A Great Deal
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 14 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Behold our God
Better is one Day
Announcement: In two weeks from today, we will be having a Christmas party here at the church.
Wed 22nd at our normal time
Ugly sweater contest
$5 white elephant gift exchange
If you have your Bibles, please turn to Matthew 13:44. As you turn there, let me remind you of the thrust of these chapters in Matthew
People are offended by Jesus
They want to kill Jesus
Jesus is concealing his message in parables
Over the course of Chapter 13, Jesus has been teaching about the kingdom of heaven through parables
In the parable of the sower, Jesus taught us that not everyone who hears the word gospel will in fact be saved by the gospel
In the parable of the weeds, Jesus taught us that his people will exist in the world together with those who belong to the devil
In the parable of the mustard seed and the leaven, Jesus showed us how his rule and reign that started off small will one day grow to fill the earth and be a shelter for all those who come to him
This week we come to the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. In these parables, Jesus taught that his kingdom is far more valuable than anything else we can possess.
As we hear these parables, let’s stand together for the reading of God’s word.
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.
Let’s pray.
I love a good deal… I’m a sucker for a bargain.
BOGO
Black Friday
You name it… If there is a deal for something I would normally buy, I’m all about it.
I have an example of a bargain even tonight for one of you…
But for the sake of the illustration, I need a volunteer who has one dollar…
We are going to make a trade…
Tonights parables are both about a about a great deal… a far better deal than what was made
In both parables, we are told about a man who finds something of greater value than all he has…
He seeks something of great value
He find something of great value
He sells out for that item of great value
And then he obtains the treasure of great value
Both parables are incredibly similar, so for the sake of simplicity, I will primarily use the parable of the pearl of great price.
Consider this parable:
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
1. The kingdom of heaven is worth searching for.
1. The kingdom of heaven is worth searching for.
In both of tonights parables, a man is looking for something of great value… be it a hidden treasure, or a pearls that are quite valuable.
Now consider for a moment such things that hold great value… most good things are not obtained by accident. Rather a good thing is searched for with great effort, and with great patience.
Consider what it would have been like finding this hidden treasure in a field…
People stumble upon treasures from time to time. But the most successful treasure hunters search for it diligently, and they work hard to find it…
Digging holes, turning over every stone… they are in search everywhere for something of great value.
Here’s the thing… treasure hunters often are unaware what it is that they are searching for… But whatever it is, they are searching for something that has great value. They are not interested in rocks or dirt. They are after treasure that is wroth their work.
Other times, we know exactly what it is that we are after… we are searching for fine pearls… we don’t know where the pearls are… the might be in the market, they might even be in a different city… but regardless of where it is, we are on the hunt for these fine pearls…
So it is of us. we must learn to look for that which is worth looking for. And every one of us is looking for something, be it fame, happiness, or success. We all desire something… but we should make sure that what it is that we are looking for is actually worth our efforts.
People make it their goal to get rich… they will spend their whole life in the pursuit of riches. But by the end of their life, they find out that their riches did not satisfy them.
Others may make it their goal to find love… and so they search and search for someone that will love them like they deserve. But even after they find prince charming, they find out that even he is less charming than he looked at first.
Others are on the hunt for peace… and so they become like monks doing all that they can to be rid of their worry and their problems. But even in the middle of the wilderness without the worries of the world… even the most dedicated monk will find worry creeping into his monastery.
We are all searching for something… but the question we should consider is this: Are we even looking for the right thing? Are we searching for treasure and pearls, or are we in fact looking for dirt and rocks? Listen, there is a kind of discontentment each of us should feel… we should be discontent to settle for the kingdoms of this world. Fame fortune are cheap counterfeits to the riches of the kingdom of heaven.
We need to learn what it means to search for fine pearls. We need to learn to have an eye that can identify counterfeit pearls. And we need to learn to have the discipline and patiences to continue our search.
Some of us are far to easily content with dirt, and cheap pearls…
C.S. Lewis said it well:
We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
Learn this: the world has nothing to offer you that is worth searching for.
This becomes abundantly clear in the next part of the parable.
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.
2. The kingdom of heaven is worth far more than all other treasures.
2. The kingdom of heaven is worth far more than all other treasures.
After searching for the treasure and the fine pearls, the seeker finds that which they were searching for… they find a that which is so valuable, that they are willing to sell everything else so that they might purchase that which they were looking for.
When the pearl collector finds the pearl of great price, he knows that he has found what he has been searching for. He has found a pearl that no other pearl can possibly come close to comparing to.
So it is of the kingdom of heaven… it is a treasure, that all of earths treasures fall short of measuring up to. Every American is is on the pursuit of
Life
Liberty
Happiness
True? Isn’t is that we want to have a rich and full life… unbound by any limits, and unrestrained by any sadness or worry…
Certainly these these are treasures that are worth searching for. But where can they be found in the world?
Some think being an American gives us these things… And it’s true to an extent, that here in America we have life liberty and happiness… but those treasures have their limits even in America.
Life - Americans still die
Liberty - Americans are still bound by responsibilities and laws
Happiness - Have any of you longed for a vacation lately?
But let’s consider what it is life for those who find the pearl of great price…
Life - Those who find the pearl of great price receive with it eternal life! There isn’t any spring of life in this world that can offer such a wonderful promise
Liberty - Those who find the pearl of great price are liberated from the bondage of sin… we will actually get to do what we want! We will get to serve and worship God forevermore!
Happiness - And happiness is the culmination of life and liberty in the heart of the person that obtains this pearl. One can truly be happy when they have obtained the treasure that they have been looking for!
So upon finding such a valuable treasure, the merchant and treasure hunter then goes on to sell out to obtain the that treasure.
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.
How valuable is this kingdom? Well it’s worth so much that loosing everything else in order to obtain it is done with joy!
These finders sold their land, their homes. They sold all their livestock, and all the other possessions that they had.
For the pearl merchant, he took all the other ordinary pearls that he had obtained over the years, and he sold them all… they were precious and valuable, but in comparison the the pearl of great price, they were nothing more than a bunch of common stones.
But some might say, well isn’t salvation free? Oh it certainly is. You don’t need to buy it, and you certainly cannot earn it. But none the less, it will still come at a great cost.
For one, you will need to sell your own righteousness… If you are dependent upon your own righteousness in order for your salvation, well then you won’t be able to obtain the pearl of great price. So you are going to to need to stop looking at your righteousness as if it has any value for salvation. But your righteousness never had much value anyway. Even our best efforts to be without sin amounts to nothing more than filthy rags and rubbish. So trade your righteousness so that you might obtain a greater righteousness than you had before.
But that’s not the only thing you are going to have to sell. The you are going to have to sell your old ways as well. You won’t be able to keep the old sins that once brought you joy. You will need to sell them all so that you might obtain the new treasure that will bring you everlasting joy and satisfaction. So put of the old self so that you might be able to obtain the land with the hidden treasure.
And what else can you sell? Well you may need to sell your pride. There’s nothing you have left to boast in, so that will need to go. And it may even cost you some your friends as well. And for some, you may even loose your life. But don’t worry about the loss that you might experience, for you will gain 100 times more than what you lost. Consider how Paul felt after having found Christ.
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
After the disciples had left all that they had, Jesus comforted them with these words.
28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
These searchers who found these immeasurable treasure sold all that they had. And there is no regret about selling their positions… Even the most extravagant sacrifice is hardly a sacrifice when we compare it to what we have to gain in Christ.
Listen again to the parables
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.
3. The kingdom of heaven is worth obtaining no matter the cost.
3. The kingdom of heaven is worth obtaining no matter the cost.
Consider what would happen if the merchant did not purchase the pearl?
Or what would happen if the man buried the treasure and then just walked away from it?
He would not have obtained what he had found
And furthermore, the opportunity to possess the pearl or treasure may never have come up again.
With some purchases, we like to wait and think about the cost and benefit before we make the decision to buy.
When I bought my van, i test drove it, had it inspected, and then slept on it before I made a decision to buy it.
in that time it could have been bought by someone else, but that would have been okay because there are always other vans to buy
When I bought my house I did the same thing. I toured the house, and had it inspected, and then let a day pass before I made a decision.
Again, it could have been sold in that time, but there would be other houses and other opportunities.
Such was not the case for those who have found the treasure or the pearl. When they found the treasure and the pearl, there was no need to deliberate or to think about obtaining their treasure.
So it is of obtaining the kingdom of heaven. Here is the offer that is given to each of us. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.
Some go on days, months, even years deliberating on whether or not to put their faith in Christ.
But let me compare it to this… you have a disease that is spreading in your body, and if you do not take action against it you will die. It has a cost… you will undergo a painful operation… but without the operation you will suffer a far more painful death. Is any consideration needed? Absolutely not. The surgery may not be pleasant, but it will save your life. Do the surgery now before it is too late!
So it is of the offer of salvation that comes to us. We have this pearl, this hidden treasure that we have found in Jesus Christ. We certainly out to seek him out. We had better make sure he will give us all that he promises. But once you have found him, do not deliberate on wether or not you should follow him.
So hear is the call for us tonight. Do not put of obtaining Christ…
