• We have safes in our homes to store such things as valuable Jewelry, and rare coins, etc.
• We have banks to store our money in
But back during the days when this parable was being taught by the Lord Jesus, people did not have these things. Most of the time when people wanted to store something of value, they would store it in the ground.
In this particular parable, a man was digging or plowing in a field, and he came across a treasure that someone had buried in the ground.
Let’s look at-
I. THE DISCOVERY OF THE TREASURE
It is amazing how we can find things of great value in some of the most unusual places.
• Through the years, bank robbers and pirates have hidden treasures on deserted islands, and some have come across these valuable treasures
• Some people have purchased houses, and when they went up in the attic to clean out the debris that had been there for years, discovered a painting or other item of great value.
• Some have gone to the local “Flea market,” and while going through what some consider to be no more than junk, they found a treasure of great value
Sometimes the things that we find as we go about in our every day lives are amazing.
Illus: In Columbia, South Carolina, some young men were hunting, when they came across a large safe that had been blown open by some robbers. The robbers, in fear of someone hearing the blast, grabbed as much cash as they could and fled. When the boys turned the discovery over to the police, many valuable coins had been left scattered all over the ground, and were worth a fortune.
We never know when we are going to come across a treasure of some sort.
This man was plowing, or digging in the earth, when he came across a treasure of great value.
But notice, he did not have enough money to buy the treasure, so he bought the field. And when he got the field, he also got the treasure.
There are some folks that teach that when you receive Christ, you then have to seek God to receive the Holy Spirit.
Listen, when you received Christ, YOU RECEIVED IT ALL!
In Colossians 2:9, we read, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
Acts 17:8, we read, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.”
When you receive Christ, you receive all the treasures of heaven with Him!
Without a doubt, the hidden treasure here represents the Gospel of Christ.
That is, the gospel is too valuable to be bought, but once we receive Christ, we then possess the Savior and the Treasure.
We have looked at THE DISCOVERY OF THE TREASURE, but now let’s look at-
II. THE DELIGHT OF THE TREASURE
Can you imagine the joy of this man who suddenly came across this hidden treasure?
Look what the Bible says about this treasure. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”
Notice, the Bible tells us that once he DISCOVERED THE TREASURE, he had joy.
Let’s look at this treasure more closely, for example:
(1) IT WAS A TREASURE THE GENERAL PUBLIC DID NOT KNOW A THING ABOUT
If they had any idea about this great treasure that was buried, men and women from everywhere would have quit what they were doing and headed for that field.
Today, the general public has no idea what they are missing out on when it comes to the treasure we have in Christ. Every day that goes by without Christ is a day they never will be able to recapture and enjoy.
What a tragedy it is, that in the world in which we live, only a few know about the treasure of finding Christ as their Savior.
Illus: All over this nation, there are churches that are almost empty, but if people could discover the treasure they have in Christ:
• They would quit playing golf on Sunday
• They would quit fishing on Sunday
• They would quit attending their family reunions on Sunday
• They would quit vacationing on Sunday.
IF THEY ONLY KNEW! If everyone knew, there would not be enough churches in America to hold all the people.
(2) IT WAS A TREASURE THAT WAS WORTH SELLING EVERYTHING ELSE TO PURCHASE
Notice, the Bible says once he discovered the treasure, “…he selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field.”
Mark 8:36, we read, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
The Bible said if we take everything this world has to offer us, and we trade it off for our soul, we have made a bad deal.
In the parable, notice that all of a sudden those things in his life that seemed to be important, were no longer important. He was willing to dispose of everything for that treasure.
It is not an accident that God compares our relationship with Him to marriage.
Illus: For example, it all starts one day when a young man sees a young girl, and all of a sudden she is so important to him that all the other girls do not seem important at all. At one time, all the girls were important to him, they all looked like lovely flowers ready to be plucked. But now, since he has discovered this one special girl, she is EVERYTHING and they are only HISTORY.
It is sad that today in our churches, many have given their hearts to the Lord because they did not want to go to a devil’s hell.
It is good that they have given their hearts to the Lord, but this is not the best motive for coming to Christ.
WHY IS THIS NOT THE BEST MOTIVE FOR COMING TO CHRIST?
Because people can to come to Christ for salvation to be saved from a devil’s hell, but never know Christ in an intimate way.
Our churches are full of people who have come to Christ to be saved from hell, but they have never really come to know the Lord Jesus intimately.
The best Christians are those who HAVE DISCOVERED THAT CHRIST IS A TREASURE OF GREAT VALUE!
• You do not have to beg them to attend church
• You do not have to beg them to witness to their friends
• You do not have to beg them to tithe
• You do not have to beg them to pray
• You do not have to beg them to study God’s Word
They have discovered that Christ is the treasure of great value, and you can not keep them from doing the things I just mentioned.
But notice something else about this discovery in this parable-
(3) IT WAS A TREASURE THE MAN WAS WILLING TO DIG FOR
Is this parable teaching salvation by works? No!
But it is teaching that if you want to discover Christ as a treasure of great price, you are going to have to do some digging.
Look at 2 Timothy 2:15, we read, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Christians need to quit just reading their Bibles, and do as the Word of God says they should do and STUDY!
You see, you cannot STUDY without reading, but you can read without studying.
Christians need to make the Word of God personal.
For example, we read that simple verse in John 3:16, which says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Listen, when you read that verse, read it this way, “For God so loved (me), that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
(4) IT WAS A TREASURE THAT HAD TO BE PROTECTED
Notice, the Bible says when he found the treasure, “He hideth”.
While we are to share the gospel with everyone, there is a TIME and PLACE to do that.
The pearl of Great Price brings this out.
For example, Pearls in the ancient world represented supreme value.
But notice in Matthew 7:6, Jesus said something that was staggering. He said, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them.”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
There are preachers today that will do anything to get on television. If they receive an invitation to be on a talk show, they will be there. And so many times the talk show host is an ungodly person, and they will set these people up to make the gospel look bad.
This is why the Bible says, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs.” In other words, the lost world has no idea of the value of receiving Christ, and they will crack jokes about coming to church, the Word of God, and God’s men.
We can talk about the wonderful gospel of Christ, and the whole time they are making fun of it. This is why the Lord said we are not to, “…cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them.”
Illus: You can take the most valuable pearl on this earth that men and women handle with great care, and throw it in a hog pen, and those dirty hogs will take their muddy feet and trample all over it. Why? Because they are hogs and they do not know better.
But we who have discovered Christ as the Pearl of Great value, would not want see the Lord trampled upon.
We witness to people of His greatness all the time, but at the same time, we know that to cast this precious gospel out to some would only do the gospel harm.
This is why the Bible tells us not to cast our “Pearls” before the swine.
Conclusion:
One of the tough assignments that pastors have, is to get Christians to come to know the Lord intimately. They have been saved by the grace of God, but it is obvious that they really do not have an intimate relationship with the Lord.
Many Christian’s relationship with the Lord reminds you of many marriages. They have taken care of the things they need to take care of to be legally married, but there is no intimacy there! WHAT A SHAME TO BE CAUGHT IN SUCH A RELATIONSHIP.
However, there are some who once had that intimacy with Christ, but they have allowed the world to come between them and the precious Lord Jesus Christ.
But an even greater shame is that many have never come to discover Christ as that valuable treasure.
The lessons we learn from this parable are:
I. THE DISCOVERY OF THE TREASURE
II. THE DELIGHT OF THE TREASURE
