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[0:00] We can begin our service singing from Psalm 34. Psalm 34, verse 8, singing to verse 13.

[0:15] O taste and see that God is good, who trusts in him is blessed. Fear God his saints, none that in fear shall be with want oppressed.

[0:26] The lions young may hungry be, and they may lack their food, but they that truly seek the Lord shall not lack any good. O children, hither do ye come, and unto me give ear.

[0:40] I shall ye teach to understand how ye the Lord should fear. What man is he that life desires, to see good who'd live long?

[0:51] Thy lips refrain from speaking guile, and from ill words thy tongue. We'll sing these four stanzas to God's praise.

[1:01] O taste and see that God is good. O taste and see that God is good, who trusts in him is blessed.

[1:23] O taste and see that God is good, who trusts in him is blessed. O taste and see that God is good, and he may be with want oppressed.

[1:38] O taste and see that God is good, and he may be with want oppressed. O taste and see that God is good, and he may be with want oppressed.

[1:54] O taste and see that God is great, and he may 먹어, and he may lose sight. O taste and see that God is would see that God is good, and He may have gegarked you with want oppressed. O taste and see that God is good, and he may be with wantydi'l, and he may be with want oppressed.в Let me know anything else.

[2:06] O taste and see that God is good, and he may be with us. For children have come, I don't do me in the earth.

[2:30] I shall preach to understand how dear the Lord could hear.

[2:46] What man did see that I designed to seek the Lord's love?

[3:03] Thy liberty, the Lord's speaking, I am proud, with words like John.

[3:22] Let us join together in prayer. Let us pray. O Lord, our God, we give thanks that we can come to worship, and that we do so in company with these same who have the desire to worship the only living and true God.

[3:46] May our worship be blessed to us. May, above all else, it be the means by which we glorify the name of our God.

[3:59] We thank you and we bless you for the opportunity to meet us. We do, always conscious that it would take very little for us not to be able to attend, whether it is our own individual providence or the circumstances that affect us as a congregation or as a community.

[4:30] In recent days, we found very quickly how the doors to God's house, rightly or wrongly, were shut to us, and the opportunity to gather publicly was denied.

[4:46] And we acknowledge the lessons that are to be learned from past experience, that we are taught how truly precious the gathering together in the name of God is, and that you counsel us, and that you counsel us in your word, not to forsake such, not to allow ourselves to be guilty of fulfilling our obligations to our God, to meet in your name, but most importantly, how we neglect our soul when we do so, when we have no legitimate reason for not being met as we are met today.

[5:48] We acknowledge that there are those whose desire is to be with us today, and yet their own personal circumstances mean that they are unable to be here.

[6:01] And while we may know not all that there is to do with their individual experiences, the God of heaven and earth has an eye that is upon them, and you know why they are not here, and what longings of heart they have concerning the house of God.

[6:30] We pray then your blessing upon all such who are housebound, hospitalised, confined to places that are ordained for the caring of frail elderly.

[6:44] We also remember those residents in the hospice at this time. We are thankful for those whose role it is to minister to their needs within the home, within the hospital, within the care homes and hospice.

[7:02] We remember to you the needs that are demonstrated to them, that are beyond their ability to meet except with God's help.

[7:19] So we pray for them that you may direct their thoughts, their endeavours in ways that would otherwise not be possible, were it not for your willingness to enter into our experiences and to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, even for others.

[7:45] We pray for the grieving and the sorrowful, and we remember to you those who are, even today, we are confronted with the harsh reality that this world is, but a time in which we sojourn, and then we must vacate the place that was appointed to us.

[8:12] And that place will not be filled by us or anyone else. While there are countless millions on this planet, each one possesses a precious soul, and each one is identifiable to the God to whom these souls are accountable.

[8:37] And everyone that through breath will one day, after their last breath is offered, will appear in the presence of God at the judgment seat.

[8:54] That is what awaits us all, and we pray that we would avail ourselves of the day of opportunity as the day of grace. We pray, Lord, your blessing upon the proclamation of the world that bears your name.

[9:12] Especially here in this place, we jealously desire the blessing of God for it, for the community, for the households of faith, and all that are related to us.

[9:28] We pray for a day of quickening, day of power, that we would once again bow the knee to God and yield our hearts to your direction.

[9:41] That the gospel that is preached would come with power from on high. May we learn what it is to know the difference between our powerlessness and your omnipotence.

[9:58] Our weakness and your strength. Our ignorance and your wisdom. The ability that you have to determine what is true from what is false.

[10:14] To recognize what are shadows from what is real in substance. We pray, Lord, for that discernment that we would not depend on fragile foundations once shaken that will not be built upon.

[10:38] We pray, Lord, for everything that we seek to build that it would be able to survive the testing of that great day.

[10:50] We pray for your blessing upon the gospel to that end. Bless the congregations of our island, the congregations of our nation.

[11:02] We pray for those who are great in power, in human terms. We pray for the king and his family. even as he is suffering from illness.

[11:16] We give thanks for any improvements to his health that he is enjoying. That through his experience he would experience the need of God to intervene in his personal life.

[11:31] I remember him and his family and all who form part of it. We pray for the parliaments that represent him in Holyrood and Westminster and when we are entering into a period of electioneering.

[11:53] When it comes to choices being made by those who are to vote, may they be given. an understanding of the need that there is to recognize what is truly advantageous as far as modern society is concerned.

[12:17] The very things that are neglected, may they be brought front and center. The very things that are thought to be important, may they be shown for the sham that they are.

[12:30] for they do not last and they offer but puny comfort in times of trial. Remember, Lord, all the nations of the earth, where there is war, may peace come, where there is want, may the household of heaven open the doors of heaven to pour down upon them the sustenance that would sustain body and soul so that what is needful for the body and what is necessary for the soul would come to them in equal and bountiful quantities from your own and your own hand.

[13:23] Pour down upon his blessing and we ask that you would sanctify every visitation in providence to us, even these things that perplex and that cause concern and the things that we think that no good can come of these things.

[13:43] We pray, Lord, that you would overrule for good in them. Watch over us each one and grant pardon for our sins in Jesus' name.

[13:53] Amen. Well, boys and girls, I think today you're going to be talking about what happened after Jesus Christ died on the cross and that he rose from the dead and that he was here in this world for a time.

[14:20] and that he met with those who were his disciples and they came to be assured that the one that they thought was dead was alive and that the promises that he had given concerning his life that it was a life without end were true.

[14:45] And the disciples were gathered together after Jesus died in a room and ten of them were there.

[14:57] Ten disciples and we know one of them wasn't there because he had died and that was Judas Iscariot. But another one of them was missing and his name was Thomas.

[15:12] Thomas and if we were to ask Thomas where were you Thomas? Where were you? And he might tell us or he might not because where he was the Bible doesn't tell us and what he was doing the Bible doesn't tell us.

[15:37] and it may be there was something that he was doing that he had to do but was it more important for him to be doing that than it was for him to be with the disciples?

[15:54] I wondered what kind of answer he would give. One thing that we do know is that he wasn't with the disciples and what were the disciples doing?

[16:06] well we're told about the disciples that they were together and it was important for them to be together and they were afraid and they were afraid because of the Jews who killed Jesus and that tells me that it was good for them to be together because they were afraid because by being together they were able to support one another they were able to help one another just by being in each other's company sharing the same experiences sharing the same fears they were where they could do that but Thomas wasn't so he couldn't share in the experience of others he couldn't help others by being with them he couldn't speak to them about his own fear or hear others speak about their own he wasn't there and when

[17:20] Jesus came to visit the disciples in the room Jesus spoke to the disciples and he said to them don't be afraid don't be afraid and he spoke to them of peace and they saw that he was alive and he ministered to them he breathed his spirit on them he blessed them and all of these things we are told filled them with gladness you would be surprised if he didn't here they were afraid and worried and not knowing what the next moment was going to bring and Jesus came and he blessed them he spoke of peace to them and he breathed his spirit on them and

[18:24] Thomas didn't get any of those things because he wasn't there he didn't get any of those things he didn't see Christ he didn't experience the breathing of the spirit he didn't know the blessing of the peace of Christ for himself and he said afterwards after they told him that Jesus had been there he said I don't believe you I don't believe you and he said what needed to happen in order for them to be believed and for ten days imagine for ten days or eight days I think it was for maybe whatever it was even one day itself just imagine one day with the fear that was in the heart of the disciples before

[19:30] Jesus met with them one day would have been enough but there he was for that length of time eight whole days waiting doubting fearing not believing when all the time the other disciples had the memory of Christ being with them and Thomas didn't have that and you would think that Jesus who knows all things would say well says you're right Thomas says you're right if you had been there you would have got it but you didn't so but Jesus comes once again after eight days and he meets with the disciples and Thomas and he speaks to the disciples and Thomas and he imparts shares gives his peace to the disciples and

[20:35] Thomas and that tells me a lot about the places that we could be in where Jesus has promised to be how good it is for us to be where he has made known that he is going to be and how bad it is for us how much loss we suffer when we're not where we could be or where we should be I'm going to mention when I'm preaching today a book that I'm reading and I've mentioned it before but I'm finding it a very interesting book it's a book by by Marjorie Paulner about written about her father and her father used to speak about a minister that he was aware of of a past generation and you know the church sometimes the church knows great blessing sometimes the church is full of energy and life and everything in it it's so obvious that

[21:55] Jesus is alive and Jesus is working in the hearts and in the lives of his people and men and women boys and girls are added to the church and that happens it happens the church exists because it happens but then sometimes things go quiet things seem as if well it's not really happening Jesus Jesus has gone his word is not speaking to us anymore and that happens and there was this minister he was an old minister and he had seen times of blessing and he had seen times when the church was growing and he had seen times when the church was full of excitement but then these times had passed and he was feeling very sorry for himself and he was reading the intimations this Sunday and he as his usual form he intimated to the congregation that there was going to be a prayer meeting just the usual prayer meeting on whichever day it was a meeting for prayer for the

[23:21] Lord's people as they gathered together to study God's word and pray together to God and he told them of this prayer meeting and then he said with his heart broken he said oh he says I need hardly tell you for none of you are going to be there I'm telling you about this prayer meeting and none of you are going to be there and his words were spoken from the heart and the people in the congregation who could have been at the prayer meeting and should have been at the prayer meeting were touched by it and they decided without consultation they didn't talk about it amongst themselves but one after the other felt in his heart I love to be at the prayer meeting this week so when the time of the prayer meeting came the minister came to the church and he saw faces there that he hadn't seen before he saw faces there that he would have expected to see but he hadn't seen there for a time and he said to himself under his breath well he said how often have

[24:47] I come to preach a sermon at a prayer meeting and there was nobody there to hear it nobody there to hear it here I am coming tonight with no sermon and there are so many people to hear it so he went out and went on his knees and he prayed to God that he would give him something to preach show and that the congregation would be fed and when he came back what happened well revival broke out in the congregation a new interest a renewed interest that lasted we are told into two generations how often do we pass by God's blessing pass the blessing of God by us simply by not doing what he has given to us for our good

[25:58] Thomas did that Christ is merciful God is gracious and he ensures that we get many good things from we don't deserve the least of his memories but we should always take care to be where he wants us to be in Sunday school in church in the prayer meeting all of these places God has meant for our good I hope you all remember that we're going to sing as you go out to Sunday school some verses from Psalm 119 Psalm 119 verse 97 sing the section of the psalm oh love I thy law it is my study all the day makes me wiser than my force for it doth with me stay than all my teachers know I have more understanding far because my meditation thy testimony is hard we're going to sing the whole of this section oh how love I thy law it is my study all the day it makes me wise that my youth are eaten with me shame than all my teachers love

[28:00] I have more understanding mine was because my imagination thy testimony job can understand the May I excel, so slight your allegiance, for I endeavor to be all thy commandments.

[29:01] My faith, promise you, may I speak, that I may keep thy word.

[29:21] I, from thy judgments, have not slept. For thou hast taught me, Lord.

[29:40] How sweet and true might it, O Lord.

[29:52] At all thy works of truth. Yea, I do find them sweet and rough.

[30:10] Thou honey to my blood. I, through thy precepts, have argued, To understand thee yet.

[30:37] I, there, for heavenly with us, boss. With all my heart you need.

[30:54] Amen. Amen. Amen. I'm going to hear God's word as we find it in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13. Amen. Amen.

[31:05] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[31:16] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[31:44] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. branches thereof. Another parable spake he unto them, the kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables, and without a parable spake he not unto them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

[32:31] Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house, and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth a good seed is the son of man. The field is the world, the good seed are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of the world. The son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

[33:27] Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father, who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Again the kingdom of heaven is likened to treasure heard in a field, the which when a man hath found he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again the kingdom of heaven is likened to a merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again the kingdom of heaven is likened to a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind, which when it was full, that he drew to shore and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world.

[34:23] The angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Jesus saith unto them, have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that is unhouseholder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary?

[35:22] And his brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Amen. And may the Lord add his blessing to a reading of his word. To his name be the praise. We will sing now verses from Psalm 143, the first version of the Psalm.

[36:05] Psalm 143, the first version of the Psalm, at verse 6. Psalm 143, the first version of the Psalm, at verse 6.

[36:41] Psalm 143, the first version of the Psalm, at verse 6.

[37:11] Psalm 143, the first version of the Psalm, at verse 6.

[37:41] Psalm 143, the first version of the Psalm, at verse 6.

[38:11] Psalm 143, the first version of the Psalm, at verse 6.

[38:41] Psalm 143, the first version of the Psalm, at verse 6.

[39:11] Psalm 143, the first version of the Psalm, at verse 6.

[39:41] Psalm 143, the first version of the Psalm, at verse 6.

[40:11] Psalm 143, the first version of the Psalm, at verse 6.

[40:41] One perl of the Psalm, at verse 6.

[41:11] In this passage, in this passage, we find that there are seven separate parables. And he says, And he gives this answer.

[41:45] Neither do they understand.

[42:16] Neither do they understand. Now we think, we think, we think, perhaps, at verse 6. think sometimes we use words that suggest that parables are simply stories that are easily understood and that are meant to bring home homely truths to the heart and the mind of those who hear them. But they're not always easily understood. And I don't think they're meant to be easily understood because Jesus means us to understand that there is such a thing as spiritual truth and spiritual knowledge that God himself requires us to go to to gain light from him in order to appreciate the lessons that they convey. So it's not a bad thing.

[43:18] If you find that the word of God is saying something to you and you're confused by it or you're saying I don't understand that, do you just simply fold your arms and say well I can't understand it so it's not meant to be understood.

[43:35] I don't think that would go down well in your place of work. I don't think it would go down well in your home. You need to apply yourself in order to do many things that you do in the workplace and you need to apply yourself to do many things that you do in the home.

[43:53] And you need to sometimes strive in order to get better acquainted with whatever it is that you want to do. Now Jesus is here. He's telling them something about the kingdom of heaven.

[44:12] And although he uses several different parables, it's the same people that he's talking about. They're not different people but the same people describing the experiences that they have either in coming to faith or having come to faith, living out that faith in the world.

[44:33] And the experiences that speak to them, confirming to them that the faith that they have is genuine, that it's of the Lord, that it's something that they didn't simply arrive at in their own strength or by their own intellectual achievement.

[44:54] And God's people often need to be reminded of that because I know the devil works in the hearts and minds of many people at every opportunity trying to tell you you're simply someone who has God where you are today by your own endeavours.

[45:13] You've simply worked through a process that you've been encouraged to follow and you've arrived at what you call faith.

[45:25] And faith is really a man-made thing. It's something that's entirely of the development of the intellect of men and women throughout the generations.

[45:40] But that's not the truth of it. And the devil, he does lie. He's the father of lies. And he will try and convince the believer that your experiences as a believer are really experiences that you would have had anyway.

[46:02] But that's not the case. And Jesus wants us to understand that. He wants us to appreciate that. He wants us to understand how we came to faith.

[46:16] Why we came to faith. The means used. And the matter that was exposed to our understanding.

[46:28] And why it's necessary for others to have the same experience. I think in our generation we relegated the power of the mystery of God's way of working to a place as if it's not really relevant.

[46:54] We're so superior. We're so advanced. We're so clever. We don't need spiritual thinking. We don't need the power of God's spirit to enlighten us.

[47:08] We don't need the light of God's word. Because we're so advanced. Learning has given us great advantages. But that's not the truth of it.

[47:24] The word of God is a spiritual word. It is given to us by the spirit in order to enlighten us as to what God who is spirit is doing in this world and in the hearts and minds of those who are his own.

[47:40] So this week, like a number of the congregation here, I went to attend a funeral on the mainland.

[47:57] The funeral of the late minister of this congregation, Neil Shaw. So in preparation for that, I was saying to myself, well I need to think about what I'm going to preach on Sunday because I won't be in the study.

[48:10] And I won't have as much access to my books. So I thought, well, of a passage that I would want to speak on.

[48:22] And maybe you don't appreciate this. Maybe I need one day to explain to you the dynamics of sermon preparation. But it's not at all easy at times.

[48:34] But for whatever reason, my mind went to this passage. And these words that we're looking at today.

[48:45] The words of the pearl of great price. So I had that in my mind. And I was thinking about it. And, you know, maybe preparing a sermon.

[48:59] You spend a lot of time reading your Bible. Then you look at the commentaries and see what others have said on it. But for me, a lot of preparation in making a sermon is really thinking about it and working it through in your mind.

[49:19] And you have the advantage of having previous experience of sermons. And maybe that's why sometimes you'll hear from me something.

[49:31] You've heard from me often. But that's something else. But this is what I did. So I was thinking about the pearl of great price. So when I was at the funeral, one of the men who was asked to participate in the funeral and deliver a word on behalf of the family, he referred to the pearl of great price.

[50:02] As somebody who had come under the word of God through the preaching of the late Neil Shaw. A word that was blessed to himself. And a word that he referred to in delivering the tribute.

[50:16] And a word that he referred to as he prayed. And I thought to myself, well, you can't believe in coincidence. You can't believe in things happening by chance.

[50:30] But as far as I'm concerned, these things are not chance occurrences. And the fact that my mind at that time was so much governed by the thoughts surrounding this passage, I think my ears were picked up towards it.

[50:51] But then I mentioned in speaking to the children. I'm reading just in passing a book that I read before.

[51:02] But I did point to it. It's a book about Andrew Boner. Written by thoughts that he himself had recorded.

[51:13] And they're gathered by his daughter, Marjorie Boner. And she tells this story. And I'd read it just, I took the book with me.

[51:25] And I read the story that she tells. About this young woman. Who had come to faith under the preaching of Andrew Boner.

[51:41] And the word, I'm not sure if the word that was used to convert her was this word.

[51:51] But it's certainly something that he said about this parable of great price. Influenced her greatly. And she determined that she would go to the minister.

[52:08] And on the day, on a Sunday. And ask him to preach a sermon on this text. Why did she want him to do that?

[52:19] She wanted to do that because her father was unconverted. And it had such a great effect on herself. She thought, well if I ask the minister to preach a sermon on this text.

[52:34] Maybe God will use it to convert my father. And she went to the vestry door. But her nerve failed her. And she turned away.

[52:48] And she was downhearted. But she walked back to. Round to sit in the pew. With the rest of the congregation. And as she did. Well she said. Lord.

[53:00] Will you not guide the minister. To preach on this text. And the Lord did answer her prayer. That is the very text that he preached on.

[53:11] Though she hadn't spoken to him. She hadn't. Had the opportunity to tell anybody. He preached on that text. And more wonderful still.

[53:23] The text that he preached on. Was the means by which her father was converted. As he listened to that sermon. A sermon. Concerning the Pearl of Great Price.

[53:37] Now that's not something. That you can dismiss. And say. It's just a fiction. It's just a good story. No.

[53:48] The truth of the matter is this. That God. Is at work. Always. He's always at work. In your life.

[53:59] In my life. And sometimes. We're aware of it. Often we're not. Sometimes. The things that are. Remote from us. Unrelated to anything.

[54:11] That's going on in our lives. Are the very things. That God will bring. Together. To make sense. Of what he is doing. And why he is doing it.

[54:21] Always remember that. Don't allow this world. And it's. And it's dark. Dark intellect. As far as spiritual.

[54:31] Things are concerned. To confuse you. Or to make you think. That God no longer works. That's not the case. It gladdened my heart. To hear.

[54:42] These words. Of the pearl of great supplies. And the place that God. Gave to these words. In the lives of others. And we're going to talk about it.

[54:53] Briefly. We're going to. Mention it. Because. Because the parables. That Jesus is using. He's trying. While he is.

[55:03] Doing this thing. That it helps us understand. That the way that people. Come to know God. The way that people.

[55:14] Come to faith in Christ. Maybe. Many. There are many different. Kinds of person. Many times of.

[55:25] Many different. Kinds of people. They're from different. Backgrounds. They have different. Thoughts. They have different. Feelings. They have different. Ideas. And yet.

[55:37] When God. Brings. To a sense. Of their need. Of him. They will all come. Through. The same.

[55:50] Channel. As it were. To believe. In the Christ. That is everything. To the believer. So looking at this parable.

[56:02] It's important. To remember. Maybe. Maybe. We should have really. Taken the two parables. Side by side. Because. In the previous.

[56:13] Parable. To this. You read. The kingdom of heaven. Is likened to a treasure. Hidden a field. To which. When a man. Hath found. He hideth. And for joy. Therefore goeth. And selleth. All that he hath.

[56:23] And buyeth the field. Now that parable. Is very similar. To this one. The person. Finds. A treasure.

[56:34] In the field. And. This person. Seeks out. The pearl. Of great price. They're both. Intent. On finding.

[56:46] Something. Of value. But the first parable. More or less. Says this. Came about. Without. Without the person. Actually. Realizing.

[56:56] That there was. Treasure. At the end. Of his. Of his. Endeavors. Whereas. The parable. We're looking at. Today. Tells us. Of somebody. Who.

[57:08] Knows. That there is. A pearl. Of great price. And he goes. To find it. So the. Picture. That we have. And I'm always. Very. Careful.

[57:18] I think. Of. Over. Spiritualizing. The picture. That Christ. Has. Drawn. Because. I don't. Think. That.

[57:29] Many. Of these. Parables. Are. Meant. To be. Picked. Over. In the. Minutia. That some. Some. Endeavor. To do. With.

[57:40] With. The. Forensic. Eye. Of. Of. A. Microscope. As it were. But rather. The big picture. Conveys to you. The truth. That is there.

[57:51] For all. To see. And the truth. Here. Is this. That there is. A picture. Given to us. Of somebody. Who. Understands. The value. Of pearls. He is a merchant.

[58:06] And he is looking. For good pearls. For good pearls. So obviously. This is his trade. And obviously. He understands. The value. Of pearls.

[58:17] And he goes looking. For. This pearl. Which is. Beyond. Value. For. He finds it.

[58:28] As he looks. For these pearls. And. The fact. That he understands. The value. Of it. This. Is probably.

[58:39] Important. He knows. All there is. To be known. Because he is. A merchant. And he. He is involved. In. In. In the sale. Of pearls.

[58:51] And the purchase. Of them. In order to sell them. So. That. I suppose. If we look at it. Like this. Because of his experience.

[59:02] Because of his knowledge. There is an appreciation. About the value. Why is a pearl. Valuable. And it may be.

[59:12] Purely. From a natural. Perspective. He understands. What needed to happen. For this pearl. To be actually. Created.

[59:24] And many people. Focus on that. This pearl. Came about. Because. This. Where you find. A pearl.

[59:34] You find it. In the deep. Usually. You find it. In the ocean. And. Oysters. Are usually. The source of them. Although you find.

[59:46] That. We see. For sale. Freshwater. Oysters. But. Usually. The best. Pearls. And the most. Expensive. Pearls. They are. They are found.

[59:56] In oysters. That. Are living. In the ocean. But what creates. The pearl. The merchant. Understands. Is. When there is.

[60:06] Something. Introduced. Into. The body. Of. The. The oyster. That. Creates. A. Discomfort.

[60:17] Part. And. Many. Of those. Who. Who. Who. Who. Who. Who. Who. Teach. From. The scripture. Suggest. That. It is. A grain.

[60:27] Of sand. Or. Grid. That is. Brought. Into. The body. Of. The oyster. And. In order. To. To. Be. Relieved. From the.

[60:38] From the. Distress. It causes. It releases. This substance. Within. Its own body. Which. Covers. The grid. And.

[60:49] Makes. It. Easier. For the. Oyster. To survive. But. Scientists. Tell us.

[60:59] That. It's not. Really. Necessary. In fact. Whatever. Creates. This. Need. On the part. Of the oyster. Can be.

[61:10] Microscopic. Can be. As. Small. That you. Cannot. Even. See it. But. It. Creates. This. Discomfort. In the body. Of. The oyster. Which.

[61:22] Then. Prompts. The secretion. Of a substance. Within. Its body. That. Becomes. The pearl. Eventually. After. A process. Which.

[61:33] Is. Mysterious. And. Hidden. From you. The oyster. Is. Created. The. The pearl. Is. Created. Within. Within. The body. Of the oyster. In that way.

[61:47] However. The process. Takes. Place. The experience. Of. The merchant. Is.

[61:59] Such. That he. Understands. That this is. No. Ordinary. Thing. It's. A precious. Jewel. That's. Been. Created. Here. And.

[62:10] It. Hasn't. Occurred. In. Any. Other. Way. Except. Through. A process. That is. Time. Consuming. And. If. You know. If.

[62:21] Every. Mollusk. If. Every. Winkle. If. Every. Barnacle. On the shore. Created. A pearl. They wouldn't be very valuable. Would they? There would be so many of them.

[62:32] That they wouldn't be of much worth. But. Because. Of this. Particular. Natural. Phenomenon. It is. Clear. That there is value.

[62:43] There. And. He could expand. On that. He could. Tell you. About. If you had this. Jeweler.

[62:53] Or this. Merchant. Who. Whose job. It was. To sell them. To buy them. And sell them. He would tell you. About. Their. Their. Roundness. Or.

[63:03] Their. Luminosity. All. The things. That come. From the experience. Of handling them. And. Familiarizing.

[63:14] Themselves. With them. All the information. That is gleaned. To be able. To speak. Expertly. About that. So.

[63:26] What. What does that. Got to do. With yourselves. Today. Well. I think. This parable. Speaks. To people. Who. Have a. Familiarity.

[63:36] With. God's word. You. Are. People. Who. Regularly. Sit. Under the gospel. Perhaps.

[63:47] You. Regularly. Read. Your bible. Perhaps. You. Regularly. Commune. With. Christian. People. About. Their faith. Faith. You.

[63:58] You. May. May. May. Be. Interested. In. Spiritual. Things. And. You. Have. An. Idea. Perhaps.

[64:09] A. Very. Firm. Idea. About. The. God. About. Christ. About. The. Church. About. Godliness. All. Of. These. Things.

[64:20] You. Have. Knowledge. Of. You. Have. A. Broad. Idea. About. Who. Christ. Is. But. Not. A. Particular.

[64:31] Knowledge. You. Have. A. General. But. Not. Personal. Knowledge. About. Christ. You. Have. A. Curiosity. About. Christ. But. Not. A. Passion. About. Christ. And.

[64:44] That. Needs. To. Change. You. Know. It's. All. Very. Well. Being. Expert. As. Far. As. The. Knowledge. That.

[64:54] You. Have. Accumulated. About. The. Word. Of. God. About. The. Scriptures. About. The. Gospel. About. Christ. If. It. Does. Not. Take. You. To. This. Place.

[65:05] Where. You. Discover. That. There. Is. A. Pearl. Of. Great. Price. Where. You. Discover. That. This. Christ. Is. Really. Far. More. To.

[65:15] Him. Than. You. Have. Actually. Been. Able. To. Discover. For. Yourself. Yet. And. That's. The. Thing. That.

[65:26] If. You. Have. Arrived. At. A. Place. And. I. Hope. That. You. Have. Accumulated. Much. Knowledge. About. Christ. I. Hope. That. You. Have.

[65:37] Appreciated. The. Worth. Of. Having. A. Knowledge. Of. The. Scripture. I. Hope. You. Appreciate. The. Fact. That. There. Is. Something. About. Faith. That. Is. Important.

[65:47] There. Is. Something. About. Living. As. A. Believer. In. God. That. Is. Something. That. Marks. Others. Out. Although. It. Hasn't. Marked. You.

[65:57] Out. There. An. Appreciation. There. However. There. Should. Be. An. Understanding.

[66:08] Also. That. Where. You. Are. At. The. Present. If. It. Is. Simply. With. The. Knowledge. That. Is. A.

[66:19] Familiarity. Without. The. Knowledge. Being. A. Personal. Independence. Upon. The. Christ. Of. The. Gospel. For.

[66:29] Yourself. This. Person. When. He. Sought. For. Perils. Discovered. That. There. Was. One. Peril.

[66:41] Which. Stood. Out. Over. Against. Others. It. Was. A. Remarkable. A. Truly. Remarkable. Peril. Peril.

[66:52] Which. As far. As. He. Was. Concerned. With. All. The. Knowledge. That. He. Had. With. The. Ability. That. He. Had. Perhaps. To. Stand. On. A. Lecture. Podium. And. Tell. Them. This. Is. What. Is.

[67:08] But. If. It's. Not. Something. That. You. Know. To. Be. True. For. Yourself. Then. Whatever. You. See. Others. Say.

[67:19] About. Christ. Or. Hear. Others. Say. About. Christ. If. You. Cannot. Say. It. For. Yourself. There. Is. Something. That. Needs. To. Happen. This.

[67:29] Peril. Is. Priceless. And. All. That. It. Is. Is. Appreciated. By. Him. He.

[67:41] Wants. It. For. Himself. There. Is. A. Difference. You. Know. This. Person. He. Is. A. Merchant. He. Buys. And. Sells. And.

[67:53] He. Is. Not. Wanting. To. Buy. This. To. Find. This. Peril. In. Order. To. To. Sell. It. He. Wants. This. Peril. For. Himself. And.

[68:03] When. I. Was. Thinking. Of. This. I. Was. Thinking. About. I. Have. Known. People. Perhaps. You. One. Of. Them. And. There. Is. A. Sense. In. Which.

[68:14] You. You. You. Are. Always. Glad. To. Hear. Of. Somebody. Coming. To. Faith. Well. I. Have. Known. People. Like. That. Anyway. There.

[68:25] Is. A. Sense. In. Which. Where. You. You. Although. You. Not. One. Self. In. A. Sense. That. You. Put.

[68:36] Your. Trust. In. Christ. That. You. You. Have. Placed. Your. Heart. And. Soul. In. His. Hands. When. You. Hear. That. God. Sometimes. Does. That.

[68:47] And. That. You. Know. Somebody. Who. Has. Come. To. Trust. In. Christ. And. You. Say. To. Your. Your. Well. I. I. Glad. I. Glad. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That.

[68:57] That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. But. You. Know. No. Matter. What. You.

[69:07] Thinking. Is. I. Don't. Know. How. That. Thinking. Comes. About. How. Can. You. Be. Rejoicing. In. The.

[69:17] Salvation. Of. Somebody's. Soul. When. Your. Own. Soul. Is. In. Jeopardy. How. Can. You. Share. In. The. Joy. That. Is. In. Heaven.

[69:28] Over. One. Sinner. That. Repents. When. You. Yourself. Are. Living. An. Impenitent. Life. How. Can. You. Say. That.

[69:38] You. You. You. Are. So. Glad. That. Somebody. Has. Come. To. Trust. In. Christ. When. That. Christ. Is. Really. To. You. Are.

[69:49] Roached. Out. Of. A. Dry. Ground. Because. If. That. Pearl. Of. Great. Price. Is. Precious. In. The. Way. That. You.

[69:59] Would. Must. Insist. That. He. Is. Precious. To. Others. Then. There. Must. Be. Something. Wrong. With. You. When. You. Cannot. See. That. Preciousness. For. Yourself.

[70:14] You. Know. The. Gospel. Is. Not. A. Spectator. Sport. There. Are. Many. Of. You. Who. Are. Interested. In. Sport.

[70:25] Your. Couch. Potatoes. When. It. Comes. To. Sport. You. Watch. Football. You. Watch. Rugby. You. Watch. Tennis. And. Your. Heart. And. Soul. Engaged. In.

[70:36] These. Sporting. Individuals. Who. Are. Participating. On. The. Football. Pitch. On. The. Rugby. Pitch. On. The. Courts. Of. Wimbledon. Whatever. You.

[70:46] Have. An. Avid. Interest. In. What. They. Are. Doing. But. You. Are. Not. The. Participant. Their. Sweat. Is. Not. Your. Sweat.

[70:58] The. Joys. Of. Their. Victory. However. Much. You. Wish. To. Say. It. Is. Is. Not. Your. Joy. And.

[71:08] When. It. Comes. To. It. This. Pearl. Of. Great. Price. Needs. To. Be. Possessed. And. The. Fact. That. Somebody. Else.

[71:18] Possesses. It. While. It. May. Gratify. You. To. A. Degree. There. Is. No. Gratification. There. That. Equates. With. Possessing. It.

[71:29] For. Your. Self. This. Christ. Of. Which. It. Speaks. Must. Be. The. Christ. That.

[71:39] Has. Taken. Hold. Of. Your. Soul. For. Himself. One. Final.

[71:49] Thought. Once. He. Found. This. Peril. He. Had. To. Have. It. Is. That. Not. The. Case. It. Was. Not. Not. Enough.

[71:59] For. Him. To. Know. That. It. Was. There. You. Know. I. Am. Sure. That. That. There. Are. Fictions.

[72:10] And. Stories. About. About. Precious. Jewels. That. Thought. To. Have. Existed. But. That. Disappeared.

[72:21] At. Some. Point. You know. During. German. Occupation. Of. Of. Various. Countries. One. Thing. That.

[72:31] That. That. Was. That. The. Soldiers. There. Many. Of. Them. Were. Corrupt. And. They. They. Set. About. Stealing.

[72:42] For. Themselves. The. The. Precious. Possessions. Of. Some. And. They. Were. Disappeared.

[72:53] From. Sight. And. There. Is. A. Common. Belief. Amongst. Amongst. Those. Who. Who. Know. Of. Their. Former. Existence. That. These.

[73:04] Things. Have. Been. Spirited. Away. And. Are. Hidden. Somewhere. Under. Possession. Of. Those. Who. Who. Gained. From.

[73:14] It. Now. The. Fact. That. That. There. Is. A. Suspicion. The. Fact. That. There. That. Is. A. Record.

[73:24] Of. Their. Existence. The. Fact. That. There. Was. Occasion. When. These. Things. Were. Were. The. Precious. Possession. Of. Some. And.

[73:35] They. Now. Disappeared. From. Sight. Makes. People. Think. Well. They. Can. Be. Found. If. We. Explore. Hard. Enough. We. Will. Find. Them. And. We. Will. Be. Enriched. By. Reason.

[73:46] Of. That. Whether. That. Is. True. Whether. It. Is. False. Whether. It. Is. Something. That. Has. Just. Been.

[73:56] Engraved. On. The. History. Pages. As. A. Truth. Which. Nobody. Is. Able. To. Verify. The. Christ. Of. The. Gospel. Is.

[74:07] The. Precious. Jewel. That. God. Has. Declared. That. We. Must. All. Possess. It. It's not a. Fiction. It's not a.

[74:17] Myth. It's not. Something. That. Some. Clever. Soul. Has. Invented. Somewhere. The. Scripture. Tells. Us. That. This. Passion. Is.

[74:28] A. Passion. That. We. Must. All. Accept. Ourselves. With. That. We. Must. All. Avail. Ourselves. Of. So. That. He. Is. Ours.

[74:38] And. We. Are. His. There. Is. Clear. Teaching. Coming. From. The. Mouth. Of. Christ. That. All.

[74:49] Of. Us. Are. On. A. Broad. Way. Leading. To. A. Lost. Eternity. Until. We. Come. By. His. Grace. Into. The. Narrow. Way. And. We. Enter. Into. The. Kingdom. Of. Heaven. By.

[74:59] Way. Of. The. Narrow. Gate. Where. We. Come. From. Can. Be. Infinite. Is. It. Can. Be. As. Many. Places. As. You. Like. But.

[75:10] Every. Single. Individual. Soul. Must. Come. To. God. By. Way. Of. Christ. And. That. Makes. That. Christ. Unlike. Any. Other. Person.

[75:22] He. Is. Unique. He. Is. The. One. We. Come. To. He. Is. The. One. Who. Secures. Salvation. For. Us. He. Is. The. One. Who. Edifies. Our. Soul. He. Is. The. One. Who. Sustains. Us. Having. Come. To.

[75:33] Faith. And. Maintains. That. Faith. For. Us. Even. When. It. Is. Under. Threat. And. This. Is. What. This. Man. Discovered.

[75:44] A. Pearl. Of. Great. Price. And. Nothing. Would. Keep. Him. From. He. Went. And. Sold. All. He. Had. In other.

[75:54] Words. This. Is. What. It. Says. To. You. For. All. Your. Knowledge. Of. The. Scripture. For. All. Your. Knowledge. Of. The. Bible. For. All. Your. Knowledge. Of. God's. People. Experiences.

[76:05] Of. Christ. If. That. Is. All. You. Have. It. Will. Be. Sufficient. To. To. Give. You. The. The.

[76:16] Kind. Of. Hell. That. Jesus. Himself. Speaks. Of. You. Need. To. Have. This. Christ. For. Your. Self. He.

[76:26] Needs. To. Be. Your. Savior. He. Needs. To. Be. To. You. The. Most. Of. All. God's. Provisions. And.

[76:38] You. Must. Be. Convinced. I. Must. Have. For. Myself. He. Must. Be. Your. Possession. I.

[76:51] Remember. Once. Being. In. The. Company. Of. Someone. And. They. Were. Longing. Longing. To. Have. Christ. For. Themselves. But.

[77:02] They. Didn't. Think. That. Christ. Wanted. Them. And. Unlike. The. Person. I. Was. Thinking. Of. Earlier. On. Who. Delighted. In. In. Seeing.

[77:13] Other. People. Come. To. Faith. This. Person. Thought. Oh. Dear. Everybody. Else. Is. Going. To. Get. Christ. But. Me.

[77:24] Everybody. Else. Is. Going. To. Come. To. Faith. But. Me. He. Doesn't. Want. Me. But. At. The. Heart. Of. That. Confession. At. The. Heart. Of. That. Grief.

[77:36] Was. The. Persuasion. And. The. Certainty. I. Must. Have. This. Christ. For. Myself. And. That. Is. What. You. Need. You.

[77:47] Need. That. Conviction. That. This. Pearl. Of. Great. Price. Be. Yours. And. Nothing. Less. Than.

[77:57] That. Will. Satisfy. You. Nothing. Other. Than. That. Will. Satisfy. You. And. I. Pray. That. God. Would. Persuade. You. Of. The. Urgency.

[78:08] There. Is. For. You. To. Do. That. One. Moment. Without. That. Precious. Christ. As. Your. Own. Is. One. Moment.

[78:18] Too. Long. I. Hope. You. Realize. That. God. Bless. His. Word. Just. Let. Us. Pray. Lord. O. God. We. Pray. For. Your. Blessing. Upon. A. Word.

[78:29] That. Has. Often. Been. Preached. And. Proclaimed. With. Great. Power. And. With. Persuasive. Potential. Yet. In. Your. Hands. We.

[78:39] Trust. Our. Endeavors. And. Ask. That. You. Bless. Your. Word. Who. Is. For. Jesus. Amen. Closing.

[78:50] Psalm. Psalm 62. And. We're. Singing. Verses. 5 to 8. Wait. Thou. With. Patience. Upon. Thy. God. Alone. On. Him. Dependeth. All.

[79:00] My. Hope. And. Expectation. He. Only. My. Salvation. Is. And. My. Strong. Rock. Is. He. He. Only. Is. My. Sure. Defense.

[79:10] I. Shall. Not. Move. It. Be. Psalm. 62. Verses. 5 to 8. My. Soul. Wait. Thou. With. Patience. Upon. Thy. God. postpone. My.

[79:26] Soul. Whit. Thou. With. Cat. Thy.

[79:37] Darul. On. On. Unending, dependent on my hope, and yet sanctification.

[80:00] He only my salvation is, and my strong hope is He.

[80:18] He only is my sure given, I shall not do anything.

[80:34] In God my glory, blessed is, and my salvation is true.

[80:54] He God alone, He is on my stand, my refuge, my sacred.

[81:15] He be the blessed, your confidence, and God is in your life.

[81:33] He be born in glory, and your heart, God is now and your time.

[81:53]  Amen. And the grace of the Son, and the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with you, all now and always. Amen.