If you would take the Word of God with me and turn to Matthew chapter 13.
! While you're turning there, we've been in this series called Stories of the Kingdom,
going through some of the parables of Jesus.
I figured in a Baptist church, it's probably not a bad idea to talk about what Jesus talked
about when He was on this earth, right?
We can spend our time looking at a lot of different things,
but it's not a bad idea to talk about what Jesus Himself talked about when He was on this earth.
So, we're going through this series looking at these parables or illustrative stories.
These stories that would make a point, they had a moral, so to speak,
and they were all about the kingdom of God.
God was revealing to us what the kingdom of God is.
So, we're going to look at Matthew chapter 13.
And we're going to look down toward the end of the chapter, verses 44 through 46.
Matthew chapter 13.
And our title this morning is, our theme is Treasures and Pearls.
Treasures and Pearls.
So, that's what we're talking about.
That's what we're diving into with our Stories of the Kingdom series today.
Would you mind standing with me?
I know we've stood up and down a little bit during this service,
but would you mind standing with me in honor of reading God's Word one final time this morning,
if you're able to.
Matthew 13, beginning in verse 44.
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field.
In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned
to get enough money to buy the field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.
When he discovered a pearl of great value,
he sold everything he owned and bought it.
Let's pray together.
God, I pray that you would give us understanding of what you were teaching us
so many years ago when you first gave this parable.
I pray that we would understand what kingdom value is all about.
Give us wisdom and enlightenment from your scriptures by your spirit.
It's in Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
You may be seated.
Thank you for standing.
Let's dive in.
Number one, we're going to look at the poor man.
We see two different people here,
two different characters or players in this story.
We see a poor man and a rich man.
We're going to look at the poor man first.
Now, they're not exactly called poor man and rich man,
but it's intimated, it's understood by the story what they're talking about.
So we can learn what kind of person this is,
what kind of individual this is.
So let's look at the poor man.
And first, it says,
treasure was hidden in a ground.
Do you know why that would happen?
Oftentimes, when people would have to leave their home for whatever reason,
maybe they're going on a long journey,
maybe there's war in the area,
maybe they were arrested,
maybe they were in debt and thrown into debtor's prison,
whatever it was,
they would take their valuables, their treasure,
and usually that they would keep hidden in their home,
remember, no banks like we have them today back then.
So instead, if they were going to leave their home,
then they would bury them in the ground,
hopefully deep enough that nobody would find them,
and then later, when they anticipated their return,
coming back to their home,
they would dig it up and have their treasure.
Oftentimes, they never came back,
and the treasure would just be buried there.
Sometimes the land would change hands.
Sometimes a wealthy man might buy up a field,
and he would employ workers to work the field.
And what happens?
One of those workers, one of those day laborers,
one of those poor people,
kind of at the bottom of the economic scale,
is out there, manual labor,
digging in the field, working for somebody else,
and he finds a treasure.
Now, the rule was, apparently,
that if you dug the treasure out
and lifted it out,
then you would have to take that treasure
to whoever owned the field.
If it was you,
then you get the treasure.
But if it was owned by somebody else,
that treasure would, by right, belong to them.
So, you notice what happens.
The man does not lift it out of the ground.
He finds it,
and he hid it again.
He covered it back up
because he's smart, right?
So, the law would require
that if he took it out,
then he would have to turn it over
to whoever owned the land.
But instead, he left it in the ground,
and he made a plan.
And his plan was,
I've got to get enough money together
to buy this field.
So, what did he do?
He went all in.
He sold everything he had.
He went around and probably borrowed money
from family or friends.
He did everything he could,
maybe took on a side job.
We don't know how long it took him
to buy this field,
but that became his one goal.
Why?
Because he could work
for year after year
at his wages
and never, ever reach
the value of this treasure
that he had found.
So...
Okay.
Maybe we should stop and pray right now
for whatever's going on there.
So, he's all in on this treasure.
He knows this is the most amount of money,
this is the greatest thing of value
that he's ever going to find in his life.
So, he's got a plan.
So, what happened?
He came,
and he sold everything
he had
to get enough money
to buy the field.
So, then he goes to the rich man,
he goes to the owner of the field,
his employer,
and says,
listen,
I've put all my money together.
I've been spending time
working this field.
I want to buy this field from you.
And I can't imagine
that he gave him
a bargain rate on it.
Maybe he felt bad for him.
I don't know.
We're filling in the blanks
on some of this.
It doesn't get us
into the weeds on this.
But,
the point is,
he valued so greatly
that he abandoned
everything else
and went all in
on this treasure.
Why?
Because he found something
of so much greater value
than anything else
in his life.
And he knew that.
Said,
this is a sure thing.
Stock market might go up,
stock market might go down,
but this treasure
has inherent value.
And if I can own this field,
then this treasure
will belong to me.
Would you go to Romans
chapter 10 and verse 20?
Romans chapter 10 and verse 20.
This poor man
found something
of such great value,
he happily gave up
everything he had
to pay the price
of the field.
He made no excuses,
but went all in
on the treasure he found.
You ever been around somebody
who just seemed like
they were always stuck
in the same rut
because every time
they had an opportunity
to get out of that situation
and improve things,
they always had
all kinds of excuses
for why they couldn't do it.
Why they couldn't really
change their circumstances.
Why they couldn't really
improve their financial situation
or whatever it might be.
There was always
all kinds of excuses.
Well,
life just hadn't been
kind to me.
Well,
that's just not
my lot in life.
I'm always going to be poor.
I'm always going to be
in bad health,
whatever it is.
Let's look at
Romans chapter 10
and verse 20.
Later Isaiah,
the prophet Isaiah
spoke boldly for God.
And there's a quote
back to the book of Isaiah.
It says,
I was found by people
who were not looking for me.
I showed myself
to those
who were not
asking for me.
Let's go to Matthew chapter 10
and verse 20.
Do you understand
this guy did not go out
thinking he was going
to find a treasure?
But he found
a great treasure.
He did not go out
that day
thinking that he would
absolutely turn
his life around
and yet he stumbled
upon something
that had the power
to do just that.
And he saw
the value in it.
He recognized
the value in it.
We're setting the stage here.
We're going to get
to the main point
in just a minute.
So stick with me.
Understand the value.
Matthew chapter 10
and verse 39.
If you cling to your life,
you will what?
Lose it.
But if you give up
your life for me,
you will what?
Find it.
There's the key.
That's what the poor man
understood.
He could cling
to his way of life,
but what would that get him?
He would just keep losing.
He could cling
to everything he knew.
He could cling
to what was comfortable.
He could cling
to not maybe
what was easy
because he probably
had a hard life,
but maybe it felt safer
than the unknown.
Maybe it was less scary
than venturing out
with newfound riches.
But instead,
he said,
no.
I have found something
of such greater value,
I'll never find
anything better
than this.
You hear that?
I'll never find
anything better
than this.
Now,
do you see
where we're going
with this?
When you find
Jesus,
you'll never find
anything better
than this.
when you find hope,
when you find life,
when you find joy,
when you find peace,
when you find contentment,
when you find compassion,
when you find kindness,
when you find all
that is wrapped up
in the person of Jesus,
you'll never find
anything better than that.
And Jesus is calling you
to give up your life
for him.
because in doing so,
he will give you
so much better
than you could ever
find on your own.
You can cling
to the scraps
that you have.
Last Sunday,
we talked about
the marriage feast
and the king
extended out
the invitation
to all of those
in the streets,
not his usual guest list,
but he said,
anybody,
come eat at my table,
come feast with me,
because I know you're not
eating like this at home.
I eat like this every day.
I'm the king,
but I'm welcoming you
into my table now.
I want to share
my wealth with you.
And I'm telling you, folks,
you can pursue everything
that everybody around you
is pursuing,
but it's not
the king's table.
It's not the treasure
that he is offering
for you to find.
If you find Jesus,
you've found everything.
So, that's principle
number one.
The poor man,
he gave up everything
in his life
for the treasure
because he knew
it was of greater value
than anything else.
He didn't cling
to his life.
But you know what happens?
Sometimes we want
to cling to it.
Sometimes there are habits,
there are distractions,
there are passions,
there are interests,
that we have in our lives
that do not mesh
with Jesus.
We might try to force them
to work.
We might try to play
both sides.
Oh yeah, I've got Jesus
on Sundays
and I've got everything else
that I'm interested in
the rest of the week.
That's clinging to your life.
It's not giving it up
for the treasure.
So you're abandoning
this treasure
of greater value
than any of that
could ever be
and you're clinging
to something
that will ultimately
cause you
to lose your life,
to waste your life.
And graduates in the room,
I don't want to see you do that.
Don't cling
to what will never
get you
where God wants you to go.
Hold things loosely.
Hold cars loosely.
Hold even jobs.
Dedicate yourself.
Do whatever your hand
finds to do.
Do it with all your strength,
all your might.
Do it to the glory of God.
But don't hold on
to the things of this earth
so tightly.
Hold them loosely
because those things
come and go
but God's words
remain forever.
The things that God gives you,
that will never fade away.
that is a treasure
that will last eternity.
The problem is
it will cost you something.
It will cause you
to give something up.
Folks,
we love to see people
get baptized.
We saw pictures
even in the graduate
photo,
whatever you call those,
slideshows,
there you go,
of people getting baptized,
graduates getting baptized.
What a powerful testimony
of life change.
But can I promise you,
and some of those
graduates know that.
Some of it was
in their testimonies
that when you choose
to follow Jesus,
he's going to ask you
to give something up.
And it might not be
immediately what you think.
It will cost you something.
Actually,
it will cost you
everything.
If you're truly
going to follow Jesus,
you're going to have
to give up everything.
He might give some
of it back to you.
Or he'll give you
something better.
You don't understand
that at first.
I don't understand
that at first.
And I get scared
when I lose something
for the sake of Jesus.
And I get nervous.
Man,
my bank account
doesn't look
how it used to look.
My retirement,
what am I going to do now?
Those relationships
that are causing me
heartbreak right now,
the emptiness sometimes.
and then I find,
boy,
God fills that emptiness
better than anything
ever it has before.
These new relationships
that I have
with my church family,
with the people
in my life
that I know
follow Jesus
and I'm strengthening myself
and now I'm pouring out
to others
with new relationships
who need to find Jesus
and God's using me
in a way to do that.
And all of a sudden,
your life becomes
so much more fulfilling
than it ever was.
but you'll never taste that
if you hold on
to everything
you have now.
You know the story
of the little kid
who reached his hand
in the cookie jar
and he grabbed
as many cookies
as he possibly could
and he couldn't get
his hand back out
because he was holding on
to all of the cookies
and it's like,
look man,
let go, right?
Let go
and you can enjoy
this treasure
you found
but if you hold on
to what you think
you want
you'll never experience
what God wants for you
and it's so much better.
It's so much purer.
It's so much more fulfilling.
So that's the rich man.
Now,
let's go to Matthew chapter 19.
Matthew chapter 19,
few verses there
beginning in verse 16.
While you're turning,
I want to remind you
that those who were
looking for God,
I'm sorry,
those who were never
looking for God,
God was looking for them.
Isn't it a blessing
to know
that when I wasn't
seeking Jesus,
Jesus sought me out.
Jesus came to find me.
That's what we read
in Romans chapter 10.
Some of us stumble
into the kingdom of God.
Isn't that interesting?
Some of us, man,
we seek it out.
Some of us were raised
seeking God.
Some of us weren't.
Some of us stumbled
backwards
into the kingdom of God.
God stopped wicked Saul
in his tracks
and turned him
into his servant Paul
in the New Testament
on the Damascus road.
He was working against God
and God arrested him,
stopped him dead
in his tracks
on his way
to do more harm
to God's people
and then he turned him
into one of his
most powerful servants
we ever have record of.
Now look at Matthew
chapter 19,
verse 16.
Someone came to Jesus
with this question.
Teacher,
what good deed
must I do
to have eternal life?
Let me ask you
as that.
Church,
this morning,
what good deed
must I do
to have eternal life?
Nothing.
There's no good deed
that I can do.
Why?
Because nothing I can do
can give me eternal life.
God holds the keys to that.
He has to give that to me.
I have to humble myself
and place my faith in him
and then he gives me
eternal life.
So,
he's off from the beginning
but Jesus is going to teach him
something.
Verse 17,
why ask me
about what is good?
Jesus replied,
there's only one
who is good
but to answer your question,
if you want to receive
eternal life,
keep the commandments.
That's the law.
That's the Old Testament law.
The Ten Commandments
is the big one.
There are many other commandments
given throughout
the Old Testament.
Verse 18,
which ones,
the man asked.
Jesus replied,
you must not murder,
you must not commit adultery,
you must not steal,
you must not testify falsely,
honor your father
and your mother,
love your neighbor
as yourself.
He just gave him
the highlights,
right?
And the man says,
I've obeyed all these commandments,
the young man replied.
What else must I do?
Jesus said,
if you want to be perfect,
go and sell
all your possessions
and give the money
to the poor
and then you'll have
treasure in heaven
and then come
and follow me.
You know,
an interesting thing.
I think Jesus
is referencing here
the great commandment
that he gave.
He said,
there's a new commandment
that I give you
to love one another
as I have loved you
and on this one commandment,
all those Old Testament
commandments
now hang off of this one.
So if you're not
obeying this commandment,
it's like you've
disobeyed all of them.
So I think he's
communicating that
to this guy.
He says,
you think you followed
all these commandments
and the truth is,
I'm sure that guy
had not even obeyed
all those perfectly.
I'm sure he tried to.
He's probably a moral
upstanding guy.
Probably a kid
who mostly stayed
out of trouble, right?
But nobody's perfect
and there's no way
he was either.
But Jesus says,
if you want to be perfect,
love like I love.
Go and give up
everything on this earth.
Give it all away
and follow me.
And what happened?
The young man said,
yes sir, master,
I will follow you
to the end of my days.
No, he didn't.
Because we know
his heart
was not perfect.
His heart
was selfish.
The young man
heard this
and he went away sad
because he had
many possessions.
What are you
holding on to
that God wants you
to exchange
for his treasure?
You've all met Jesus.
You've all had
the encounter.
Doesn't mean
you're saved.
Doesn't mean
you placed your faith
in him.
But you've all heard
about Jesus Christ.
You've found
the treasure.
Now will you
give it all up
for him?
Will you give it all up
for that treasure?
Young people,
going off to college,
you are going to be
tested.
Your faith will be tested
in so many ways.
What will you
hold on to
that will keep you
from the treasure
of Jesus?
Speaking of that,
let's go back
to Matthew 13
where we started.
Matthew 13.
We looked at the poor man,
now we're looking
at the rich man.
The rich young ruler
that we just read about
that Jesus talked to,
he would not pay the cost.
The cost was everything
and he cared too much
for his possessions.
He cared too much
for his truck,
for his boat,
for his 401k,
for his vacations,
for his sports leagues,
for living vicariously
through his kids,
whatever it was,
okay,
whatever it was
that was keeping him
from pursuing Jesus
because he was scared
of what he might lose
and that's what happens to us.
We get scared
of what we might lose.
Well see,
I know what God wants for me
but this is what is important to me
and I'm afraid
he won't meet that need.
I'm afraid
he won't fulfill that
and we never get to experience
how good,
how fulfilling
he wants this life
to be for us.
So,
verse 45.
Matthew 13.
Let's look at it again.
Again,
the kingdom of heaven
is like a merchant
on the lookout
for choice pearls.
Totally different situation here.
When he discovered
a pearl of great value,
he sold everything he owned
and bought it.
You see,
wealthy merchants
would travel around the world
seeking out precious materials,
jewels,
stones,
money,
gold,
whatever,
precious herbs
at the time
and they would sell them
for a profit.
So,
they would go to the source,
try to find them,
get them at a bargain rate
and then turn around
and sell them
at their highest margin.
pearls
was a great one.
The ladies of the Roman court
would wear pearl necklaces.
It was like
the diamonds of the day,
basically.
And so,
this man came
and found
a great pearl,
the greatest pearl.
In Jesus' story here,
his illustration
that he's telling everyone,
this guy found the pearl
to beat all pearls,
the mother pearl,
mother of pearl,
sorry,
I got off track.
But you understand,
he found the greatest thing.
So,
this was a guy
who was not poor.
This was a guy
who did not work
for someone else.
He was his own boss.
He probably employed others
and he is a treasure hunter,
a treasure seeker,
entrepreneurial.
He'd go out
and he would make
the biggest margin he could.
and what happened?
He found the pearl.
He found the big heist.
He found the big treasure.
He hit the mother load
and he knew it.
And he said,
everything I've found
before this
doesn't measure up
to what I just found.
Do you see the similarity here?
You see the principle
that Jesus is trying
to get across?
Everything that I have had
up until this point
when I found this treasure,
it doesn't match in value.
This is the greatest thing.
Now,
most of us would agree
in this room,
Jesus is better
than all of us.
Jesus is greater.
Jesus is higher.
Many of us would say,
yes,
my faith is the most important
thing in my life,
but our actions,
our way of life,
what we're willing
to walk away from
says that is a lie.
It says we don't
really believe that.
But this rich man did.
He saw something
that was truly
the greatest value.
But sometimes,
we got too much going on.
We've got too much
of a life
that we have built up
for ourselves
and we're not willing
to let God
move us away from it.
We're not willing
to let God
change our direction
until you've been
radically changed
by God.
God,
you haven't really
experienced Jesus.
He will radically
change you.
It might be quick.
It might be over time.
But He will
change you.
And if you haven't
truly been
changed by Jesus,
then maybe you haven't
yet encountered Him.
Maybe you've heard
about Him.
Maybe you're Jesus
adjacent.
Right?
Maybe you've attended
church every once
in a while.
Maybe you're faithful
in church.
Maybe you could answer
Bible trivia.
Maybe you grew up
in Sunday school.
But you haven't really
been changed
by Jesus.
Because when you
really encounter Him,
He'll change
your direction.
He'll make you
give something up.
And you'll be glad to.
You'll be happy to.
Because you realize
how much more valuable
it is.
Philippians chapter 3.
Paul said,
listen,
I had a lot going on.
This Paul guy
that was Saul,
and we talked about
him a minute ago,
God changed him
on the road to Damascus.
He's literally
persecuting Christians,
working for the government,
got a high paying salary.
He says,
look,
I could have had
confidence in my own
effort if anyone could.
If others have reason
for confidence
in their efforts,
I could have had
even more.
Now,
this may not
match up with your resume,
but back then
this was a great resume.
Okay?
I was circumcised
when I was eight days old.
That was like a big thing
back then,
because only the Jews
did it.
I am a pure-blooded
citizen of Israel.
I'm a member
of the tribe of Benjamin,
a real Hebrew
if there ever was one.
I was a member
of the Pharisees.
Those were the top dogs,
right?
Top dogs,
not only on the religious scale,
but also in society.
I was a member
of the Pharisees
who demand
the strictest obedience
to the Jewish law.
I was so zealous,
I harshly persecuted
the church,
Jesus' followers.
They were not
the predominant religion
of the day.
And as for righteousness,
I obeyed the law
without fault.
It's kind of like
that other guy
that Jesus talked to,
right?
I obeyed the law.
I didn't mess up.
But he knew
he wasn't perfect
because his heart
was wrong.
That's the problem.
You can go day
after day
without violating
any Ten Commandments
and you are still sinning
because your heart
is not after God.
Paul knew that.
He said,
I once thought
these things
were valuable.
Y'all,
would you read that
with me again?
I put it in bold.
I once thought
these things
were valuable.
Think through
your life.
Your resume
is going to look
a little different
than Paul's.
The things that you
value and treasure
are going to look
a little different
than Paul's.
But would you think
with me right now
in your mind,
I once thought
these things
were valuable.
Maybe it was yesterday.
Maybe it was this morning.
But God,
show me
where real value is.
Paul had that encounter
with Jesus
and it changed him.
He said,
now I consider
these things
worthless.
Does that mean
you got to go
sell all your possessions?
I don't know
what God has for you.
Not necessarily.
As long as you realize
how worthless they are.
The TV in my bedroom
went out
and I had to get
a new TV
and it was bigger.
Worst day ever.
Sorry, babe.
The TV went out.
Obviously,
we're not going to get
one of the same size.
Come on now.
And that thing's awesome.
In reality,
I moved the living room
one into the bedroom.
So that's bigger
and now I got a bigger one
in the living room.
It's great.
But look,
that TV is worthless.
Now,
my credit card
would not say
it's worthless
because there was
a worth ascribed to it
that I had to pay.
Got it on sale
anyway.
But in reality,
that TV is worthless.
All the TVs
could go out tomorrow
and I would be okay.
My family would be okay.
We'd have to break out
some books,
you know,
some board games,
whatever.
We'll figure it out.
Break out the Bible.
But what is
of value to you
and what is worthless?
The things
that this world
teaches us
are of great value.
We've got to come
to the place
where we say
they're not.
They're worthless.
You know what has value?
Following Jesus
with your life.
The fellowship
and community
you get
in the body of Christ.
the hope
and joy
and peace
and all the comfort
that God gives you.
That has value.
That's what matters.
That's what your children need.
That's what these graduates
need to take with them
into their life.
That has value.
So Paul said,
I now consider
these things worthless.
Why?
Because of what Christ
has done.
That's where real value is.
Everything else
is worthless
when compared
with the infinite value
of knowing
Christ Jesus
my Lord.
There is nothing else
on this earth
that has infinite value.
You can get all the platinum
and diamonds
and pearls
and anything
on this earth
that the world
ascribes great value to
and it will never
have infinite value.
There will always
be an end
to its value.
Not so
with Jesus Christ.
So
that's why he said
for his sake
for Jesus' sake
I have discarded
everything else
counting it all
as garbage
so that I could
gain Christ
and become
one with him.
Do you understand?
He was still
a Hebrew.
He still had
his medals
on the wall.
When you walk away
from what's holding
you back
what you used
to consider
the most valuable
it doesn't necessarily
mean it's all
going to go away
immediately.
But your perspective
on it
shifts.
Now
if I lose
my truck
if I lose
the great house
if I lose
the big retirement
whatever it is
it's not going
to kill me anymore.
it's not
going to drive
me to depression.
Now
it's not
going to
affect
my spirit
because my
spirit
rests in
Christ.
I no longer
count on my
righteousness
through obeying
the law
now
rather
I become
righteous
through faith
in Christ.
That's why
it's so valuable.
It's saving
your soul.
It's giving
you a future.
It's giving
you a home
in heaven.
It's giving
you something
that can't
be taken
away from
you.
Do you
understand
that everything
in this
world that
you can
pursue
can be
taken away
from you?
He said
not family.
Oh yes.
How many
of you have
lost a
loved one?
They can
be taken.
Everything
in this
world
can be
taken from
you.
But your
faith in
Christ
the righteousness
that he
places on
you can
never be
taken away.
So I'm
trying to
get all
of us
myself
included
and everyone
in this
room to
realize where
the real
value is
in something
that cannot
be taken
away.
So
that's
God's
way of
making us
right with
himself.
It depends
on our
faith.
Would you
go with me
to 1 Timothy
and we'll
be done.
1 Timothy
chapter 6
verse 17
through 19.
Paul hit
the top
of his
career.
He had
it all
but he
found it
was
worthless
once he
met
Jesus.
Have you
really met
Jesus?
Then you'll
see how
worthless
everything else
is.
Maybe you've
just heard
about him.
if you've
really met
Jesus
then why
do your
plans
have so
little to
do with
him?
Graduates
make sure
your plans
have much
to do
with Jesus
in your
life.
As you
go off to
A&M
and Tech
and all
those other
schools that
aren't UT
Austin
are
going to
do
with
him.
Anyway.
As you
go off to
your college
God leads
you into
a great
career
and Lord
willing gives
you a
family
and whatever
his plans
are for
you.
He says
I know
the plans
I have
for you.
He's going
to reveal
them to
you in
time.
Make
sure
your plans
match up
with him.
Make
sure your
plans
involve
!
Him
because
I promise
you
ask
your
parents
ask
your
grandparents
ask
your
church
family
it's
so
easy
for
your
plans
to
start
to
not
involve
Jesus
at
all.
It's not
that you
willingly
turned your
back on
him.
No.
Life
just kind
of
drifted
you
apart.
It'll
do
that
if
we
don't
intentionally
keep
our
eyes
fixed
on
Jesus.
So
1 Timothy
chapter
6
and
verse
17
I was
talking
to
y'all
and
forgot
to
turn
there
myself
so
give
me
one
second.
1 Timothy
6
verse
17
Teach
those
who
are
rich
in
this
world
not
to
be
proud
and
not
to
trust
in
their
money
which
is
so
unreliable.
Their
trust
should
be
in
God
who
richly
gives
us
all
we
need
for
our
enjoyment.
Tell
them
to
use
their
money
to
do
good.
And
if
God's
blessed
you
with
riches
and
finances
use
it
for
right?
There's
nothing
wrong
with
that
as
long
as
you
realize
how
meaningless
and
of
little
value
it
is.
And
as
long
as
it
doesn't
keep
you
from
doing
good
and
bringing
God
back
into
your
plans.
They
should
be
rich
in
good
works
generous
to
those
in
need
always
being
ready
to
share
with
others
by
doing
this
what
are
they
doing
by
doing
!
They're
storing
up
their
treasure
If
you're
not
looking
at
it
real
quick
here
we
go
If
you
do
this
center
your
riches
your
positions
everything
you have
on
Jesus
what
will
happen
by
doing
this
you
will
be
storing
up
your
treasure
as
a
good
foundation
for
the
future
you
know
what
you
need
at
this
stage
in
your
life
a
good
foundation
for
the
future
so
here's
how
to
have
it
so
that
then
you
can
experience
true
life
y'all
I
don't
want
you
to
have
a
life
that
this
world
will
carve
out
for
you
this
world
will
set
you
on
a
track
it
can't
help
itself
it
will
do
it
social
media
pressures
job
needs
bills
to
pay
everything
will
start
to set
you
on
a
course
and
start
to
define
the
life
that
you
live
I
don't
want
that
life
for
you
I
want
true
life
for
you
and
I
think
just
about
everyone
who has
experienced
both
in this
room
would
want
the
same
we
want
true
life
for
you
so
true
life
is only
found
where
Jesus
is
true
life
is only
found
where
Jesus
is
so
go
with
Jesus
follow
him
follow
him
where
he's
leading
you
ignore
the
distractions
sell
it
trade
it
in
whatever
it
is
and
stop
pursuing
the
less
valuable
treasures
that will
never
satisfy
your
soul
that
relationship
that's
holding
you
down
sell
it
that
habit
that
is
toxic
for
you
and
you
know
it
is
sell
it
get
rid
of
it
dump
it
that
house
that
job
the
truck
the
boat
the
retirement
athletic
achievements
all of
that can
have
its
place
but
none
of
it
is
the
treasure
that
vacation
your
family
your
status
your
reputation
man
status
and
reputation
sometimes
that is
the
thing
we
hold
on
to
the
dearest
you
know
what
Jesus
did
he
came
and
made
himself
of
great
reputation
here
on
earth
he
exalted
himself
in
society
he
was
the
best
of
the
best
he
was
the
elite
he
was
the
one
that
right
I
got
it
wrong
he
did
the
exact
opposite
he
humbled
!
God
highly
exalted
him
God
gave
him
all
the
status
but
we
get
so
concerned
about
our
reputation
on
this
earth
and
I'm
not
talking
about
going
out
and
having
a good
reputation
as
somebody
who's
honest
and
all
that
I'm
not
talking
about
letting
sin
ruin
your
reputation
that's
a
whole
different
thing
but
sometimes
we
will
fight
tooth
and
nail
for
our
reputation
and
we
will
never
do
!
what
God
from
the
treasure
that
is
Jesus
so
all
those
things
can be
taken
from
you
all
those
things
can
be
lost
so
go
all
in
how
many
are
all
in
for
the
bear
cats
anybody
I
figured
we'd
have
more
hands
than
that
how
many
are
all
in
for
the
bear
cat
there
we
go
all
right
there's
other
schools
represented
in
here
and
I
don't
!
mean
I
apologize
!
But
we
are
in
Henrietta
go
all
in
on
the
one
thing
that
can
never
be
taken
from
you
so
here's
our
takeaway
today
what
are
you
holding
on
to
what's
keeping
you
from
the
treasure
that
is
Jesus
what's
keeping
you
from
the
treasure
that
is
Jesus
I'm
asking
that
to
our
graduates
I'm
asking
that
to
every
adult
every
child
in
this
room
what
is
keeping
you
what's
holding
you
back
you
probably
know
what
it
is
you
may
not
you
may
need
to
go
to
the
Lord
in
prayer
and
tell
me
what's
holding
me
back
from
experiencing
that
full
rich
treasure
!
Jesus
would
you
bow
your
heads
with
me
what's
keeping
!
you
from
the
treasure
that
is
Jesus
Jared's
gonna
come
and
play
a
song
for
us
we're
a
little
bit
later
today
and
I'm
grateful
for
your
patience
we
didn't
want to
short
change
our
graduates
at
all
and
we
definitely
didn't
want to
short
change
the
preaching
of
the
word
of
God
as
well
but
listen
whether
you've
stumbled
into
the
kingdom
like
the
first
guy
you
weren't
setting
out
to
find
riches
but
God
when
you
weren't
seeking
him
God
was
seeking
you
and
he
found
you
and
you
found
him
and
you
realized
he's
the
most
valuable
thing
or
maybe
you've
been
seeking
it
out
for
many
years
maybe
you've
been
a
seeker
maybe
you've
been
trying
to
find
answers
you've
been
looking
I
can
promise
you
that
the
pearl
of
great
price
the
better
treasure
than
anything
else
you could
ever
find
is
Jesus
Christ
and
that
same
treasure
is
available
to
you
both
the
seeker
or
the
stumbler
either
one
that
same
treasure
is
available
to
you
both
it's
free
of
charge
God
will
never
charge
a
dime
for
the
treasure
he
gives
you
but
if
you
want
to
experience
it
it's
going
to
cost
you
it's
free
but
it'll
cost
you
otherwise
you'll
never
taste
it
you'll
never
experience
it
if
you're
holding
on
to
the
cares
of
this
life
so
let
me
ask
you
this
question
how
many
of
you
would
say
today
is
the
day
that
I
need
to
meet
Jesus
I
need
to
experience
him
and put
my
faith
in
him
for
salvation
for
the
first
time
today
so
I
believe
Jesus
died
on
the
cross
I
want
him
to
forgive
me
of
my
sins
I
believe
he
rose
from
the
dead
I
believe
he
is
God
and
I'm
placing
my
faith
in
Jesus
if
that's
you
right
now
and
God
has
been
working
on
your
heart
during
this
service
would
you
just
slip
your
hand
up
and
wave
at
me
real
quick
and
I'll
see
you
thank
you
thank
you
thank
you
thank
you
thank
you
God
for
those
who
raised
their
hand
right
now
I'm
going
to
do
this
with
our
heads
bowed
we
have
a lot
going
on
after
the
service
the
graduates
are
set
up
in
the
fellowship
hall
we're
going
to
go
around
we're
going
to
see
their
tables
congratulate
them
pray
for
them
talk
to
them
but
before
we
dismiss
from
this
room
I'm
going
to
give
you
this
opportunity
if
you
raised
your
hand
a
moment
ago
every
head
bowed
would
you
just
look
at
me
just
you
few
who
raised
your
hand
would
you
look
up
here
if
you
place
your
faith
in
Jesus
today
then
that
makes
you
his
child
that
makes
you
his
follower
so
if
you
understand
that
you
are
a
sinner
and
you
fully
admit
that
and
you
know
that
Jesus
died
for
your
sins
on
the
cross
and
then
God
raised
him
from
the
dead
and
he
is
willing
to
forgive
you
wipe
your
slate
clean
make
you
his
child
and
walk
with
!
the
prayer
and
in
your
heart
would
you
pray
it
with
me
nothing
magical
about
these
words
it's
your
faith
in
Jesus
that
will
save
you
let's
bow
together
those
of you
who
raised
your
hand
if
you
have
the
desire
to
place
your
faith
in
Jesus
now
would
you
say
this
God
I
know
I'm
a
sinner
I
know
your
son
Jesus
died
on
the
cross
for
me
I
know
you
raised
him
from
the
dead
and
I
place
all
my
faith
in
Jesus
to
forgive
my
sin
and
make
me
your
child
thank
you
for
saving
me
thank
you
for
welcoming
me
into
your
family
in
Jesus
name
I
pray
amen
if
you
prayed
that
prayer
with
me
in
just
a
moment
I'm
going
to
ask
you
to
come
down
front
I
want
to
talk
to
you
just
meet
!
with
you
real
quick
30
seconds
and
we
want
to
celebrate
with
you
but
listen
for
the
rest
of
us
in
this
room
maybe
God's
working
on
something
else
from
the
preaching
of
his
word
maybe
something
in
the
scriptures
tugged
at
your
heart
you
said
you
know
I've
been
valuing
other
things
more
than
I
value
Jesus
and
I
got
to
turn
that
around
I
want
to
taste
that
whole
treasure
that
Jesus
is
let's
stand
together
let's
sing
this
song
that
Jared's
going
to
lead
us
in
just
one
verse
and
we'll
dismiss
and
go out
and be
with
the
graduates