Hidden Treasure, Part 2

Today on Summit life with JD Greer many of you have substituted surrender for religious activity.

But I want to tell you it's not repentance that's not joy that's not what Jesus is talking about. And God is not interested in people get involved in Christianity to keep him off of their back is interested in those who see in him a treasure of greater value than anything else on earth and would gladly leave everything else to possess him life with pastor out there and religion G here. As always, I'm your host Molly, but abets okay so have you ever had an encounter with God that like finding hidden treasure like discovering something that change things so profoundly and brought you so much joy that you gladly left everything else to possess it. Many of us if we are honest might choose a different image something more like finding a never ending to do list or being tied to a ball and chain.

Thankfully, Pastor JD Greer is going to steer us in another direction today so that we more clearly understand who Jesus is in the treasure offering to pastor JD has titled today's message treasure so grab your Bible something this parable in grave myth in our culture. Myth is this what God is upset at us because we want to be happy.

This is what God is not upset you because you want to be happy.

Many people think that I used to think that is said in the world and independence from God. I was falling God want me to walk away from all that religious always thought you. I am sure they won't actually say this, but my unbelieving heart.

This is what I heard, but also the message you get was the problem with you teenagers is that you want to be happy and God want you to come appear to be alter what you get out on your knees and surrender any desire you had to be happy ever so that you go to heaven about well I guess it's better to be miserable in life and to spend eternity in hell. So although forwards on the command guard Joe, let me think of it like this sit on my wedding day.

My wife Veronica stood at the altar and the minister said her did you write about for your marriage, and she said yes I did. She pulls out a card to read her bowels, and she says to me into this pastor she says I hereby renounce all my desires for romance, physical intimacy and happiness to become the wife of JD Wohl want you to forsake those things for me. I want you to find those things in me glorify God when we serve him out of duty back here so you should think about a God is not upset at you because you want to be happy he's upset for you because you choose to be happy and things besides him is not a subject, you will be happy he's upset for you because you have turned away from him, the living God who can truly satisfy you and you have sought the things you should be found in him and worthless idols that cannot make you happy at all, which is why we say that God is a jealous God. God is not jealous because he's insecure. God is jealous for your love because he knows he's the only one who can make you happy so he is jealous for your sake you listen, it does not glorify God when you serve him out of drudgery and duty anymore than what glorify my wife to be married to her out of drudgery and duty to continue on with the marriage analogy when my wife had been glorified in your eyes or shortly before marriage, you had found me a few days we got our marriage and I was like, but yet there's actually bunch of girls that I'm way more attracted to them. Veronica and honestly I think be much happier with one of those girls if I could marry them, but I just like loving Veronica is the right thing to do. I thought out what your parents would you look at me and say wow that really glorifies her.

What a man of character. She is marrying. No, no, it's not glorify to her at all.

She's glorify so you know once I met Veronica I lost all my interest in other girls and that's the way basically was on her wedding day. We stood there in front of that audience of people and there were other pretty girls. Other not audience. There were probably more due girls at some point in my past that you had an interest in.

I tell you there on that altar in front of everybody else.

I wasn't thinking about the girl that I was leaving behind. I was consumed with joy at the one that God had given to me and it was joy over her that made leaving all the other girls and active just total worthlessness because I was consumed with joy, not sorrow over what I was walking away from. That's how Jesus wants us to feel about him. You see that joy and that kind of joy alone that can sustain the Christian life is a reason for some of you can't make it as a Christian is that you're trying to follow Jesus of the strength of your resolve in the strength of your will and you never been consumed with the joy of who Jesus is.

That's why Nehemiah in the Old Testament, said the choice of the Lord is our strength is joy in Jesus that gives me gives me strength to obey. Where is the motivation to obey come from none come from resolve and self-will the motivation comes to obey. When you are concerned with a greater joy in what you're obtaining, then you are sorrow over what your your your leaving for this this week when I was in college, my job as a senior in college was a became a coach of a 12 and 13-year-old boys club soccer team okay and it will good. We went undefeated the entire season and so we made it to the playoffs, which is a big deal and you know you from all over the state came in and my guys they were to so amped up and we were confident nobody could be that we have this little ritual they did were they would spit on the ground before the game started the McMullen. They wiped her face is on it, so they look like a scene out of brave hearted manager stated they discredit on that fit.

We plan under lights.

It was like it was a big deal. Of these 12 virginal boys like we strutted out on the field and we got killed. I need the final score don't reflect that we are lost three to one, but it was just you know anything about soccer.

It was one of those games where the other team had control of the ball. The entire game and this one player on their team who was just the best player we've encountered number 17, number 17 and Michael Jordan with a soccer ball that Todd scrub his lawyer any time that you just did Dom get Dominic and I was frankly I was upset and so I to know something on second-half religion to the one tenets of you and I saw pulled out our best fullback's name is David and said David I'm sick and tired a number 17 me to coach.

I hate that that I got last don't go there yet but but but but here's the deal. We cannot let number 17 get another shot on goal your CSRS acid is a David, I can give you one assignment for the remainder this game you're one assignment is to make sure number 17 does not get a shot on goal you understand yes sir coach Dave I don't care if the guy next to burst into flames. That's not your responsibility, your response what is number 70 yes sir coach any time to step foot in the penalty box and the go take a shot you make sure that I get a shot off the circuit turns around, you may need to mule salute and he turns running through my config about 10 feet away from other David do it legally or illegally. Okay course and the ones I don't feel right so you gain resumes and and here comes number 17 does something down there in the right corner of the field are left fullback is left in the field position drivers mom brings the ball back in there is number 17 are stop or are are going, number 17 is a pump fake designs are the pump fake and both the stuff for the goalie just while a picture it's number 17 and a wide-open goal and I'm a dog on this is that this is the end of the game right here where the left side of my peripheral vision comes this blur. Okay, it's David, the fullback all right like a tractor beam walked on the 70s. What is he doing right so it's a number 17 is in this beautiful, just, you know, posture, ready to stickball right to the goal. It's this way from behind.

Okay, full like spread Eagle a title like that man come in as little mushroom cloud of dust that the possum there. It's one of those moments where it was like it was like time standstill is like, and nobody could believe what just happened and then it was like on cue everybody. Everybody in the field got angry for different reasons, but in the one moment I got angry.

Their team was angry because they thought we try to take another star player. Other referees angry because he's like I can you give a 12-year-old red garden born out of the game on our team is angry who they knew the David just handed this other team a penalty kick in the belly box that they were sure to score on our parents are angry because they think psycho coach that this kid in the take out this player increased somewhat but if you do it so not angry is David.

David stands up and maybe dust himself off and reaches down to make sure the other players okay and helps them to their feet. You notice, make sure things okay and David turns around turns hundred 80° looks 40 yards across the field and goes what I'm thinking lawsuits right so David was wrong with you. So I pulled David out of the game comes run over.

This is innocent, carefree, and it's about 10 feet away from you for yelling at him. I'm doing this for the sake of parents how my day was full to someone where's your breakpoint, your brain is perfect little innocent will really be appointed as is Brian. He's like David you think you can get this little indignant look at his face and said coach you told me to take her out illegally illegally. The last thing he had thought that I said to him before he took the field was a man. Make it nasty like just in the game right here here's what's your two things are amazing about the story number one, number one, David came up to me about four years ago and introduced himself at the apex campus. He's now married.

He's goes to our church right so that's was amazing the amazing number two is a physical 12-year-old Monahans's 12-year-old mind he was thinking. You know he was a good enough player that he knew what was can happen when he did that he knew that he would probably you know, get a yellow card or red card. He knew his parents probably ground and Micah jumped out of the gate. He knew all those things but none of that stuff mattered to him at all. One thing mattered to David you it was the coaches smile right because he thought that if you thought if my coach is happy with me. It doesn't matter who is against me because I've got more joy in my coaches pleasure that I do sorrow over all these bad things happening to me. Now that's not a great way if your 12-year-old to go through life only to say that right now I but I will tell you that following Jesus is something similar to that where you begin to have more joy in the pleasure of Jesus in the possession of Jesus and the glory of Jesus than you do after anything that is behind and it's where you get the strength to obey, even when it's hard until your consume with joy will never be filled with the confidence in the resolve to obey the joy, the Lord is your strength to obey the joy, the Lord becomes your contentment in the Monday becomes your contentment in the Monday some of you have you plug boring lives maybe have a boring job.

Or maybe you're a student you focuses monotonous. Maybe your mom and feels like all it's changing diapers just get so old. When you have the joy, the Lord is your motivation, contentment, even on Monday. Here's the example I'll use if you at your job told by your boss that you were given a special assignment and it was to lick envelopes get 5000 envelopes you needed to lick and get into the mail.

Now you just got what a terrible job right me how boring you come home really are the worst day is so boring to lick envelopes all day.

But what if you found out that you got a $10,000 bonus for every single envelope you licked your day would go poorly every time you do it you just be happy and give user look at another envelope right will see it when you win your consume with the joke of Jesus and the glory of Jesus and what it means to please him and him and I have heavenly reward.

It makes even the mundane things have a motivation because the joy is not in them. It's in the want you pleasing the joy, the Lord becomes your your strength and your hope in the midst of trials. It means that even when you go through the darkest times where there is genuine pain, even that has a different feel to it because you know the joy that your head and then Sue is going to swallow the pain that you're in right now and it gives you endurance even in the midst of real and genuine pain. I'm not trying to take away from your banner to say that it's nothing to say that the joy, the Lord becomes a way to rejoin his teaching in just a moment about. Ideally email devotional from Pastor JD delivered straight to your inbox, all use encouragement first thing in the morning to remind my friend I know the busyness of life can quickly check out any joy we feel in our walk with God as we doing each morning with a word from the Lord. The devotionals even follow along with our current teaching here on the programs you can stay plugged in. Regardless of your schedule. Sign up for this free resource.

Right now Jean Greer.com/resources now. Let's return for the conclusion of today's message.

Once again, here's the example I've used over the years is one of my favorites is that's what it's like if you found out if you found out today that there was an uncle you never knew you had left you $100 million and it's at the bank. You just gotta go pick you sign up form and it's going to transfer into your account. $100 million to your driving over to the bank and on Monday you to sign the papers and and right before about 1/2 mile for the bag in your car breaks down.

I promise you not want you going to get out of the car and kick it and swear the car and shake your fist of the heavens and say why may God do that right you get this unit is usually the car they're not a tear to skip the rest away to the bank why because the joy over what you're about to obtain makes loss of the car seem absolutely insignificant and there's a sense in which the joy of Jesus when it fills your heart and possesses your vision it gives you the ability to even go through darkness and pain with a sense of hope because you know the joy is going to make up for the race and take away one day what you're experiencing now the gospel will use this with greater joy. I noticed so many of you are missing this and honestly is why you're so miserable you got no idea the potential joy that is there. The Christian life just have no concept of it. If I can run it on my favorite memory versus on this week some 47 people more joy in my heart than they have in their grain and wine abound yet more joy in my heart than they having to get a new car with get a new a raise at work or when their stocks multiplier when everything goes right, I am more joy in you, than they've ever known you talking about talking about a different kind of joy, a better joy than what you get from food or friends or riches ever had the experience of entering a new phase of life that gives you enjoying something that you just didn't even know that you have before you fall in love you have a kid you established in your career you think wow I never knew I never even knew what I was missing. If you were to try to go back and explain this to your former self, your former self wouldn't get it. If I can use the time Turner and go back to five-year-old JD and I could tell five-year-old JD that one day one day you meet somebody named Veronica and she is more wonderful than any of your Davy Crockett records and one day you have kids and there to be more wonderful in your love them so much more than you love these trinkets that you have you settled this a five-year-old JD, you said this is your future. You look forward to it. Five-year-old Janie would say I could have candy in the future and present a JD would say back to €5.80 listen to experience things in the future that I can make candy seem like absolutely nothing but five-year-old JD wouldn't get it. That's us, God offers us real happiness real happiness and essentially say yeah companies are to be candy to be candy and God says you have another question you're asking. Number three number three received this bearable, but the gospel requires leaving at all. No notice of both of the men in these parables had to leave literally everything else to possess this treasure that was a requirement, no conditions, no refusals.

I'm said many of us want to have the treasure in the field without having to let go of anything. Many of us have commenced ourselves we can have Jesus and not sell everything, so to speak. So instead of surrendering to Jesus. We do the next best thing. We think we can have staff our consciences with the next best thing.

We just get religious right's religion is a way of paying God off.

It's a way of meeting whatever you think is the minimum requirement to keep God on your side and keep them for me against you and cursing you and throwing you and help many of you have substituted surrender for religious activity. But I want to tell you that's not repentance that's not joy that's not what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 1340 4B 46 God is not interested in people who get involved in Christianity to keep him off of their back is interested in those who see in him a treasure of greater value than anything else on earth and would gladly leave everything else to possess him for the second question we ask anybody who's been baptized through the summer church we say are you willing to go where ever he tells you to go and do whatever he tells you to do. Sometimes people have said to me, and not always appreciate your honesty so you know not really sure what you're asking right now. Are you saying I literally have to give up all my money if I want to possess Jesus had a really honest talk with a guide this week in my office who accepted Christ and he said managers. I don't know what it means to walk away from it all right now and I'm afraid that there might be things that Jesus might come and walk away from later than I would have the strength to do what he tells me so I describe the process of conversion to him like this. It's very simplistic, but I said it. Conversion is like discovering one day that you're in a car that you stole from Jesus.

Jesus appears in the passenger seat as a means to my car right conversion is acknowledging yes I stole your car in this blog she would use it don't get out. Keep driving but from here on out on what they were to turn a mate. What to do later and went to determinative slowdown to slow down and up once you keep driving anyway for his instruction. I told this guy said so. So you're the drivers of your card stolen from Jesus for you to come to Christ me to acknowledge that and you wait for his instruction and he should tell you some more of the reasons I want you to allow for what you right, you know you say I'm in obey that when he tells me anything to slow down or speed up your also to trust what he tells you what you want you to do is give me the strength to do it. Coming to Jesus that mean that you know the root yet is an image of the strength of the wisdom to pursue the route we just need to acknowledge the car belongs to him and that you are in a posture of safe wherever you tell me to go whatever you tell me to do.

I recognize the belongs to you. I'm gonna follow you coming to Jesus means that you may not be sure where he's leaving you or that you have the strength to obey.

But you recognize he is the one treasure you'd never want to be without for this guy that I was talking to his first step was baptism as it is for many people that he knew that this was the area where this is the first thing Jesus was telling him and he said I'll do that. He trusted Christ of these is is in the queue to be baptized here from a virtual woman close all this was a great story I think summarizes everything we learned these parables made in Cairo. I bet you never seen this personally.

I hope to one David and Cairo every out-of-the-way location is a small dusty grave that you never know was there.

If you're looking for in get back. Grave contains the body of one of America's potentially richest men who ever lived, things William Borden William Borden was lived around the time of the turn-of-the-century 1920 century.

He graduated from Yale in 1909 and he was the heir to the Borden Mill company portal company is still big companies and they back in the early 1900s. It was one of America's largest companies. It was millions and millions of dollars in him and were it was good to be handed to him while William Borden was a gal he encountered Jesus Christ. Jesus totally changes life began to get less interested in all the things that he been groomed for, and he just started to plunge into who Jesus wasn't in his Bible and his Bible that somebody had given immediacy opened up the flyleaf any work for the word no rivals, no rivals well rapid graduated college. She says that God was calling him to go be a missionary to Muslims in Egypt so he told his parents is like a I. I'm not going take the company I'm not turn down the inheritance you give somebody else God called me to be a missionary and his parents and yeah she could understand this, but they were upset on your group for those who want you to have it and they told me was foolish of you have any idea what is walk away from the stood his ground and he said I can't got obey Jesus even if it means turning my back on you when and all these things you would offer me and that where the story as he opened up his belief of his Bible.

He wrote the word no refusal, no refusal to write and were no rivals, no rivals, no refusal will say no to Jesus on anything he boarded the ship and went to Egypt's, as a missionary to Muslims in Egypt, where after being there for months. They contracted spinal meningitis and died just a few days before he died and he knew he was going to die because they there they couldn't find the medical help they needed a friend asked him they say you walk away from all this and you never hear your dying. Four months later and Borden got his Bible and open the file is the third words no regrets, no regrets and today his grave get on the receipt and his grave has a very his name. Every short description of his life that has the phrase apart from faith in Christ there is no explanation for such a life. You can rephrase that, apart from joy in Jesus. There is no possible way for you to say no regrets, but with joy in Jesus. There is no possible way for you not saying because even if you like William Borden turn and walk away from everything you'll say no regrets because I possess Jesus for eternity you say with Martin Luther -like goods in Cambridge go this mortal life.

Also, the body they may tell God's truth about us till his kingdom is wherever I belong to it forever. It is a treasure in the field. My question for you is that you come to this place become a place where you say no rivals. If you contemplate using no refusals because if so, I promise you it will place one day we will say no regrets discovered Christ treasure you describe him right now. This is Summit life with Jeannie Greer, JD, something we've noticed is that while most Christians believe the Bible is true. A lot of us don't really spend time studying it on her own but our goal is to help our listeners become better students of the Bible emollient of the best definition of ever heard of preaching is helping people read the word of God better.

We want to equip you to study dig into this incredible book for yourself and hear hear from God in his in his in his inexhaustible bridgework.

This month we got a book of devotions of Bible study help. We are praying that this devotional book will help you feel more confident and joyful in reading the Bible so that when you pick it up on your own. It's not a big confusing book but it's an invitation to the greatest experience of joy and purpose that you you'll ever encounter. We'd like to hear from you and get you this 10 day devotional back today our way of saying thanks for your financial five dollars or more ministry joint commission today by calling eight 663-3520 never again 335 20 or go online and request your copy clear.com hi Molly, that event joining tomorrow our focus to what we're calling our wondering what he should enjoy this right here for Summit life by prayer ministry