Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ.
I'm Pastor Patrick Daly, and each week I share sermons that balance the grace and love of Jesus Christ with the truth of the Word of God.
Together, we'll explore Scripture using observation, interpretation, and application.
This helps us discover practical ways to live out our faith every single day.
Let's dive in together into God's Word.
Well, good morning, everyone.
Sorry, my page keeps falling out here.
It's great to be here with all of you as we're continuing our sermon series as we've been going through the parables of Christ.
These parables are so simple, yet they're so deep and they're so complex.
They speak to, really, regardless of age or where you're at in your spiritual walk,
certainly your spiritual walk should be to Jesus Christ,
and knowing Him and your spiritual walk in Christ should happen after the fact.
Come to know the Lord and be on a journey with Jesus Christ.
Today, we're going to be going over another parable,
which is known as the parable of the pearl of great value,
which is right after the parable of the hidden treasure.
But before we do, one of the things that really has,
in researching and preparing for today's sermon,
I kind of found some very interesting facts about pearls.
You know, pearls in many civilizations were considered to be one of the most valuable gemstones out there.
Different than rubies, different than diamonds, different than gold and silver.
However, it's something that is made.
Pearls are not mined.
When you think of all these precious gems and stuff,
you have to go into the earth,
or there's a lot of effort and energy and time that's put into finding rare gems.
But unlike other gems,
they are formed through struggle.
They are formed through a grain of sand that irritates an oyster.
That little imperfection.
And over time, it transforms it into something beautiful.
And I think for a moment,
some of you have heard the analogy,
this idea of the Kintsugi bowl,
where we've talked about a broken bowl or plate.
They get smashed onto the ground.
And how God,
we are like that broken plate.
God takes that which is broken and brings it together
and makes us more valuable than we were broken.
And we can think of this idea of the oyster.
We can think of this idea of pearls.
That we go through struggles in our own life.
We go through a refining process, as it were.
And as time goes on,
we become more smooth,
more purified by the Lord,
by our own experiences that we go through.
When we think about the idea of God being the potter and us being the clay,
we are being molded by the Lord.
We can think right,
right even before we even go into this parable,
about the very idea of how pearls are made.
They are made by a single grain of sand that over time,
it becomes something beautiful.
Much like how we are taken care by the Lord,
and we are refined.
We become more smooth, as it were.
We get changed over time.
And I speak of transformation that happens in our own very lives.
And a pearl's worth is determined by its rarity,
its perfection,
and its process.
Think about that.
We have all these ideas,
and again,
this is before we even go into the parable,
this idea that
pearls getting made over time
is something that is so beautiful
that it's not mindful,
but it's a process that happens over time
in the natural world
by a living organism.
What a beautiful parallel we can think of
when it comes to our Lord and our God
who molds us every single day.
Amen?
So think about that.
Let's pray,
and we're going to read the word together,
and we're going to observe
what does the text say,
going to interpret the lessons,
and apply it to our lives.
Let's pray together.
Dear Lord and Heavenly Father,
we are grateful that
we have this time together,
Father,
we ask that you bless this time.
There's a lot of
spiritual truths that are found
not only in the natural world
of the things that we can observe
in your creation,
but also in things,
in these simple parables
for our own lives.
Father,
I ask that you bless this time
for us being together
as we go through your word,
and may we recognize that
you are one amazing
and great God,
loving us so much,
and like I was talking about,
you refine us,
you mold us,
as it were,
you take that which is broken
and make it whole,
and it's kind of hard to think
that we might irritate you,
but you still mold us nonetheless.
You form us
into who you want us to be.
So once again,
Father,
bless this time together
as we go through this,
this simple parable,
the pearl of great value.
It is in the name of Jesus Christ
that we pray
and we all say together,
amen.
Amen.
You know,
there's a lot of people
out in the world
who seek for things
that are of value.
For many of us,
when we think of just people,
everyday people,
some people search for treasures
that are hidden in the world.
They pursue, you know,
they see things like Indiana Jones
where they are trying to find
hidden treasure
or trying to find different
hidden civilizations,
treasure maps,
and all those things.
There's other people
that seek for knowledge.
They want to have
an understanding
of how the world works
and even think of people
in the scientific community,
understanding organisms
or understanding planets
and star systems
and all these things.
You also have people
that are very focused
on money and success,
achievements, influence even.
We can think of status
and approval
or relationships
and pleasure.
And it's not to say
that all of these things
are bad.
It's when these things
become our own God
that we must be careful
of that.
We think for a moment
and we should think
for a moment
that for a lot
of these pursuits,
if these things
become your God,
there's a sense of emptiness
that comes from it.
I mentioned last week
and I'll mention it again
that there's a lot of people,
they have all the money
in the world.
They might have
all the fame,
all the notoriety,
all the influence
in the world,
but yet they still feel
an emptiness inside,
seeking fulfillment,
seeking to fill that void
or that emptiness.
Maybe you identify
with something like that.
Maybe there's been
a time in your life
where you felt empty
and you were seeking
the things that the world
had to offer,
but you couldn't fill
that void.
And last week
we were talking about
how there's this
hidden treasure
that a man stumbles upon.
And what's so profound
about it is we can see
from that parable
that the greatest treasure
exists in our Lord
Jesus Christ,
who provides all
that we need,
who gives us new life
and spiritual transformation
for us.
And this transformation
changes the very essence
of who we are.
We can think of
how we are to put on
the new self
and how we are to be
transformed by the renewal
of our mind.
And it begs the question
of for you,
maybe personally,
have you been searching
the world for different things
and you're finding emptiness?
Maybe not.
Maybe you already know
the Lord and you're like,
I already know the Lord.
I don't need to search
anything else.
Amen.
Praise be.
But for those of us
that may have felt
that emptiness before,
just know,
as we've talked about
the greatest treasure
being in Jesus Christ,
there is fulfillment,
there is new life,
there is salvation,
there is transformation
that comes from the Lord.
And I don't know about you,
nothing else in this world
can give that.
Just like what the Lord
gives to us.
And so Jesus tells
this parable
about a merchant
who finds one pearl
so valuable
that he sells
everything to obtain it.
Let's turn
to the Gospel of Matthew
chapter 13.
It's going to be,
we can go back
to the title one.
Matthew chapter 13
verses 45 to 46.
It's just a real short one.
It's on page 974
in the ESV Pew Bible.
Or if you're using
whatever translation
you'd like.
Matthew chapter 13,
are we there?
Okay.
So church,
let's read it together.
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.
That's got to be
a pretty valuable pearl,
right?
We can see
just on the surface here
that you have someone
that is a merchant,
right?
Someone that is
trying to,
well,
he's trying to make
some money,
right?
That's pretty obvious there.
But
when we look at
this parable,
how it's embedded
with the other
parables,
right?
We have the parable
of the hidden treasure,
the parable of the pearl
of great value,
and the parable
of the net.
They are all
kind of
together
and it helps us
with our understanding.
The parable
of the hidden treasure
then would mean
that it's someone
who
finds the kingdom
kingdom.
We need to see
that there's a difference.
Some stumble
upon truth
and some actively
search for it.
That's one thing
that we can see
with this parallel
here.
Then,
of course,
we need to
understand that,
again,
the parable
of the hidden treasure
was someone
who found
the treasure,
right?
Found it,
discovered it,
they covered it,
sold everything
to obtain it.
Here,
it's a merchant,
a paid gun,
as it were,
to go
and to find pearls.
So he is actively,
or whoever this merchant
is,
is pursuing
that which is valuable.
And so on the next slide
here,
you'll see that
what we see in the text
is the merchant
is a representation
of someone
who is seeking,
a seeker of true worth,
right?
They're not seeking
for just random,
strange things,
they're seeking
for pearls
so that they can
go to the market
and sell those pearls
to obviously make money,
right?
That's a pretty easy thing.
Then,
of course,
the fine pearls
are the things
that are of value.
That's pretty obvious,
right?
You're wanting
to find the real thing.
You don't want
to find plastic pearls,
right?
You want to find
something that's of value.
And then,
of course,
we have the one pearl
then which is
priceless,
surpassing all others.
This is something
that we need
to hang on to,
that this one pearl
was so valuable
that this merchant
was willing to sell
everything for that pearl.
There has to be something
that is special
and something that is
significant about this pearl.
And then,
of course,
selling everything,
right?
Total surrender.
I mean,
for some of us,
we find something
of great value.
It might make us
uncomfortable to,
you know,
even sell a lot of things
or to get rid of a lot
of things to obtain something.
So it's showing in here,
and I'm,
I'm finding that
this merchant found
a pearl that is
of such great value.
Think of sacrifices
you might have had
to make for,
to buy something
or to get something,
right?
There's sacrifices
for things.
It might be
buying a new car
or it might be,
you know,
working to
buy new clothes,
whatever it is.
But to sacrifice
everything
for a pearl
of such great value
is remarkable.
And then,
of course,
buying the pearl,
a decisive
all-in commitment.
That's significant.
So we ask the question then,
all right,
so you have this merchant
that's coming to find
one pearl of great value,
and he,
this merchant,
only obtains
the one pearl.
Let's go to that
next slide.
What can we learn
and interpret from this?
Now,
sometimes it's important
for us to remember
we don't want to
overthink too much
about this
because there's
spiritual truths
from the simplicity
of the parable.
So there's two things
that we can look at this.
Number one
is that God
is the merchant
and we are the pearl
representing how
God sacrificed
everything
through his son,
Jesus Christ,
to purchase,
right,
Jesus paying it all
on the cross
for us.
and we benefit
from this sacrifice.
So that's one way
we can look at it.
The other way
we can look at it
is that in the same way
then,
we should be like
that merchant
pursuing the pearl
of great value.
The implication of that
is that,
well,
there are other pearls
out there,
maybe pearls
that are not
of great value.
Well,
you want to find
the pearl
that is of great value.
You want to find
the pearl
that is of great significance.
And I think of people
out there
who are constantly
searching for truth.
They're trying to find
meaning for their lives
or even people
that are looking
in the things
that will empty
their life,
not the things
that will fulfill
your life.
So,
in this way,
Christ being
the pearl,
God seeks
his people
and like a pearl
that is formed
from an irritant
we are transformed
through Christ's
redemption.
Do you get it?
That's interesting.
It's just like
how scripture says
that Jesus came
to seek
and save the lost
and that when we
think of John 3.16
that God
gave his only
son
that whosoever
believes
shall not perish
but have eternal life.
Even in 1 Corinthians
chapter 6
verse 20
where it mentions
that you were bought
with a price
is another way
we can kind of
see how this
is all connected.
And then,
of course,
for those of you
who love Revelation,
who loves Revelation?
I don't see that
all of you
are raising your hand.
I know,
it's quite a,
yeah,
I get it.
But in Revelation 21
it mentions
that the gates
of heaven
are a single pearl.
Isn't that
beautiful language?
a single pearl
which is representing
the value
of salvation.
So do you see
the connection there?
Pearls
in
the time
of Jesus,
the time
of the Jewish people,
again,
of ancient civilizations,
pearls were
of such great value.
And so to
think for a moment
how the pearl
is parallel
to the idea
of salvation,
to the knowing
of salvation
from Jesus Christ
is remarkable.
We think of the
future description
of Revelation
that's talking about
the gates of heaven
being with a single pearl
is remarkable.
Just like how
this is tied
into how we can
learn
and interpret
this verse,
these two verses.
God
providing salvation
to his people,
providing salvation
to all,
but also
for us
to find
the pearl
of great value
representing
salvation.
It's a very
remarkable thought,
right?
God sought
redeem
and made you
his own.
And it's also
a great reminder
for us
that
God has
paved the way
for us
to be saved
by grace
through faith.
To be bought
with a price,
we need to
receive the gift
of salvation
saying yes
to Jesus Christ,
believing in
his death,
burial,
and resurrection.
And there's
many people
that search
for meaning
in this life,
but nothing
compares,
nothing compares
to what Christ
offers for us.
The merchant,
now this is
interesting,
you might think,
well,
if I was a
merchant,
wouldn't I
grab all the
pearls I
possibly could
grab?
you have to
think that
this one
pearl was
of such
great value
and of such
great significance
that no
other pearl
mattered.
Isn't that
remarkable?
It's kind of
hard for us
to kind of
fathom that,
but I guess
it's the
difference
between,
well,
it just
goes to
show,
focus on
the one
and the
significance
of the
great pearl
compared to
maybe it's
smaller pearls,
maybe it's
just,
whatever it
is,
it doesn't
amount to
the one
great one.
This reminds
us then,
the merchant
wasn't content
with many
pearls,
he sought
the one
that surpassed
all,
regarding the
image,
regarding the
value of
that one
pearl.
And it's
an encouragement
for us that
we are to
seek the
Lord.
We are to
seek first
the kingdom
of God,
and as
many verses
say,
we are to
seek Christ
and we
will find
him.
We should
pursue the
Lord just
like how
this merchant
is pursuing
pearls,
but the
fine pearl.
Are you,
ask yourself
the question
then,
are you
seeking
lesser
pearls?
Do you
realize there's
a much
greater pearl
that's available
for you?
and always
remember,
just as we've
talked about
with this
parable of
the hidden
treasure,
Jesus is
not just
another
treasure,
he is the
greatest
treasure.
So,
what God
provides for
us is not
just another
pearl,
it is the
pearl of
the most
significant
value to
us.
And so,
in this,
how can I
apply and
live this
out in my
life then?
this beautiful
imagery of a
merchant who's
finding this
pearl,
sacrificing
everything,
selling
everything for
it?
Well,
number one
is to
recognize
your worth
in the eyes
of God,
you're made
in the image
of God,
and that
God invites
you to
know him.
God calls
for you.
Are you
going to
respond to
his call?
And we
have to
think that
God's not
going to
force you
to choose
him.
God's going
to give you
the opportunity
though to
choose him,
to receive
that gift.
So,
ask yourself
that question.
To be
sought after
and redeemed
is powerful
language,
just as I
mentioned,
being bought
with a
price,
being redeemed
and being
called by
name,
and recognizing
that Christ
died for
all,
whosoever,
we have to
believe in
him.
That is the
foundation.
The second
thing is a
question.
Are you
searching for
the pearl
of great
value,
right?
Many
pearls may
seem valuable
and we
can think
of what
another
pearl
would
represent.
Is that
the things
of this
world?
Is that
other
things?
We can
debate on
that.
But the
point is
that only
one is
the one
of great
value and
that you
should search
for that.
Seek first
the kingdom
of God
and know
that as
we seek
the Lord,
we will
find him.
That's what
we must do.
The third
thing then is
are you
willing to
go all
in?
Recognizing
that when
you find
something of
great value,
you,
don't
hesitate.
When you
find the
pearl that
is of
greatest
significance
and of
greatest
value,
take that
opportunity.
Believe in
Christ and
let Christ
work in
and through
your life.
Just as I
mentioned in
the very
beginning about
just even how
pearls are
made by the
refining process
that takes
time by an
irritant,
well, in
receiving
salvation,
we grow
in Christ,
or at
least we're
called to
grow in
Christ.
Learn what
it means to
open the
word or
what it
means to
be a
Christian and
certainly to
live it out.
Being a
representative of
Christ, being
an ambassador
for others.
It's what we
say and what
we do, how
we interact
with people
on a day-to-day
basis.
Consider that
for a moment.
Are you
willing to
go all in?
What is
holding you
back from
committing?
That's a
question you
can ask
yourself.
And then
number four
is are you
helping others
to find the
pearl?
If you know
where the
greatest treasure
is, you
got to share
it.
Now I know,
like I
mentioned last
week, if you
find a treasure
chest,
literally,
with gold
coins or
Spanish
doubloons or
whatever it
is, it
probably
wouldn't be
wise to
post it,
right?
But when
we're talking
in the
spiritual sense,
finding the
treasure, the
hidden treasure,
or finding the
great pearl, we
are called to
share that, to
share it with
others.
Shouldn't you
tell others
about the
good news of
the gospel?
Shouldn't you
tell others
about how
Christ is
all that we
need and
that Christ
is enough?
It's just
like how
scripture says
that we are
to go and
make disciples,
baptizing them
in the name
of the Father
and the Son
and the Holy
Spirit.
And also in
Romans chapter
10, for some
of you that
may know this
verse, how
will they
believe if
they haven't
heard?
That's why
we've got to
tell the world
that Jesus
lives.
We've got to
tell them the
simple gospel.
We've got to
let them know
about the
pearl of
great value.
And so, in
this, do you
know someone
who's searching
for something
more?
Do you know
someone who's
actively seeking
truth?
Or someone
that's searching
for the wrong
thing in the
wrong place?
Maybe that's
someone that
you can talk
to.
I think of
one gentleman
that I
know.
An old
friend of
mine would
always, I'm
not going to
give you a
name, he
would read
all these
books on
world religions
and he was
very, very
smart.
And even
in that, in
all the
knowledge in
the world,
there's still
something missing
in his life.
And I'd pray
for him, I'd
try to show
him about
Christ.
He kept
rejecting it
and I still
pray for him.
I don't know
if he knows
the Lord or
not, but I
certainly continue
to pray for
him that he
will one day.
Just like how
we are to
scatter the
seed, we are
to continue to
share the good
news of the
gospel.
Think of
someone that
might be
actively pursuing
truth or
searching for
meaning in
their life in
the wrong
places.
Are you
searching for
the pearl of
great value?
And if you
have found the
pearl of great
value, be
encouraged to
share it with
others.
Think of one
person that you
know that you
can have a
discussion with.
Don't force it
down their
throat.
It's about
being present.
It's about
being there with
people, exhibiting
the light of
Christ, the
love of Christ,
and the truth
of Christ.
It is dealing
with others
with gracious
speech, just
like how
scripture says
we are to be
salt and
light.
And so what
would it look
like to live
out your faith
by helping
others find
the pearl of
great value?
As we think
of this, as we
close from here,
I want you to
think.
A lot of
these parables
give us a
different layer.
it helps
us in how
we can share
the good news
of the gospel.
Those that
seek treasures,
those that are
searching for
things of
great value,
it helps us
understand not
only our own
faith, but how
we can reach out
to other people.
When I think
of this, I
personally think
of people that
they're just
searching for
meaning in
all the wrong
places.
Well, what a
great opportunity
for you to
reach out to
someone who's
searching.
Maybe that
might be you.
Maybe you've
searched in the
wrong areas and
you feel that
there's something
that's missing in
your life.
Let that be a
call for you to
come to Christ.
Maybe you
might have
received the
pearl and you
feel very distant
because you've
received the
pearl, but yet
there's been
past hurt or
there's been
things that have
happened in
your life.
Well, like I
mentioned how
pearls are
formed, there's
the refining
process that
happens in our
life.
And so in
this, be
called to
know, to
find that
great pearl,
receive it,
right, the
gift of
salvation.
And of
course, if you
have been
hurt or if
you feel
broken, know
that God is
working in
you just like
that irritant
is working in
the oyster.
Be called to
share, to
live out this
faith.
There's such
a call for
us to live
and love like
the Lord.
Let's pray
together.
And Father
God, we
thank you for
this very
interesting, very
unique parable
talking about
the pearl of
great value,
which somehow
is a
representation of
salvation.
Something that
is of such
great value
that in
this parable,
this man
gave up
everything for
it.
Father, we
pray that we
may take this
parable to
heart.
And I pray
for anyone
that hasn't
found the
great pearl
or hasn't
found salvation
in you,
that they
may do so.
God, I
also pray for
those that
may have
felt distant
or may
still be
unsure to
go come
back to the
fold.
I pray for
healing and
restoration and
comfort.
And I also
pray that we
as the church
body may
receive this
gift of
salvation,
grow in
you and be
moved to
go out into
the world and
do good in
your holy
name.
in the same
way, Father,
as you
pursue us
and we
are bought
with a price
of your
son, Jesus
Christ, may
we seek
you in the
same manner.
We thank you
so much for
this piece
of scripture.
Different
language, but
it still points
to you
nonetheless.
We love
you, we
praise you, we
glorify you, and
we honor you.
And we thank
you for your
word, we
thank you for
the truth of
the gospel.
May we take
this to heart,
may we receive
it, and may
it transform
our lives.
It is in the
name of Jesus
Christ that we
pray and we
all say together
amen.
Amen.
Thank you for
listening for this
week's message from
Ontario Community
Church.
I pray that you
are encouraged
and strengthened in
your walk with
Christ.
For more
sermons and
resources, visit
OntarioCommunityChurch.org.
May God bless you
as you live out
his grace and
truth every
single day.
Amen.