Treasure and Pearls

ANNNOUNCEMENTS

Mission SD 2021—Sign-up

Rummage Sale $3877

Coffee Bar on Sunday

_____________________________

Lord, here we go again!

Pray.

Think myself empty.

Read myself full.

Write myself clear.

Pray myself haught.

Be myself.

Forget myself.

Lord, let this message be a beacon for you. Let me be forgotten and invisible. Let them see and know you, only you. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14

________________________________________________________________________________

The gospel is the good news that God, the loving Creator, sovereign King, and holy Judge of all, has looked upon men and women wonderfully and uniquely made in His image who have rebelled against Him, are separated from Him, and deserve death before Him, and He has sent His Son, Jesus, God in the flesh, the long-awaited King, to live a perfect and powerful life, to die a sacrificial and substitutionary death, and to rise from the grave in victory over sin, Satan, and death. The gospel is a summons from God for all people in all nations to repent and believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, turning from all idols to declare allegiance to Jesus alone as King and trust in Jesus alone as Lord. All who turn from Jesus will experience everlasting, horrifying suffering in hell, while all who trust in Jesus will experience everlasting, satisfying communion with God in heaven. (Secret Church 2020, David Platt, Radical.net)

For now, Jesus remains in heaven, changing the world one person at a time, but one day he will return and judge the world in righteousness. He will remove from this world all sin and all causes of sin and he will restore the cosmos to a state of peace, prosperity and flourishing and all those who have received him as their Lord and Savior will participate in his rule and enjoy his goodness forever.

_____________________________________________________

PRAY

_____________________________________________________

EACH WEEK:

A parable is a simple story that explains a spiritual truth.

Cup Game round 1

Cup Game round 2 $5

Work harder for the reward

I started out with this question last week. Have you ever lost something that meant something special to you? Talking about an object?

What was it??

It should be brought out that happiness is a feeling of euphoria which is often sought while biblical joy is experienced even during moments of suffering and hardship (Heb. 12:2; Jam. 1:2).

What was the man doing in the field in the first place?

a. Some commentators assume that the man must have been a day laborer and was in the field plowing it. For others, this is an unlikely scenario since a day laborer would normally not have the means to buy the field. These commentators suggest that the man was simply walking through the field when he happened to observe something in the ground that had not been noticed before.

He sells everything he owns to buy this field

This had to look crazy to his family, friends, even the neighbors

Useless field

2. Whether he was traveling through the field or was working it, did he act ethically?

a. It seems that he did not. Upon discovering it, he should have notified the owner of the field. But the man's morality is not an issue for the story. Jesus' focus is completely on the extent to which the man will go to in order to obtain what is truly valuable. His questionable actions are part of Jesus' style to tell stories with exaggerated figures and provocative acting characters. Now have someone read Matthew 13:45-46. This parable is also only found in the Gospel of Matthew. Explain to the learners that the Greek word that is translated "merchant" in most Bibles points to a wholesale dealer, one that goes from city to city, rather than a retail dealer that operates a shop in the marketplace. Pearls were considered one of the most precious goods during this period. Some individuals even valued them higher than gold. They mainly originated from the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.

3. How is the merchant's discovery different from the discovery of the hidden treasure?

a. In the first parable the man accidentally finds a treasure while in this parable the merchant is at least looking for fine pearls.

b. There is also no specific reference to the merchant experiencing joy, though his actions suggest he might have.

c. Another difference is that the merchant bought something that was equivalent to all that he owned, in the hopes that when he sells it he will make enough of a profit to make up his loss. The man buys a field that is worth equivalent to all that he owns. But he does so knowing that the treasure in the field will increase his wealth. The response of the merchant to such a valuable pearl is overwhelming. He went and sold all his possessions (and by this Matthew does not mean just his stock of pearls).

Jesus is talking to the DISCIPLES.

It is addressed to the disciples (13:36), people who have already discovered the kingdom.

What are the main symbols?

THE HIDDEN TREASURE

THE VALUABLE PEARL

The making of a pearl:

calloused

The main symbols are one man who discovers a hidden treasure and another who discovers a valuable pearl. The actual treasure and pearl are merely incidental. You may want to remind the learners of a point that was made in a previous lesson. The introductory formula "The kingdom of heaven is like" is not always setting up direct comparisons between God's kingdom and some earth object but rather the entire experience that is described. Jesus' point is not that the kingdom of God is like a hidden treasure or that it is like a valuable pearl. His point is that discovery of the kingdom is similar to a person's discovery of something valuable (no matter what it is). The parable doesn't directly point us to a truth about how God behaves within his kingdom but how a person who values the kingdom does.

What main lessons do both parables convey?

Jesus is calling for a COMMITMENT that will risk losing EVERYTHING without hesitation.

Since both men sell all that they have to obtain what is valuable, Jesus is calling for a commitment that will risk losing everything without hesitation.

We should experience JOY when we discover the salvation God offers.

You can only gain the kingdom of God as a GIFT not intentionally and with strategy.

For the parable of the hidden treasure - one can only gain the kingdom of God as a gift, not intentionally and with strategy. For the parable of the valuable pearl - one discovers it unexpectedly (since all the man was looking for was fine pearls, not just a single extraordinary one).

You discover it UNEXPECTEDLY.

We should be willing to ­­SACRIFICE anything to gain the kingdom of God.

How does this fit in with the gospel message?