[0:00] We join together in the worship of God by singing to his praise in Psalm 25 of the Scottish Psalter version. Psalm 25, find that in the blue book on page 231.
[0:24] We'll sing there from verse mark 4 down to verse mark 10. A psalm that speaks of the individual, the psalmist himself, and we can also likewise echo what he says in our call for help as we gather to worship his name.
[0:47] Show me thy ways, O Lord, thy paths, O teach thou me, and do thou lead me in thy truth, that in it my teacher be.
[0:57] For thou art God that dost, to me salvation send, and I upon thee all the day expecting to attend.
[1:09] We'll sing Psalm 25 from verse mark 4 down to the end of verse mark 10 there, when we'll stand to sing. Show me thy ways, O Lord.
[1:20] Amen. Show me thy ways, O Lord. Thy paths, O teach thou me, And do thou lead me in thy truth, that in my teacher be.
[1:49] For thou art God that dost, to me salvation send, and I upon thee all the day expecting you.
[2:18] Thy tender mercy, O Lord. Thy tender mercy, O Lord. Thy tender mercy, O Lord.
[2:29] I pray thee to remember, And thy loving kindness is for thee, I'll be noble forever.
[2:52] My sins and faults of truth, My sins and faults of truth, Do thou, O Lord, forget, After thy mercy, O Lord.
[3:10] After thy mercy, think on me, And for thy goodness claim.
[3:26] God good and how bright is The way he'll sin and show, God good and how bright is The way he'll sin and show, The way he'll sin and show, The way he'll sin and show, The way he'll sin and show, The whole mass of the Lord are truth and mercy sure To those that do his covenant keep and testimonies due
[4:32] May we join together in prayer. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, it is to you this day that we come And it is to you that we give thanks. You are one that does not leave us.
[4:52] You are one who is that loving fatherly figure whom we can call to And in the distress of our souls you hear our cry And when we don't know the path to walk upon you show us the way So as we come and draw near to you Individually and as a gathered people May we know the blessing of being here And may you pour down by the power of your spirit The riches known in Christ Jesus And how we can be forgiven of our sins And that we may walk following his example A sure path to walk upon And we pray for each that is gathered here From the youngest to the oldest We pray for the young that will go through next door We pray for those who will be leading them Bless them as they gather together likewise
[5:53] That they in their young lives may understand and grasp The wonder and glory and beauty Of the man Jesus that died on the cross for them And following him and his ways, his word and his paths Will lead them upon sure ground and level ways And though it may be difficult as we grow older And it is difficult to hold fast To the confession that we make in Christ Jesus You are there to uphold us and sustain us And so it is in that place we come Looking for your upholding grace and guidance As we gather together To offer our worship to you May it be acceptable and pleasing in your eyes And may you bless us as we gather in your name
[6:55] So be with us we pray Watch over us and guide us at hearts and minds In this short time that we meet together Asking the forgiveness and confession of our sins In Jesus Christ's name, Amen Just like to say a short word to the young ones That are here gathered with us Before you go through and those who will stay with us On Friday I was at a wedding at the castle And we were standing outside Myself and Fiona We were waiting for I think it was the bridesmaids to come out She was always waiting for the bridesmaids to get ready And I was driving them Just to make that clear And you were standing outside And Fiona looked up And she said I've never noticed that before Above the front door of the castle I wonder does anyone know
[7:56] What is written There's three words written Above the door The main door of the castle Does any young ones know what it is?
[8:07] I've seen any hands go up I didn't know But when you look above the main porch of the castle It is there written In the sandstone It is heart and hand That's what's written Heart and hand It turns out That's the motto of James Matheson The Adams Don't understand what it means entirely That's what he had Heart and hand And when you think about that Heart and hand We love things with our heart And we do things with our hands And the things that we love with our heart Are the things that we do We love playing football And that's what we do We use our feet Don't use our hands for football If you're playing games You might love playing different games And that's what you do You use your hands To play different games But you're standing there
[9:10] And you think Well I wonder Why that man Put that there He built that great castle And he put Heart and hand Above the front door I was thinking Well it's usually kings That live in castles It wasn't a king that lived in that castle But usually it is kings That live in castles And the greatest king that ever lived Had a heart and hand To do And his heart And great love That he had Was for his people And that great love And that great heart That he had for his people Meant that he came And he did Something great For all of the people That he had A love for And what Christ's Greatest love And the greatest display
[10:11] Of his heart Towards the people That he loved Was that he died On the cross Jesus Our king Has a heart Has a heart Of love And that he Brought himself To do The greatest Display Of love That any man Can do John 15 Is a verse That says No greater love Has anyone That he would Die for them Or give his life For them Jesus Is a man That has That great Love For each of us Every single one of us And he is Our king And he Has a heart And hand To do Abundantly Good And loving Things For us So when you go to the castle Next time Above the porch Look right up
[11:12] It's right above On the wall High up It's his heart And hand And remember The heart That Jesus Christ Has for you And what he Did Because of that Great love That he has May that be Blessed to you Let us say The Lord's prayer Together Our Father Which art in heaven Hallowed Be thy name Thy kingdom Come Thy will be done On earth As it is in heaven Give us this day Our daily bread And forgive us Our debts As we forgive Our debtors And lead us not Into temptation But deliver us From evil For thine Is your kingdom The power And the glory Forever Amen Well thank you all For listening Now we'll continue In our praise Of God By singing In Psalm 145
[12:15] Of the Scottish Psalter version Again Psalm 145 The first version You'll find that On page 442 Of the blue book Page 442 At the very bottom Of that page Verse mark 8 Psalm 145 Verse mark 8 The Lord is very gracious In whom Compassions flow In mercy He is very great And is to anger Slow The Lord Jehovah Unto all His goodness Doth declare And over all His other works His tender Mercies are We'll sing Down to verse Mark 14 Thy kingdom Shall forever Stand Thy reign Through ages All God raises All that are Bowed down And upholdeth All that fall
[13:16] We'll sing These verses To God's praise From verse mark 8 Down to verse mark 14 We'll stand to sing The Lord Is very gracious In whom Compassions flow The Lord Is very gracious In him All Compassions flow In mercy Is very great And is to honor His love The Lord Behold The Lord Jehovah Unto all His goodness
[14:17] I'll declare And over all His other words His tender Mercies are The all Thy works Shall praise O Lord And in thy Saints Shall bless They shall Thy kingdom's Glory show Thy power Thy speech To make
[15:19] To make The sons Of men To know His acts All nightly And all His kingdom And all His kingdom Excellent And all His majesty Thy kingdom Shall Johns beaten John Try Wake language Hung wieder upon earth all, upon.
[16:34] We'll turn now to the Word of God, and if we could turn to the Gospel of Matthew. Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13. And we'll read there from verse Mark 25.
[16:51] The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13. I'm reading from verse 25 down to the end of that chapter.
[17:03] A passage that sets before us a number of parables that speak about the kingdom of God. May we hear God's Word. Verse 24.
[17:17] He put another parable before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, the enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
[17:33] So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
[17:44] How then does it have weeds? He said to them, An enemy has done this. So the servants said to him, Then do you want us to go and gather them? But he said, No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
[17:59] Let both grow together until the harvest. And at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned. But gather the wheat into my barn.
[18:10] He put another parable before them saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.
[18:33] He told them another parable, The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all eleven. All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables.
[18:47] Indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet. I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.
[19:00] Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came with him saying, Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field. He answered, The one who sows good seed is the son of man.
[19:15] The field is the world and the good seed is the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the clothes of the age and the reapers are the angels.
[19:30] Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the close of the age. The son of man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all lawbreakers and throw them into the fiery furnace.
[19:47] In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father.
[19:58] He who has ears, let him hear. 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 in that field.
[20:15] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls who on finding one pearl of great value went and sold all that he had and bought it.
[20:27] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad.
[20:43] So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
[20:59] Have you understood all these things? They said to him, Yes. And he said to them, Therefore, every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.
[21:14] And when Jesus had finished these parables he went away from there and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue so that they were astonished and said, Where did this man get his wisdom and these mighty works?
[21:29] Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not this mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us?
[21:41] Where then did this man get all these things? And they took offence at him but Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honour except in his hometown and in his own household.
[21:56] And he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Amen. May the reading of God's word speak to us and be blessed to us.
[22:09] May we draw again to God in prayer. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we give thanks for the words that we have read and words that portray the beauty of your kingdom of heaven, the riches of it, the outworking of it, but also set before us a stark warning that there will be a separation of the kingdoms and that there is a place where we fear and tremble at.
[22:48] And Lord, we pray that we would hear and understand these things this morning. That you would speak to the heart of everyone that is gathered here and everyone that is listening online.
[23:00] That your word would go with power and a great effect convincing and converting souls that lie in sin to see the folly of their ways and how futile and vain the things of the world are and the things which our heart, if we are honest, hold on to.
[23:23] But we are inclined to seek after the riches of this world. We are inclined to love them. We are inclined to set our hands upon them. But Lord, set us apart this morning as your people.
[23:40] People adhere of the measurable riches of Christ Jesus and what the kingdom that is prepared for those that believe in him.
[23:52] We pray and thank you for what you have done for us. Things that are inconceivable in our minds and understanding yet such is revealed so that we are not ignorant of it.
[24:11] That we may set our hearts towards you and draw near to you and hold fast to you confessing our trust and belief in all that Christ has done for us.
[24:28] And it is nothing of ourselves that we bring but it is to the glory of God and that we glorify God as we come and worship you.
[24:42] May your spirit be active amongst us as the wind that pathes over the land and we see the trees blow. May it have the effect in our hearts that sways us towards you and inclines us in your direction and paths that should be followed that are sure and steady.
[25:05] Lord, we pray that your spirit would come with power today in the gatherings of your people and across our nation and the proclamation of your word may be faithful by your servants to reveal treasures of old and treasures that are new and reveal the kingdom of heaven that has been prepared for the people.
[25:31] May we seek after this kingdom the riches of it to be a part of it that we would be welcomed into it we would respond to the call that is set before each of us this morning to come unto Christ to set aside the loves and the desires of our heart to forsake all other loves and cling to him we pray that the beauty of Christ would be revealed across our nation and that we as a nation would not leave this great treasure forgotten but that we would uplift it and elevate it and share in its riches those that seek and find joy in it and others can likewise do so we pray for our nation and we pray for those who rule us and govern us that they may seek after your wisdom and that they may read your word and come under the means of your grace and may know the grace and love of the
[26:50] Lord Jesus Christ and that they would be people to lead us in your ways and direct us in your paths as they themselves look unto you and keep their focus upon Christ we pray and ask these things and it seems such a great ask but you are a great God who answers people's prayer may we as a people pray great things holding with great expectation that you can do them faithfully holding on to your promises faithfully holding on to your kingdom Lord we pray this day for those those who are in turmoil of heart those who are uncertain of what lies ahead the hearts of many gathered even in this building and listening online so vast they are but you know every one of them you know the hairs upon their heads and we ask that you would meet us at our needs that we would come to you us that fatherly figure who knows what is best for us confessing the cries of our hearts and the groanings of our own spirit we pray that you would be an aid and a strength to those who are in need those who are laid aside those who do not have strength of body we pray that you would give them strength of mind and soul pray for those that look after them pray for those also who are mourning the loss of loved ones we pray that you would be their comfort and guide pray the memory of those who they have lost be blessed to them and that the memories that do not part from us but leave scars in our hearts bind them in your love we pray and uphold them by your hands we just ask that you would bless the works of our church and all that we do here locally and in our nation we pray that you would bless every effort that we put our hands to that it would be for your glory we remember the work of the camps we pray your special blessing upon them and the young that gather they that they may leave that place that has been set aside and see what it means to be a
[29:39] Christian what it means to trust in Christ what it means to follow your path to go in your ways we pray for the young of our nation and so we just ask as we gather here in your name that you would be pleased to bless us speak to us we pray open our eyes to see the ears so we may understand set our minds upon your word without distraction keep the evil one from us keep the evil one from the seeds sprouting within our hearts and yet just ask and come to you confessing all our sins and our knowledge that we have drawn away from you so often in our lives that you are so kind and loving to welcome and to call us back and to redeem us as your people so be with us we pray watch over us guide us and keep us in Jesus name amen we'll continue in praise by singing in psalm 84 find out on page 338 of the blue book sing from the beginning of that psalm scottish psalter version familiar words to us how lovely is thy dwelling place o lord of hosts to me the tabernacles of thy grace how pleasant lord they be we'll sing from verse and if we could just sing down to the 3b the end of 3b even thine own altar where she is safe a young one's forth may bring o thou almighty lord of hosts who art my god and king will just sing down to that verse there 3b let us praise god and stand and sing this together how lovely is thy dwelling place how lovely is thy dwelling place o lord of hosts to me the tabernacles of thy grace how blessed lord may be my thirst is so long dim and he gave his thy court scurge my very heart and flesh triumph some yang h and
[32:59] The soul who also for herself hath purchased in Thine rest.
[33:17] In Thine own altar, where she's saved, Thy young ones for favoring.
[33:33] O Thou Almighty, Lord of hosts, who art my God and King.
[33:51] If you turn back with me to the passage that we read together in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13. And here in this passage is set before us images that explain and show forth the kingdom of heaven.
[34:11] And we don't have time to dwell on the whole passage or every image that is set here. So what I would like to do is take the smaller of these images and set aside the parable of the weeds, if it is titled such in your Bible.
[34:28] We'll take the mustard seeds and the leaven. We'll take the treasure and the pearl. And we'll take the parable of the net. And we'll put these together, these five short Bible similes that show us what the kingdom of heaven is like.
[34:46] And now if you are there listening to Jesus speaking these words, I'm sure we'd all be excited to hear what he was going to say when he said the kingdom of heaven is like.
[34:59] But we're not presented for the image as we might expect. He does not describe a place. When we describe for someone as some place as like, if you were to describe this church, you'd say, well, it's full.
[35:14] It's got wooden pews. It's got a red carpet. It's got blue walls and a pink ceiling. And you may not quite have the image that is before you.
[35:27] But the images that is presented by Christ here, they're kind of obscure. They don't tell us really what the kingdom of heaven is like as a place. It's not John's revelations that we have before us.
[35:40] And yet it is an interesting point that we ask, well, why has he not explained it like that? Why has he not explained the kingdom of heaven as a place? It seems like there's more to it.
[35:53] Does he mean, well, what does he mean when he speaks of the kingdom of heaven? Initially we think, well, it's heaven in the heavenly realm. But is it that or is it something else?
[36:07] Funnily enough, when you read through these things, we get very little of what heaven is like as a place. And we actually hear more of what hell is like as a place.
[36:21] But as we look at these few parables and we put them together, we must primarily keep in mind that they are all representing the kingdom of heaven. What does a kingdom consist of in its most basic form?
[36:45] Well, usually you have a king or a royal seat, a leader as such. And the kingdom is of a certain territory, a certain area.
[36:57] It is a place where the king sets out certain rules, certain ways in which the people are to live. But the essence of the kingdom really is the people.
[37:09] The people are the strength of the kingdom. The people who abide by the rules of the king are the completing of the kingdom. The kingdom of heaven has Christ as its king.
[37:27] And these parables reveal the outworking of that kingdom. And the coming of that kingdom, as we pray together in the Lord's Prayer. Thy kingdom come.
[37:40] The kingdom of heaven, then, is there not a descriptive sense of what the place is like. But how this kingdom is outworked and the privileges that contribute to the gathering of the people of this kingdom.
[37:57] That great effect that the gospel has upon the people. And the spiritual outworking of that effect of the people that are set aside to be gathered into the kingdom of heaven.
[38:13] By the work of the gospel. And the effectual application of that Holy Spirit. You see, the kingdom of heaven, it has a king.
[38:25] We said that. It has king. Christ is its king. It has a kingly order. And means by which the king sets out for the people to live by.
[38:37] We have that in the word of God. And there is a place set aside that the king has set aside for the people.
[38:48] All these things are in place already. It is just the people that need to be gathered into the kingdom of heaven.
[38:59] All those who are Christ's are the kings. The Christian is a son of the king.
[39:10] And a partaker of that kingdom of heaven. Each of us are receivers of the kingdom of heaven. If we believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
[39:23] And it is hard to get our head around these things. And hard to grasp these things. But we have before us these images. That likens it to something else. That aids our understanding of it.
[39:36] And we'll fittingly pair them together. Although we have five. The last one, the parable of the net. There are really two divisions in it. A parable of the mustard seed. And the leaven.
[39:47] Can be paired together. To give us a title of two sizes. And the following images of the treasure and the pearl. Sets before us two treasures. And finally the parable of the net.
[40:01] Sets before us two gatherings. Or two separations that are made. So we have here set before us. As the kingdom of heaven. Two sizes. Two treasures.
[40:13] And two gatherings. So we begin with the two sizes. We look at the grain. The grain of mustard seed. And the leaven. If you look at that section there.
[40:24] From verse 31. These two pictures present a great contrast. And a great impact. That this kingdom will make. The mustard seed was a fairly small seed.
[40:35] About one or two millimeters. And it would grow into this tree. That I believe would grow to three or four meters. As the small quantity of leaven. That we worked into the dough.
[40:46] Would have the significance. Of impacting the whole amount. And change and convert. The dough in its entirety. The seed. In the first instance.
[40:57] Is so small and insignificant. That it could be dismissed. As invaluable. If you did not know. What it was. Something that could be easily rejected.
[41:08] But the seed. In its nature. Is something. That grows. As is. The kingdom. The kingdom of heaven. And it becomes.
[41:20] The greatest. Within the whole. Garden. The kingdom of heaven. Becomes the greatest kingdom. That we could know. And becomes that safe refuge.
[41:31] Where the birds of the air. Take home. In its branches. As we sung. There in Psalm 40. Of the bird. That rests. In the security. Of the dwelling place.
[41:42] Of the kingdom. Such is the kingdom. Of heaven. In some man's eyes. That it is so small. And insignificant. The person of Christ.
[41:53] The word of God. So despised. By many. And rejected. As being worthless. And has been trampled upon. Throughout the ages. And yet.
[42:06] The seed of the gospel. Is a seed. Which by its nature. Grows. Many have viewed it. As insignificant. Even those.
[42:17] In whom that seed. Has been planted. And the growth. That comes with. The strength. Of that kinder. What is weak.
[42:29] Before men. Is strong. And some of the most unlikely. Seeds. Have sprouted. In lives. The gospel.
[42:40] Has taken root. The kingdom. Of heaven. Has welcomed. The most. Surprising. People. In our eyes. But they are great.
[42:53] In God's eyes. And also. When we speak. Of Christ. He was a stone. That was rejected. By men. But he has become.
[43:03] The corner stone. Christ. Christ. When he lived. Was seen as such an insignificant. Man. Such an insignificant.
[43:16] Seed. But from that. Seed. And the apostles. The few. The little. The weak. That went out.
[43:27] A great kingdom. Has come. A great kingdom. That is secure. A great kingdom. That we ourselves. Have come. To rest in. That seed.
[43:40] That was. Ready. Christ. That people. Were ready. To throw on the rubbish heap. When he was crucified. Two men. Took that.
[43:51] Body. And it's as if. They planted it. That seed. And that. Seed. The most amazing.
[44:03] And greatest. Of all. Seeds. That could ever be planted. That kingdom. That has come. From. Christ. Also. Despised. By men.
[44:14] Has become. The greatest. Of all. Kingdoms. Likewise. The leaven. The woman. Took her leaven. And hides it. In great quantity. Of flour.
[44:24] And dough. Until the whole. Mixture. Is leavened. And the quantity. Is said. To be here. Enough bread. To feed. A hundred people.
[44:36] The three measure. It's an abundant. Amount. Of dough. And the sour dough. The leaven. I believe. They would keep. Keep it aside. And they would tear.
[44:46] A bit of it. And mix it in. With the dough. I'm not. A hundred percent. Sure on it. But they would mix it in. With the dough. And thus. That fermented flour. Would work.
[44:57] Silently. Throughout the whole dough. Changing it into. A dough. That would rise. Into bread. When baked. It gives us.
[45:07] An image. Of something. Silent. Working. Underneath the skin. An unstoppable. Food. That converts. The whole mixture.
[45:22] The kingdom of God. Works in such a way. To grow. To change. In size. To gather. The people. To draw them in.
[45:35] And change. And even. To change. Ourselves. The dough. The fleaven. That is. Mixed in. With our heart.
[45:47] Changes us. Slowly. And works. Within us. That kingdom. To filter.
[45:57] Into. Into. Every. Every. Extremity. Of our lives. That we may. Reflect. His. Glory. It is.
[46:08] In each of us. But. Who is it. That needs. That. Into. Our hearts. It's as if. Christ's hands. Are needing it.
[46:19] Into. Our being. And into. The church. You could extend. That. That. That. That. That. That. From ourselves. Into the church. And the strength. Of that. Kingdom. Has been mixed in.
[46:31] And needed in. And the needing. May. Unsettle us. In our lives. The uncertainty. Of our lives. As Christ.
[46:42] Outworks. That kingdom. In it. We're left. Confused. Of. Why. He does. Such a thing. And why. He outworks it. In such a manner. But it is so.
[46:55] That the whole. Of us. And the whole. Of the church. Will be affected. By the strength. Of that kingdom. He changes. Our whole being.
[47:06] He knows best. He is the loving. Father. And we have comfort. In the uncertainties. Of life. And the things. That turn us. Upside down. That it is the hands.
[47:18] Of God. That are doing it. And it will. Come. To be the greatest. Of all things. So let us turn. To the two.
[47:28] Treasures. From verse 44. To 46. We have two treasures. Set before us there. Treasures that are of immense value. Treasures. That have been found.
[47:39] And sought out. The man who dug. The field. Seems to give the impression. That he stumbles across it. So it was common then.
[47:50] To bury your treasure. There was no banks. To store your valuables. And it has become. A forgotten treasure. By the one who buried it. The man who dug.
[48:01] Seems to be surprised. By its find. And what a find. He instantly. He recognizes. The value. Of this treasure. He knows.
[48:12] What it is. And so. Sets himself. To sell everything. That he has. In order to gain it. And only by the purchase. Of the field.
[48:22] Can he attain. The treasure. And say that the treasure. Is hers. Of everything. That he gave. It is incomparable.
[48:34] To the treasure. That is set before. Such is the kingdom of heaven. He is full of joy. At his find. And by the eternal providence.
[48:48] Of God. Some stumble. Across it. By surprise. The power of the gospel. Is revealed to men. And women. By surprise. Surprise. And they realize it.
[48:59] And they grasp it. And they say. How was I not told this before? And they become receivers. Of the greatest riches. And treasures. That they have.
[49:09] In knowledge. Righteousness. Wisdom. Peace. And joy. The gospel is. The revealed. Spiritual. Treasure. And people.
[49:21] Who see it. And know it. And understand it. Are possessed. The treasures. Of great things. Supposing. They forsake. All other treasures.
[49:32] That they have. Some. It is true. It is revealed to them. And it is a surprise. To them. That the gospel. Is such.
[49:44] But to others. They seek it out. With diligence. And it is much like. The man. The pearl. The merchant. Who found. That pearl. He worked.
[49:55] With pearls. He knew. The value. Of the pearls. He had a treasure. He knew. The treasure. Of them. But there comes.
[50:05] To him. One. Immeasurable. One. Greater. One. That he forsakes. All other pearls. In order.
[50:15] To gain it. And I suppose. We could say. That it is like. The man. Who wants. To live. To live. His life. Well. And has a multiple. Of good qualities. And good pearls.
[50:26] In his life. And while they may be. Admired by others. And all that he has done. And all that he has gained. And all that he has worked for. He is always dealing. Back and forth.
[50:37] With these qualities. To find his satisfaction. But never quite. Gains it. Until. He understands. The gospel. Until the kingdom.
[50:48] Of heaven. Is set before him. And then all his desires. Are met. In this kingdom. Are met. In Christ Jesus. Like the man. That we found.
[50:58] This great pearl. Casts aside. All other treasures. As worthless. To invest. In this one pearl. And in this.
[51:10] He invests. This is the great treasure. Set before him. He knows. It's value. He understands. What is set. Before. He knows.
[51:20] There's no other pearl. Like the kingdom. Of heaven. Do we. Understand that. Do we. Have our. Desires. Satisfied.
[51:32] Like what is set. Before us. In the kingdom. Of heaven. The man. Would have secured. His inheritance. Selling all. That he had. And placed it all.
[51:43] In this pearl. Are we. Such people. That forsake. All worldly. Inheritances. To receive. The kingdom. Of God. What would it mean.
[51:54] For you. To set. To sell everything. To gain. Christ. If you added up. The treasures. And accumulation.
[52:05] Of your life. What value. Does it come to. Is it enough. To sell. To forsake.
[52:18] The riches. Of this world. To receive. The heavenly. Kingdom. Does the kingdom. Of heaven. Have such a value. To you.
[52:29] More than these things. And it's not really. As to us. To sell everything. That we have. In measure. In measure. I suppose. It does.
[52:41] But not. Entirely. Everything. Physically. Materially. It asks for that heart. Of first place. And that if we have.
[52:52] That heart. That forsakes all other. Loves. And treasures. That our heart. Inclines itself to. In this world. And we place our hearts.
[53:03] And our lives. Entirely. Upon what is set. Before you. In the kingdom of heaven. What Christ. Has done. For you. It is that image.
[53:14] Of the heart. And the hand. That I said. To the kids. That at heart. Knows. And understands. This love. Forsaking.
[53:25] All other loves. And the resulting. Thing. Is that at hand. Is set to do. And react. To how that. Love. Is implanted. In our hearts. So the man here.
[53:39] Who knows. And loves. This pearl. Forsakes all. To gain. What he has. The two treasures.
[53:50] Let us look at the two. Gatherings. Very briefly. In the night. The parable of the night. Sets before us. A kingdom. That gathers.
[54:01] A kingdom. That sifts. All that is good. And all that is bad. And it is. A simple picture. Maybe simpler. And more common.
[54:12] To many of you. Who are fishermen. You keep. What is worth. And you throw away. What is worthless. And it is compared. To the gathering. Of the church.
[54:24] And to the gathering. Of eternity. And the judgment. Ultimately. Of all men. The good. Are safe. And the evil. Are cast aside.
[54:35] And it really needs. Little of my explanation. To set before you. What the kingdom. Of heaven means. There are. Two gatherings.
[54:46] In this parable. You can see. That like a net. It was thrown out. Into the sea. And gathered. The fish. Of every kind. And while it was full.
[54:56] The men drew it ashore. And sat down. And sorted it. Into containers. But threw away. The bad. There is first. The gathering. Of all that was in the sea. And then.
[55:08] The gathering. Of the good. Likewise. There are separations. Equally represented. By each. The first.
[55:19] The net. Into the sea. It's like the gathering. Of the. People of God. The gathering. Of this worldly. Church. Church. And it is.
[55:30] The kingdom. The king's. Call. To everyone. Today. Christ's. Call. To each of us.
[55:41] To come. Into. The body. Of the church. To understand. And to gain. Understanding. To grow.
[55:52] In wisdom. Knowledge. Righteousness. Peace. And joy. But there is a second. That. That gathering. Is made of. So many. Varied.
[56:03] Fish. Varied. People. And there are such. Amongst it. That have used. The church. For their own. Satisfactions. And gratifying.
[56:13] The evils. Of their hearts. Though they are. Within the body. But they will be. Separated. The good. Will be gathered. The evil. Will be gathered. Together. And it is the divine hands.
[56:25] That will sift. Such. The good. And the bad. To bring. Into completion. The kingdom. Of heaven. To gather.
[56:36] The people. That has been outworked. And ultimately. These divine hands. At the. Close of time. Will gather.
[56:47] The kingdom. Of heaven. Together. May your kingdom. Come. The kingdom. Of heaven.
[56:58] Is set. Before you. Today. Do not. Despise it. It is. Within it.
[57:09] The greatest. Hope. That you can have. And the greatest. Treasure. That you could know. And the greatest. Security. For your life. Have you received.
[57:22] This kingdom. Are you part of this kingdom. Have you understood. What has been set. Before you. Do you see. The value. Of the kingdom.
[57:33] Of heaven. It is. To ask ourselves. To whom. Will we be gathered. To where. Shall we be gathered.
[57:44] From what. Shall we be separated. From. Are we with the Lord's people. Are we in the Lord's place.
[57:57] In the Lord's ways. And under the Lord's command. The kingdom of heaven. Is at work. Today.
[58:08] To gather its citizens. The small. And the weak. Shall be great. The kingdom of heaven.
[58:18] The forgotten. Treasure. Becomes. The greatest. The greatest. The greatest. The greatest. The greatest. To those who know it. And to those who find it. And as they find it.
[58:30] They receive. The greatest. Joy. In Christ. Jesus. The kingdom. Of heaven. It's a kingdom. That gathers. And separates. Under the divine.
[58:43] Authority. To whom. Are we gathered. Pray these thoughts. Be blessed to us. This morning. We'll conclude.
[58:55] In praise of God. By. Singing in Psalm 72. Scottish Psalter. Version again. Page 314.
[59:07] Concluding words of Psalm 72. Page 314. Midway through. Verse 16.
[59:19] Familiar words again. And the blessing of the kingdom. That'll come. The city shall be flourishing. Her citizens abound. A number shall like to the grass.
[59:30] That grows upon the ground. His name forever shall endure. Last like the sun it shall. And shall be blessed in him. And blessed. All nason shall him call. Now blessed be the Lord our God.
[59:42] The God of Israel. For he alone does wondrous works. In glory that excel. And blessed be his glorious name. To all eternity. The whole earth let his glory fill.
[59:54] Amen. So let it be. Let us stand together. And sing these words. The city shall be flourishing. Our citizens abound.
[60:19] In number shall lie to the grass.
[60:29] That grows upon the ground. It's him forever shall endure.
[60:47] Thus like the sun it shall. Men shall be blessed.
[61:02] In heaven and blessed. All nations shall be born.
[61:14] Now blessed be the Lord our God.
[61:26] And God of Israel. For he alone does wondrous works.
[61:44] In glory that excel. And blessed be his glorious name.
[62:04] To all eternity. The whole earth let his glory fill.
[62:22] Amen. Amen. So let it be. Close with a word of prayer.
[62:34] Our Father in heaven, help us to understand these things that we have set our mind to this morning. And as we part, we pray your blessing upon us. That we may be received into the kingdom of heaven.
[62:45] And know through Christ Jesus the security of such a blessing. And the immeasurable riches of such a place. May we set our hearts upon you.
[62:57] And be changed to our heart. And the love of Christ Jesus that dwells within the believer. Be with us as we part.
[63:10] Go forth and go with us. Be with us in the service in the evening. We ask God willing. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
[63:20] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Look when you see them.
[63:44] Good. I think the love's Dennling. Amen.