A Study of Matthew: Treasured
Notes
Transcript
“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.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
When we read these passages, we usually interpret them as saying the same thing—a man finds a treasure, then sells everything he has to gain the treasure. But there is a difference.
Matthew 13:44 says the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that is discovered. But verse 45 says the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
So while the first parable tells us that God’s kingdom is something valuable we need to pursue, the second parable says that God sees us as a treasure. God is also willing to give up everything he has to have you.
You are the pearl of great price.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.
For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
How many times have we heard these verses? We know that God loves us, and that He takes care of us. But I think that when we refer to God’s love, we often mean it in terms of some sort of obligation—God HAS to love us, because He is God. It is like that family member that drives you crazy. You love them. If they got terribly sick, you would feel bad for them. But you would not want to be in a seven-hour car ride with them. I think most of us believe God looks at us like that.
But in Deuteronomy 32:10 and in Zechariah 2:8, God refers to his people as the apple of his eye. When God says he loves us, it is not just some religious-sounding phrase; God actually enjoys us. As it says in Jeremiah 31:3
the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
When we talk about God, we use terms like “Father.” But I must confess that when I use that term, it is mostly just a title. It is difficult for me to think of anything else except for “Great Big God” and “insignificant me.” It is difficult to understand God being both my father and my king. Perhaps that is because I was raised in a land where leaders are elected instead of having a royal family. I think that we need to imagine a family like Queen Elizabeth of England, or maybe like the kings and queens in history in order to understand d our relationship with God.
First of all in a kingdom, there are two basic classes of people—the common born and the nobility. If you are nobility, you have a title in the kingdom, and you have authority over the common people. In fact, a penniless man of noble birth still outranks the wealthiest of commoners. There are only two ways to be of the noble class: to be born of the noble bloodline, or to be declared noble by the king.
In a kingdom, you also have varying ranks of nobility, based on their blood relationship to the king. So the most noble of the families are the sons and daughters of the king, with the eldest son, the one who will become king when his father dies, being the second most noble person in the kingdom. This is the Crown Prince, the heir to the throne. When the royal family goes out in public, everyone else bows down to them. Whatever they want is given to them.
What makes the kingdom of God different is that there are no varying classes of citizens. Jesus, the only begotten son of God, is the crown prince. When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, God immediately makes us his children. If you believe in Christ as your savior, you are just as much a child of God as I am, or as anyone else who is a follower of Christ.
NIV Galatians 4:4-5
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
You have probably been told before that the word “Abba” in the Bible is what Jewish children used for their fathers. It wasn’t a formal term. It was simply papa. Have you ever considered that when you pray, you can call God “Papa,” and it would not be disrespectful! In fact, He would be delighted by it. But for some reason, that kind of intimacy with God seems a little scary to me. It is difficult for me to accept that God wants that kind of relationship with me.
But God did not have to call us his children. He could have simply made us his servants, and that would have been wonderful. He still would be a good God, and we still would have received more kindness than we deserve as sinners. But beyond saving us and making us part of his kingdom, God gave us an intimate relationship between himself and us. Remember the relationship God had with Adam before the fall? God would come and walk with Adam in the cool of the day. And now that we have been restored to God through Christ, each of us can also have that kind of relationship today.
When we surrender our lives to God, we are more than just servants—we are his children. As His children, God has given us wonderful blessings and authority to minister in His name. What does that mean? When we pray for a miracle and say, “In the name of Jesus,” it is not just a phrase. If Pastor Damir cannot personally go to an important meeting, he can authorize someone to go in his place and to speak in his name. God has given us a command to go out and bring others into His kingdom. He has also given us the authority of His name to carry out his will. As his children, we have every right to believe that the sick will be healed, the dead will rise up, and demons will be cast out.
Doesn’t that sound wonderful? But I remind you that this authority is not the most important thing. Being able to do miracles is not what we should get excited about. Remember the story about when Jesus sent out 72 disciples across the countryside in groups of 2, and they came back excited about the miracles they saw? What was Jesus’ reply?
Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
God loved us so much that he sent his son to die for us. Jesus loved us so much that he chose to go to the cross for us. In spite of all our weaknesses and flaws—all the ugly things we know about ourselves—God loves us and call us his children. He calls you daughter. He calls you son.
Knowing how much God loves us, we have a job to do for him—to tell others about God’s love for them so that they will give their lives to him. They need to know that if they repent of their sins and believe in the name of Jesus, God will accept them as his children. He will forget their past and make them new, just as he has done for all of us who have given our lives to him.
So today I leave you with this: God genuinely and truly loves you. It does not matter what you have done in the past. If you have asked for forgiveness, you have been forgiven. You are now part of the royal family, and you can believe that your father hears you when you speak to him. He enjoys spending time with you. You are his treasure.
This is the season of Thanksgiving, and I can think of no greater reason to be thankful. God loves us! God loves YOU. He has pursued you, desiring to make you his. He already paid the price for to rescue you from sin’s curse and grant you access into his kingdom. When you accept him, through Jesus, you are made part of this royal family. The son or daughter of God. There is no great test you must pass to prove your worth. In fact, there is nothing you could do to make yourself worthy of God’s love. Instead, it is God’s love for you that makes you worthy of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
(Prayer) Father, we are thankful for your love. It is impossible to understand the depths of your love for us, because it’s limitless. We don’t understand it, but we are grateful for your amazing love. Thank you for not giving up on us. Thank you for always being there for us. Thank you for graciously providing for us each day. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Father. Thank you, Papa. Oh, the privilege of calling you Papa! Thank you that we don’t have to be distant or formal with you. You are King and Lord, but you are also Papa, Daddy. We are small. We make mistakes. We even continue to rebel, just like small-minded children, but you are still here with us. Please help us to have a deeper realization of your love for us, and help us to love you more in return. The more we know you, the greater our reason to be thankful. We love you, papa. We are thankful to you, and we are thankful FOR you.