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On discovering the gift God gives, a message by Dr. Bruce W. Thielman. Let us continue in our worship by giving reverent attention to the reading of God's Word. The sixth chapter of Matthew's Gospel, beginning at the verse numbered 19. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break in and steal.

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But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The eye is the lamp of the body, so if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness.

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If then the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and man.

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And may God bless to us and to our understanding this reading from his holy words. Let us pray. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. I've just read Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island for the sixth time.

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They call it a children's classic, which must say something about my reading taste. But I can just see that great green parrot sitting on the shoulder of Long John Silver, crying out, "Pieces of eight, pieces of eight, pieces of eight!" And I can picture that muck-brown man with the livid white scar on the side of his face,

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his hands dark, the skin broken, his nails lift, that tarry pigtail coming from the back of his head and drooped over his right shoulder. Sitting there at the table in the Admiral Benbow Inn, singing, "Fifteen men on the dead man's chest, ho, ho, ho, and the battle is out."

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I think it's a great story. Whether you like the story or not, you have to agree there's something very exciting about going after treasures. They still do it, you know. There are many cities where you can buy treasure maps where they're still being bartered and sold.

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Go today to the beaches of the Bahamas and you'll find men with mine detectors trying to find pirate hoards that have long ago been forgotten. Off the coast of Florida today there are skin-drivers going in and amongst the coral reefs looking for the ruins of Spanish galleons that went down a long time ago,

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loaded with silver pieces of eight and shiny gold doubloons. There is in all of us the desire to find hidden treasure. And I unashamedly want to take advantage of that today because I want to talk to you about the only treasure in life that is really worth having.

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I want to talk to you about the treasure that is infinitely more valuable than any other treasure that ever was. I want to tell you about the treasure which is the gift God gives. If you were to turn to the last pages of this book, you'd find a book called Hebrew. And in the latter pages of that book you would find what has often been called the New Testament Hall of Heroes.

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A list of some of the men whose stories are told in this magnificent volume. The stories of men who had discovered the treasure about which I'm speaking this morning. Men like Enoch, a man who did not die but who walked with God and was taken by God. Think of that kind of confidence in a day like our own where men fear death.

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Here you read about a man like Noah who held fast to his faith though battered on every hand by those who tried to persuade him otherwise. Nature's acts against the sickle population, bending to and fro in the last weeks under the winds of political propaganda.

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Here's the story of Abraham, a man who at great age literally walked off the map, marched beyond that place that men knew and started a new life with God. Think of that when compared with those who not fought a new thought in three years nor run a risk in six. Here in this hall of heroes is the experience of Joseph,

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a man who by following the highway called catastrophe discovered himself upon a king's throne. And how many we know today who don't have to confront catastrophe but any kind of disturbance in life and instead of becoming royal they become ruined, ready to protest, snivel and whine about all the difficulties and vicissitudes they have to face.

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How did the poet put it? "Don't tell people about your indigestion. How are you is a greeting, it is not a question." And here we read about Moses, the man who was led by God and went on to lead other men for God. Compare that with the legions who go through life today without purpose,

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without definition in their experience. And here's David who takes a Goliath and brings him to the dust. And we know people, you know people, I know people, who can't defeat even the little troubles of their own experience,

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let alone the great troubles which confront our society. These men lived triumphantly, magnificently, and they lived this way because they laid hold on the treasure. There was in their lives power and purpose and positivity,

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and it was there because they had discovered the gift, God-gift. How do you find this treasure? Well, very much like you find any other treasure. First of all, you must know where it is.

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And the first thing you discover about this treasure is, this treasure that is worth more than all other treasures, is that it's in the kingdom of heaven. It is a treasure which is eternal.

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It is a treasure which is forever. It is a treasure which lasts not only for today, but for all of the world's tomorrows, and beyond the world's tomorrows,

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into the time that is itself beyond time. Have you ever been in a concert hall and seen some great musical genius leading a splendid aggregation of musicians? And you hear the splashy splendor of the brass,

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and the rolling rumble of the drums. You hear the sighing of the woodwinds, and the surge of the strings, and you listen to the music until that moment comes

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when that orchestra, under the leadership of that man, begins to play one of the most beloved melodies of mankind. Perhaps here in the midst of this symphony of four movements, or this suite of many parts,

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there is one passage which is loved round the world. And when the orchestra gets to that page in the music, and begins to play that melody, there's a different kind of hush.

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There's a different kind of awe that settles across the audience. And you are caught up in that melody. You are somehow listed outside of yourself. You are separated.

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More than any of the arts, music is able to list us outside of ourselves. And for a few minutes, caught up on the wings of that splendid sound,

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we feel almost as if we are separated from everything in life that would trouble us. That's a grand and a glorious experience. But that is nothing when compared with the majesty and the thrill of discovering that you belong to God,

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and that God in his mercy belongs to you. No art can begin to equate, no art can begin to represent to us, no experience we can know in any dimension of our life

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equals that moment when you put your hand into the hand of God and feel the grasp of love. And that's the treasure that is above and beyond all other treasures. I remember once seeing in a luggage room in the greater Pittsburgh airport

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a wooden crate, and in the crate was a little dog. And somehow or other that dog had gotten his head between the bars of the crate and had eaten away the label on the crate so that no one knew where he was to go.

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And over the crate they put a little sign crudely lettered, "This is Mr. Nobody, on his way from nowhere, going no place." There are a lot of people like that, you know. Not knowing when they've come, not knowing where they're going,

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just kind of stumbling their way through life, knowing there must be more to it than this, but not being able to discover what that more is. You know, there are only two alternatives in life.

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You're either going to go through life with your feet on good old terra firma, which is firm, but also firmly discouraging. Or you're going to go through life with your feet on the ground and your heart in the heavens,

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and that's the kind of life that is triumphant. That's the kind of life that can't be defeated. We are made not only of the dust of the earth, but also of the dust of the stars. There is in us that which is of the earth's earthy,

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but also that which is of the heavens' heavenly. And as we commit our hearts to the heavens, as we reach out to God and feel God reaching out in Christ to us, in that moment and in that grip, is glory.

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You ever watch a good football team? A team that moves with coordination and grace and wins great victories? You know why that's so? Oh, it's so because of training and skill and all the practice that they had yet.

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But put two equally matched teams on a field, which team will win? It's the team with the most spirit. The essential ingredient in great football is a spree decor. The spirit of the group. You can see that on Monday afternoon.

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Go to the locker room, and here in the locker room, you discover the team gathered about watching the movies of the game that had been played a couple of days before. And they're sitting there waiting. Waiting for what?

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They're waiting for a word of commendation from the coach. Or they're waiting for a word of criticism from the coach. And you discover, as you sit in on that kind of experience, that those football players aren't playing for the benefit of one another.

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And those football players aren't playing for the benefit of the fans. Those football players are playing for their coach. And it's the relationship with the coach that builds spirit. And it's that spirit that makes a great team.

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And what's true in football is also true in the game of life. When we have put ourselves into the hands of the coach, and let the coach take control of our lives, then, in the moment of that transaction,

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there is a new dimension to the human experience. And it is that dimension that makes life treasure-filled. I think of Gil Hopkins, a fellow from back east, had a rather average job and a rather average marriage,

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not deriving a great deal of joy or pleasure out of either. His wife started to cave in on him. Unhappy, afraid, he was what I call a 4F person, full of fear, friction, folly, and frustration.

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And finally, he decided to run away from it all. So he jumped into his car one night, said nothing to no one, not even his wife or his children. He just left.

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And he drove the length of the United States, and he ended up here in Los Angeles, specifically in Santa Monica. And when he arrived here, he still hadn't found the answer to his agony.

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And so he parked his car by the beach, and he started to walk out into the sea, determined to end his life. And as he was out in the water, almost to the point of no return, he suddenly--and I'm sure this thought was given to him by the Holy Spirit of God--

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he suddenly remembered a minister whom he'd once heard spoke, and who was here in this area. And so he went to that man, clothes soaked, shoes soaked, and he stood before him and told of his experience.

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And that man, that night, took him by the hand and put his hand into the hand of God. And he was transformed, so that he drove the length of America again, singing. His marriage has become a beautiful and a blessed thing to see.

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He left his job and started one of the most successful ministries, youth ministries, that is going on in America today. Not a clergyman, a layman, carrying on a dynamic program, changed and transformed, because he now possesses the treasure

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that is above and beyond all other treasures, feet on the ground, but heart in the heavens. The first thing you have to know about the treasure is where it is. It's in the hands of God.

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And the second thing you have to know about the treasure is how to get to it. These pirates were canny old birds, you know. They would regularly, when they drew their maps, put little devices on them to confuse people they didn't want to find the golden hoard.

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They would put secret lines and secret symbols and all kinds of things deliberately designed to trick the unwary. Now just so in life there are a lot of false treasures that glitter and gleam about us and attempt to attract us away

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from the only treasure which is really worth having. Take for example the false treasure of great riches. Some people try to put their treasure in terms of hard cash, bank books and safe deposit boxes.

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Jesus speaks about that kind of treasure. He says, "That kind of treasure can be taken, for thieves will break in and steal." That kind of treasure can be lost. Are you willing to have the kind of treasure that can be taken away from you?

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Will that satisfy the longing in your heart? Once a few weeks ago I was watching a television program in another city and the young man from the United States Air Force Academy was trying to lead other young men to go there.

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The fine looking boy presented his facts and his material with great skill. I was very much impressed by him until the lady correspondent who was interviewing him said, "Why are you going to the Air Force Academy?" And then came the very sad answer,

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"Well I'm going because I'm looking for security and they have good pay there and I can retire in just 20 years and then get another job and I'll not only have my retirement but I'll also have paid what I'm going to be getting for my other job at the same time

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and I'll have more security and I turned off the television." Death was looking over the windowsill of that boy's life like he looked over the windowsill of every life. And the boy was banking for security on that which he'd have to say goodbye to when he died,

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on that which could comfort him here but not hereafter. I remember in my Methodist Sunday school years ago, the Christmas party, gifts under the tree, the names of each youngster being called and the great joy you had in going forward

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and getting the packages that everybody had brought them in addressing them to different people. And there was one boy in our group who was retarded, severely limited, moronic. And every time a package was picked up you could see the hope on his face, "Maybe this is the package for me but it wasn't.

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Or maybe this is the package, this is the one that's ready for me but it wasn't." And again and again he was halfway up out of his chair anxious to have the gift and it never was for him until almost at the end. They picked up a big box and they read his name.

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No one knew of course what was in the box except the one who had brought it. And he was delighted and he jumped and he ran forward and he took the box. And right there in front of all of us he sat down on the floor and he unwrapped the ribbon so carefully and he folded back the paper so carefully and then he lifted the lid of that box.

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And I was a very little boy at that time but I can still remember with a pain in my heart the look that was on his face when he discovered that the box was empty. Someone had played a very cruel joke. But you see that joke is being played in life all the time.

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People busy storing things in boxes and then when the moment comes to say goodbye to life they open their boxes and they're empty. What value that treasure? And there are others who try to make treasure out of this ephemeral thing called reputation,

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prominence, the way they attire themselves. Jesus speaks about that treasure also. In those days it was quite common for wealth to be stored in fine garments or precious metals. And about that treasure Jesus says, "Beware of it, for moths will eat it and rust will tear away at it." The legal firm someplace in America called Schwartz, Schwartz, Schwartz and Schwartz.

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One day a man called and he said, "May I speak with Mr. Schwartz?" And the voice at the other end of the line said, "I'm sorry, he's retired." He said, "Well then may I speak with Mr. Schwartz?" And the voice said, "I'm sorry, he's out of the country on legal business."

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"Well then," he said, "may I speak with Mr. Schwartz?" And the voice said, "He's out to lunch." "Well then," he said, "may I speak with Mr. Schwartz?" And the voice at the other end of the line said, "Speaking."

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There are some people that want to be singled out. They want to be remembered. Building their treasure in terms of their reputation. Oh, that's such a little thing.

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We remember the Caesars. We scribble their names in books and you perhaps could name a half a dozen or more this morning. But other than that they're forgotten. And which one of us is going to live a life more significant than one of the Caesars?

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Which one of us is going to be so remembered? Tell me. Who was the mayor of Corinth when Paul was ministering there? Tell me.

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Who was the idol of the teenagers in Bethlehem when Jesus walked those streets? Who weeps today for Charlemagne? Stand if you can and tell me the name of the king of France when Joan of Arc poured out her blood. Tell me the name of the ruler of that province in North Africa where St. Augustine wrote the City of God.

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The ones who are remembered are the ones who put their hearts into the hands of God. The ones who are remembered are the ones who have offered themselves and everything that they are to God. It's not in reputation that we find ourselves. It's in surrender that we discover ourselves.

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It's not in what we gather about us. It's in what we send on ahead. This is what gives to us the dimension of life which makes life victorious and not defeat. Beware as you go seeking the treasure.

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Don't be led astray by all that glitters, for all that glitters is not gold. And just one last thought. As you're seeking the treasure, remember you'll never get there if you don't have the courage to start the journey. Remember that great scene in The Merchant of Venice when the three suitors come to try to win the hand of Portia?

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Each one of them selects a box, a casket they're called, hoping that this will be the casket in which the portrait of Portia is to be found. But none of them claim her except one. That one was the one who had the courage to open the casket on which were written these words, "He who picks me must give and hazard all he has."

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It is just so with the treasure, the gift that God gives. In order to have it, we must offer, we must hazard everything we have. We must surrender ourselves to God in Christ. I am not saying to you this morning that you must strive to live a life that is such a perfect imitation of the life of Jesus Christ

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that you can go and offer yourself to him without shame. I am not saying to you that you are to seek to create out of the fabric of your days something so perfect that you can offer it to him with pride. There's no room for pride in what I'm talking about. I'm not pleading today for some kind of emotional spasm in which you with one great agonized cry pour out all of the things that have been down deep inside.

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I'm not pleading for emotion or for lack of emotion. I'm only pleading for surrender. I'm pleading for breaking your sword. I'm saying lower your flag before his flag.

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I'm saying cry out, "Jesus, I offer myself to you." This is not an act of emotion. This is not an act of passion. This is an act of will.

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Don't let anything deter you from that act today. You're good at this. When things confront us in life which challenge us, we have ways of turning them aside. Very subtle ways, but very effective ways.

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We are disturbed about death. Death bothers us. So we get rid of death by making jokes about it. We're disturbed about murder, the high rate of crime in our society.

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So what do we do? We reduce it to six great melodramas on the television set. We can be contentious of that. We know that great monstrous ideas, hideous concepts are marching across the face of our world and we're afraid of them.

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So what do we do? We create false monsters like Frankenstein and Dracula and the Addams Family and Herman Munster. And we laugh at those monsters and try in our laughter to forget the things that really terrify us. We read a book like Moby Dick which challenges our faith to the very core.

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And unwilling to face that challenge, we say, "That's a book for little boys." We read the story of Noah and his ark. And challenged by that faith and that commitment in the face of all kinds of attacks, we retreat and say, "It's only a fairy tale."

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And we make Noah's ark into a little toy with a roof that can be removed into which our children can put little wooden animals. Trying to avoid the fact that we are being challenged. Don't turn away from the challenge. So you don't like me as a person.

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You don't like Thielman. Don't let that stand between you and the challenge. Hear the words, not the preacher. There's something about the church that makes you unhappy.

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Some dimension of its ministry which is unsatisfactory to you. Don't use that as an excuse. Face up to the challenge. For the love of God, stop living on spirits of a wooden nickel and claim the treasure which can be yours.

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Some years ago Charles Goodell was preaching back east. And as he preached, a young man halfway back got up. And he said, "Is what you're saying true?" And as he spoke, this young man who'd recently been released from a penitentiary,

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walked out to the center aisle and came down the aisle. "Is what you're saying true, preacher? Can Jesus Christ really make my life a victory? If I offer myself to him, will he transform me from the inside out? Is what you're saying really true?"

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And Goodell looked at him and said, "If it isn't true, I will never preach again." And he knelt with that young man. And that young man accepted Christ. And Goodell said, "Now you come back tomorrow night and tell me if it's true, and if I may preach again."

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And the next night the church was full. There were many who thought that Goodell had made a serious mistake. He'd laid the future of his entire ministry on the line. And if this young man was casual in his commitment or turned away, did not return,

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the preacher would be embarrassed so that he might not ever be able to preach again. The service began and the young man was not there. The service continued and the young man was not there. The change of the hymn was preceded the sermon and the young man was not there.

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They sang the hymn twice and then they began to sing some other hymns. And on the third verse of the third hymn, the door at the back of the room was suddenly thrown open and the young man entered all out of breath. "My car, my car," he said.

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"It broke down and I had to run all the way. But preacher, preacher, you can go ahead and preach." Please turn your cassette to the other side. It is true.

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You see, the heart of a man's problem is the problem in a man's heart. Where you put your heart, your treasure is. Where your treasure is, is where you put your heart. And what I'm saying today in the name of Jesus Christ is this.

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Claim the treasure. Put your heart into His hands. Become one with Him. And there just is no limit to the things that you and God will then be able to do together.

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Father, it's quiet here now. And there are some people in this room who have been thinking about this for a long, long time. And I'm praying especially for them. I'm praying right now for you.

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For you who have toyed with this surrender but never made it. Played with this challenge but never confronted it. My friend, right now, will you pray with me silently or aloud if you wish, these words? Oh God, I surrender.

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I offer myself. Cleanse me. Cleanse me. Challenge me.

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Give to me the treasure that fadeth not away. Oh God, I don't want manliness. I want you. Now my friend, if you've prayed that prayer with me, then in the moment when we're dismissed,

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come down here and meet one of the counselors. They want to hear about it. Their hearts are crying out to hear about it. Feel what you've done by telling them about it.

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And the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you his treasure. [music]

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[singing] [singing] [BLANK_AUDIO]