Dr Hollisa Alewine – Footsteps of Messiah Part 138 (Eternity Wear) for week of December 29, 2024

Eternity Wear A few weeks ago, we looked at Yeshua's parables of great treasure. In the Song of Songs, there is another opportunity to see the fruits of wisdom operating in the Bride who awaits the resurrection of the dead. It is only then that she will see the real fruits of her labor for the Kingdom.   The verse in the Song lumps all the choice fruits in there together. We're much more familiar with an orchard of pomegranates, but other good fruits might be planted with purpose. A henna plant would be planted with purpose in order to harvest the dye out of it. A nard plant would be planted with purpose in order to harvest this very valuable aromatic. All three products that are mentioned in this orchard of "shoots" are things that are not random.They are planted with purpose because the produce from them and the benefit derived from them is extremely valuable.   The orchard planting requires a lot of effort, patience, and planning, but perhaps there was one early decision that determined whether the orchard would even be planted. There are some opportunities that are going to be for us like Jacob's glimpse into the gateway to Heaven. We're going to realize a unique opportunity Adonai drops into our laps. We're going to say, "How awesome is this place?"   But there's really only one chance. It's one of those things where you have to be quick. So many opportunities out there aren't time dependent, but every now and then, the Father puts something before you that is so awesome. You know it's awesome when you encounter it. And you know there's a danger that if you keep going through life, and you don't deal with that thing as fast as you should, it will be an opportunity lost. And this is what Yeshua says in Matthew. He says,   “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Mt 13:43-46)   What these two parables have in common, other than a great treasure, is that it cost the buyers everything they had to obtain that great treasure. They really only had one opportunity. If either of those men had delayed, if they had not wanted to risk selling everything for that treasure, there would have been no great return. The question of the treasure is, "Do you really want to start back from scratch?"   You have to build from scratch, even though it's a great treasure. You have to leave first things behind with their security. Paul had to do it. He took three years apart to re-think everything he knew in light of the revelation of Yeshua in the Torah.   In order to realize the potential of the great treasure, that once-in-a-lifetime revelation, there should be no delay. Had the first man delayed, somebody else could have bought the field. He realizes that when he sees this treasure, it will require everything he owns in order to go back and buy it. Maybe he already had a house. Maybe he already had two fine cars. Maybe he already had the furniture his wife liked. Maybe he had a swimming pool. The house and neighborhood and boat or club membership may be everything that he wanted… and developed through great care and sacrifice.   But now he realizes that he must relinquish everything he has accumulated to obtain that treasure. And then he'll have to figure out how to invest it because he's just sold the security that he had.   And then in the second parable, the merchant sells pearls, so it's certain that he already has a pocket full of fine pearls. But then he finds that one pearl. And he will have to sell every pearl he has in order to buy that one. In either case, if they delay, somebody else could buy that field. Somebody else could buy that pearl. They did not have plenty of time. They couldn't say, "Well, let me just start selling