Title
Rediscovering the Treasure 重新发现宝藏
Date
02/22/2026
Description
Matt 16:24-26: Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
馬 太 福 音 16:24-26: 于是，耶稣对门徒说：“若有人要跟从我，就当舍己，背起他的十字架来跟从我。 因为凡要救自己生命的，必丧掉生命；凡为我丧掉生命的，必得着生命。 人若赚得全世界，赔上自己的生命，有什么益处呢？人还能拿什么换生命呢？ (page 1588)
Philippians 2:5: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…
腓立比书 2:5: 你们当以基督耶稣的心为心。(page 1904)
Matthew 23:11: "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant."
马太福音 23:11: 你们中间谁为大，谁就要做你们的用人。
(page 1601)
1 Chronicles 4:10: Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.
历代志上 4:10: 雅比斯求告以色列的神说：“甚愿你赐福于我，扩张我的境界，常与我同在，保佑我不遭患难，不受艰苦。”神就应允他所求的。 (page 660)
2 Cor 4:7: We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God's, not ours.
歌 林 多 後 書 4:7: 我们有这个宝藏，但是我们只不过就像装宝物的瓦罐。这就表明这个不寻常的大能来自上帝，而非来自我们
(page 1873)
馬 太 福 音 16:24-26: 于是，耶稣对门徒说：“若有人要跟从我，就当舍己，背起他的十字架来跟从我。 因为凡要救自己生命的，必丧掉生命；凡为我丧掉生命的，必得着生命。 人若赚得全世界，赔上自己的生命，有什么益处呢？人还能拿什么换生命呢？ (page 1588)
Philippians 2:5: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…
腓立比书 2:5: 你们当以基督耶稣的心为心。(page 1904)
Matthew 23:11: "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant."
马太福音 23:11: 你们中间谁为大，谁就要做你们的用人。
(page 1601)
1 Chronicles 4:10: Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.
历代志上 4:10: 雅比斯求告以色列的神说：“甚愿你赐福于我，扩张我的境界，常与我同在，保佑我不遭患难，不受艰苦。”神就应允他所求的。 (page 660)
2 Cor 4:7: We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God's, not ours.
歌 林 多 後 書 4:7: 我们有这个宝藏，但是我们只不过就像装宝物的瓦罐。这就表明这个不寻常的大能来自上帝，而非来自我们
(page 1873)
Creator
Pastor: Mike Koger
Contributor
Hillside United Methodist Church
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
Transcription
The Rediscovered Gift
Matthew 16:25
I’ve been pondering my own mortality lately. Not in a morbid way. In a clarifying way.
There is something about remembering that your life is temporary that makes everything more intentional.
Psalm 90:12: So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
TPT: Help us to remember that our days are numbered, and help us to interpret our lives correctly. Set your wisdom deeply in our hearts so that we may accept your correction.
“Every day above ground is a good day!”
Every morning is proof that God hasn’t given up on you.
But some day… we’ll run out of new mornings
And when that day comes, the question won’t be: “How comfortable was I?”
The question will be: What remains? What did my life produce?
Who did it shape? What did it multiply? (we call that a “legacy”)
Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew 16:25: “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for My sake will find it.”
That is a paradox.
( ) Our lives are a gift. But it is a gift that must be given away in order to keep.
If you clutch it, you lose it. If you surrender it, you find it.
Emerson: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
A selfish existence is never really a satisfying life. It is an unfulfilling chase.
Chasing comfort. Chasing recognition. Security. Status. Approval.
(like Jesus said) You can gain the whole world, but if you lose your soul in the process — what have you gained?
Not everything that feels good is right. Not everything that is right feels easy.
We have to choose Alignment over approval.
Growth is not very comfortable. “Comfort is a casualty of growth.”
Legacy requires discomfort.
You cannot create generational impact while protecting personal convenience.
Question: Does leaving a legacy resonate in your heart?
Prov 13:22 “A good person leaves an inheritance to their children’s children.”
That inheritance is not just money.
It is mindset. It is an attitude and approach toward life and life’s challenges.
It is faith. It is courage. It is alignment.
A Legacy is not accidental. It is built.
And it costs something.
Matt 23:11: “he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” ( )
To change our lives, we have to change our minds. (True or true?)
Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…”
And what did Jesus do?
He emptied Himself. Not of power. Not of identity.
He emptied Himself of any self-centered glory.
He took the form of a servant.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…”
(real change comes from the inside out)
Luke 9:24: "Whoever tries to save his life shall lose it."
The ego seeks control and safety.
But a life lived only to protect itself never fully lives.
Letting go reduces fear, and restores freedom.
“whoever loses their life for My sake will find it.”
For us, today, consider: It is about releasing the smaller version of ourselves.
The ego-driven version. The comfort-addicted version. The fearful version.
Because the “you” that God is pulling you toward requires stepping away from the usual, the norm, the comfort zone.
This message is not about shrinking. It is about leadership.
When Jesus says, “Disown your life,” He is not calling you to disappear.
He may be calling you to rise. “Rise Up, Kingdom Leaders!”
To shake off mediocrity. To shake off inherited limitations. To shake off passivity.
“But I’m just… ME.”
2 Peter 1:3: “His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness…”
You are not lacking.
You may still be under-activated.
It may be time to rediscover your gift. Your Buried Treasure.
2 Cor 4:7: We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours.
Leadership is not position. Leadership is responsibility.
It is becoming “the one.”
The one who breaks cycles. The one who raises the standard.
The one who thinks generationally.
The one who chooses legacy over comfort.
? What if losing your life does not mean destruction?
What if it means losing:
Insecurity. Small vision. Self-protection. Fear of failure. Addiction to approval.
What if the life you are asked to lose is the lesser version of you?
…and the life you gain is the Divine version God saw in you (that buried treasure) long before time began?
(this could be your wake-up moment)
If it takes years just to discover what does not work, those years are not wasted.
Those years become wisdom.
But at some point, pondering must turn into surrender.
Buried in the genealogies of Scripture is a man named Jabez.
In the First Book of Chronicles 4:10, he prays:
“Oh that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain.”
And God granted him what he requested.
Notice what he did not ask for.
He did not ask for comfort. He did not ask for ease.
He asked for capacity. “Enlarge my territory.”
Not so I can consume more. But so I can carry more.
Not so I can be known. But so Your hand would be with me.
Worldly ambition says: “Enlarge my territory so I can win.”
Kingdom surrender says: “Enlarge my territory so I can serve.”
That is leadership.
Here is Jesus’ definition of true leadership:
“he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” (Matt 23:11)
That is legacy. That is alignment.
When Jesus says “lose your life,” He is not calling you to smaller living.
He is calling you to surrendered expansion. You keep it by giving it away.
You expand by surrendering. You lead by serving.
So today, maybe the prayer is not: “Lord, make my life easier.”
Maybe the prayer is:
“Lord, enlarge my heart before You enlarge my territory.”
“Increase my capacity to carry what You have already placed inside me.”
“Let Your hand be upon my family.” “Let Your hand be upon this church.”
“Let my life become a gift that multiplies.”
A selfish existence is never really a life.
…But a surrendered life… becomes a legacy.
UPW Unleash the Treasure Within
2 Cor 4:7: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
“The gift you once buried is not dead. It is waiting.
And today… it is ready to be rediscovered.”
PRAYER:
Father, Today we acknowledge that our lives are a gift from You.
Forgive us for clinging to comfort when You have called us to legacy.
We lay down the smaller version of ourselves — the fearful, self-protective,
comfort-seeking version.
Teach us to lose our lives so we can truly find them.
Enlarge our hearts before You enlarge our territory.
Increase our capacity to serve. Strengthen our leadership.
Let Your hand be upon our families and upon this church.
Keep us from selfish ambition. Keep us from shrinking back.
Make our lives a gift that multiplies. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Psalms 103:21: Bless and praise the Lord, you mighty warriors,
ministers who serve him well and fulfill his desires.
Matthew 16:25
I’ve been pondering my own mortality lately. Not in a morbid way. In a clarifying way.
There is something about remembering that your life is temporary that makes everything more intentional.
Psalm 90:12: So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
TPT: Help us to remember that our days are numbered, and help us to interpret our lives correctly. Set your wisdom deeply in our hearts so that we may accept your correction.
“Every day above ground is a good day!”
Every morning is proof that God hasn’t given up on you.
But some day… we’ll run out of new mornings
And when that day comes, the question won’t be: “How comfortable was I?”
The question will be: What remains? What did my life produce?
Who did it shape? What did it multiply? (we call that a “legacy”)
Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew 16:25: “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for My sake will find it.”
That is a paradox.
( ) Our lives are a gift. But it is a gift that must be given away in order to keep.
If you clutch it, you lose it. If you surrender it, you find it.
Emerson: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
A selfish existence is never really a satisfying life. It is an unfulfilling chase.
Chasing comfort. Chasing recognition. Security. Status. Approval.
(like Jesus said) You can gain the whole world, but if you lose your soul in the process — what have you gained?
Not everything that feels good is right. Not everything that is right feels easy.
We have to choose Alignment over approval.
Growth is not very comfortable. “Comfort is a casualty of growth.”
Legacy requires discomfort.
You cannot create generational impact while protecting personal convenience.
Question: Does leaving a legacy resonate in your heart?
Prov 13:22 “A good person leaves an inheritance to their children’s children.”
That inheritance is not just money.
It is mindset. It is an attitude and approach toward life and life’s challenges.
It is faith. It is courage. It is alignment.
A Legacy is not accidental. It is built.
And it costs something.
Matt 23:11: “he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” ( )
To change our lives, we have to change our minds. (True or true?)
Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…”
And what did Jesus do?
He emptied Himself. Not of power. Not of identity.
He emptied Himself of any self-centered glory.
He took the form of a servant.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…”
(real change comes from the inside out)
Luke 9:24: "Whoever tries to save his life shall lose it."
The ego seeks control and safety.
But a life lived only to protect itself never fully lives.
Letting go reduces fear, and restores freedom.
“whoever loses their life for My sake will find it.”
For us, today, consider: It is about releasing the smaller version of ourselves.
The ego-driven version. The comfort-addicted version. The fearful version.
Because the “you” that God is pulling you toward requires stepping away from the usual, the norm, the comfort zone.
This message is not about shrinking. It is about leadership.
When Jesus says, “Disown your life,” He is not calling you to disappear.
He may be calling you to rise. “Rise Up, Kingdom Leaders!”
To shake off mediocrity. To shake off inherited limitations. To shake off passivity.
“But I’m just… ME.”
2 Peter 1:3: “His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness…”
You are not lacking.
You may still be under-activated.
It may be time to rediscover your gift. Your Buried Treasure.
2 Cor 4:7: We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours.
Leadership is not position. Leadership is responsibility.
It is becoming “the one.”
The one who breaks cycles. The one who raises the standard.
The one who thinks generationally.
The one who chooses legacy over comfort.
? What if losing your life does not mean destruction?
What if it means losing:
Insecurity. Small vision. Self-protection. Fear of failure. Addiction to approval.
What if the life you are asked to lose is the lesser version of you?
…and the life you gain is the Divine version God saw in you (that buried treasure) long before time began?
(this could be your wake-up moment)
If it takes years just to discover what does not work, those years are not wasted.
Those years become wisdom.
But at some point, pondering must turn into surrender.
Buried in the genealogies of Scripture is a man named Jabez.
In the First Book of Chronicles 4:10, he prays:
“Oh that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain.”
And God granted him what he requested.
Notice what he did not ask for.
He did not ask for comfort. He did not ask for ease.
He asked for capacity. “Enlarge my territory.”
Not so I can consume more. But so I can carry more.
Not so I can be known. But so Your hand would be with me.
Worldly ambition says: “Enlarge my territory so I can win.”
Kingdom surrender says: “Enlarge my territory so I can serve.”
That is leadership.
Here is Jesus’ definition of true leadership:
“he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” (Matt 23:11)
That is legacy. That is alignment.
When Jesus says “lose your life,” He is not calling you to smaller living.
He is calling you to surrendered expansion. You keep it by giving it away.
You expand by surrendering. You lead by serving.
So today, maybe the prayer is not: “Lord, make my life easier.”
Maybe the prayer is:
“Lord, enlarge my heart before You enlarge my territory.”
“Increase my capacity to carry what You have already placed inside me.”
“Let Your hand be upon my family.” “Let Your hand be upon this church.”
“Let my life become a gift that multiplies.”
A selfish existence is never really a life.
…But a surrendered life… becomes a legacy.
UPW Unleash the Treasure Within
2 Cor 4:7: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
“The gift you once buried is not dead. It is waiting.
And today… it is ready to be rediscovered.”
PRAYER:
Father, Today we acknowledge that our lives are a gift from You.
Forgive us for clinging to comfort when You have called us to legacy.
We lay down the smaller version of ourselves — the fearful, self-protective,
comfort-seeking version.
Teach us to lose our lives so we can truly find them.
Enlarge our hearts before You enlarge our territory.
Increase our capacity to serve. Strengthen our leadership.
Let Your hand be upon our families and upon this church.
Keep us from selfish ambition. Keep us from shrinking back.
Make our lives a gift that multiplies. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Psalms 103:21: Bless and praise the Lord, you mighty warriors,
ministers who serve him well and fulfill his desires.