Pursue the Priceless Kingdom

If you found a genie, what would you wish for?

What is the most valuable thing you own?

Introduction

Has anyone ever seen Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider? A new movie called Uncharted just came out. Did anyone see it? I think National Treasure with Nicholas Cage is another one. What do all of these movies have in common? The main characters are treasure hunters! Some of you might not know this, but before Uncharted was a movie, it was a video game. There are a couple of video games, and I haven't played all of them, but the ones I have played were really good. The main character is Nathan Drake, and he is a treasure hunter, which is basically the coolest job in the world. He goes searching for things like El Dorado, the city of gold, Marco Polo's fleet, pirate treasure, all of these awesome things, and along the way, he has to fight other people who are trying to stop him from getting the treasure, whether that be they just don't like Nathan Drake or they just want the treasure for themselves. Sounds pretty awesome, right?

Transition

What if I told you that we are all treasure hunters? What if I told you that at all costs, we are, or should be, willing to lose everything in pursuit of this amazing treasure that is much more valuable than a Nintendo switch, the Declaration of Independence, the lost city of El Dorado, or a sunken pirate ship with limitless gold?

Scripture

Matthew 13:44–46 ESV

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Interpretation

These are two different parables that communicate the same three things:

The Kingdom of Heaven is Hidden

In both of these parables, the treasure or the pearl is not in immediate scope. It is not something that everybody can outright see. A lot of times, people are going to be so busy with their day-to-day lives that they have no interest in hunting for a treasure that would change their lives permanently. That is why it is so important for us, as believers, to share the gospel. We are shining light on a priceless treasure that is hidden.

The Kingdom of Heaven is Sought After

You can go out on the street and ask every person that you find if they want to go to heaven. I can almost guarantee that if you asked ten people, you would get ten yeses. Everybody wants to go to heaven, and everyone likes the idea of heaven. The problem is they are trying to get there the wrong way. They are trusting in themselves or a false God or false religion. The priceless treasure was found because the person searching knew where to look. The place that we are looking is in Jesus Christ, who is our treasure.

The Kingdom of Heaven is Priceless

Once that treasure was found, what happened? In both regards, the person who found it sold everything they had to gain possession of it. That's because it is worth infinitely more than anything that you could ever want, gain, or possess.

Conclusion

Does anybody know that saying no pain, no gain? That's what coaches say when they just made you do the hardest workout of the year, and everyone is mad at them for it. The coach knows that this is to make everyone better, but the players are upset because it hurts. In this case, the gain is worth the pain. Losing everything that you used to want, losing everything that you used to value and prioritize, is worth it for the sake of gaining the inheritance that is coming for those who believe in Christ. It will be worth it when he comes back to judge the living and the dead. It will be worth it when you kneel before Him and you hear well done, good, and faithful servant. It will be worth it when every tear is wiped from your cheek when every ounce of pain and suffering that you had ever known is washed away. It will be worth it when the light and heat of the sun are replaced by the radiant glory of God.

Take Away

What I want us to do is realize how worth it following Jesus will be. I want us to:

Pursue the Priceless Kingdom

If anything gets in the way of you pursuing Christ and His kingdom, that thing is now your enemy. If anything takes away your focus on Christ. If you desire anything else more than you desire Christ. If something outright pulls you away from Christ. If you spend more time doing something than you spend meditating on Christ. Do what the men in the parables did this morning; you sell it. You get it as far away from you as possible because you have something infinitely more valuable. Pursue the priceless kingdom this week.