Treasure Hunting
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Open your Bibles with me to Matthew 13
My Grandparents used to live in Fort Walton Beach, FL. It is one in a string of beautiful cities on the Gulf Coast of Florida. And every summer in that community, there is a massive party called the Billy Bowlegs festival.
William “Bowlegs” Rogers was an infamous pirate of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. He amassed a gigantic treasure of riches stolen from Spanish treasure ships on their way back from the Americas. He is known to have buried lots of treasure on a small island off of the Gulf Coast, putting smaller finds out as distractions from the largest cache. In 1838, he retired to a life of luxury and the spoils of his conquests. But like most thieves, he wanted one last score. In 1840, he assembled 27 crew members and set out for one last hoorah. On his last pirating cruise, he had massive success before encountering a British Man O War. His Schooner was badly damaged as he ran from the warship, but he finally found relief as he approached a bay on the Florida coast that blocked the larger ship’s pursuit with a sandbar. As the British loaded longboats, Billy’s crew found an inlet to hide the Schooner. Unfortunately for the pirates, the damage was too severe, and the schooner full of treasure sank.
Billy Bowlegs staked out his 27 men hidden around the inlet to protect the treasure while he trekked across the land to the colonial settlements where he could retrieve his family and equipment to help recover their treasure. By the time he returned, Bowlegs crew was down to 4, as Indian attacks and tropical disease had claimed the lives of most of the men. With such a small crew, Bowlegs was in a hopeless situation. He built a cabin nearby and lived out his life watching over a treasure he had no way of retrieving. On his deathbed, Bowlegs told a friend where his largest treasure trove was. However, the landmarks that Bowlegs had used as markers had changed in what was now a growing U.S. state. Now, each year, thousands gather for this massive mardi-gras style party centered around the ongoing search for treasure. Over the years, caches of silver coins and bars have been recovered on what is now Santa Rosa Island, fueling the hope that one day the treasure will be recovered.
Why do we hunt for treasure? Isn’t it because we believe that what we are searching for is worth whatever the effort it takes to find it? I would suggest to you today that you and I are looking for treasure. You have set your eyes on something that you are pursuing with all that you are. What is it? What are you chasing after?
Is it riches and fame?
Is it a life of leisure and relaxation?
Is it an enjoyable retirement?
In this age of social media, is it being liked and relevant?
We may not be pirates, but I can assure you friend, that all of us are chasing after treasure. And, perhaps, the real question is whether or not the treasure you are chasing is worth it.
>>>>In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Heaven more than just about any other topic. With the coming of Jesus to save us from our sins, He wanted us to understand that the Kingdom of God is both a reality that we can experience and a promise of things to come. And in Matthew 13, He told his followers that the Kingdom of Heaven is the most valuable treasure that there is. Let’s read together from Matthew 13, starting from verse 44, and as we do, would you please stand with me in honor of reading of God’s Word:
“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.
>>>>>Would you pray with me:
>>>>>>Thank you, you may be seated
>>>>>Jesus wanted his listeners to know that the Kingdom of Heaven is the most valuable treasure there is, and today, that is still true. The Kingdom of Heaven is still the most valuable treasure there is.
There is nothing worth more than your place in God’s Kingdom
Everything else in all of creation will pass away, but God’s Kingdom is eternal
Anything else can be stolen from you or taken away, but God’s Kingdom can be yours forever
No other treasure can be yours today and grow exponentially both in this life and for all eternity
>>>>>What treasure are you looking for, friends?
There is another question I want to ask you this morning, but for it to matter you have to answer this question first!
>>>>>What treasure are you looking for?
No one can answer but you, and knowing what the answer should be is different than pursuing the right treasure
>>>>>See, in this passage, Jesus gives us the answer to a fundamental question that implies you already understand that NOTHING IS MORE VALUABLE, NOTHING IS WORTH SEEKING MORE THAN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
>>>>And the question that He answers here is encountered over and over again in Scripture: How can I inherit the Kingdom of Heaven?
Every religion in the world is pursuing the answer to this question
Every other religion in the world thinks that you can somehow earn your ticket to Heaven yourself.
But the Bible teaches us that there is only ONE way to God’s eternal Kingdom, and it is through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Jesus is the only way to God. There is no way around that. But the thing that we need to see this morning is that simply knowing that is not enough. We must base our life upon that truth. And there are 3 things that Jesus tells us about treasure hunting for God’s Kingdom that you need to understand if you are really going to make heaven the treasure that you are chasing after.
>>>>>First, the treasure of the Kingdom requires searching
Look at the first part of verse 44
“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.
Now, look at verse 46
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,
The Kingdom of God is hidden->That means that is isn’t easily found
Finding something that is hidden requires searching
Searching is intentional
Searching is difficult
Searching takes effort
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Friends, this should be sobering to us this morning-> If we are going to find the Kingdom of Heaven, we are going to have to search for it!
What treasure are you searching for this morning?
>>This week, do yourself a favor, make a log of the way you spend every minute of your day
No, you won’t get every minute, but get as close as you can
Then, go back and highlight all of the activities you do to seek relationship with Jesus
>>I know that it is convicting, friends, but your calendar will show you if you are searching for Jesus
And the wonderful thing is that once you decide to truly seek Him, He promises you will find Him
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
If we are going to find the treasure of the Kingdom, we are going to have to search for it, so let’s get to looking every day.
>>>>>Second, The treasure of the Kingdom demands sacrifice
Look at the second half of verse 44
“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.
Now, look at verse 46
and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
My dad used to tell me two truths on a regular basis that really apply here
One is that nothing worth having comes without a cost
The other is that you don’t ever get something for nothing
Now, don’t mishear me friend. Salvation is a free gift of God that you cannot buy and you cannot earn
But look at Ephesians 2:8-10 with me
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
If you are a Christian, You are saved by grace, through faith as a gift of God…but you are saved for a purpose->to do good works
You see, the grace of Jesus is free, but it will cost you everything
>>If you are a child in God’s Kingdom, you can’t live like you did before
Both of these men sold everything that they had to inherit God’s Kingdom
>>To truly follow Jesus, we must give Him everything
This doesn’t mean you must sell all that you own, but it does mean that everything that you own is at His disposal
All of your time
All of your possessions (yes, your money)
All of your abilities
In Matthew 19:16-30 or in Mark 10:17-22, we encounter another time Jesus calls us to sacrifice
A rich young man comes to Jesus and asks how he can inherit eternal life
Jesus tells him to follow the law and the prophets
The young man tells Jesus that “I’ve always done that”
Jesus then says, “One thing you lack. Go sell everything you own, give the money you get away, and then come and follow me
What did Jesus just tell that young man? The treasure of Heaven demands sacrifice
Why did the man sell everything to buy a field? Because the treasure in it was more valuable than everything he had
Why did the man sell everything to buy the pearl? Because the pearl was more valuable than everything he had
Both of these men gladly, joyfully sold all they had, because they believed that Jesus was worth it!
But do you know what the rich young man did? He ran away, weeping bitterly because He was rich! He didn’t want to sacrifice, even for such a treasure
>>If you and I want the treasure of heaven, nothing in our lives can be more important or more valuable
Look at your checkbook and it will tell you if you sacrifice for the Kingdom
When you look at your spending, do you see reckless generosity or self indulgence?
Do you see sacrificial giving or self-protective padding?
When you look at your calendar, is your time spent pursuing Jesus or some other treasure
The treasure of the Kingdom demands sacrifice from us if we truly are seeking it.
>>>>>Third, the treasure of the Kingdom commands devotion
“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.
The Kingdom of heaven is an all in kind of thing
When I bought my last vehicle, we financed it for a few months so that we could take advantage of a discount incentive. The best rate was through a local credit union, so we had to open an account and make a small deposit to get the loan.
A few months later, we paid off the loan, but I never closed my account. And so once a year, I get an invitation to come to a big meeting for the credit union because I’m a “member.” I don’t really have any money there, I don’t know much about the credit union, but that deposit is all it takes to be a member
FRIENDS, THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS NOT A CREDIT UNION
You don’t get a get-out-of-Hell-free-card that lets you go and live your life as you please
If you belong to God’s Kingdom, you will be devoted to it because you understand the treasure that it is
What strikes me about these men that Jesus talks about in these short stories is that they are absolutely devoted to the treasure they seek-what in your life do you have that kind of devotion to?
Matthew 6:24
Ask yourself this question again: What is the treasure you are seeking?
Now, ask yourself this: Is that treasure worth giving up everything else that you have?
INVITATION: What is the treasure that you are seeking this morning? If the answer isn’t Jesus, friend, can I just ask you if today you would consider changing your answer?
The treasure of the Kingdom requires searching, demands sacrifice, and commands devotion…but Jesus is worth it.
Maybe you are here this morning, and you are searching for God for the first time
Or, maybe you have called yourself a Christian for a long time, but you are finally ready to make Jesus your treasure
Either way, can I just tell you that today is the day to give everything for Jesus! He is worth it. He is the only treasure that is
In a moment, I’m going to pray for us. Then Paul is going to lead us in a song.
While we sing together, I’ll be right down front. Maybe you would like to come so that we can seek the treasure of Jesus together. Or maybe you would prefer to mark your card so that Pastor Clint can follow up with you this week.
But whatever you decide, I’m inviting you now to let today be the day you find the only treasure worth hunting for.
PRAY