This is a question of utmost significance who had been looking for his true self."Who am I"? Let this message bring you to an encounter of who you really are...
Of all God’s creation, only man searches for an answer to this ancients of question. Many have temporarily answered it,even theorized it, but Jesus in this parable have shown who we really are. Let us be reminded that we are created according to the image of Our Creator Himself. That should be settled first because without it, we would be running in circles with nowhere to go,just like a dog trying to catch his tail.
Today, let us settle this old-age question and find the answer from the greatest Teacher who ever lived,Jesus who became human and lived here on earth among us. He will tell us assuredly what He knew and have seen "for Only I,the Son of Man,have come to earth and will return to heaven again"(John3:13 NLT).
Who am I? would be answered by one simple verse of a parable in Matthew13:44 and see how God expound His answer to the Only One who could explain;
The verse was a Parable which means to say it was a story to illustrate,symbolizing a truth in interesting form and making them be revealed to interested hearers and be hidden to those who are not attentive and concerned. They impart instruction,comfort and rebuke to listeners.
Jesus was the Man in the parable. The Field was the World (verse38). And you,including me and to everyone who had been called by God by His grace was the hidden treasure.
Who am I?
I-YOU WERE HIDDEN:
You were hidden by Christ... protected, cared and planned for a purpose. Look at the verse again... You were hidden in the world. You were hidden even before you were called. Jesus also had his hidden years. Notice in the Bible that Our Lord’s childhood days were obscure except in the Gospel of Luke where a glimpse of the boy Jesus was given little attention. The same with everyone of us.
How were you hidden? You’re hidden because just like everybody else you were once far away from God,dead in trespasses and sin,as you conducted yourself according to the dictates of the"prince of the power of the air."
BUT WE HAVE BEEN FOUND!
Once Christ found us,He hid us again.Jesus hide us after He found us just as what He said on His prayer to Our Father..."Now,I am departing from the world;I am leaving them behind and coming to You,Holy Father, keep them and care for them,because they don’t belong to the world,just as I do not.I am not asking You to take them out of the world,but keep them safe from the evil one. They are not part of the world anymore than I am.Make them pure and holy by teaching them Your words of truth.As You sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world"(John17:11,14-18 NLT).
So you see,you have been hidden twice. When you were still sinner,and then after Jesus found you. Christ hid you once more by sending you right back into the world! He did not glorify you immediately or put you in the pedestal,but simply returns you into the world. The world hides you but in a different way after your calling than before it. Though you are no longer of the world,you still look like it. You have not changed much except internally, that is, spiritually.
So,you get back into the world and live your daily life,people not noticing and recognizing you for what you are unless some matters of truths crops up. The truth you live by-God’s truth in you-- makes you now different from everybody else. To look at you, walking down the street you’re just the same old you... Ordinary. But when suddenly a matter of truth comes out of the fore? Say an issue about your Lord’s day? or of tithing? forgiving people who hurt you? Helping the sick and needy? Immediately, you become different. Set apart,showing your life that you are living God’s way because you were hidden from this world’s view by virtue of living among them.
II-YOU WERE HIS JOY:
Who Am I?
"The kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a Man discovered hidden in a field.In His excitement, He hid it again..."(NLT) When Jesus found you, He is so excited, full of joy!
Let me give you a story to describe the joy Jesus experienced when He found you. A man with his friends, set out in prospect of gold. They went through hardships and all of his companions died en route for the search. Defeated, discouraged and downhearted the man set out to return to his town. As he is walking with his horse near a creek,he noticed a stone from the creek bed."It looks as though there may be gold here"he said.He examined the stone thoroughly and it was really gold! He struck gold. He panned gold the rest of the afternoon and managed to realize million dollars worth of gold.He went his way back to his town and decided not to say a word concerning his gold strike, and thereupon, he secretively set about to re-equipping himself with supplies for another prospecting trip to that place. When he got ready to get back, he was surprised to find 300 men following him! Who told them? No one! What accounted thus for the incident? HIS BEAMING FACE WITH JOY BETRAYED THE SECRET!
Just like Jesus who had been enamored with you, whom having not seen you yet, He loved you. And when He found you He cannot contain the secret of His joy! He is excited and thrilled! The last night,that He was with His disciples,He said;"I have told you this so that you will be filed with My joy.Yes, your joy will overflow!(John15:11 NLT).This joy is in Jesus when He found you,and now, the same joy is in you because His beaming face with joy betrayed the secret of the hidden treasure which is you! His joy toward you is uncontainable. Limitlessly overflowing. The world would notice it also in you! You have the joy of the Master.
III-YOU WERE HIS TREASURE:
The worth of a human body had been estimated by the Sound Medicine of Indiana University,School of Medicine published in Wired Magazine to be more than $45,000,000. They wrote that this price tag were broken down into tissues, fluid,and germ-fighting bodies. It found out that vital organs are no longer the most valuable parts. Rather bone marrow heads the list costing $23,000,000 at the least based on 1,000grams at $23,000 per gram!DNA at $9.7 million. Antibodies at $7.3 million, Lung at $116,400; Kidney-$91,400; Heart-$57,000 and so on.This was medical science estimate... but with God?"For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors.And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver.He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ,the sinless,spotless Lamb of God"(1Peter1:18NLT).
You were His priceless possession selling everything what He had. No one can compare for your value. You are priceless! Look at the verse once more,"...for the joy over it(that is you)He goes and sells all that He has and buys that field". He would exchange you with even all the stars in the universe. He would gladly forget all His creation just to own you! The New Living Translation said in verse 37 of chapter 8 of Mark;"Is anything worth more than your soul?" Of course God had put a priceless tag on you!
AS I END UP this note for today, you were not a chance that exist.
YOU WERE HIDDEN LIKE A TREASURE cared, protected, planned to achieve a definite purpose in life as a showcase of His victory.
YOU WERE HIS JOY, a secret that could not be contained by Him.He is excited to have you.
YOU WERE HIS TREASURE of immeasurable price. His only possession.
THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE.
THAT IS WHAT WE ARE.
NOW... WE ALL KNOW WHO WE REALLY ARE!
AMEN.
Maranatha!
