“Dissatisfied With Satisfaction”
Matthew 13:45-46
INTRODUCTION: This morning we are going to take a look at the parable that Jesus gives on “The Pearl Of Great Price”. Jesus doesn’t explain the parable. I want us to look at it in 2 ways … the INTERPRETATION … AND … the APPLICATION.
Matthew 13:45-46 – Read
INTERPRETATION – There are many interpretations as to who the “merchant” is, and who the “pearl” is. To get a better understanding, let’s take a look at the “pearl”. The “pearl” represents the Church.
The PEARL was considered a valuable gem in Bible times. It’s the only gem that can’t be improved by man. You can cut and polish a diamond, ruby and other stones. BUT … if you begin to mess with a pearl, you ruin it. It’s perfect when it’s formed.
How is a pearl made? When an irritant, like a piece of sand, enters the oyster, the oyster secrets a substance called “nacre” (na-ker), or “Mother-of-Pearl”, around the sand, to heal the irritation.
The oyster lives in about 40 feet of water, in the mud and mire of the ocean. In Bible times, it was very dangerous to gather oysters. They would tie a rock around their waists, hold their breath, and dive down to the ocean floor to gather the pearls. Maybe only 1 in a thousand oysters contained a pearl. The pearl was a product of a living creature … a product of suffering, after a grain of sand pierced it’s side. The CHURCH is a product of suffering … the suffering of Christ.
Pearls were considered a valuable gem in Bible times. Listen to what Jesus said about pearls in Matthew 7:6 – “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet …” Revelation 21:21 describes the New Jerusalem, where we will live for all eternity – “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every each one of the gates was of one pearl:”
The MERCHANT represents Christ. Christ is the head of the Church, and He seeks out the Church. You are His treasure. He sold all that He had … He gave His very life … for YOU. Your sin was an intrusion on Him .. a foreign substance that was placed on Him on the cross. He put around us His own righteousness, to protect us from the wrath of God. As Christians, we are the pearl of great price. Jesus said in Luke 19:10 (last week’s sermon) – “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” YOU are the pearl of great price!
APPLICATION – NOW, let’s take a look at this parable and see how it applies to you and me.
This “merchant” was a buyer and seller of pearls. He already had lots of other pearls, but he wasn’t satisfied with them, because he hadn’t found the “perfect” pearl. He would make his money off of buying and selling pearls, but keep the best ones for himself. He wasn’t satisfied with the everyday, run-of-the mill pearls, so he sold them. He was looking for the BEST pearl … to keep for his own … to look at … to admire … to show off. You can’t eat it … keep warm with it … live in it. It was for the personal enjoyment of owning it.
The BEST pearls weren’t an investment …they were for personal satisfaction. I’ve known some people who bought big diamonds for an engagement ring to give to their fiancé. They would try to justify the big price by saying, “It’s an investment.” I didn’t believe it for a minute! What do you think would happen, 10 years down the road, if he took it off his wife’s finger, and tried to sell it for a profit!
1.- He Was Dissatisfied With What He Had – 13:45
Dissatisfaction isn’t necessarily a bad or negative thing. Why are new discoveries made? Why do people invent things? They are invented because the inventor is DISSATISFIED with the status-quo.
o The Wright Brothers invented the flying machine, because they were dissatisfied with ground travel.
o Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb, because he was dissatisfied with reading by lamp-light. (it took him 13 months, and over 14,000 failures … only he didn’t consider them failures, only a discovery of something that didn’t work!)
o Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, because he was dissatisfied with the telegraph.
o The can opener was invented because someone was dissatisfied with opening a can with a knife.
o Jon Gruden was dissatisfied with the history of the Tampa Bay Bucs, so he took them to the SuperBowl.
o Martin Luther was dissatisfied with the Roman Catholic Church, and the Protestant Reformation was born.
Great things happen as a result of DISSATISFACTION! This merchant was DISSATISFIED with the pearls he had been selling … AND … he was looking for the BEST pearl.
You won’t be a BETTER Christian … UNTIL … you’re DISSATISFIED with your Christian life. That’s not a BAD thing … not a NEGATIVE thing. It’s a GOOD thing. WHY? BECAUSE … “good” is the enemy of the “best”. COMPLACENCY in your Christian life, will keep you from being the BEST that God wants you to be.
Sometimes, we get into a RUT in our Christian life. You know what a “rut” is, don’t you? A “rut” is simply a grave with both ends knocked out. We need to keep GROWING in our Christian life. If we don’t, we’ll ROT … STAGNATE … become LUKE-WARM.
How many of you are ON FIRE for God, raise your hand. How many of you are STONE COLD for God, raise your hand. How many of you are somewhere in the MIDDLE, raise your hand. Listen to what Jesus says about that - Rev. 3:15-16 – “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. [16] So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” I set you up for that one … I’m sorry!
The point I’m trying to make is … if God is DISSATISFIED with your Christian life … you should be too! Mt. 13:45 talks about the “Kingdom of Heaven”. This doesn’t just mean “Heaven”, as in our future Heavenly home … BUT … the “Kingdom of Heaven” right now. You & I are living in the “Kingdom of Heaven” right now, here on earth. The “Kingdom of Heaven” is like a man who is DISSATISFIED with the status-quo … AND … is looking for something BETTER.
The Christian life is like a RACE. 1 Cor. 9:24 – “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” What happens if you quit running? What happens if you’re content to finish 2nd? You will never be the BEST … you’ll never win the prize.
The Christian life is like a FIGHT. 1 Cor. 9:26 – “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:” What happens if you swing … and miss? It’s just wasted energy. You’re going to lose the fight. You will never be the BEST … you’ll never win the prize.
Are you SATISFIED with run-of-the-mill pearls? This merchant wasn’t. He was looking for the “pearl of great price”. He wasn’t going to be SATISFIED until he found it. It was a PRIORITY in his life.
2.- He Sacrificed To Get The Best – 13:46
He sold all that he had to buy this great pearl. It COST him something. Anything of value will COST you something.
Remember when King David went to buy some land on which to build a sacrifice to God. The owner wanted to give it to David. David didn’t want to give God something that didn’t COST him something. 2 Samuel 24:24 – “And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.” It’s not worth much if it doesn’t cost much. You get what you pay for. If it’s worth anything, it comes with a price.
o Is your MARRIAGE worth anything? It’ll cost you something. You’ll have to SACRIFICE to have a good marriage … time, communication, selfishness.
o Is your FAMILY worth anything? It’ll cost you something. You’ll have to SACRIFICE to have a relationship with your family.
o Is your JOB worth anything? Sacrifice.
o Is your CHURCH worth anything? Sacrifice.
o Is your CHRISTIAN LIFE, and your RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD worth anything? Sacrifice.
People SACRIFICE for what they really want. You save up to buy a boat, house, large screen TV. Maybe you won’t go out to eat as much. Maybe you won’t spend as much on clothes, or going out to have a good time. When I was a kid, I used to save my allowance … 50 cents a week. I SACRIFICED … until I had saved up enough money to buy a double layer box of Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups!
You SACRIFICE by getting up early to go hunting, fishing. Athletes SACRIFICE by training harder, and practicing longer, to be the BEST that they can be. Why don’t we put this into practice in our Christian lives … in our relationship with the Lord?
Do you want to grow as a Christian? Do you want the “pearl of great price”? Listen to what the Apostle Paul said – Philippians 3:7-8, 13-14 (modern translation).
It will COST you … to have the peace, love and hope that Jesus has for you … the abundant life in Christ.
o It might mean coming to Church more than hit-and-miss.
o It might mean reading your Bible, to hear what God has to say to you.
o It might mean prayer-time with God, and pour your heart out to Him.
o It might be committing yourself to live for Him, so He will direct your life to give you the BEST.
This merchant was willing to pay the price … to gain the BEST. He was willing to SACRIFICE to get the BEST.
SOMETIMES … that’s why God allows TROUBLES into your life … to make you DISSATISFIED with your life … to let you see that He’s got MORE for you than you have right now. TROUBLES make you hunger & thirst for BETTER things. Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Sometimes you don’t get “hungry” and “thirsty”, until you are dissatisfied with your life as you are living it now. Troubles, trials, and tribulations will do that to you.
CONCLUSION: Do you recognize the value of being a child of God? Like the merchant in this story, Jesus is seeking the BEST for you. BUT … you’ll never get it, until you’re willing to pay the price.
You won’t reach perfection until you reach Heaven. BUT … Jesus has something BETTER for you than you have right now.
o Don’t be SATISFIED with a mediocre Christian life.
o Don’t be SATISFIED spending your life without a close relationship/walk with Christ.
o AND … if you’ve never trusted Christ to save you … Don’t be SATISFIED with living your entire life here on earth … and spending eternity in eternal damnation.
Like the merchant, Jesus is seeking for the BEST for you. He paid the ultimate price for you … He gave His life for you on the cross of Calvary.
You are the “pearl”. Are you SATISFIED to be just a run-of-the-mill pearl? Or are you DISSATISFIED enough with your life to be the “pearl of great price”?
STAND – PRAYER
OUTLINE FOR HANDOUT:
“Dissatisfied With Satisfaction”
Matthew 13:45-46
INTERPRETATION – The “pearl” represents the Church, genuine born-again believers … the saved.
- A pearl is a product of suffering … the product of a living reature.
- The pearl is valuable – Matthew 7:6, Revelation 21:21
- The “merchant” represents Christ, Who seeks out the pearl.
- Jesus gave His all to purchase the “pearl” … the Christian.
- He surrounded you with His righteousness for protection.
APPLICATION – The merchant sought out the “pearl of great price” for his personal satisfaction.
1.- He Was Dissatisfied With What He Had – 13:45
- Inventions are the result of DISSATISFACTION.
- You won’t be a BETTER Christian until you are dissatisfied with your Christian life … “GOOD is the enemy of the BEST”.
- If God is dissatisfied with your Christian life, then maybe you had better be too – Revelation 3:15-16.
- The Christian life is like a RACE … don’t quit – 1 Cor. 9:24
- The Christian life is like a fight … fight hard – 1 Cor. 9:26
- Finding the best pearl was a priority in the merchant’s life.
2.- He Sacrificed To Get The Best – 13:46
- Anything of value will cost you something – 2 Samuel 24:24
- You will sacrifice for what you really want.
- Do you want to grow as a Christian? Philippians 3:7-8, 13-14
- Sometimes, God allows troubles into your life to make you dissatisfied … because He has something better for you.
- Troubles make you hunger & thirst for better things – Matthew 5:6
CONCLUSION:
- Jesus is seeking the best for you … something better than you have right now.
• Don’t be satisfied with a mediocre Christian life.
• Don’t be satisfied in not walking close to Christ.
• Don’t be satisfied spending eternity in Hell.
- Jesus paid a great sacrifice, His life, to purchase you.
