We're going to continue on in our Matthew series.
Today's passage is continuing on in the parable series,
! We're in verses 44 to 52.
If you don't have a Bible and would like to use one,
please raise your hand and we'd be happy to give you a Bible that you can use and keep.
Again, we're in chapter 13, verses 44 to 52.
Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.
Heavenly Father,
you are this great, precious, matchless treasure.
The best thing that we have ever found.
But life is distracting.
Life is hard.
We have an enemy.
A fierce enemy that's seeking to distract us.
Take our eyes away from the rich treasure that we have found.
I pray, Heavenly Father, please use my weak words,
this short time,
to refresh anew
our evaluation
of the kingdom of heaven.
that, Holy Spirit,
you would be in this place.
You would fill us
so that we would have eyes to see
and ears to hear
that your kingdom is worth everything.
Make us a people united in this one thing.
that we would just have this one thing
and we would lose all else
in joy to gain this one thing.
Make it true of us now.
Help us to come back to our first loves.
Speak through me.
I am a weak man
with so many infirmities,
deficiencies,
but you are perfect.
You are strong.
Be glorified through me.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
If you are able,
please rise
to honor the reading of God's word.
Starting in verse 44.
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 that field.
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.
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.
So it will be
at the end 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.
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.
This is God's holy
and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
Yeah,
you can throw
all that stuff out.
Those
simple words
would come
to haunt
James Howells
for the next
12 years
of his life.
Because of that
all too common mistake
of just
mistakenly
throwing out something,
he has been
on a decade-long journey.
to retrieve
that piece of trash
who's made
his new home
at the local city landfill.
His plan?
Hire a bunch
of lawyers.
Beg
and plead
the local city council
to allow him
to purchase
that dumpster,
that landfill.
Fly
specialized drones
with infrared cameras
to find
this piece of trash.
Send out
a pack
of those
Boston Dynamic
robot dogs.
You guys know the kind.
The ones that could do
backflips.
Excavate
tens of thousands
of tons
of trash
cart by cart
to a scanner
trained by AI
to find
this piece of trash.
Finally,
install a
backup
magnetic belt
to capture,
to catch
any kind of
leftover
metallic objects.
house.
He's willing
to invest
millions
and millions
of dollars
and thousands
of hours
of power
to find
this piece
of trash
so small
that it just
got mixed in
with the rest
of his everyday
trash.
To his
overly
engineered plan,
Howell said,
and I quote,
this seems
logical.
But this man
looks crazy
until you
understand what
he was looking
for.
Back in
2013,
he accidentally
threw out
an office
hard drive
which contained
his only
copy of
a 51
character
password
to his
crypto wallet,
his Bitcoin
wallet.
You see,
Howells was
one of the
first people
in the world
to start
mining for
Bitcoin
and in doing
so he
amassed
an incalculable
fortune.
A fortune
that is
currently valued
at $800
million.
Now,
I still think
that Howell
should probably
just cut his
losses and
move on
with his
life,
but it
makes a
little bit
more sense
of why
he would
go to
such things
to find
this little
tiny
hard drive.
You see,
our actions
reflect what
we value
most.
We shape
our entire
lives
around
what we
value.
Our
schedules,
budgets,
thoughts,
our
conversations,
our
relationships,
they all
display on
the outside
what we
value on
the inside.
Someone else
didn't know
anything about
you but
saw a
snapshot of
your life
this past
week.
What would
he or she
think about
what you
value?
In our
passage this
morning,
Jesus wraps
up his
discourse about
the kingdom
of heaven by
making one
simple point.
The kingdom
of heaven
and its
king are
worth
everything.
The kingdom
of heaven
and its
king are
worth
everything.
One of the
repeated words
in this
parable is the
word all
or every.
So in the
final four
parables of
this chapter,
we'll understand
how the
kingdom of
heaven is
all
rewarding,
all
reckoning,
and finally
all
revealing.
Our
passage this
morning opens
with two
short parables
starting with
the parable
of the
hidden
treasure.
Verse 44,
the kingdom
of heaven is
compared to
a treasure of
inestimable
worth that a
man finds
buried in a
field.
Here,
Jesus draws on
a common
ancient practice
because remember
back then there
were no
secure banks,
no FDI
insured banks
where you
could store
all your
valued possessions.
But especially
in a period
rife with
wars,
fighting,
pilfering,
you needed
a safe place
to hide your
stuff.
And so
the best
option for
all these
people,
for a lot
of people,
was simply
just to
pick up a
spade,
pick up a
shovel,
and dig
so they
could hide
their treasures
underground.
And if the
original owner
passed away
before retrieving
it, a
treasure could
very easily
be hidden
for a very
long time.
And it
seems like
that's the
case in
this parable.
If the
current owner
had known
that a
rich,
matchless
treasure was
buried in
his field,
would he
have told
it?
Now, Jesus
doesn't give
us a lot of
detail on
the back
story of
this man,
how he
found it.
Details like,
who is he?
Why he was
on this field?
How did he
find this?
Because that's
all going to
detract away
from his
main singular
point.
Regardless of
the circumstances,
this man
finds this
one hidden
treasure.
And he
immediately
understands
its worth.
He does
a quick
cost-benefit
analysis,
does the math
in his head,
and he
easily concludes
that his
entire net
worth,
everything that
he's gained
from working
year after
year,
everything that
he's possibly
gained from
his family
inheritance,
all of that
can't compare
to the value
of the
treasure.
So he
determines
to hide
the treasure
again,
to sell
all that
he has,
to buy
that field
so that
he can
gain it
properly,
legally.
The second
parable is
very similar
in length
and messaging.
Jesus compares
the kingdom
of heaven
to a
merchant
who is
in search
of the
finest
of pearls.
Today,
99% of
pearls are
manually
farmed.
They're
dramatically
boosting
their
production
and
dramatically
decreasing
their
value
and
rarity.
But
back then,
all the
pearls
were natural
and extremely
rare and
prized.
They were
even considered
more valuable
than gold.
There are
ancient reports
that tell
of pearls
that were
worth more
than tens
of thousands
and tens
of millions
even
of dollars
in modern
currency.
Some
serendipitously
stumble upon
a treasure
that just
plops in
their lap.
But
others,
like this
merchant,
search,
labor
with intention
and persistence.
When he
finally finds
that pearl,
though it
cost him
time
and energy,
he
instantly
recognizes
that this
pearl was
worth it.
With his
trained eye,
he sees
its coat,
its luster,
its perfect
sphericity,
its color,
its shape,
and he
immediately
knows he's
found something
he's never
found before.
Knowing the
market for
these kinds
of things,
he too
performs a
cost-benefit
analysis.
In comparison,
commentators
surmise that
the man in
the first
parable was
just a
lowly day
laborer,
didn't have
much to
his name
probably,
but this
merchant,
it's not
like that.
He probably
had other
expensive,
rare pearls
in his
possession.
He had
even more
to sell,
yet still,
Jesus is
emphatically
making the
point,
it is worth
to sell
all that you
have,
just to gain
this one
pearl,
this singular
pearl.
That word
one,
it stands
out in
verse 46.
Jesus
could have
said a
pearl,
but he
says the
one pearl.
I think
to highlight
its singularity,
this one
singular pearl
is more
valuable than
all the other
pearls in his
possession
combined.
This
cost-benefit
analysis is
the central
point of
this parable.
We're
familiar with
the basic
idea,
right?
It's a
fancy
business
term,
that's a
very basic
idea.
Do the
benefits
outweigh the
costs?
If so,
then go
for it,
it makes
sense.
If not,
then pump
the brakes,
rethink
things.
So there
are two
parts to
that analysis
of understanding.
It's the
cost on the
one hand,
and then the
benefit.
So I want
to first look
at the
cost.
The cost
of the
kingdom is
plain and
clear.
Almost verbatim,
Jesus tells us
plainly that
both of these
parables,
these men
sell everything.
They sell
everything that
they have.
Though they
might have
looked crazy
to the outside
world,
they nonetheless
liquidated their
homes,
their land,
their livestock,
extra clothing,
jewelry,
stored food,
anything and
everything.
It all
must go
so that they
could buy
this one
thing.
Jesus makes
it clear that
the kingdom
of heaven,
of being
under the
rule and
reign of
Jesus Christ,
the king,
it costs
you
everything.
The kingdom
of heaven is
all-encompassing.
It's all
demanding.
Jesus very
plainly tells
us in Luke
13,
anyone,
any one of
you who
does not
renounce all
that you
have cannot
be my
disciple.
Now,
I don't
think that
Jesus literally
means that
today we
need to
now take a
vow of
poverty and
sell all
that we
have to
give to
the poor.
You read
of examples
of wealthy
people in the
gospel and in
the book of
Acts who
provide for
Jesus and
his disciples.
Even the
apostles,
Peter,
he's shown to
have possessions.
And for those
of us with
families,
it is our
God-given
responsibility to
provide for
them, to
work hard for
them.
If you don't,
then you are
worse than
unbelievers.
That's what
1 Timothy 5
says.
For even
unbelievers
understand their
duty to
provide for
their families.
But while
Jesus might
not literally
demand all,
he does
spiritually demand
all.
All of our
hearts, all of
our allegiance.
The cost of
the kingdom is
steep.
There is no
easy believism
in the kingdom.
There is no,
all you need to
do is just say
a prayer.
Just come up
once for an
altar call.
Even just get
baptized.
Just get wet
for a little
bit and then
you're going to
be good.
You can
coast.
It is only
those who are
willing to give
up everything
who will be
able to gain
the kingdom.
As the old
saying goes,
salvation is
free, but it
costs you
everything.
money.
It's not just
with money,
whether it's
our time,
a dream of
yours, a
relationship,
attachments to
comfort,
family, your
health even.
There can't be
anything where
we say to
Christ, you can
have this much.
You can have
10%.
you can have
Sunday mornings,
but this,
this is mine.
This is my
line in the
sand.
You, you
cannot touch
this.
brothers and
sisters, where
is that line
for you?
Lots of us
ponder what we
ought to do with
our lives.
Some of us are
thinking through
our professional
careers, maybe
even thinking
about entering
full-time
Christian ministry.
Should I go to
med school, or
move to this
city, or marry
this guy or
girl?
At the risk of
minimizing the
importance of
those questions,
they are always
secondary.
The primary
question is,
can I renounce
all that I have
to follow Jesus
Christ?
Far too many of
us get the
order of this
question mixed
up.
We try to figure
out what to do
with our lives
without resolving
a total,
complete surrender
to Jesus
Christ.
But if you're
resolved, if you
get that first
question right,
then that totally
transforms the
way that you
answer that
second question,
doesn't it?
When we're
confronted, though,
with the high
cost of the
kingdom, it
might be easy to
push back saying,
oh no, Jesus
didn't mean
everything.
Jesus is kind.
Didn't we just
read that he is
gentle and lowly
and that he won't
break a bruised
reed?
Your interpretation
makes the kingdom
too demanding,
too exclusive,
too harsh.
You're right.
Jesus is all-loving,
all-kind, and that
is precisely why he
does demand our
entire allegiance.
Because he knows
that those who live
outside of the
kingdom of heaven,
we serve.
They serve a
self-defeating,
self-sabotaging
enterprise.
Take money, for
example.
Money universally
is seen as power.
Money promises
security, safety.
It holds out the
illusion of control,
of freedom of
worry.
It is so easy
to let money
displace God
as our highest
good, as our
rock and our
redeemer.
But the reality
is, is in the
long run, money
will never make
you feel rich.
Money will never
make you feel
rich.
It's like
salt water.
it temporarily
quenches your
thirst.
But it will only
suck your
cells dry from
the inside out
and make you
thirstier and
thirstier.
Even when I
know that in my
own head, if I'm
honest, I am cut
to the heart by
this passage.
And I'm
convicted by my
allegiance to
other things.
I've had to
wrestle in
prayer in
preparation for
this sermon.
Could I do
what these men
did?
Could I sell
all that I
have and
renounce
everything for
the sake of
the kingdom?
to give up
my house,
my car,
my 401k,
my entire
net worth?
Could I lead
my family down
that path?
Could I
joyfully do
it?
Do I value the
kingdom above
all else?
every morning,
every single
day, I feel
the need to
train myself
to do this
one simple
thing.
Trying to
rip open
this grip,
this tight grip
that I have
on my
possessions.
I have to do
that every
morning.
I have to
do that
every morning.
But in those
prayer times,
if I'm not
careful,
I can get
into this
mode very
easily of
self-focused
performance.
As Jerry
Bridges put it,
our default
mode as
believers is
to live by
performance
and not
by grace.
It is the
default mode
of my own
heart to
live just
looking at
myself and
to feel like
I'm not
Christian enough.
This message
so far
might have
just reinforced
that feeling
that you are
not sacrificial
enough.
You're not
giving enough.
You're not
holy enough.
But in these
short parables,
notice that
Jesus doesn't
describe these
men as
exceptionally
holy or
exceptionally
righteous.
It's not even
about these
men at all.
It's about
the value
of the
kingdom of
heaven.
in no
sense did
these men
feel like
they were
committing a
self-sacrificial
magnanimous
act.
If you came up
to them and
asked them,
how did you
do this?
How did you
find it within
yourself to be
so brave,
so sacrificial?
They would
have looked at
you with
complete confusion
because in
the end,
this deed was
done in
joy.
joy because
of the value
of the
kingdom.
While he
sold every
previous
attachment,
every sense
of security,
every aspect
tied to his
previous life,
he was
supremely
joyful.
This is the
key.
This is the
key to all
Christian living
and all of
Christian growth.
It's about
getting our
eyes off of
ourselves,
off of our
stuff,
and to
look,
seek first
the kingdom
of heaven.
We only
learn to
deny ourselves
and to
renounce
everything by
seeing the
surpassing worth
of the kingdom
of heaven.
That's how
the apostle
Paul,
he gave up
all former
ties,
all his
former security,
all his
former boasts.
In Philippians
3, he says,
whatever gain I
had,
I counted
as loss
for the
sake of
Christ.
Indeed, I
count everything
as loss
because of the
surpassing worth
of knowing
Christ Jesus
my Lord.
For his
sake I
have suffered
the loss
of all
things and
count them
as rubbish
in order that
I may gain
Christ and be
found in him.
Every gain
in this
world,
all the
money,
the status,
the power,
it was like
refuse,
like worthless
dung compared
to the
surpassing worth
of knowing
Christ.
That's why
David Livingstone,
a missionary
to Africa,
even when he
contracted malaria
over 30 times,
had his left
arm crushed
by a lion
or had to
bury his wife
in the soils
of Africa.
It almost
feels not real,
the hardships
that he had to
endure.
But he
said this,
people talk
of the
sacrifice
that I've
made and
spending so
much of my
life in
Africa.
Anxiety,
sickness,
suffering,
or danger,
now and
then with
the foregoing
of the
common
conveniences
and charities
of this
life may
make us
pause and
cause the
spirit to
waver and
the soul
to sink,
but let
this be
for a
moment.
For these
are all
nothing when
compared with
the glory that
shall be
revealed in
and for
us.
I have
never made
a sacrifice.
I never
made a
sacrifice.
I don't
mean to
over-spiritualize
or trivialize
our sacrifices
and our
hardships that
we face.
There are
real hardships
that we do
go through.
The battle
against our
sins, Satan,
and the world
is real.
It rages
against us.
And Christians
do get
discouraged
and depressed.
But Living
Stone's quote
is not to
minimize our
struggles, but
it is to
maximize the
incomparable
value of
the kingdom.
Once we
see the
immeasurable
value of
the kingdom,
then these
sacrifices, they
start to feel
smaller.
It all
relativizes.
It's not
primarily by
just doing
this in our
prayer times.
it's not
just doing
this.
But it's
doing this
to grasp
the feet of
our Lord
Jesus Christ,
to gain
more of
him, to
say that I
can't believe
I get to be
in relationship
with you,
Jesus Christ.
The point of
this parable is
not to starve
yourself, but
it is to
feast.
Look, guys,
I know you
know this.
I know you
know this.
But sometimes
life is so
hard and
distracting,
discouraging,
that you need
someone else to
tell you this,
to remind you
of the supreme
worth of the
king and his
kingdom.
It is so
easy, is it
not, to let our
estimation of the
kingdom fluctuate.
we know on our
heads the
infinite value of
the kingdom, of
Jesus Christ, but
in our heart of
hearts, our
personal evaluation,
it rises and
falls.
I am 100%
sure that
James Howell's
desire for his
little hard drive,
it rose and it
fell, along with
Bitcoin.
When he saw
that his
portfolio rose,
he just wanted
that even more.
When he fell,
disinterested.
When he saw
though, that
over time his
portfolio grow
from 10,000 to
a million to
100 million to
800 million
dollars, there's
a fire.
There's a desire
for that.
We do the
same thing when
we start to
really understand
the value of
the kingdom.
And when we
struggle to see
Jesus as he is,
God is gracious
to us to give
us the people
in this room
to rely on our
fellow brothers
and sisters in
this race.
And I have
experienced that
fellowship here.
I am amazed by
some of your
testimonies.
Some of you
guys have quit
your jobs,
moved to a
brand new
city, just
so you can
follow God's
call to be
part of this
church.
Others of you
are following
Jesus and
standing up for
truth, even if
it costs you
your relationships
with friends and
family, even when
they ridicule you.
you.
Still more of
you have given
yourselves to the
giving, to the
service, to the
growth of this
church and your
brothers and
sisters.
You have made the
kingdom your top
priority and it
shows.
Even when it is a
struggle to make
the kingdom your
top priority, is
it not evidence that
the kingdom is your
top priority still?
When we see, when I
see that faith in
you, I am regularly
built up, regularly
encouraged that Jesus
truly is worth
everything.
Bonhoeffer says so
much, he says,
God has put this
word into the mouth
of others in order
that it may be
communicated to us.
He needs him time,
he needs him again
and again when he
becomes uncertain and
discouraged.
For by himself he
cannot help himself
without denying the
truth, he needs his
brother as bearer and
proclaimer of the
divine word of
salvation.
The Christ in his
own heart is weaker
than the Christ in
the word of his
brother.
His own heart is
uncertain, his
brother's is sure.
When was the last
time you experienced
true Christian
fellowship?
Where a brother and
sister reminded you
of the joy that we
have in Jesus Christ.
Don't you want that?
Don't you want to do
that for others?
Let us faithfully
remind one another of
the value of the
kingdom, that the
king and his kingdom
are worth everything.
Now so far it sounds
like the kingdom of
heaven is only a
benefit to some, but
not a force to be
reckoned with.
Sean spoke last week
about the inevitability
of the kingdom of
heaven.
That when the battle
is done and the dust
settles, it will be the
kingdom of heaven that
stands, that reigns.
There is no place for
this kind of apathy.
No, it's good for you to
joyfully sell all your
stuff, but it's not for
me.
It's great that you found
your thing.
You have your kingdom,
I'll have mine.
Jesus debunks any sense
of that kind of talk in
the third parable of this
passage, the parable of
the net, which shows that
the kingdom of heaven is
all reckoning.
In this parable, the
kingdom of heaven is
compared to a massive
sen net thrown into the
sea that indiscriminately
gathers fish of all kinds,
which more literally
translates in the Greek to
all races.
Jesus again seems to be
drawing on real life
examples because fishermen
would regularly fish in
this particular manner.
They would stretch out this
ginormous net between two
boats.
It would stretch out even
across a half mile and
they would slowly sail
around.
These nets would have a
heavy lead line that
would drag across the
bottom of the ocean or
the bottom of the sea,
allowing the net to span
the entire depth of
water.
There was no escaping,
no dodging this net.
They would haul up every
watery creature on shore
then and then meticulously
sort out the good from the
bad.
In the Sea of Galilee,
there were more than 20
types of sea creatures.
Remember, in Jewish society,
they were to follow strict
dietary laws according to
Moses.
So some, some of these
species were ceremoniously
clean, others unclean.
The good and the bad.
And so far, this parable and
the parable of the wheat that
Sean preached on last week,
they touch on similar themes.
But while the themes are
similar, their focuses are
slightly different.
The parable of the wheat focuses
more on the fact that the
good and the evil, they
coexist.
But this parable, the parable
of the net, seems to build on
the previous parable, focused
not on their coexistence, but
their separation.
Right now, all of us see
creatures.
We're coexisting together.
We see the big blue sea in
front of us.
We see all the open space,
all the possibilities.
And we imagine ourselves to be
completely, completely free,
completely and forever
autonomous.
All unaware that the net is
enclosing in on us.
Because the net, slowly but
surely, is sweeping the sea of
the entire world.
And it's filling up right now,
as we speak.
And it indiscriminately catches
men of all kinds.
They don't care what demographic
you fit in.
The net will catch all of us.
It'll catch your Uber driver,
your neighbor, your lab partner,
your dentist.
The net has a max capacity.
It can't and won't fill up
indefinitely.
And once it reaches that
capacity, the kingdom of heaven,
then it will be revealed in all
of its resplendent glory.
And judgment will come.
With the bad being thrown into
the eternal fire.
The place of weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
This parable is a sober reminder
of the reality of hell.
As John MacArthur points out,
Jesus speaks more about hell
than he does about love.
He speaks more about hell than
all the other biblical authors.
And he does so because he loves us.
He earnestly warns us
that this net is slowly
but surely coming.
For scripture teaches us
that Jesus will return
one day soon.
All with his angels
to separate out
the good fish
from the bad fish,
from the sheep,
from the goats,
from those of the kingdom of heaven
and those outside of it.
Those who reject Jesus
as their king
and serve other idols
cannot and will not
be welcomed
into the kingdom of heaven.
Believe it or not,
we're already coming up
at the end of 2025.
Looking forward to start 2026.
many of you guys
have big goals,
big dreams.
Get married.
Have a child.
Start a new job.
Buy a home.
All good things.
All blessings.
But forget not
that 2026
could be the year
that Jesus returns.
It could be the year
when the net is full.
2026 could be the year
could be the last year
of our lives,
the last year of earth.
So this holiday season,
what will you speak about
with your family and friends?
This next year,
what will you speak about
to your coworkers,
to your neighbors?
You know,
I bet you that
going back,
the men in our passage
who found this great treasure,
they never shut up about it.
I bet you their friends
were sick and tired
of hearing about their treasure.
And I bet that we would too.
We can't help it.
What you value,
what makes you most happy,
is what you speak about,
what just overflows
in your life,
just naturally oozes out of you.
We see this later
in this very last verse
in our passage.
Those who have
and hold this treasure,
they are commanded
not to hoard,
not to hide,
but to bring out
this once hidden treasure.
To show publicly,
to share liberally,
to let others benefit
from this treasure
that we have found.
When you do,
God can and will use
that treasure of the gospel
to transform the evil
to the righteous,
just like he's done
for all of us.
And then the kingdom of heaven
is not just a personal treasure,
but it turns
or it becomes
a precious safety net
to snatch us up,
save us up
from the pits of hell.
This transformation
from evil to righteous,
it depends on one crucial thing.
It's understanding.
Without understanding,
the kingdom remains hidden
and its power unrevealed.
And that's why
Jesus now turns
away from the crowd
in verse 51
and turns directly
to his disciples
and he asks,
do you understand
all these things?
Understanding has been
a key theme
in this chapter.
It's full of parables
so far.
Earlier in verse 11,
Jesus rebukes
the unbelieving,
saying that they don't
have eyes to see,
ears to hear,
nor do they understand.
But to the disciples,
Jesus said to them,
to them it has not been given,
but to you
it has been given
to know the secrets
of the kingdom of heaven.
Now, if you know anything
about the disciples
in the gospels,
you know to question
whether they really understood
what Jesus is talking about.
But when the disciples
confidently respond
in verse 51,
saying,
yes, Jesus,
we get it.
We understand
all these things.
Jesus graciously agrees,
very graciously agrees,
and grants them
the honored title
of scribes.
Now, if you're familiar
with that title,
this was surprising
for two reasons.
Almost every time
you read of a scribe
in the gospel of Matthew,
that character
is not one of the good ones.
Though they're highly esteemed
in Jewish culture,
although they're seen
as scholars and teachers
and experts
in the Mosaic law,
they consistently
rejected Jesus,
testing him
against their man-made laws,
their man-made religion.
not only that,
none of his disciples
were ever formally trained
like these prestigious
scribes had.
They knew how to fish.
If you needed to fish,
they were your people.
If you needed to do your taxes,
Matthew might have been your guy.
But none were
rigorously trained as scribes.
But despite their lack
of education,
Jesus then compares
these blue-collar,
uneducated,
former fishermen
to scribes.
He bestows upon them
this honored title.
These are the ones
who have unearthed
the hiddenness
of the treasure,
of the pearl.
These are the true
biblical scholars
who see and understand
the reality
of the kingdom.
And so that these
blue-collar men,
these uneducated men,
Jesus then compares them
to rich,
powerful,
influential masters
of the house
who have gained
this incredible treasure
to share with others.
That's what
verse 51 and 52 say.
And what comes out
of this treasure?
Jesus calls it
what is of old
and what is of new.
What does that mean?
Here Jesus connects
these two ideas
of being a scribe
with great understanding
to a rich man
with great treasure.
Saying that the
teachings
are the treasure.
The teachings
are the treasure.
Jesus is likely
speaking of
old and new teachings
as in
the old
Hebrew scriptures,
our Old Testament
to the new teachings
about the kingdom
of heaven.
And from this chapter,
from these parables,
you might get
the impression
that the new teachings
are the only things
that matter.
Meaning that you can
leave behind the old.
On the flip side,
the scribes
and the Pharisees
who only knew
of the old
reject the new.
Both of these ideas,
they miss the mark.
The old and the new
are inseparable.
And they need
to be taught,
held together.
Jesus is clear
that he has come
not to wipe the slate
entirely clean,
but to finally reveal.
To reveal
what has been hidden
since the foundation
of the world.
That's what verse 35
of chapter 13 says.
Paul says so much
in Ephesians 3.
He says,
To me,
though I am the least
of all the saints,
his grace was given
to preach
to the Gentiles
the unsearchable
riches of Christ.
The unsearchable
riches of Christ.
And to bring to life
for everyone
what is the plan
of the mystery
hidden for ages
in God,
who created all things
so that through
the church
the manifold wisdom
of God
might be made known
to the rulers
and authorities
in the heavenly places.
This was according
to the eternal purpose
that he has realized
in Christ Jesus our Lord
in whom we have boldness
and access
with confidence
through our faith in him.
This is the perfect text
to understand
these two verses.
It is only in Christ
do we find
these unsearchable
new yet old,
old yet new treasures.
Do you guys understand too
verse 10 there?
These treasures
were hidden for the ages
even from heavenly beings.
Through us,
the church of Christ,
we show
even heavenly beings
like angels
what is the true revelation
of the mysteries of God
in Christ Jesus.
Today online,
there are thousands
and thousands of voices
that are competing
for your attention.
Scroll for 10 minutes
and you'll find video
after video
of people
who claim,
claim that they've discovered
new teaching,
a new insight,
a new way
to the good life.
Religious gurus,
!
Influencers,
political pundits,
they're all saying
in their own unique way,
I'm the new thing
that you should listen to.
I have the new insight,
the new understanding
that you should pay attention to.
And you know what?
People do.
Millions and millions
of people watch
and follow these men,
these women.
But none,
none of these people
have the message
that was hidden
from the beginning
of time.
None of these people
have the message
that is new yet old,
that's old yet new.
We,
we,
the church of Christ,
do.
That's why Jesus says
in verse 51
that this identity
as a scribe,
as the master of the house,
is not just for the 12,
but it's for every scribe,
every disciple trained by him,
like you and me.
believer,
do you understand
and grasp
the value of your treasure?
You possess treasures
new and old,
the very treasures
that angels longed
to look at,
the very treasures
this blind
and confused world needs.
And this mystery
is not only true,
but it is good.
the full mystery
is revealed
in the work
and the worth
of Jesus Christ,
our Savior,
that by his death
and his resurrection,
we have full access
to the kingdom of heaven.
This is good news
for people
like you and me,
that a kingdom
that should have been
out of reach
for all of us
who are half-hearted,
distracted,
divided,
unsured,
discouraged,
weakened faith
because Jesus
has made a way
by dying on our behalf
for the complete atonement
for our sins.
We now have boldness
and access,
confidence
through what?
What did Ephesians 3 say?
It's not by our perfection,
not by our performance,
not by selling
all that we have
and going on missions.
It's not by that.
It's by faith.
We read these verses
for our assurance of pardon,
but God,
being rich in mercy
because of the great love
with which he loved us,
even when we were dead
in our trespasses,
made us alive together
with Christ.
By grace,
you have been saved
and raised us up with him
and seated us with him
in the heavenly places
in Christ Jesus
so that in the coming ages
he might show
the immeasurable riches
of his grace
and kindness towards us
in Christ Jesus.
For by grace,
you have been saved
through faith
and this is not
your own doing.
It is the gift of God,
not a result of works
so that no one may boast.
once you see
the incredible riches
of mercy
that he has
towards sinners
like you and me,
your heart
can't help,
it can't help
but to bubble up in joy,
to treasure Jesus Christ,
to know the worth
of the kingdom
and be willing
more and more
every day
to sell
and to renounce
all that you have,
to see it all
as dung,
as worthless
compared to just
gaining this one pearl.
and when he becomes
your supreme delight,
you can say
this quote
with true conviction.
This quote is one
that we heard
that I think
impacted all of
our pastoral team
at this pastor's conference
this last week
that I wanted
to share with you
and it is my deepest prayer
that God may make us
men and women
who can boldly confess this
to the entire world.
I love
Jesus Christ
and as I say it,
I want to make clear
what I mean.
I admire
Jesus Christ
more than
any other human
or angelic being.
I enjoy
his ways
and his words
more than I enjoy
the ways and words
of anyone else.
I want
his approval
more than I want
the approval
of anyone else.
I want to be
with him
more than I want
to be with anyone else.
I feel more
grateful to him
for what he has done
for me
than I do
to anyone else.
I trust his words
more fully
than I trust
what anyone else
says.
I am more glad
in his exaltation
than in the exaltation
of anyone else
including me.
Would you pray
with me
that we would be
people like this?
Lord God
we thank you
that because of
your mercy
and grace
we are of
these people
that can say
I love
Jesus Christ.
Make that a
bigger
more tangible
more fervent
reality in our lives
that we would say
I love Jesus Christ
and that
everything else
pales in comparison
to following him.
That he is this
rare jewel
this precious pearl
that we are willing
to say no
to everything else
and gain all
that we have
in Jesus Christ
that as we're
about to sing
may we declare
that Christ
is enough.
I renounce
all in the world
the world behind me
the cross before me
make us
people of your kingdom
that treasure you
above all.
In Jesus name
we pray.
Amen.