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Making Better Thought-Movies One Truth At A Time

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The Parable of the
Hidden Treasure

Why would hidden treasure be found in a field?

Hidden Treasure:

In ancient times men protected their wealth...

  • Against thefts, robberies
  • And a change in the ruling power, those who had treasures were taxed
  • Maybe there was a danger of invasion by enemies
  • The rich desired to preserve their wealth by concealing it
  • The earth was a safe hiding place
  • But sometimes the place of concealment was forgotten
  • Or death might have claimed the owner
  • The owner may have been in prison or exile. We do not know.

    We do know a man began to cultivate the land:
  • As he plows the soil, buried treasure is unearthed
  • The man discovers this treasure
  • He places the treasure back to its hiding place
  • He returns home and sells all that he has, in order to purchase the field
  • Looking out onto the field he wants to buy, his family and friends see nothing of value, and do not understand why he wants to buy the field so badly
  • However, he knows something they do not know.
  • It is hidden information.
  • When he buys the field, he locates the treasure that we assume he now owns

Matthew 13.44 NLT

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

This parable serves to teach us that we may not understand details of the word-picture. Just know the parable well. The Holy Spirit will bring the correct application to us at exactly the right time...

  • The "imagination" is a whole       world inside the mind...

Parables are powerful "word-pictures" that are meant to be engrafted into our thinking...as mental pictures do control our thought-life.

That's where the "imagination" gets involved. The imagination allows mental exploration of the past, present, future. It is the ability to see pictures and images in the "movie theater" of the mind. The imagination is the "workshop" of the human mind. It is the only thing in the world we have complete control over. That's why GOD takes great interest of what goes on there, and judges what we allow to grow there - Genesis 6.5

What is the hidden treasure?

The reaction of the man in the parable was decisive. There is a strong case for the treasure being the "wisdom of GOD"

Proverbs 2.4-6

"Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom!  From his mouth come knowledge and understanding."

Proverbs 23.23 "Buy the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.

Luke 12.34

"Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

Being plugged into the Tree of Life where GOD's wisdom is available...

I wonder if I understand the difference between nominal Christianity and the Kingdom of GOD?

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."        Romans 14.17

  • What is "righteousness?"

"Righteousness" is a legal term. Here is how it operates in the two systems:

World System:

  • It really doesn't matter what we think, or what our motives are
  • It matters only what we do

We can have criminal intent, harbor revenge, hatred, despise someone - but if we do nothing about it - we are okay.

We can commit lust, run a red light, cheat, lie, steal, - but if we don't get cBut seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto youaught - then it's no big deal...

The world system runs on what we do - our actions. Even great and generous giving can have a lousy, self-serving motive - the world's accolades will be long and strong.

  • And we have the right to judge other people for what they do

GOD's System:

  • We are not judged by what we do, but the motives behind it.
  • GOD sees and judges our heart, the thoughts, motives, intents.

Matthew 6.33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

  • We do not have the right to judge anyone else
  • We have the responsibility to judge ourselves only


How to STOP thinking "sin"...

Psalms 119.11 "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

  • My thoughts are containers. They are the accumulation of all I have been exposed to in my life. Most of the information in my "container" are hostile to the Kingdom of GOD and sin thoughts come naturally and automatically until "replaced" by something stronger

James 1.21[various translations]

"So stop all your dirty living. Stop doing so many wrong things. Listen quietly to the word that has been put in your hearts. It is able to save you"

"wherefore having put aside all filthiness and superabundance of evil, in meekness be receiving the engrafted word, that is able to save your souls;"

"So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.

"Therefore, with humility, set aside all moral filth and the growth of wickedness, and welcome the word planted deep inside you—the very word that is able to save you."

What is going on?

  • The Kingdom of GOD is a replacement process of old values being replaced with new - GOD's values
  • It is the changeover from outward appearances to inner character

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Making Better Thought-Movies One Truth At A Time

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Parables by Jesus