SEEKING & ENTERING The KINGDOM—Matthew 13:44-46
Attention:
Career search vs. Job search.
Investment Broker/Knows Value-Investment Potentials-Affordability
Need:
—Lax/Indifferent/Mediocrity reigns/Just ‘get by’/So-So.
—Busy(own lives to lead)/Push God out in order to have time for our duties/We pray about it but Nothing we do is bathed in prayer/Know God praises such activities but don’t know if God wants me to do it.
—Lost sight of the kingdom’s worth!—
Jesus described the pursuit of the kingdom thru the parables of the Hidden Treasure & the Pearl of Great Value.
Participation in the kingdom of heaven is sought by the saints of God.
Why should we pursue the kingdom of heaven ?
If we can see the benefits we will seek it!
3 Incentives for seeking the kingdom of heaven.
Incentive— ‘Something...that induces action or motivates effort.’
1—We seek the kingdom for its...
IMMEASURABLE VALUE(:44, 46)
Explanation:Enormous/Priceless
:44—“...the kingdom of heaven is like treasure...
The kingdom of heaven=the entirety of heaven’s working as it encompasses all of creation. It is the realm of God’s dominion. But it is particularly so as it relates to man or rather as man relates to it.
The kingdom of heaven compared to the “treasure.”
The treasure is “hidden” from most, even from those who believe they possess the “field.” The “field” appears to be the world. A person of the world discovers the “hidden” “treasure.” He then gives up everything he has for the sake of owning the “treasure.”
One aspect of the kingdom of heaven is described in these verses. The kingdom is apprehended on earth by mankind, that is, in regard to how anyone can obtain entrance to the kingdom because it is restricted.
Entrance to the Kingdom can be compared to hidden treasure that has been found in the field.
‘The field’ would have been locally owned & thus accessible for purchase.
The man hurriedly prevented another from accessing the treasure by acting immediately. If he had put off the purchase, it would reveal his hesitancy to believe the treasure’s comparative value.
While exploring God’s possession/land we may come to a knowledge of the truth.
Good news may be discovered, even unexpectedly so. But it is our prerogative to handle it rightly...to act on it then-&-there.
The “treasure” found is worth more than all one’s current possessions. But it can become one’s own possession. Thereby a person gladly exchanges current possessions for that which is more valuable than all. The man’s “joy” over finding such “treasure” is what drives him to give up “all” that he currently has. Such a recognition compels him to seek the “treasure” by established means(purchase of property).
He didn’t buy the treasure but bought the land which contained the treasure. It was the right thing to do. He recognized the worth of the “treasure” as something to be had.
*Entering “the kingdom of heaven” is the most valuable asset/benefit/resource a person can possess. Because of a person’s recognition of this fact, they will also obtain everything associated with such “treasure.”
:46—“...pearl of great value...”
TREASURE= “Found & hid”
Accidentally discovered
PEARLS= “of great value”—Lustre—Color—Shape—Surface—Size
Actively Sought out
The merchant knows the value of pearls. He seeks only those that are ‘fine’.
“...the wife of the Roman emperor Caligula often wore a vast fortune in pearls in her hair & on her ears neck, wrists, & fingers. Cleopatra is said to have owned two extremely valuable pearls, each of which would be worth several million dollars in today’s market. When an extravagant ruler wanted to flaunt his wealth, he would sometimes dissolve a pearl in vinegar & drink it in his wine.”—John MacArthur
“Treasure”—yhsaurov—1) The place in which good & precious things are collected & laid up—1a) A casket, coffer, or other receptacle, in which valuables are kept, 1b) A treasury, 1c) Storehouse, repository, magazine; 2) The things laid up in a treasury, collected treasures. Strong—A deposit, i.e. Wealth (literally or figuratively). Used 18X.
“Hidden”2X—kruptw—V.—1) To hide, conceal, to be hid; 2) Escape notice; 3) metaph.--To conceal (that it may not become known). Strong—a primary verb; To conceal (properly, by covering). Used 16X.
“Field”2X—agrov—1) land—1a) The field, the country, 1b) A piece of land, bit of tillage, 1c) The farms, country seats, neighbouring hamlets. Strong—A field (as a drive for cattle); genitive case--The country; specially--A farm, i.e. Hamlet.
“Joy”—cara—1) Joy, gladness—1a) The joy received from you, 1b) The cause or occasion of joy—1b1) Of persons who are one's joy. Strong—Cheerfulness, i.e. Calm delight.
“Seeking”—zhtew—1) To seek in order to find—1a) To seek a thing, 1b) To seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into, 1c) To seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after; 2) To seek i.e. require, demand—2a) To crave, demand something from someone. Strong—of uncertain affinity; To seek (literally or figuratively); specially(by Hebraism)--To worship (God), or (in a bad sense)--To plot(against life).
“Fine”—kalov—Adj.—1) Beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable. Kalov is a much higher word. It means beautiful, physically or morally. It is, however, distinctly the beauty which comes from harmony, the beauty which arises from a symmetrical adjustment in right proportion, in other words, from the harmonious completeness of the object concerned. Strong—properly--Beautiful, but chiefly figuratively--Good(literally or morally), i.e. Valuable or virtuous(for appearance or use, & thus distinguished from agayov, which is properly intrinsic).
“Pearls”—margarithv—N. m.—1) A pearl; 2) A proverb, i.e. a word of great value. Strong—from margarov (a pearl-oyster); A pearl. Used 9X.
“All that”(See :46)—panta osa—A. pav—1) individually—1a) Each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything; 2) collectively—2a) Some of all types. Strong—apparently a primary word; All, any, every, the whole. & B. —osov—Pron.—1) As great as, as far as, how much, how many, whoever. Strong—by reduplication from ov; as (much, great, long, etc.) As.
Both =‘All things, as many as’[he has(ecw)].
Argumentation:
Eph. 1:3-14—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom & prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven & which are on earth--in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Eph. 3:14-21—“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven & earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted & grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width & length & depth & height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever & ever. Amen.”
“Chosen...Predestined...Adopted as sons... Redeemed...Grace lavished upon us...God’s will revealed...Inheritance...Salvation...Holy Spirit...”/Riches untold!
Illustration:
Our wedding rings/My Daddy forged these rings himself! out of 24?kt gold/Its not the gold that is of value, but that Daddy made these rings for us/IMMEASURABLE VALUE—Yet my relationship w/God is of vastly greater value!
My Daddy gave me a new Remington .22 rifle/To me...it is of IMMEASURABLE VALUE because my Daddy gave it to me!
Our house/Its value is all our children will have!/No savings...No life insurance/IMMEASURABLE VALUE
Application:
?Do you recognize the IMMEASURABLE VALUE of knowing God?
?Are you Seeking the Kingdom of Heaven?
2— We seek the kingdom for its...
INVESTMENT POTENTIAL(:44, 46)
Explanation:(:44, 46)
:44—““...for joy over it he goes & sells all that he has & buys that field.”
:46—““...when he had found one pearl of great price, went & sold all that he had & bought it.”
‘Investment’— ‘Something acquired for future financial return or benefit.’
Something of lesser value traded for something of greater value.
An element of risk exists...Will it hold its value so it might bless you.
We must Compare the Kingdom’s worth to other things & vice versa.
Argumentation:
Isa. 55:1-7—““Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy & eat. Yes, come, buy wine & milk Without money & without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, & eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, & come to Me. Hear, & your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you-- The sure mercies of David. Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader & commander for the people. Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, And nations who do not know you shall run to you, Because of the LORD your God, And the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you. Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
...You who have no money, Come, buy & eat.”
Mat. 16:26—““For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, & loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Php. 3:8—“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, & count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”
Rom. 10:9-11—“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, & with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame[Isa. 45:14:; Isa. 54:4; 1Pet. 2:6].””
Jer. 17:7-8—““Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
Illustration:
Southwest GA/Pecan saplings planted in neat rows/They obviously hold potential for the owner’s profit/INVESTMENT POTENTIAL
Neighbors/One couple in ?? had certifiably nutty neighbor which continuously & openly accosted them from across the street/Homemade signs attached to the garage door or spray-painted on it/Would do obscene & outrageous things/Made the value of the entire neighborhood go down/INVESTMENT POTENTIAL
Land purchased near town/Town expands/Asking price rises/INVESTMENT POTENTIAL
Royle Sullivan in Kibbee, GA/Repaired tractors & heavy machinery/Sees $10 part can fetch $100 more/He thrives because of INVESTMENT POTENTIAL
AN INVESTMENT IN THE SAVIOR NEVER LOSES ITS VALUE!
Application:
?Do you recognize the INVESTMENT POTENTIAL of knowing God?
?Are you Seeking the Kingdom of Heaven?
3— We seek the kingdom for its...
Personal AFFORDABILITY(:44-46)
Explanation:(:44-46)
:44—“a man found & hid...sells all that he has...
:46—“a merchant seeking beautiful pearls...sold all that he had...”
Circumstantial aspect— Stumbling... Seeking Farmer/Beggar/Rich man... of means
Both said—‘I can buy it, but it takes all I have.’
Argumentation:
Afforded thru SACRIFICE:
Sacrifice= ‘Forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.’
Rom. 12:1—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.””
Afforded thru SURRENDER:
Surrender= ‘To relinquish possession or control of to another because of demand or compulsion.’
Mat. 16:24—“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, & take up his cross, & follow Me.”
Afforded thru LOVE(Tempers/Regulates/Restrains):
1Cor. 13:1-3—“Though I speak with the tongues of men & of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, & understand all mysteries & all knowledge, & though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, & though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”
Mk. 12:30—“‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, & with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”
example—Isa. 29:13—“Therefore the LORD said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,”
Jer. 12:2—“You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind.”
—Learned behavior...Not borne of the heart’s desire.
Rom. 6:23—“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Gal. 6:7-8—“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
Rev. 3:17-18—[Laodicean Church]““Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, & have need of nothing’--& do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, & naked--I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; & white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; & anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”
Js. 2:5—“Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith & heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”
Jn. 1:12-13—“But as many as received Him[Jesus/The Word], to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
The only qualifications are ‘reception’ & ‘belief’...
NOT based on Social status, Position held, Physique, Health, Beauty, Career, Possessions, Reputation—all things the world elevates.
Lk. 18:18-25—“Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father & your mother.’” And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have & distribute to the poor, & you will have treasure in heaven; & come, follow Me.” But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.””
Illustration:
Melrose.com—Rolex Men's Champagne Dial Fluted Bezel Day Date President is $9,925 with only a 2-year warranty!/Can you afford it?...Or just be able to buy it?/Do you have a budget?/Personal AFFORDABILITY
People who ‘have it all’/Extravagance is actually affordable! for these/They have what most can never possess/Personal AFFORDABILITY
*The poorest pauper can have the greatest possession in the world—the Kingdom of Heaven!/Personal AFFORDABILITY
If on same basis as Gift of heaven—Possible!
Must give all-100%/Afforded!
Application:
?Do you recognize the PERSONAL AFFORDABILITY of knowing God?
?Are you Seeking the Kingdom of Heaven?
?Can you afford to go out on a limb for Jesus?....to get involved?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Career vs. Job search
Action:
3 Incentives for seeking the kingdom is...
1. IMMEASURABLE VALUE(:44, 45)
2. INVESTMENT POTENTIAL(:44, 46)
3. Personal AFFORDABILITY(:44-46)
‘Hiding the treasure, [searching for pearl], suggests that something of tremendous worth can be present & yet not known to others who may have traversed the field[or handled the pearl].’
It comes down to YOU.
Are you WILLING to purchase the kingdom of heaven.
You have the NEED...
You have the RESOURCES...
...Will you this day?
07/01/2012am—VBS Recap to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Needmore Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
