Buried Treasure
Kingdom Stories, part 2
Wildwind Community Church
David K. Flowers
March 11, 2007
Today we continue looking at the parables of Jesus where he talked about the Kingdom of God. Last week we learned four things about the Kingdom. We learned that God is the one who takes initiative in building his kingdom, in other words God’s presence among us is a gift of his grace, it’s nothing we can make happen. We learned that God is building his Kingdom among us – in our lives and in the world – with intention – for a specific purpose, according to a plan that he made long ago. Third we saw that the Kingdom functions interactively. God’s Kingdom and the Kingdom of this world – remember the actual Greek for the Kingdom of this World? – Cosmos! -- we saw that both of these kingdoms are growing up together, right under our noses. Evil with good, despair with hope, love with apathy, and we saw how God is allowing these kingdoms to coexist for a time. And we learned that because of this coexistence, you don’t always know where God and God’s kingdom are breaking in. God and his Kingdom are breaking into some hearts, into some lives, right here in this room right now. Amid the chaos, or the boredom, or the heartache, maybe even the decadence of some lives right here today, the Kingdom is breaking in. God is doing his work, taking the initiative to draw you to him. Maybe just the fact that you are here today is evidence of the Kingdom of God breaking into your life. Or maybe as you sit here this morning you don’t think there’s any real reason you are here. You think you’re just here because it’s Sunday and that’s your morning routine, or because a friend invited you and you’re doing a favor or whatever. But maybe as I speak these words you are already starting to wonder, or maybe as I continue on this morning, something will stir your mind and heart, and you will start asking, “Is it possible? Could the Kingdom be breaking into my life?” The answer is not only that it can, but that in fact that is what the Kingdom does. God makes himself known to us right where we are, sometimes catches us off-guard. Sometimes he is easy to ignore. Other times he is impossible to ignore. But either way, the reality of God and his Kingdom is breaking into the dullness, the sadness, the often distracting routine of our lives. That’s what Jesus did when he was born. Quietly, without fanfare, without announcement, the King broke into our world, brought his presence to it, and his presence provoked a reaction in everyone who met him. It is still provoking reaction today! So as I move forward this morning, I’m going to ask you just one thing. Will you react, if you feel provoked to react? Will you respond, if you feel provoked to respond? Will you not just sit there and blow it off, if something in you is stirring, making you think, getting under your skin? Will you take a step of faith, open the door a little further for the Kingdom to break in? This takes us to the last thing we learned last week, that the Kingdom brings increase everywhere. In other words, the nature of God’s Kingdom is that it grows. Once it takes root in your life, it increases, it grows, it fills every corner, influences every thought, comes to shape your opinions, your perception, your judgment, and it does this so thoroughly that you quickly come to realize that politicians who say they routinely keep their Christian faith and their politics separate don’t understand much about the way the Kingdom works. The nature of the Kingdom is to work its way into every nook and cranny, to attach itself to everything we think and do and say and believe and even to our questions. Soon it comes to not only be attached to these things but actually to give shape to them, so that our thoughts and behaviors and feelings and beliefs and questions are actually springing from the kingdom itself. And the same thing happens in society. I mean, what is a church, except a bunch of people, many of whom have kind of “given in” to the activity of God in them, among them, around them, and through them. God pervades everything and brings transformation both to the soul and to the social order. Not in a Muslim, jihad, waging physical war kind of way, but in a “you change the world by changing the people in it one at a time” kind of way.
That’s what we learned last week about the Kingdom of God. I’d say that’s worth knowing, wouldn’t you? It’s worth knowing because if we are to understand what Jesus meant when he said, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we have to understand what the Kingdom was and how it worked.
As I said last week, Jesus talked constantly about the Kingdom. He believed deeply in it, and spoke of it just like I would speak about Mars, with one exception. I’m not from Mars and I’ve never been there. Jesus claimed to actually be from this Kingdom he spoke about, and he said his life, his virtues, and his connection to God were all things that came from this Kingdom. So for every person who says, “I am a Christ follower,” you are called to enter, to announce, and to build the Kingdom, because that’s what Jesus did. For every person who says, “I’m curious about Jesus and want to understand him better,” then the only way you can do that is to listen carefully to what he said about the Kingdom, because he said that’s where he was from, he said it’s what he brought to this earth and made available to us, and he said it was the place he was going back to. Beginning, middle, and end, the Kingdom was his life. And he calls each of us to make it our life as well.
So the question is what else of value can we learn about the kingdom this morning? I want to direct you to two other parables – again very brief, comparisons really.
Matthew 13:44-46 (NIV)
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Last week we saw that the kingdom is like a seed and like yeast. This week it’s treasure. In these two little comparisons, we actually see a process going on – we see a person who seems to really be only doing one thing – getting this treasure – and we realize, when we look carefully, that’s he’s doing several things, each of which are critical in coming into the Kingdom of God. Jesus told these stories together, so we will look at them together and take points from each of them.
So first, a man comes upon the kingdom hidden in a field. We don’t know where he comes upon it, and it doesn’t really matter. Perhaps he discovers God through a sermon he hears on Sunday. Perhaps the kingdom breaks through into his life through the testimony of a friend or a family member. Perhaps God reveals himself to this person through tragedy or good fortune, or as he reads the Bible, or through an incredible experience outdoors, or through music, but somehow this person discovers the Kingdom of God breaking through into his life. And when he recognizes what’s happening, what does he do? He protects it. He values it. Jesus indicates this by telling us the man discovers this buried treasure, and then hides it again. Why is it buried in the first place? Because it is precious, it is valuable. When the man discovers it, what’s the first thing he does? He buries it again, because that’s what you do with valuable stuff! So a man discovers the Kingdom of God breaking through in his life. And he buries it, in other words, he recognizes its value. He thinks, “Man, I have really found something worth protecting.”
Second, we see that after he has buried it, he goes and sells all he has. He goes.
He approaches Christ and makes a decision. When we realize the Kingdom of God breaking into our lives, and we recognize its value, we have a choice to make. Will we run toward the kingdom, or away from it? Will we embrace it or reject it? Will we go to Christ, or will we go back to our old life? This man doesn’t just find this treasure, bury it again, and return to his old life, he discovers it, protects it, and then pursues it. It might seem like he finds it and then abandons it by leaving it buried there in the dirt, but he doesn’t just abandon it. He actually pursues it. How? By beginning the process of making it his own. He goes. He does something. And what does he do? That’s our next point.
He sells all.
When the Kingdom of God breaks through into the life of a person, what will they do? Will they recognize the value of what they have found? Will they pursue that and move toward God? And if they take those two steps, will they take the next step of selling all? There’s a hymn that says, “All to Jesus I surrender, all to him I freely give. I will ever love and trust him, in his presence daily live. I surrender all. I surrender all. All to thee, my precious Savior, I surrender all.”
That’s what Jesus means when he says this man sells all. It’s the man saying, “God, I think I can sense you breaking through into my life. I know how huge that is, and I want to pursue it. I want you more than anything, and I am willing to leave my old life and turn to you and begin a new one.”
There is a simple word for surrendering all – it’s called repentance. And that’s really all Jesus is talking about here. Repentance is a turning away from our old life – sinful ways of thinking, which naturally lead to sinful ways of feeling and behaving – and a turning toward Christ. Not just because we fear a place called hell. Not just because a pastor or parent or friend tells us to, but because we realize we have found treasure – God has broken through into our lives, and we realize that the value of what we have found exceeds the value of everything we have ever had. And so we sell all.
What’s the next thing the man does? Well, he has just sold all, right? Why did he sell all?
Matthew 13:44-46 (NIV)
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
He sold all why? To buy the pearl, right? He wanted the treasure. Why did he want the treasure? Because he realized its value! So he sells all in order to buy the pearl, to buy the field.
There’s something special about buying. I mean, think about it. We often sell something in order to buy something else. And sometimes we’re sentimental about what we’re selling. But buying requires something special of us, doesn’t it? You know that feeling, when you sign a mortgage, or for an auto loan? You just get a certain feeling, don’t you? You recognize how huge the purchase is, and what you have just committed yourself to. Buying takes a toll on us, affects us in a way, that selling doesn’t.
When you come to Wildwind’s Discovery class, I ask you to “buy” Wildwind. I ask you to consider “investing” in it – emotionally, spiritually, relationally, and in many other ways. Why do I ask you to “buy into” the church? Because if you don’t buy into Wildwind, then you’re always going to feel like I’m making you do things! When I talk about small groups, you’re going to feel like, “Who are you to try to make me join a small group?” When I talk about serving in Wildwind’s ministries, you’re going to think, “You’re always trying to get me to do more stuff.” No matter what I talk about, you’re going to feel like I’m forcing it down your throat if you haven’t “bought into” Wildwind and our vision for it, and who we want to become as people and as a church. But once you do buy into it, once you adopt our values as your own, if you agree with us that we’re going the way you want to go and you want to journey with us, then when I talk about small groups you’re going to go, “Yeah, preach it, pastor. My small group changed my life – spread the word!” When I talk about serving in ministry you’ll think, “Well, why wouldn’t people want to serve? Isn’t that what we should be doing? Isn’t that our privilege?” Your buying in has everything to do with what this place means to you and whether you adopt it as your own. And if you don’t buy into God, you’re going to always feel like he’s making you do stuff!
When we “buy into” the Kingdom, when we surrender all for it, when we invest our lives in it – our time, our financial resources, our relationships, our energies and aspirations – it becomes part of us. Until we buy in, we feel like God’s just “making us” do stuff! But when we buy in and the Kingdom starts to become part of us, what happens? We become part of it! And that’s what God wants. Thy kingdom come! Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven! Some people go to church for years and never buy in. And you know what? They act as if serving God is like being led around by a ring in their nose. They complain, they have bad attitudes, they are argumentative, they experience little joy because they haven’t bought in. God doesn’t want servants like that. God wants servants who have bought in – people who have surrendered all and said, “I buy this. This is for me. This is who I am, where I’m going, and these are the people I’m going with. What a ride!”
Wanna hear what buying into God sounds like? It sounds like the Apostle Paul, who suffered unbelievably for what he believed in, writing these words:
Romans 8:18 (NIV)
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
That’s buy-in. Buy-in says whatever it takes, it’s worth it. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it. I’ll keep coming to church in a school for you, God, for as long as it takes, because this church and what you are doing here is worth it. I’ll follow the leaders you have placed in my life, God, because it’s worth it. I’ll give you my time, my efforts, my passion, my money, my attention, my children, my spouse, my body, my talents – you can have it all! Why? Because as Paul wrote in prison…
Philippians 3:8-9 (MSG)
8 …all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ
9 and be embraced by him...
That’s buy-in. That’s a guy who’s not serving God because God has threatened him with hell. That’s a guy who’s not in this for the short-term, but who’s running to win. This only happens when we not only surrender to God but say, “God, whatever I used to have in my life, I count is as worthless. I just want more of you, I want to know you.”
Do you know what always comes with buy-in? Look at verse 44 – I have emphasized what I don’t want you to miss.
Matthew 13:44 (NIV)
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Joy always comes with buy-in. Always. When you fight against what God wants for you, you are miserable and critical and cynical and usually bitter and sometimes even arrogant. When you surrender to God, accept his purpose for your life, and “buy in” and decide to serve him, joy will always come. The fight is over and you can rest. When the Kingdom breaks in on you, when you become aware of God stirring in your heart, and you surrender all to him and seek to follow him as your first priority, the result will be joy. Joy because you have found something of tremendous value and have aligned your life to pursue it and to keep it forever. What greater joy could there be?
All through this message we have focused on a process – on what happens in the life of this man after the kingdom breaks in on him. We have kind of followed his journey from finding the treasure to protecting it to selling all he has to buy it, and we have seen the joy he took in that process. Let’s look in on the life of a man where the Kingdom of God is slowly breaking through.
Here’s a man who thinks maybe he sees the kingdom breaking through, and he responds. Where are you on your journey? I asked you at the beginning of this message if you would just be willing to respond to whatever you sense is going on in you. Do you sense something stirring? [By the way, if not, then I have no interest in trying to drum that up inside of you – this is your journey, not mine] Are you prepared to respond to God? If the kingdom is breaking through into your life, do you recognize its value?
Almost everyone knows the Lord’s Prayer by heart in some form. Will you be one who can pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” and really desire that God’s will would be done first of all in your own heart and life? Will you pray with me? Usually we do that with bowed heads and closed eyes, but you can pray any way you want – God will listen!
Heavenly Father as the pastor of this congregation I present to you these people who are precious to you, who mean more to you than anything. You created them. You know their pain and their struggles. You know the journey each of them is on. Where there is resistance, you see it and you know why it is there. Where there is fear, you know. Where there is desperation and despair, you feel that pain. Where there is loneliness, you are there. And I believe that even now, your kingdom continues to break through into our lives and into our world. Breaking through when we sense it and when we don’t, when we care about it and when we don’t, when we want it, and when we’d rather just be doing our own thing and enjoying our sin. Holy Spirit, will you make us capable of responding to you as you stir in us? Jesus, if there are those here today who sense you stirring in them and realize the value of that and want to just surrender their lives to you, will you hear the prayers in their hearts? You have already done the work of forgiving sin when you gave your life for us on the cross, so will you extend that forgiveness right now to all who ask for it? Will you hear prayers of turning away from sin, prayers of repentance, prayers of surrender that might be being offered to you all over this room right now? Will you assure those who pray these prayers this morning that you have forgiven them, that your forgiveness is real, your spirit inside of them is real, and that they have taken a step into your kingdom this morning?
Will you open your eyes and join me to close?
Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever – Amen.
