Parables of the Treasures

Parables of the Treasures

God is always at work in our lives – we love to hear from you.

Let’s pray: Father, thank You for saving and protecting Jemma and for that being a testimony to all of us. We head off every day not knowing what is ahead of us – but You are for us. We are invincible until You say it’s time. Whether by life or by death, You are glorified through us. You who began a good work will finish it – finish what You’ve started. Teach us more as we get into Your word. Help us to be learners – to walk with You and experience Your blessings.

Monday, Oct. 19, at 9 am in the morning – you are sitting at your desk – it is 1987. – what do you do? SELL!

The stock market will experience its greatest loss in history – 500 Billion dollars – greatest loss in history.

My dad, back then – we had just had our third child – when the kids were born – he would take 2 grand and put them in mutual funds. 82 and 84 – when Michael and Johnny were born – those just exploded. The stock market crashed – and on that Tuesday – he made a decision – out of fear, anxiety and stress – sold them all and put them in bank accounts. Probably not the wisest decisions – but with those mutual funds, had he not sold them, they probably could have gone to Harvard for free.

If you knew what you were doing – if you were wise – you would have taken every bit of cash you could find on that Tuesday, and invested in Microsoft. You would be a rich person.

We have been looking at the beatitudes – then the Sermon on the Mount – and today we are looking at how to invest in the most valuable thing – the Kingdom of God. The value of that Microsoft stock pales in comparison to the Kingdom of God.

Matt. 13: 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Twin parables – even though the characters are different, Jesus is teaching the same lesson. He is emphasizing the point. So …

There are similarities – first, both stories – something of great value – something of supreme value is found, first, a great treasure – in the second – it is a pearl. In both stories, decisive action is taken to acquire that which is supreme value. Third – they go and sell all that they have - not only decisive, but what is a significant sacrifice to get what is of extreme value.

Picture – your husband comes home from work – and has found something of great value – a car of great value – Honey, we are selling all that we have – so we can buy this one thing. Honey would probably have a fit! That is not an easy step! Think of the neighbors!

That is exactly what they did.

In these stories, the pearl and the treasure are pictures of the Kingdom of God. To participate in the kingdom – requires us to take decisive action and sacrifice.

What do you think when you read this? This is what pops into my mind: This guy is deceptive, tricky, and a crook!

If the Brinks truck goes by and dumps a bag of money – and we grab it – we would be a criminal! Again, with Jesus – it is important to understand – you can dig all you want, and most likely, you won’t find a hidden treasure. But the reality is – in this time, there were so many wars and changing of hands – people would bury their treasure – and the person who buried it might get captured and no one would know about it. This guy was probably a field-hand. He finds this treasure – and in that day – possession was 10/10ths of the law! So whoever owned that field – that is who it belonged to. The owner did not know it was there. The field had probably changed hands many times. The person who owned it would never have sold it.

This is kind of like going into a used furniture store – and buying a chest and later discovering a copy of the constitution taped to the back of a drawer. No one would think anything of that.

The pearl – this guy is a professional investor! He knows the market – he has done his due diligence – he happens to come across a pearl of extreme value. Pearls would have been more valuable than gold! You don’t see pearls mentioned much in the Old Testament – so they arrived in that area between the Testaments.

In each, the person recognized that what has been found is of overwhelming value to anything else they have ever seen or experienced in their lives.

Second – they recognized that the window of opportunity to acquire this treasure was very small. If the guy left the treasure in the ground – someone would have figured it out. If the guy hunting the pearl did not go immediately, someone else would have beat him to it. Third, they took decisive action.

Three lessons – what is different?

The first guy wasn’t looking for anything – he was going about his business and good fortune – lucky – a chance encounter – a complete surprise.

The second guy is a seeker – he is looking – trying to discover something of value. He is looking for the truth – and in his looking for value, he comes across something of supreme value – still a surprise and something of great fortune – and as we look at our own lives – we all come to this kingdom differently. You were not looking for God – whatever it was – going about your business and one day you found this treasure. You are brought up in a church – it is part of your life to gain this treasure. But this is not what really matters – what really matters is what you do when you find it. Whether you came to God through seeking or through the ‘luck of the draw -- God just dropping this in your lap’ – the focus is on this treasure or gift that is given in Jesus Christ. That is what the treasure is. The opportunity to be engaged in this relationship with Christ. What do you do? How do you respond? When you recognize the value of it – recognize that the window is small to take action.

For many of us – we are this church – we hear about it – and we think that this participation and acquiring the kingdom can come through osmosis. Whatever your circumstances – you need at some point in your life – where decisive action is taken to acquire what has been found.

The second lesson is this:

It relates more to what we keep – what keeps us from really acquiring this kingdom.

Matt. 19: 16 And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” 17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; 19 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

Here is a guy who is seeking. He wants to know – what do I need to do to possess this? It is interesting what Jesus does here. It is important to understand – we cannot over-analyze these passages – in that you can’t buy the kingdom of God. Jesus is saying it is so valuable that you can’t have anything in life keep you from experiencing it. Sometimes it is deeply held religious beliefs that keep people from experiencing God. This guy was a law man – he followed them all – but it was one of the thing preventing him from coming to Christ. We see things like this all the time – call it political correctness or whatever – people unwilling to say that He is the only way to God. Some of these pastors get on national shows and are AFRAID to proclaim the truth (Not Billy Graham or Rick Warren) – No one comes to the father except through Christ.

Second – this guy’s possessions were keeping him from Christ. This relates to us today. The things we own. If you don’t know Christ, I am not saying that you need to go sell your home before coming to Christ – but for some, their possessions are more important to them than Christ.

I was listening on the radio – I heard about a survey – (Who do they call? 1000 people who somehow speak for me?) In voting this year – the majority said that they would vote for someone based on the economy and healthcare than on values.

Jesus said there is one thing you lack in your life that is keeping you from me…

What I have discovered, there is usually one thing that keeps us from coming or following. You need to deal with that one thing in your life. When God wants you to do something – and it is clear that He is asking you to do something – usually, you need to set something aside. There is something that you are holding onto that is keeping you from experiencing what God wants you to experience.

Matt. 19: 27 Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” 28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. 30 “But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.

The disciples left everything – houses – farms – I think, security. Security – that sense of things being taken care of – things will be okay. That gets in the way. Father, brothers, children, wife – Relationships can keep us from Christ – keep us from following Him wholly.

Ferguson Sinclair – the family is a key issue. There are two problems – neglect and commitment to the family. In 1960 – 17.5% of households did not have a father. Today it is over 40%. You know – there is that aspect – and as Christians, we need to speak of the importance of the family and to have the family work as God would want it to work. But at times, the family has become an idol and has become more important than God. We need to watch both ends of that.

The third and final lesson –

Phil. 3: 7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ…

What do I need to give up? What am I holding onto? The key is understanding the value of what has been found. Understanding the value of Christ.

The guy who found the treasure could never have earned enough in his lifetime – so was there a sacrifice? Not really – he was gaining something of far greater worth. In light of the surpassing greatness of Christ – if we can recognize what is keeping us from truly experiencing Christ – participating in His kingdom – it would not be a sacrifice – to release this would be small in comparison to the value of coming to Christ.

Lord, we give You thanks – and we ask You, help us to understand what a treasure we have received in You. To maintain that – to be a part of the kingdom is, without question, worth anything else we could give up – or let go of – figuratively or literally. In Your name we pray.