Garry started his sermon with a video of an antiques show, where a man who paid $345.95 for a watch in 1975 subsequently had it valued for between $500,00 and $700,000. This watch was essentially his hidden treasure, for he had never worn it. We too have something of great value; Paul talks about a ‘treasure in jars of clay’ in 2 Cor 4:7.
We have the treasure of sins forgiven and a relationship with God Himself. We can be set free from addictions that controlled us; we are given new purpose in living. We have a life-changing gospel, a hope that lasts for all eternity. Peter tells us that we have an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade (1 Pet 1:4). The treasure God gives us has the potential to change lives.
We can live differently (see Rom 12:1-2, Eph 2:3-5, Is 8:11-13). We can make the choice to be what we really are, but it is so much easier to live as we have always lived and to just carry on as before. If we do this, we are missing out, living like paupers when we are in fact rich.
Paul urges us to grow up (Eph 4:14-16), to be who we are made to be – the light of the world. (Matt 5:14-16). Our witness to this treasure is to three groups: those we see daily (often family and close friends), those we meet frequently and those we see rarely. God wants us to have His treasure and enjoy this, but He also wants us to share His treasure.