Treasure Worth Pursuing
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
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.
1. The Kingdom of God is a great treasure.
1. The Kingdom of God is a great treasure.
Rolex watches (prices vary widely depending on which Rolex it is) from a few thousand to 10’s of thousands of dollars.
Yet, there are a ton of knock off Rolex watches that simply do not hold up under a closer look.
Satan provides many counterfeit treasures to that of God’s kingdom. Yet, none of them hold up under the scrutiny.
Why is the Kingdom of God a great treasure?
a. Jesus has prepared the kingdom of God for us. ,
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
b. Jesus provides great peace for us in the kingdom of God.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
c. Jesus reserves the kingdom of God for only the repentant.
6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
There once was a rich man who was near death. He was very grieved because he had worked so hard for his money and he wanted to be able to take it with him to heaven. So he began to pray that he might be able to take some of his wealth with him.
An angel hears his plea and appears to him. "Sorry, but you can't take your wealth with you."
The man implores the angel to speak to God to see if He might bend the rules. The man continues to pray that his wealth could follow him. The angel reappears and informs the man that God has decided to allow him to take one suitcase with him. Overjoyed, the man gathers his largest suitcase and fills it with pure gold bars and places it beside his bed.
Soon afterward the man dies and shows up at the Gates of Heaven to greet St. Peter. St. Peter, seeing the suitcase says, "Hold on, you can't bring that in here!"
But, the man explains to St. Peter that he has permission and asks him to verify his story with the Lord. Sure enough, St. Peter checks and comes back saying, "You're right. You are allowed one suitcase, but I'm supposed to check its contents before letting it through."
St. Peter opens the suitcase to inspect the worldly items that the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaims, "You brought pavement?!!!"
The fact is one of the most valuable metals we have in our world, is used to discribe the very pavement in heaven. How great is a treasure is the Kingdom of God that even our own minds are unable to process the true value of reigning with Christ in his kingdom and his glory!
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
Not only is the kingdom of God a great treasure.
2. The Kingdom of God requires great sacrifice.
2. The Kingdom of God requires great sacrifice.
46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
the merchant sold everything he had for the pearl.
He wanted to possess the great pearl but it required a significant sacrifice. He had to give up everything.
There is a pearl called the Giga Pearl.
Illustration:
Giga Pearl-Show Picture
Weighs 61 pounds
According Gemological Institute of America it is the Worlds largest certified natural pearl!
Value is estimated to be as much as 90 million dollars.
A person’s household income was the US median of $75,800 a year. It would take 1,146.5 years to purchase the pearl.
The kingdom of God is far more valuable than that pearl. In order for us to be saved so we can experience the glories of God’s Kingdom, it required Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice.
But not only did it cost Jesus, it costs a great deal. We have to be willing to give up everything for the sake of following after Jesus.
You’ve heard of and maybe have even read Lewis Carroll’s book ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. At the vary least you have probably seen one of the movies whether animated or live action. In the prequel, THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS AND WHAT ALICE FOUND THERE, Alice walks through a mirror and ends up in a house that is a mirror image of her own, and has strange mirroring properties, so she has to learn to reorient herself. She finds she has to walk left when she wants to go right. Jabberwocky is written backwards, so Alice can only read it by holding it up to a mirror. Everything is backwards. To get to where you’re going, you have to walk in the other direction.
Alice is then invited into a chess game with a queen, with the promise that if she wins, she herself can be a queen. In the end, having won, she finds that power is unsatisfying and petty. It is an alternate reflection of what would actually make her happy. She’s gone in the wrong direction!
APPLICATION
Those are Jesus’ Kingdom instructions. If you want to get to life, you have to walk towards death. If you want to get to freedom, you have to walk towards powerlessness. If you want to get to eternity, you have to take up your cross.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Invitation
Have you found yourself in the wrong direction? Has your focus shifted from being focused on pursuing the Lord and his Kingdom work?