The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
The Parables of Jesus • Sermon • Submitted
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“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.
“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.
Before we get into the parable
The parable I will be preaching tonight is The Parable of the Hidden Treasure. This parable lies in the second half of the kingdom parables of . It is also followed by a parable that it is most often paired, The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value.
These two parables are paired together because both of these parables of Jesus are driving us to the same point.
The main idea of these two parables is the kingdom of heaven is of inestimable value and is worth far more than anything in this world that we often treasure.
Let me put it this way, when we truly submit to the Lordship of Christ and enter into his kingdom by grace through Faith we will live in a tension of over valuing the things of this world and undervaluing of our citizenship in heaven.
This parable drives home the point brother Andy made last week that as we understand what we have been given through the gospel “we should no longer ask how much should I give, but how much should I keep.”
Not to just jump to the end, but I want to help us set up the beginning.
Look at the last line of both of these parables,
Notice, the last line of 13:44
Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field.
Now look at 13:46
who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
This is not the only place in the Scriptures we see this great value of gospel entrance into the kingdom.
Do remember the wee little man in ? When Jesus came to his house and the kingdom was in his presence what did Luke tell us?
And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:8-10
Upon seeing the Kingdom of heaven Zaccheus recognized the value and began liquidating his goods that he might give to the poor and repay those he had cheated, his eyes had been opened to the value of the kingdom.
What happened at Pentecost when Peter preached, the Spirit came down with great power, and people began entering the kingdom of heaven through repentance and faith?
And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
Acts 2:
Now, before you all go to thinking I am crazy here is what I am not doing, and I don’t believe Scripture is doing. I am not saying we all need to leave here, quit our jobs take our cars to Carmax and put our houses on Craiglist. If all of us do that we will be jobless, homeless, and unable to care for anyone including ourselves.
However, my goal for today is that everyone that hears this text of Scripture preached tonight would honestly, go before the Lord in repentance and faith, asking that he would reveal to us what it is that we are treasuring more than the kingdom of heaven.
I say that because we all are prone to a problem with prioritization of treasures....
John Calvin explains it this way, “we are so captivated by the allurements of the world, that eternal life fades from our view; and in consequence of our carnality, the spiritual graces of God are far from being held by us in the estimation which they deserve.”
What estimation do you put on the Kingdom? What value do you and I put on the eternal life and inheritance we have in Christ through his person and work?
Now, before we get into get into the text I want to make sure we see why the kingdom of heaven is of such great worth. Yes the salvation of our souls is of great worth, but we don’t bring the value to the Kingdom, Christ does! Let’s take a moment and connect the Lord’s supper and the reason we worship through the bread and the cup. We are to remember. Remember the work of Christ on the cross and the value found in Him.
Remember,
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus Christ the second person of the Godhead equal in essence, nature, and person left His heavenly throne,
English Standard Version Chapter 2
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
put on flesh,
humbled himself, and
ultimately emptied himself so that we might enter the kingdom of heaven.
We ought to see great worth in the work of Christ.
Let’s roll back to this morning, Pastor Josh preached out of , let’s look specifically,
For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
Romans 5:7-
The Righteous died for the unrighteous.
God showed His love, by laying down His life.
The King of Kings died for the salvation of sinners.
Therefore, by the blood of the Christ, the Messiah repentant sinners are declared righteous in the sight of God and will be saved from the wrath of God.
For us to truly evaluate our estimation of the Kingdom let’s look at the Parable of the Hidden Treasure.
Do you see the value of the kingdom of heaven? For us to truly understand what it is worth we have to remember who Christ is and what he has done that we might be a part of the kingdom!
For us to truly evaluate our estimation of the Kingdom let’s look at the Parable of the Hidden Treasure.
The first point we need to see is,
I. The Kingdom of Heaven Described
I. The Kingdom of Heaven Described
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field
Jesus begins by comparing the kingdom to a treasure. But I think it will be helpul if we first see.....
a. The Kingdom of Heaven Defined
a. The Kingdom of Heaven Defined
Jesus tells this string of kingdom parables to help His disciples understand what the kingdom of heaven is like. This was not just an interest of the His disciples, but of all the Jews. The problem was the Jews had a flawed understanding of the kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus often taught on the kingdom to help correct the wrong beliefs the Jews had regarding the kingdom.
For example,
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
Luke 17:
In,
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
The apostle John also writes in,
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
Revelation
Jesus wanted his followers to have a right understanding of the kingdom of heaven and that is why here in the 13th Chapter of Matthew Jesus provides these parables that paint a picture of what the kingdom is like.
In verse 24 Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a man who sowed good seed in his field
In verse 31 the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
In verse 33 the kingdom of heaven is like leaven
In verse 44 the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field
In verse 45 the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls
In verse 47 the kingdom of heaven is like a net
Then after the string of parable in verse 51 Jesus asks,
Have you understood all these things?
Can you describe the kingdom of heaven? Can you give a definition of the kingdom of God? Let me lay out a few definitions.
Graeme Goldsworthy provides this definition of the Kingdom of God "God's people in God's place under God's rule."
If you are looking for short and succinct definition that is a good one. Goldsworthy defines who is in charge of the kingdom, God. Who is in the kingdom, God’s people, and the territory of God’s kingdom, His place....What is God’s place? Heaven is his throne and the earth is his footstool.
But if you are like me you may want a more robust definition.
John MacArthur explains, the kingdom of heaven, “is the realm over which Christ himself is the undisputed King of Kings and Lord of lords. It is the domain in which His lordship is even now fully operative...
“In other words, all who truly belong to the kingdom of heaven have formally yielded to Christ’s lordship. To enter into the kingdom, therefore is to enter into eternal life.”
In an effort to be able to provide a succinct definition of the kingdom of heaven,
Now we are getting somewhere. The kingdom of heaven is the entirety of Christ’s rule. The realm of heaven, earth, and time. Jesus Christ is the undisputed ruler, Sovereign, King, LORD, and Potentate over this domain.
Patrick Schreiner explains, “The kingdom is the King’s power over the King’s people in the King’s place”
Those who belong to this kingdom have submitted to Jesus Christ as Lord and have recieved eternal protection and an eternal inheritance from the Ruler of the kingdom.
Here is one more question we want to answer, does Scripture define the kingdom of heaven for us? YES
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
1 Chronicles 29:
So we have a couple definitions of the kingdom of heaven, a biblical proclamation of the kingdom of heaven, now let me give you our confession on the kingdom of heaven.
What then is our confession regarding the kingdom?
In Article IX the Kingdom, the Baptist Faith and Message states,
The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God's will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.
We as Pastors of Pray’s Mill would probably rewrite the phrase who willfully acknowledge Him as King, to something like men who by God’s will acknowledge him as King.
This phrasing would better align with the Scriptures, specifically,
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. [2]
After all of that,
Here is my attempt at defining, the Kingdom of heaven
It is God’s rule of His people, whom He has chosen, whom He has caused to be born again and who have believed in Him.
The King, has called his people out of the darkness of this current world into His marvelous light which He shines down from His heavenly throne. This light was made manifest in the incarnation of His Son our Lord Jesus Christ. After the work of Christ on the cross was complete and He ascended back to the right hand of the Father, He sent His Spirit to regenerate His people and illuminate His word that they might know Him.
As people under His sovereign rule, it is our duty and should be our desire to serve and worship our King until He returns to consummate His Kingdom and gather His church. At that time believers will experience the pure, unadulterated, unstained, undefiled, unfading inheritance the King has kept in heaven for you!
Now that we have a definition, proclamation and confession of the kingdom of heaven let’s look at Jesus’ description of the kingdom he gives in Matthew 13:44,
in the place they reside from the place He dwells, Heaven, the location of His throne.
Do we now have a good understanding of the Kingdom of Heaven? As Jesus tells this one verse parable He begins with the phrase Kingdom of Heaven again.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.
We all know what a treasure is, something of high value of great worth . In this verse it is used in the sense of “accumulated wealth in the form of money, jewels or other valuables.”
Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, something of more value than silver, gold, or jewels. But not just any treasure, a treasure hidden in a field.
During this time it was not uncommon that valuables such as coins or jewels were often buried in jars for safekeeping. We have often joke about people having money buried in mason jars in their backyard, but during the time of Jesus this was not all that uncommon. You have to consider they did not have the Bank of Jerusalem where they could go open a savings or checking account. Not only that, but their land was often raided and robbed so it was not uncommon for folks to bury their wealth to protect it from being taken if the enemy came.
Therefore, when someone wanted to save or protect money or treasure they would bury it somewhere to store for later, but primarily to ensure if they were attacked by an enemies’ armed forces their savings would not be stolen.
Listen to this account of Josephus the Jewish Historian,
“No small quantity of the riches that had been in that city were still found among it’s ruins; a great deal of which the Romans dug up: but the greatest part was discovered by those who were captives, and so they carried it away. I mean the gold, and the silver, and the rest of that most precious furniture which the Jews had, and which the owners had treasured up under ground, against uncertain fortunes of war.”
When Jesus would have opened this parable up with The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, the hearers would have known exactly what he was talking about. This practice would have been very familiar to them!
Here is what is important for us to see. The kingdom of heaven is of great worth, it is like a treasure. The kingdom is worth far more than you and I can imagine, there is no earthly wealth that can compare to the treasure of possessing the inheritance of the kingdom. When you find it is worth all that we have, it is worth protecting from the enemy and looking to the future when we will be able to enjoy the full benefit of its value!
Our bank account, our pension plan, our 401K, nor our family land compares to the value of of God’s kingdom of His promised reign, rule, and reward He has for his people.
Now that we have considered the kingdom of heaven described, we come to our second point of the parable,
II. The kingdom of heaven discovered.
II. The kingdom of heaven discovered.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.
The kingdom of heaven is not only like treasure, but treasure hidden. This means not everyone will find it, not everyone will see the value of the kingdom or even see the reality of the kingdom. This again is why we preach the kingdom.
This is why we are called to preach that there is a King who rules and reigns. There is a King whom we have rebelled against.
This is why we call people to confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord.
This is why we plead with people to believe in their heart God raised Him from the dead.
We desire that all people will believe and be justified, confess and be saved. Upon God granting the gift of repentance and faith and the sinners confession and belief in the saving work of Christ, they will be saved entering into the kingdom of Heaven!
Notice what happens when,
a. The treasure discovered
a. The treasure discovered
As we continue to walk through this verse Jesus moves from describing the Kingdom of Heaven as a hidden treasure to telling a story of a man who finds the treasure.
Now, consider first of all what the man is not doing. Jesus does not tell us the man was out seeking a treasure. The man was not a treasure hunter. Instead he looks to be a worker for a farmer or landowner who is out in the field working the field in some way or another. He could have be plowing, planting, or just digging for some purpose. However, he did not leave the house that morning thinking today is the day, I am going to find a treasure, become wealthy and retire.
Nope, he was out in the dirt, out working, doing what he does everyday when all of the sudden he broke the ground and the treasure was found.
Now, if you have ever plowed, harrowed, or planted crops in a field, it is usually pretty obvious when you hit something that ain’t supposed to be there. You will be running along with your tractor and all of the sudden your equipment will ride up out of the ground, or bounce up over the object, there will usually be a beating and framming noise. In other words it gets your attention, because many times if you have been working a field all day your mind is off in another place because you have been up and down the rows or around and round the field depending on what you are doing.
Granted this man would not have been running a John Deere 4230 with a 12 ft harrow. But, whatever piece of equipment he was using would have alerted him to the fact that he hit something odd. It may have bounced up over or hung up on the foreign object he had just run across or slammed into.
At that point I would imagine he would stop, put his equipment down, and get on his hands and knees to see what he had hit. Do you get the imagery? As he is raking the dirt back he sees this isn't a rock or a root, but a clay vessel, a jar of some type. As he continues to careful dig he finds the mouth of the jar and sees it is slam full of silver and gold!
What would the man do? Would he snatch it up and run? Would he fill his pockets and go blow this new found fortune? Would he gather it up and go and tell everyone what he had discovered?
None of the above. Once the treasure is discovered, Jesus explains...
b. The treasure is covered.
b. The treasure is covered.
Notice what the man didn’t do. He didn't just keep plowing, he didn’t just keep planting. Instead, he stopped working, and took time to evaluate what he had found.
He stopped to see what he had stumbled across. It didn’t take long from him to discover,
He had unearthed something of eternal value.
He had discovered something that could cover his debts.
He had found something that could free him from his financial burdens.
He had disturbed the earth and found something of eternal value.
Jesus says, the worker discovered this new found wealth, then he covered it up. I don’t know about you but, initially I thought this sounds a little shady. So the landowner has hired this man to work his field, he finds this great treasure and instead of notifying the man that may own it, he covers it back up....What do you all think? If one of you happen to be digging in my yard and find a jar of money, you better come tell me! As a matter of fact, I will be keeping my eye on anyone working in my yard from now on!
This is where again historical context is key. Believe is or not, the Jews had a law that covered this exact scenario. This again points to the genius of Jesus and his ability to tell parables that drove home the points he wanted his hearers to understand!
Here is an example of the Jewish law from An Encyclopedia of the Laws of Judaism regarding a hidden treasure being found.
[If] he found an object between the boards [at the doorway to the house], if the object was located from the door-jamb and outward, it belongs to [the finder]. If it was located from the door jamb and inward it belongs to the householder. If one found an object in a hole or new wall, if the object was located from the midpoint outward, it belongs to [the finder]. If the object was located from the midpoint inward [toward the inside of the house], it belongs to the householder....
Here is one more helpful note,
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke a. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (13:44)
under rabbinic law if a workman came on a treasure in a field and lifted it out, it would belong to his master, the field’s owner; but here the man is careful not to lift the treasure out till he has bought the field. So the parable deals with neither the legality nor the morality of the situation (as with the parable of the thief in the night) but with the value of the treasure, which is worth every sacrifice.
So Jesus is not telling us a parable of a rogue laborer who ran off with the landowners money, but of a man who knew the Jewish customs and laws. A worker who had just discovered great wealth and had all rights to cover it up. This man realized he had discovered a treasure that would change his life, cancel all his debts and ultimately cause him inexpressible joy!
Therefore he covered it up so that he might receive these riches the right way!
This brings us to the final point of this parable,
III. The kingdom of heaven secured.
III. The kingdom of heaven secured.
Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Therefore to you who believe
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Notice first,
a. The man finds joy in the new found treasure
Then in his joy he goes
He understands what he has found is of great worth. The man is filled with joy because of what he has discovered.
This joy we see in the man brought about by the discovery of the earthly treasure is again pointing us to the greater joy of finding the eternal treasure of the kingdom of heaven. The eternal life, and eternal inheritance which God has kept in heaven for His children.
As great as the treasure in this parable is, it is incomparable to the worth and joy brought on by the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The fact that wretched sinners like you and me can recieved entrance into the kingdom of heaven be ransomed from the kingdom of darkness by repenting of our sins and trusting in the person and work of the LORD Jesus Christ ought to bring us even greater joy.
Similar to the poor day laborer in the parable you and I are spiritually poor.
We are without hope and unable to purchase what we need to care for ourselves spiritually.
But God, put before us the treasure of the Gospel,
God opened our eyes to the depth of our depravity and the deep love the Father has for us in the cross of Christ.
By His Spirit He shows us our poverty and points us to the precious blood of His Son.
The man in the parable found joy in an earthly treasure,
All who repent and believe will find joy in the heavenly treasure.
What would you think of the man if he would have just walked away from the treasure? You would think he was a fool, wouldn’t you…How many people walk away from the gospel of the kingdom time after time refusing to receive the eternal treasure of the King?
Here is the deal, if you walk away from the gospel of the kingdom you are not only refusing to receive the treasure of heaven you are guaranteeing to take upon yourself the torment of the wrath of God in Hell.
You know we have a biblical illustration of a man who did just that?
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 19:16
This man who had it all asked Jesus, what must I do to gain eternal life? What must I do to enter the kingdom of heaven? What must I do to enjoy the eternal treasure in God’s kingdom?
Jesus, said just keep the law, all of them...
The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”
Matthew
The man that had it all did not get it. He thought he had earned it. He thought his external law keeping was good enough to enter the kingdom of heaven.
So,
Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Matthew
Now what would the man do? Would he find joy in Jesus’ answer? Would he rejoice because he had recognized the worth of the kingdom of heaven?
Unlike the man who found the hidden treasure notice what the rich young ruler does.
When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
He walked away from the kingdom because he had a greater love for his own possessions.
He refused to receive the gospel because he was unwilling to turn loose of his own goods.
He walked away sorrowful because he was unwilling to sell out for the Savior.
This is the exact opposite of the reaction of the man who found the hidden treasure. Notice his reaction,
b. The man sells out for the treasure
Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has
This man is so excited about the treasure he has discovered, he covered it up, and went and gathered up all that he had so that he might buy the field. He understood that the stuff that he had was not worth near what the hidden treasure he found was worth.
The junk he owned was
He understood that what he had stumbled across was of greater value than his house, his land, and his collection of goods. He knew that the treasure he had found was worth holding on to.
He saw the value of the treasure and was going to get rid of the junk he had so that he might gain what he had found.
How many of us have come to a point in our life when we realize we need something bad enough we will sell something that may be precious to us to gain it.
When Vickie and I got married our washer and dryer quit and of course we were broke and I knew I needed Vickie to wash my clothes. The only thing I had that was worth enough to get the money I needed for the washer and drier was ole Buddy, my roping horse. Needless to say I didn't go out in joy and sell my horse....He was the best horse I had ever owned, but as sad as it was I needed clothes cleaned worse than I needed old Buddy at that time.
This little example is no comparison to the treasure of the kingdom. Think about when people by God’s grace discover the gospel they are not just getting clean clothes they are getting clean heart! They are getting washed of all their guilt and shame. Sinners are receiving the greatest treasure of all escape from the wrath of God and entrance into the Kingdom of God!
Now what do you have that is worth more of your time, energy, and money than helping sinners hear the good news of the gospel of the Kingdom?
Let’s continue following the progression of the parable. Notice,
c. The man sacrifices to secure the treasure
Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field.
He has a yard sale for one purpose, to purchase the treasure. He gave up all that he had, that he might have something even greater.
As we come to the end remember Jesus’ point is not to motivate all of us to become treasure hunters. He is not trying to drive us to go and dig up our yards and fields in search of wealth.
Jesus is telling us the kingdom of heaven is like a hidden treasure that is of infinite worth. There is nothing we have on our land, in our homes, in our bank accounts, or in our wallets that is worth more than the kingdom of heaven. He illustrates this in this mans reaction to finding a hidden treasure.
He by God’s grace discovered the treasure
He carefully covered the treasure
He was filled with joy over the treasure
He liquidated his assets to purchase the treasure
He sacrificed all he had and secured the treasure.
He are a few questions for us to consider as we close.
Have you found the treasure of the Kingdom in Christ?
Do you recognise the inestimable worth of discovering the kingdom of heaven?
Are you and I holding on to something that we find of greater value than the kingdom of heaven? Are there things in our life that we ought to sell in order to rightly prioritize the kingdom in our life?
Maybe tonight, the Holy Spirit through this parable has caused you to see you are battling the indwelling the sin of selfishness which is keeping you from selling out for the mission of the Son of God.
J.C. Ryle exhorts us, "Go to the cross of Christ, all you that want to be delivered from the power of selfishness.”
There is only one thing for us to do to mortify the sin of selfishness, that is repent and run to the cross.
I pray at this time the words of Jesus are already ringing in your ears.
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
Matthew
Do you and I see that the things of this world are of little value compared to the salvation of our souls and entrance into the kingdom of heaven? Our problem is we keep stacking up goods on this earth that will one day melt like wax. Jesus warns us about this in,
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
What are we investing in? What do we treasure? Where are we storing up treasure on earth or in heaven? We can evaluate this by what we treasure.
Peter explains the value of the kingdom for those who submit to the lordship of Christ and believe in Him.
Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”
1 Peter 2:7
The New King James Version Chapter 2
7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious;
What or who do you find precious? What or who do you treasure. If we have recieved the gospel, been given the kingdom how much should we sacrifice to share this treasure with those who are still without this treasure?
I”ll leave us with one really practical application tonight. One of the greatest ways we can show that we treasure the kingdom of heaven is by investing in Christ’s church and the mission of His church of making disciples. As usual Paul Washer offers to pretty basic but straight to the heart of the matter application.
He said, missions is really simple, you only need three things.
A man or woman called by God.
A man or woman sent by God to the place God has called them.
Someone to support them where God has called them.
How are we doing as individual supporting the mission of God? How are we doing as a Church supporting sending and supporting those called by God? Are we holding on to things of this world that are keeping us form investing in the next? I bet when we honestly ask these questions and examine our lives we can all increase our valuation of the Kingdom of God!
Will you call out on the Lord Jesus tonight and ask him to reveal to you the things in your life that you may find more precious than Him and making Him known.