Worth Everything

[Title Slide]

I'll say, "bless the Lord," if you say, "Oh my soul."

Speaker: Bless the Lord

Congregation: Oh my soul

Speaker: Oh bless His holy name.

Good morning, my name is Eric Warren and I am the Student Pastor here at The Glade. And whether you are joining us here in person or perhaps your traveling for the holidays and joining us online, welcome and merry Christmas to all of you.

I invite you this morning to open with me to Matthew 13:44. That's where we will plant our flag today.

And as you find your way there consider this... littered throughout history are various figures who seem to push the bounds of sanity to achieve something truly great. It seems like the sporting world and high level competition are breeding grounds for this sort of all-in mentality.

Last year a documentary series was released entitled, "The Last Dance," which accounted the meteoric rise of the Chicago bulls in the late 80s and through the 90s lead by none other than the GOAT himself, Michael Jordan... come get me students... He is the GOAT.

But one of my favorite highlights of that series was after a recently retired Jordan returned to a Chicago bulls practice after hearing of an arrogant Corey Benjamin spouting off at the mouth saying that he could "easily" take Jordan one-on-one.

It wasn't too long that MJ shows up at the Bulls practice facility, geared up and ready to play.

Have you every been caught in a moment of IMMEDIATELY wanting to eat your words? If I'm Corey Benjamin right now, I'm heading to the team doctor and telling him I have a tight hamstring or a sprained ankle or something.

But what proceeds from that moment is a systematic dismantling of this young man in front of the entire team on behalf of the retired Jordan.

People are familiar with names like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Hank Aaron, Tom Brady, but another that you may or may not be familiar with is Steve Prefontaine. [Slide]

A favorite sports figure of mine, which may be a bit ironic because he was a runner, and he was very fast... and I am very not fast...

But if you dig through this man's life you see the soul of an unquestioned competitor. A man known for saying things like:

[Slide]

"Somebody may beat me, but they're going to have to bleed to do it."

Or

"It's not who's the best. It's who can take the most pain."

In a sport that involves a great bit of strategy, placement, drafting, Pre was known as a wire-to-wire front runner because he wanted to leave no doubt in anyone's mind who was the best.

What do people like this have in common? What drives these people to lay their souls bare for a singular goal in mind?

I'd argue that each of these guys or countless others who achieved seemingly impossible feats had such a clear picture of glory in their heads that it only seemed logical to lay everything on the line for the sake of what they knew to be future realities.

For Tiger Woods, the countless hours on the range were an obvious and necessary payment because in his brain he knew that lied ahead. For Peyton Manning, the grueling study, going over game film for days on end was an obvious sacrifice because the glory that lay ahead.

Jesus taught on something similar... not selfish gain or personal glory, but catching a glimpse of something so truly glorious and captivating that it is a no-brainer to throw your entire self at it.

I invite you if you're able to stand with me in honor of God's Word and after the reading you will see an opportunity for a bit of call and response:

Matthew 13:44–46 (CSB)

THE PARABLES OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE AND OF THE PRICELESS PEARL

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.

Speaker: The grass withers, the flower fades

Congregation: But the Word of the Lord endures forever

Be seated.

Beloved, there is much that we could dive into, but the main point of the text as we study today is this...

Main Point: The Kingdom of God is worth everything.

Right? If you walked out of here thinking one single thing about what God's Word says out of this portion of Matthew 13 it is exactly that. The Kingdom of God is worth EVERYTHING.

It may seem simplistic. You may roll your eyes and say, "Eric, that's a lesson for the little kids."

But how often is it when the life squeezes in on us all that we would do well to remember the sweet and simple, but incredibly weighty truths that we find God's inspired Word.

It is often the seemingly simple that end up being the most profound, right? That's embodied throughout this entire chapter. Jesus frequently taught in the form of parables.

These commonly worded illustrations took steps away from the deep theological language of the pharisees and revealed God's life-giving truths to everyday men and women. Farmers, merchants, common folk. Which speaks something sweet in and of itself that God desires His truth to be known. And while His truth is rich, and vast, and the most intelligent people on this earth could spend their entire lives plumbing the depths of His glory, all of us will eventually hit a point of mystery.

But God desires to reveal His truth. And we see that on display here.

We see as we open up v.44, the kingdom of God is like a treasure.

This isn't just finding a $20 on the sidewalk, but we see by the proceeding action that this is a treasure worth everything, right? And this comparison is meant to describe the value of living in and under the reign of God.

That's what it means to be in a kingdom, right? You have a ruler, and those who are ruled.

And like so many children's stories and countless historic and modern day showings, we have at least some familiarity in our heads of what a kingdom is like.

We might imagine a benevolent king. We might imagine someone grabbing for power. We might imagine someone young and unfit. A young Simba if you will...

"I'm gonna be the main event like no king was before

I'm brushing up on looking down, I'm working on my roar"

But in this instance, what Jesus is painting out for us is not that being a part of God's Kingdom is for the King's selfish gain, but being a part of God's Kingdom is of insurmountable value, for you and me.

Why? Because a life with God under His reign and rule is not like what you and I would think of in a worldly sense.

It's not bending the knee to a corrupt, power-hungry megalomaniac. But what you and I are invited into in the Kingdom of God is a complete purge of any barrier between you and unfettered joy, purpose, love and total fulfillment.

Every longing that you have in this world finds its satisfaction in Him. Every heartache and pain becomes untrue. And when you throw yourself at this benevolent King, he does not spurn you. He does not turn you away, but cloaks you in his own righteousness.

The value of having God rule on your behalf is indescribable. It is a great treasure.

He is all-powerful. He is all-knowing. And he bids you to draw near.

That is why we celebrate. That is why we celebrate as we did yesterday, and hopefully in all the days ahead. The Christmas story does not end in the manger.

We're not a bunch of Ricky Bobby's running around, praying to a 6lb 8oz baby Jesus.

But we said a couple of weeks ago that Christmas is a prelude to Easter. We celebrate and worship the coming of our King because He has come poignantly. He's come with purpose. He's come to rescue sinners like you and me because that brings God glory.

He could have come in fullness of His might. A King on a warpath, and Beloved He will return in such a way, but for now, every day is grace so that we might come to know and love Him more.

I was part of a campus ministry in Knoxville that afforded myself and others opportunity to enter into local high schools and build relationships, all for the purposes of bearing the light and hope of Jesus into an otherwise dark and grim environment.

I don't know what your experience or memory of high school is, but to speak frankly these places can often be so spiritually dark, and hard. It was in such an environment that I got to see leaders in this ministry step up and share Jesus to students who likely otherwise would have nothing to do with Him.

You had many who were like myself, college-aged, young, energetic. But there were some who were older, and having a heart for this ministry continued their efforts well into adulthood. A favorite memory of mine was getting to witness a young mom, passionate about seeing high school students know and love Jesus bringing her infant child to the cafeteria one day. We're hanging around with students and in the midst of such darkness and hurt, the hardest of hearts were drawn in at the sight of this little baby.

Kids who were otherwise angry, bitter, and lost, drawn in and reduced to baby talk with smiles on their faces.

Beloved, that is exactly how God has engaged with us! While what we deserve is this rightful King exacting His just judgement on us all, what we are given instead is the God-man, coming to this earth, in full humility as helpless babe to live the life we could not live and to die the death that we deserve so that in Him we might be made the righteousness of God.

A life with God, a life in His Kingdom is of insurmountable value, but beloved more simply put, gaining the kingdom is a good deal.

I don't mean that in any callous sense as if to say that you can bargain your way into God's favor, but beloved left to our own devices, left to these sinful hands you and I have an uncanny ability to make shipwreck of things. Right?

But what you and I have been given in return. Is a great treasure.

One that is worth everything. Right?

Play out the word pictures here. A man discovers a treasure in a field. A merchant discovers a priceless pearl and in each case the men go and bank everything they have on what they discvoered.

Not begrudgingly. Not because someone haggled them. Not because someone twisted their arm. But read again v.44, a man unearths a great treasure and immediately look at his response... "in His joy... he goes and sells everything he has."

The Kingdom is worth everything, right?

The kingdom of God is so valuable that losing everything on earth but getting the kingdom is a good deal.

Losing everything else in life -- including life itself is a happy trade off -- a joyful sacrifice.

If it costs you everything to have the kingdom... it's a good deal.

What inspires the athlete to bring their body and skill under such discipline? What drives the student to spend countless hours in study to achieve their goals? It's a foretaste of a known reality... It's knowing the surpassing value of what lies ahead.

Paul would say in Philippians

Philippians 3:7–9 (CSB)

7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.

Translation... it's a no brainer...

If I have to sacrifice everything and I mean everything for Christ, then it is a good deal.

God is not trying to swindle you. It's not in his nature to deal shrewdly with you, to pull the wool over your eyes. The promise that has been extended to you, namely that the God of the cosmos would look upon you and me and say I will be their God and they will be my people. That reality is worth banking our whole lives on. IT. IS. WORTH. EVERYTHING.

It's a no brainer and yet all of this escapes so many.

Matthew 19:16–22 (CSB)

THE RICH YOUNG RULER

16 Just then someone came up and asked him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”

17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” he said to him. “There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

18 “Which ones?” he asked him.

Jesus answered: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; 19 honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.,

20 “I have kept all these,” the young man told him. “What do I still lack?”

21 “If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 When the young man heard that, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

You and I have the benefit of hindsight in all of this. If you've heard this story before you want to take this young ruler by the shoulders and shake some sense into him.

But beloved turn that impulse on yourself. What would it look like in the days ahead to live life like these parables?

When you are tempted to hedge your bets, to shrink back away from the depths that God is leading you to, instead you plunge yourself headlong into the Kingdom.

When you ask yourself, is it worth it to go on that mission trip? Is it worth the sacrifice? Is it worth it to give that much? Brothers and sisters I hope that you see out of our text today that the answer is a resounding, echoing, and all-assuring, 'yes!'

Conclusion

The language of the parable is appropriate. I'm asking you, what do you treasure? What do you value? What do you love?

I had a student pass through the high school recently. Once upon a time I walk past him in the student building and I see him looking at what seems to be a live boxscore of a ball game. It looks like a live gamecast of a number of Braves games that I track through my phone so I ask him, you following a baseball game?

He turns back and says, "No, its the Wilson Central softball game."

You see, this young man was (and still is) in a dating relationship with a young lady who plays softball for the local high school and for me in that moment it painted such a clear pictures of what our love and affections do to us.

It captivates us. It changes us. I don't believe this young man was in the habit of tracking Wilson Central softball before he began dating this young lady but he was so overwhelmed with his affection for her that he took interest in the things that interested her. He was passionate about the things she was passionate about. And it brought him such JOY to see her thrive.

Beloved we see from God himself and we read in His Word that it brings Him great joy to lavish you with the Kingdom.

Luke 12:32 (CSB)

32 Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom.

How do we know this? How can we know that this is true? Because from manger to Calvary and into the reaches of eternity GOD. DID. NOT. WITHHOLD. HIS. BEST. FROM. YOU.

In your greatest moment of need God gave you himself. That is the beauty of Christmas. That is the good news of the gospel. Not that you can get to God. But God, in his grace and mercy has come to you.

Brothers and sisters. The Words of John the Baptist still echo to this day.

Behold, the lamb of God., who takes away the sin of the world.

This is good news. This is worth going all in on. This is worth everything.

The parable doesn't mix words. News of this Kingdom illicits joy. But it was never meant to be a joy that we keep to ourselves

Hoarded is a terrible thing. Hoarded joy rots. But Shared joy, multiplies.

So as we look to the year ahead, let's treasure Christ together.

Let's be about the Father's business and be ambassadors unto His cause, to share news of good tidings and great joy found only in Christ.

Beloved you were made for this. You were made for Christmas. You were made for Him.

[Let's Pray]