverting the Gospel. The new Devil's bibles ruthlessly attack Jesus' deity, remove the Godhead (Triunity), and pervert the Scriptures.
I thank God for the more difficult to understand King James Bible. I got saved at age 13. I had a hard time understanding some passages of Scripture, but I understand 95% of what I was reading. The Gospel of John (God's Gospel tract) is very easy to read and comprehend. The King James Bible reads at a 5th grade level. The Devil's New International Version (NIV) reads at a 7th grade level. We don't need a new Bible version. The King James is not a “version,” it is God's inspired Word, the Holy Bible!
Matthew 6:19-20, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”
I bought a house in west Pensacola in December of 2022. So far I regret buying the home, because I have been robbed 3 times in just 3 months. The thief (or thieves) stole $1,500 from me so far. The most recent robbery was on May 5th, when a thief broke into my car and stole $200 worth of radios, all my audio cables, my King James Bible that I take to church on Sunday, my $600 Olympus TG-6 camera with the special case I ordered for it, $50 in cash, and the Gospels of John with $5 bills inside that I give to the poor and homeless.
Little do though punk thieves know that when they stole from me, they robbed the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 25:40-41, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” I hate a thief!
I drove by a homeless man the other day, but didn't have the $5 or the Gospel of John to give to him, because some ungodly thief stole it from my car during the darkness of night. I have since installed 8 security cameras, but the 8 camera COBRA system from Harbor Freight is only 1920 x 1080 resolution, which cannot show the identity of a thief beyond 15 feet away. I need a 4K system (3840 x 2160), which costs about $1,500. I spent $400 for my present security camera system. The problem now is that my wires in the house are all BNC type of connectors, but the 4K systems all use RJ45 ethernet cables, which I do not have installed. The former home owner already had the BNC cables installed, which made it easy for me to replace the security system. The former owner didn't leave me a remote control for their DVR (Digital Video Recorder), so it is garbage to me. I am so frustrated.
Thieves are smart. I caught two young punks at 1 am and 3 am on my security cameras, who stopped to look at my security camera, to see if the red lights were on (showing it is active). They look to be in their late teens or early 20's, Hispanic. They were casing out my home to see if they can steal some more. Since I don't have a 4K camera yet, it is worthless to identify the potential thieves. I pray that God would help me catch the little bastard... lol. I also prayed that the thief who stole my Bible will read it and get saved.
The Bible says that when someone steals from you, they are taking away some of your life. Proverbs 1:19, “So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.” When you go to work, you are sacrificing part of your life (your time). You exchange that time for money (a paycheck). The things that you purchase with the money you earn, represents the time (part of your life) that you sacrificed for it. So when a dirty thief steals what you have earned, even if it is disability retirement money that you labored your whole life to qualify for, that thief is taking away your life!!! God will hold every thief accountable.
These past few months, the biggest comfort that I have had is just knowing that God promises in His Word to reward me with treasures that will be untouchable by thieves, moth or rust. There will be no thieves in Heaven, God promises it so! Matthew 6:19-20, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:” What a precious promise from our great and faithful Creator.
I believe that the thief, or thieves, who robbed me are young Hispanic men in their late teens or early 20's. I am fully convinced that if they live to be 50-years-old, someday decades from now they will begin to feel sorrow and regret for the evil deeds they have done. That is why when the wicked self-righteous Pharisees, in John chapter 8 who dragged the woman they allegedly caught IN THE VERY ACT of adultery before Jesus, He wrote something on the ground, and the Bible says they departed, from the eldest to the youngest. Why did the older people leave first? It is because as we grow older as human beings, we learn and discern more than we did in our ignorant youth. There's just something about growing up as an adult, that convicts us more as we grow older.
They even stole my King James Bible, which contained 2 years worth of sermon notes that I cannot replace. I lost all that dear truth! I thank God that they stole from me, and not me them. I fear God, but obviously the thief does not. One day that thief WILL FEAR GOD. Stealing is never a victimless crime! The person who has been robbed is very much a VICTIM!!!
I rejoice in my heart of hearts to know that God understands what it feels like to be robbed. In fact, that is the very reason why God mentioned laying up treasures in Heaven, where thieves cannot break thru and steal. Nearly everybody has been robbed at some time in life. You cannot do evil and get away with it (Ecclesiastes 12:14).
I love something that Dr. Jack Hyles (1926-2001) wisely said:
“If you want to never do anything that is terribly wicked, then you never do anything that is slightly wicked.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, "Unjust In The Least.”
I hope the thieves don't come back. I am worried that they'll break into my house next, while I am away at church or buying groceries, and they'll take my ministry laptop. That would set me back for weeks, if not months. All I can do is purchase a better 4K security camera system, and hope I am fortunate enough not to be robbed a fourth time. I still feel sick that the thieves have stolen $1,500 of stuff so far, that I worked hard to earn. They have stolen from God my Savior, Maker and Lord. I pray for God to avenge me of the evildoers, and He promises to avenge me (Romans 12:19-21). If the thieves steal everything I own, they cannot touch my many rewards waiting for me in eternity. God is so good! Jesus is precious!!!
Matthew 6:19-21, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
I often am reminded of this awesome Scripture passage. Dear friend, this earthly life is as a vapour the Holy Bible says in James. I tell people that life is short, Hell is hot and eternity is a long time. I thank God with all my heart, mind and soul that I am a redeemed child of God. I thank God for the precious blood of Jesus that washed all my sins away when I got saved at age 13 in 1980. Oh, it is wonderful to be a Christian! ...
Oh, it is wonderful to be a Christian!
Jesus is precious!!! I do not claim to be a good Christian. I want to be, but I am just an imperfect redeemed child of God. THANK GOD FOR JESUS!!! I am so grateful that Christ died on the cross to pay for my sins, and that He was buried but bodily resurrected from the dead three days later (1st Corinthians 15:1-6).
If you are a born again child of God, I encourage you to get busy serving God, if not doing so already. Jesus admonished us in our text passage from Matthew 6:19-20 about not wasting our efforts to lay up treasures here on earth, where thieves will break through and steal. If common criminals don't break into your home and steal your possessions; then white collar criminals (lawyers, politicians, financiers, realtors and judges) will steal whatever you have saved in your bank account, 401K retirement, savings, your home or other assets they can take. Sadly, we live in a predatory culture of greed in America!!!
About 25 years ago I was heavily invested into the Stock Market, between 1995 and 2000. In one year alone I made 130 options trades at Charles Schwab. Their company made over $5,000 that year from me just on commissions. I bought all of the books from Investor's Business Daily, which are fascinating in my humble opinion. An option allows you to control a lot of shares of stock with only a little amount of money. I liked options trading because if things went south, you couldn't lose more than the amount of money that you invested.
I followed Intel's stock daily. The stock did what's known as a “Dead Cat Bounce.” That is, Intel's stock had dropped ridiculously low, and I knew it wouldn't stay down just on market volatility, so I purchased quite a few long term call options (3 months out) on Intel's stock. The stock shot up and then split, doubling my call options. The stock ran up again, and split again. Literally, I turned a $10,000 investment into $140,000 in just one month! Those were the insane “.com” times of Irrational Exuberance, which Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan correctly called them. I didn't know what I was doing really. I wasn't trying to get rich, I just hated my job with a passion. I hated working with ungodly sinners (adulterers, homosexuals, blasphemers, drug addicts, thieves, thugs and perverts). I hated my job!
I foolishly didn't sell my call options when I should have, because I got greedy, and they expired worthless. When investing, you learn about something called “Risk Threshold.” This is the amount of emotional stress you can handle, regarding how much risk you are willing to take on. Two big emotions come to play when you invest, which are fear and greed. Will you sell your position in the market too soon because of fear, and miss out on a big increase a week later in the stock. That happened to me. I had a large stock position in American Online, but the stock dropped from $37 to $35 and I panicked in fear and sold out. In the weeks to follow the stock ran up over $100, had a stock split, and then ran up again over $100. I would have made a ton of money had I just not sold my amount of stock shares. Fear worked on me. That is what I mean by “Risk Threshold.”
I used to wake up, having to go to work that night. I worked the ungodly graveyard shift for 7 years between 1993 and 2000. That was one of the worst decisions I ever made, to work midnights. Please don't ever choose to wok those hours if you have a choice. And if you are now working those hours, for the sake of your family please get off that shift. Working the graveyard shift is detrimental to any family man. It was 7 years of hellish torture.
Anyway, I used to wake up and check my stocks. If they were up in price I was happy and fell off to sleep. If they were losing price, I worried and couldn't sleep. Let me tell you, I wouldn't go through that again, even if I stood to gain millions of dollars. I mean that! Finally, in the year 2000, Bill Clinton was voted out of office and George W. Bush took his place. The Stock Market plunged with the change of U.S. Presidents, and never returned until 8 years later when Bush left office. Go figure! In 2000 I lost everything. When all was said and done, over the 5-years that I tried my hand at playing the Stock Market, I had lost $50,000 in cash. That was every penny of working 6 nights a week for 5 years, plus a whole lot more of working weeknights as well. From that day until now in 2023, I have never bought another stock. When the .com era ended, so did my interest in the Stock Market.
Also, I spoke with my manager and put in a schedule request to leave midnight shift and work afternoons instead. That was one of the best decisions I ever made. Once I started working afternoons, and sleeping at night as God intended, I got my life back! I felt like a million bucks! I never signed up for overtime again, not once. I abandoned the hope of becoming financially independent.
The crazy thing was that I had invested 8 years of my life to attend Hyles-Anderson College (1985-1993) to become a pastor. I graduates on the Dean's List in 1993. Truthfully, I just didn't know how to make it happen, that is, to become a pastor of a church. I learned that I am a follower and not a leader by nature. I began my website ministry in 2002, and have been investing in eternal rewards ever since, laying up treasures in the Kingdom of God. The $50,000 that I lost playing the Stock Market was worth losing, because it taught me the value of a dollar. A dollar saved is a dollar earned!!!
I learned the hard way between 1995 and 2000 that the school of Wall Street charges a high tuition. That is to say, I lost a lot of money learning some hard lessons. I do not recommend for anyone to play the Stock Market. Day Trading is nothing short of gambling in Las Vegas. If you want to invest, I recommend The S& P 500 (an unmanaged mutual fund of the 500 top U.S. corporations), which historically out performs ALL managed stock portfolios in the long run (and you can double your money every 8 years). It is much safer to invest your hard earned money in 500 companies instead of just one, like I did in Intel. And if you're a paranoid worrisome type of person, then you want to invest in a 45-years CD (certificate of deposit). Of course, you will receive less interest. As a general rule, the greater risk that you assume, the greater potential gains or losses.
There is even something called the “Futures Market,” which is absolutely fascinating. I bought all of Ken Roberts books. But with Futures contracts you can lose MUCH more than you initially invested, be sued in court to pay up, and a bunch of nasty bad things can happen to you. Futures contracts are for farmers, to protect their income if the crop fails. Futures were invented by speculators, as a means of guaranteeing farmers a certain amount of income annually, but if the crop is a bumper crop over expectations, then the speculator gets all that extra profit, since he took on all the risk.
If you are thinking of investing in the Stock Market, I kindly suggest before you do that you read a very intriguing book (if you can find a copy) by a man named Richard Ney, called: 'The Wall Street Jungle.' Richard Ney exposes the lie of Wall Street, documenting how insiders rip the public off, and cheat people out of their money. Yes, dear reader, the Stock Market is rigged to take away money from 90% of the public who invests. “The trend is your friend” they say on Wall Street. That is, you should never invest against moving averages (3-month and 6-month averages usually), unless you really know what you are doing, because 90% of all stocks follow their trends.
I have shared all of the preceding personal information with you dear reader, to say that in my humble opinion it was all in vain. There are some who have done very well in the Stock Market, and I am happy for them. However, the emotional trauma that I incurred daily as a result of my experiences with the Stick Market, left me broken and tired, dreading the whole ordeal. I would never go through that again. When it comes to the Stock Market, NO ONE wins all the time. It all boils down to getting good enough (if you think you can), so that you win more than you lose. That is the key, to win more than you lose. And don't forget that you have to pay Uncle Sam taxes on all that cheddar, if you strike it big, and the more you make, the more THEY TAKE!!!
It was all that loss, aggravation and lessons hard learned, that really opened my eyes to the awesome investment opportunity for believers concerning laying up treasures in Heaven. Dear friend, God doesn't make anyone pay taxes in Heaven! Heaven's Stock Market isn't rigged!!! Of course, there is no Stock Market in Heaven. Thank God!!! But even better, God is the one who will distributing rewards to those believers who serve Him here on earth now (1st Corinthians 3:8-9). God is so good!
There are umpteen ways to lay up treasures in Heaven. In fact, anything and everything that we do for the cause of Christ—helping the poor, serving in our local church voluntarily, praying and fasting, praying for each other, laboring for a ministry, banking cookies ladies for the church, giving money for the cause of Christ, et cetera, will be rewarded. What saith the Scripture? Mark 9:41, “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” Wow! God is so ethical (doing the right thing), that He is going to reward even those saints who help other saints who are serving Jesus. So if you share my ministry on social media, God will reward you for that in eternity, because I am serving Jesus Christ. By sharing the sermons of faithful men of God, I am earning rewards in Heaven, because they served Christ.
I hope I am encouraging you dear friend to get busy doing something for Jesus Christ. Perhaps you are not learned enough in the Word of God to write articles, or contend for the faith, but you can at least share the writings, sermons and blogs of doctrinally sound preachers on social media.
But I must warn you, if you ignorantly promote the junk theology of infidels like John MacArthur, Ray Comfort, Paul Washer, Steve Pettit, Marty Herron, John Piper, Benny Hinn, Pat Robertson, Joel Osteen, Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Kirk Cameron, William Lane Craig, Chip Ingram, Rick Warren or other greedy religious con artists, then you won't receive anything from God. God will only reward you for promoting a free grace Gospel and the inspired King James Bible!
Matthew 13:44, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”
Our text verse from Matthew 13:44 is an incredible Scripture. Jesus plainly teaches that He is likening this story to Heaven. Jesus tells the story about a man who finds a treasure in a field. The man realizes that he has found something so great that he joyously goes and sells all his earthly possessions in order to purchase this land so he can obtain the hidden treasure. This story is comparable to Heaven Jesus said, the motherload of all treasures.
This wise man went and sold all his earthly possessions in order to leverage his debt (spending power), so that he could buy this field and all that is hidden in it. My friend, Heaven is a real place. Jesus in this small passage of Scripture is teaching that we ought to do the same as this worldly wise man, by using all of our earthly money, resources and things for Jesus' sake and the gospels. Life is so short that it will literally all be over just in a matter of heartbeats. Your life and mine are counting down quickly.
This does not mean that you ought to give all your money to your church; but rather, it means to use all that God has given to you for His glory, pleasure and purpose. There are thousands of ways to honor God with our substance. It pleases God when we by faith obey Him, taking heed according to His Word, that is, the holy Bible. Psalms 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” The day you got saved, everything you own became the Lord's, because He watches over your soul day and night as His child.
Whatever golden opportunities that we may presently have to glorify God by reaching the lost for Christ with the gospel, praying and fasting, supporting missionary work, giving financially to the work of God, contending for the Christian faith, taking a stand for God, helping the poor and needy, visiting the captives in prison, lifting up the fallen, restoring the weak and living for OTHERS are quickly fading away. Time is of the essence!
So oftentimes people go into massive financial debt to buy a home, a business, a boat, a car (or all of the above). They use what is called “debt-leveraging,” which means in simple terms, “borrowing to invest more.” You are leveraging your assets to enable you to make a greater investment in something else. In the case of our text Scripture, this man sold everything he owned, leveraging all his worldly wealth in order that he could buy this property with the hidden treasure that he had found.
Here again, Jesus teaches what the Kingdom of Heaven is like:
Matthew 13:45-46, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”
This merchant (buyer and seller) of pearls went and sold all his pearls so that he could purchase the mother-of-all-pearls which he had just found. The Lord is likening (comparing) this merchant's decision to go-for-broke to investing in Heaven. Most people (saved and unsaved alike) spend their entire lives leveraging their earthly assets to buy temporal things here on earth. Remember, you can't take any of it with you! You were born into the world with nothing, and you'll die and leave this world with nothing. Proverbs 27:20, “Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.”
With these important truths in mind, it ought to become very clear to the reader that this earthly life isn't worth investing in. Life is like a car, that is, it's a depreciating asset from the moment that you drive it off the parking lot where you bought it. Albeit, Heaven is an eternal investment, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and neither do thieves break through and steal. This is what the Lord taught and promised in Matthew 6:19-20. We have but one life to live. Will you live it for Jesus?
Don't lay up treasures and go into financial debt here on earth so that you can enjoy a better temporary lifestyle here on earth; but rather, lay up for your self eternal treasures in Heaven that will never erode away, nor can they be taken away from you for any reason. We leverage our debt for an eternal lifestyle through prayers, fastings, sharing the gospel (soul-winning) and all that we do in Jesus' precious name for His' sake and the gospel's.
Jim Elliot (1927-1956), the martyred American missionary to Ecuador in 1956 said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose.” Elliot was one of five missionaries who went in an attempt to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador, but were instead brutally murdered by ten Huaorani soldiers and their dead bodies dumped into the local river. They died for their Christian faith. In America, we think persecution is someone laughing at a religious bumper sticker on our car. Around the world today in 2014, Christians are still being persecuted, prosecuted and martyred for their faith.
The way that we view this temporal earthly life now, will determine our eternal lifestyle for ever. Matthew 6:19-21, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Jesus told us to lay up treasures in Heaven. Our lifestyle in eternity as believers will be determined by our life now here on earth. Otherwise, what would be the use of laying up heavenly treasures? Daniel 12:3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” If some believers will shine in eternity, then others won't. If some have laid up treasures, then the plain implication is that others haven't. Will you be one of the haves or have nots in eternity?
Heaven is the mother load of all treasures and we as believers ought to be leveraging our debt by using everything that we own, our talents, our resources and influence to further the Kingdom of God. 'Tis only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last. If we're all going to have the same exact rewards in Heaven, then what's the use of Scriptures like 1st Corinthians 3:8, “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.” Clearly, God rewards the water boy on the spiritual playing field as much as the key players. God rewards the praying man as much as the preaching man, for time spent. God rewards labour and not talent.
Everyone can serve God. Even the person locked behind bars or crippled in a wheelchair can fervently labour in prayer as taught in Colossians 4:12, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” Prayer is work! You Can't Take It With You!
If we truly comprehended by faith the realities of the Kingdom Of God, then we would joyously use the money and things that we have in this temporary world for God's glory. Clearly, wise stewardship of all that God has given to us is expected. Literally, we are stewards who have been entrusted with God's money. If you are saved, then everything that you own is the Lord's. So if someone steals your things, they have stolen from the Lord, because you and everything that you own are His. Literally, God asks us to give back some of what HE GAVE TO US, and then He rewards us for it. What a great deal! What a fantastic deal!
We cannot take anything with us when we die, but we CAN send it ahead. That is, it's not what we leave behind that matters; but rather, what will be waiting for us when we get to Heaven. Although Dr. John MacArthur is a liberal who denies that Jesus' blood is sprinkled on the heavenly Mercy Seat, and he teaches a Calvinistic works-based false plan of salvation, still he makes the following awesome quote concerning the mammon of unrighteousness (Luke 16:8-9), with which I agree 100% . . .
“Believers are to use their master's money (we are stewards) in a way that will accrue fruits for eternity, by investing in the kingdom gospel that brings sinners to salvation, so that when they arrive in Heaven (an everlasting home) those sinners will be there to welcome them.” —Pastor John MacArthur
The people whom we lead to the Lord here on earth today, will be there to welcome and receive us into everlasting habitations tomorrow when we die, to enjoy our peaceful and happy home in Heaven forever with Jesus. What a time that will be!!! The story of the wise, but shady, servant who made friends of the mammon of unrighteousness for his own personal gain, is an example which the Lord uses to encourage us to do the same, but by DEBT-LEVERAGING EVERYTHING WE OWN FOR AN ETERNAL LIFESTYLE. Amen!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR GOD TODAY? WE'LL WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GET BUSY FOR GOD!!! You can't take money to Heaven with you, but you can take souls, people. You know, you've never seen a U-Haul trailer hooked-up to the back of a hearse. You can't take it with you!
God Uses Money And Things To Test Our Affections
God uses money and things to test our affections. Colossians 3:1-3, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
The ungodly world only thinks in terms of dollars and cents. Everything is about money to them. Ephesians 4:17, “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind... Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” The heathen world will do anything for money. They are past (beyond) any feelings of guilt for being unethical, greedy and hurtful toward others by the way they make money.
My friend, Heaven is a grand treasure, much more valuable than a giant precious pearl, and far more valuable and enduring than any earthly treasure that can only be enjoyed for a short time. Won't you invest with me in eternal things? There are so many things that you can do to invest in Heaven. Mark 9:41, “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” Even the Christian who buys coffee and refreshments for church gatherings, they will be rewarded by God in Heaven. You're doing something for the Lord. That's what Jesus just said. Mark 9:41 says that giving even a cup of water in a disciple's name will not go unrewarded. So even the things that we do to help OTHERS who are serving Christ will be fully rewarded in eternity.
If you see someone who needs medical attention, but they cannot afford insurance, perhaps you can pay to get them care. Dr. Jack Hyles once met with a couple and the wife kept holding her hand by her mouth to hide her rotten teeth. Brother Hyles paid to have her teeth repaired. That's Christianity! Philippians 2:4, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” If you want to think like Jesus, then always consider the needs of OTHERS and live to fill them, especially their eternal need for hearing the gospel. We draw people into the Church with Christ's LOVE, and then we attach them to the TRUTH. Isn't that beautiful!
Again, Mark 9:41 says that giving even a cup of water in a disciple's name will not go unrewarded. So even the things that we do to help OTHERS who are serving Christ will be fully rewarded in eternity. The eyes of the Lord behold the evil and the good, and no deed is ever overlooked, whether it be good or evil. My friend, let's get busy for Jesus Christ by looking for every possible opportunity to express God's love for our neighbours, co-workers, loved ones, friends and strangers alike, that we may exemplify our precious Lord “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father” (Galatians 1:4).
A Tremendous Biblical Principal To Learn
Remember also that God only rewards us when we give to the poor who cannot return the favor. Luke 14:12, “Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” Please don't miss this important truth about giving.
Matthew 5:46, “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?” If you buy things for people who can buy things to reciprocate your generosity, then the reward is negated. Ah, but when you give to those who cannot return your benevolence, then great is your reward in Heaven. This is exactly what the Bible teaches. If someone gives back the favor, you've lost that reward. This is why we are taught by Jesus Christ Himself in Acts 20:35 that “IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.” Amen and amen! Jesus said to invite the blind, the deaf, the maimed (disabled), the mentally and physically challenged, the homeless, the poor and needy, the nobodies of society. Amen!!!
So many foolish religious people errantly think that God is going to one day reward them for sending money to idiots like Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes or Joel Osteen—all shady ministers who profit hundreds-of-millions of dollars from the ministry. The word “minister” means servant. Jesus said that the greatest among you is supposed to be a servant. These televangelist thieves and greedy dogs exploit the Bible to make billions of dollars accumulatively from dumbed-down Americans. They scratch people's itching ears, telling the masses whatever makes them feel good about themselves and keeps them coming back for more.
But you'll never hear them crying aloud against sin (Isaiah 58:1), sounding the alarm bells of judgment (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Romans 1:32; Hebrews 9:27) and warning sinners of the eternal damnation (2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 21:8; John 3:36) to come in the Lake of Fire for ever and ever (Revelation 20-11-15). Today's apostate televangelists will make you feel good all the way into the fires of Hell forever and ever. By the way, that's a demon's favorite activity, that is, making religious people feel comfortable without being born-again by the Spirit of God. They have churchianity without Christianity.
So the Biblical formula to earn rewards in Heaven is to give here on earth to those who cannot recompense us; namely, the poor, the imprisoned, the homeless, the maimed, et cetera. Matthew 19:21, “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Whereas it is normal for unregenerated, unsaved, heathen, people to steal in their greed, selfishness and dishonesty; the holy Bible teaches that as a Christian we ought to labour to spend our hard-earned money so that we may give to OTHERS who have needs. This is a Christlike attitude toward money. The world says to steal and horde for one's self; but the Bible says to earn and give away to OTHERS. Ephesians 4:28, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.”
If the worldly wise man in our text verse was willing to leverage everything he owned to buy a field with earthly treasure; then how much more ought we be willing as children of God to leverage everything that we own in this world for the furtherance of the gospel, and to glorify the precious name of Jesus Christ by living for the needs of OTHERS. I'll close by repeating the famous quote from martyred missionary, Jim Elliot, who said: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose.”
Every New Testament Church should support missionaries. Since churches are composed of individual born-again believers, then every individual Christian ought to support missionaries as well. We ought to have a GLOBAL, REGIONAL (Acts 13:4; 2nd Corinthians 8:5) and LOCAL vision. Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Deuteronomy 8:3, “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” Matthew 4:4, “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4 is a quote that Jesus made from Deuteronomy 8:3. The Bible is very clear that mankind is to live by “EVERY WORD” of God. That is what “inspiration” means, that is, that the words of the Holy Bible are God's Words, not man's words. When some ignorant Bible professor or unlearned pastor tells you that the King James Bible is not inspired, he is a liar. When they tell you that only the “original autographs” of the Bible were inspired, they are liars. Pensacola Christian College are liars! Bob Jones University are liars! Faith Baptist Bible College And Theological Seminary are liars! Hyles-Anderson College are liars (since 2008 when they changed their position on inspiration). Pastor Jack Hyles absolutely believed and preached that the King James Bible is inspired. Listen to Dr. Hyles say it for yourself!
“The only inspired Words of God are in the King James Bible!” —Dr. Jack Hyles (an awesome quote —Dr. Jack Hyles (THE REAL BATTLE!”)
Ladies and gentlemen, if Matthew 4:4 is true (and it most certainly is), then somewhere in this world today we absolutely must have EVERY WORD of God almighty. Psalms 12:6-7, “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” Since the Devil has published literally hundreds of English Bible revisions since 1881 (the year Brooke Westcott and Fenton Hort introduced their new translation to the world), which all disagree to some extent with each other, ungodly Bible translators have completely removed God's promise from Psalms 12:6-7 to preserve and keep His inspired pure Words. It was the biggest crime of the 20th century!
Dear reader, if you read English and don't have a King James Bible, you don't have an inspired Holy Bible!!! Look at the insanity in most churches today...
The Insanity Of Supporting The Modern Devil's Bible Versions
There is not a more corrupt, shameful and wicked group of people in the world than the arrogant, haughty and degenerate Bob Jones University crowd. They officially use, sell and promote the English Standard Version (ESV), seen in the above photo comparison of today's insane variety of perverse Bibles, all changed merely for copyright purposes. BJU not only sinfully bids Godspeed to this evil, they relish and promote it.
Should it be surprising that the news is filled with horrible stories of BJU's staff abusing both active and former students? I think not. The rotten Harvest Baptist Church on Guam is a microcosm of BJU's abuse, cult like social structure, hateful spirit, lack of compassion for imperfect people, and wicked self-righteous attitude. BJU today teaches hardcore Lordship Salvation, having gone entirely to the Devil's side, damning men's souls to Hell. Bob Jones University never changes things until they're exposed and embarrassed into it. Sad. A former female student who was raped by a student of a different college, was expelled from BJU when she reported the horrible crime to BJU staff. Shame on Bob Jones University!!!
I read in the news today that 33 former homosexual Bob Jones students are suing the U.S. government for continuing to give tax-exemption to BJU. That shows you just how bad, worldly and apostate BJU has become, when sodomites are enrolling into their college. Why would a homosexual enroll into a so-called “Christian” college? It's not difficult to understand when you stop and realize that all BJU cares about in recent decades is making more money. They offer nursing programs, and all other kinds of secular job courses, to prepare students to earn a living, not the serve Lord. So anytime money takes precedence over serving Christ, you get a bunch of Catholics, homosexuals and unsaved worldly youth enrolling instead. I cannot warn everyone enough about staying away from Bob Jones University!
Jesus reiterated the words of Moses in the Bible, that man cannot live without EVERY WORD of almighty God. BJU doesn't even know which Bible version to use!!! They sell a half dozen different revisions, and refuse to proclaim any one of them as THE HOLY BIBLE! It is sickening. BJU is a disgrace to Christendom in 2021, and has increasingly become a disgrace ever since Dr. Bob Jones Sr. went to Heaven in 1968. “Dr. Bob” as they called him was a godly man, a contender of the faith, and 100% correct on the free grace Gospel. Dr. Bob Jones Sr. would have drove these damned Lordship Salvation preaching infidels today like Steve Pettit right out the college door!!! If you are okay with the Dr. John MacArthur crowd, bidding him Godspeed as does Steve Pettit and BJU, then you need to get saved my friend!
We have EVERY WORD of God today in the inspired King James Bible. Anyone, like Evangelist Sam Gipp, who says that we don't is a bold-faced liar! You'd be shocked if you knew what these modern Bible revisions, which aren't even necessary, are doing to unnerve people in the churches, causing much confusion. Millions of unsaved people are being deterred away from the truth of the Gospel, because of all the confusion caused by having hundreds of Bible versions to choose from. Satan is the author of confusion, not God (1st Corinthians 14:33). Ladies and gentlemen, we have an EVERY WORD Bible today, in the inspired King James Bible. If you subscribe to the erroneous idea that God authored dozens of Bibles, then you won't take any of them seriously, and I wouldn't blame you one bit.
God promised in Psalms 12:6-7 to preserve and to keep His PURE WORDS unto every generation forever. Psalms 119:140 calls them “VERY PURE” Words. Don't you tell me that the military, companies, universities and scientists use exact terms, but God just tossed out some ideas, and then left those thoughts open to sinful man's interpretation, whims and whatever political agendas dictated that time in history when those translations were penned. The Bible doesn't command us to live by EVERY THOUGHT of God, but by EVERY WORD. God said what He meant, and He meant what He said. All of these new perverse Devil's Bibles remove the offensive word “sodomite,” but you'll find that correct word in the inspired King James Bible. Sodomites are of the Devil. “Gay marriage” is an evil fraud, blasphemy against the Holy Bible. Homosexuality will always be gross immorality, abnormal and a sin.
I wouldn't give you a dime for imposters in the pulpit today like Steve Pettit, John MacArthur, Sam Horn, Marty Herron, Kevin Bauder, Gary Walton and Charles Phelps—all hard core preachers of Lordship Salvation. These ungodly men all preach “another gospel” (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4; Galatians 1:6-9; 3:3-1) of partial faith in Christ plus human reformation (turning away from your sins, which is works) and not a simple free grace Gospel.
