October 17, 2004
NOW THAT YOU UNDERSTAND
Matthew 13:51-52
Why do I have to do this? What difference does it make if I understand? I’m never going to use algebra in real life. Maybe you said something like that when you were in school? Maybe you hear your kids say it now. Believe it or not, occasionally I do find myself using algebra—usually when I need to figure a percentage. And if you work construction, I’ll bet you find yourself using a lot of that geometry you swore you’d never need. In the end, understanding algebra and geometry and other subjects we learned in school can make a difference in our lives.
But what about the things we learn in church? Can learning about the Bible and understanding what it means make a difference in our lives? Stop and think about it. Many of you are here every Sunday. Week after week, month after month, year after year you sit in Bible studies and in Sunday school, and in this worship service. You listen to God’s Word. You learn about God’s Word. And, I hope as a result, you come to the place where you understand God’s Word. What difference does that make for you? Or maybe the better question is, “What difference should it make?” In other words, is all the time you spend in church wasted time? Or has the understanding you’ve gained from the Bible worked the work of God in you? Has it changed who you are? Has it changed what you do?
Today, Jesus will help you answer that question. In Matthew 13, Jesus uses parables to teach His disciples many truths about the kingdom of God. In Matthew 13:51-52 He asks them what they have learned. At the conclusion of class, Jesus asks His disciples, Have you understood all these things? But Jesus does more than that. Not only does Jesus ask if they have understood, He tells how their understanding of truth should impact their lives.
What difference should your understanding of God’s Word make in your life? What difference should it make in mine? Let’s discover the answer to that question in Matthew 13:51-52. Having just taught His disciples about the kingdom of heaven, Jesus says, “Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they replied. He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
For the last six weeks, Jesus has been using parables to teach you and me about the kingdom of heaven. We’ve all been here in church listening. And now Jesus is asking you and me, Have you understood all these things?
Do you understand the parable of the sower? Do you understand that not everyone who listens to the truth really hears it? Do you know what kind of listener you need to be before the kingdom of heaven can be yours? Do you understand the parable of the weeds? Do you understand that in this present day the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil grow together in this world? Yes, wickedness is increasing in our world. But it does not increase alone. The kingdom is also advancing. In the end, the wheat will not be choked out. In the end it is the kingdom that will prevail.
Have you understood all these things? Have you understood the parable of the mustard seed and the yeast? Do you understand that even though the kingdom starts small, it will one day fill up the earth? Do you understand how just a small pinch of yeast infiltrates the whole lump of dough? And do you understand that we are God’s yeast?
Do you understand the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price? Do you see how the worth of God’s kingdom far exceeds the worth of everything you presently possess in this world and everything you possibly could possess? And do you understand the parable of the net? Do you know that the wicked will one day be separated from the righteous and cast into hell? Do you see how inevitable the coming judgment is? Have you understood all these things? Are you understanding them today?
When the disciples said, “Yes, Lord, we understand,” how did Jesus respond? What did Jesus say? What Jesus said to them, I believe He says to us today. In verse 52, Jesus says, Therefore (therefore, since you do understand the truths of the kingdom, here’s how it ought to change your life). Therefore, every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasure as well as old.
So exactly what is Jesus saying to all of us who say we understand the truths of the kingdom of God? Jesus tells us that, if we really understand the truths of His kingdom, our understanding will change our lives. If we really understand the truths of the kingdom, our understanding will make us disciples!
In verse 52, the NIV translation of the Bible reads, Therefore, every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house… In this case, the New American Standard translates that phrase better. The New American Standard reads, Therefore every scribe (or teacher of the law) who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house…
Do you see what Jesus is saying here? Jesus says that anyone who really understands the truths of the kingdom will become a disciple of the kingdom. Think about it. If you really understand the truth that Christ is of greater worth than anything on earth, won’t you be willing to trade earthly treasure for heavenly riches? And if you really understand the certainty of hell, won’t you commit your life to the one who offers heaven? Really understanding the truths about the kingdom will make you a disciple of the kingdom.
So what’s it mean to become a disciple? First, a disciple of Jesus is someone who accept the truth about Him. Disciples are people who believe the Bible when it says that Jesus is God become man. Disciples believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Disciples believe that Jesus died on the cross and paid the penalty for all their sin. Disciples know that Jesus rose from the grave and lives forever to be our Savior and our Lord.
But being a disciple isn’t a matter of intellectual belief. Knowing about Jesus isn’t enough. You must submit to Jesus. Discipleship means losing your life so you can find new life in Christ. Discipleship means taking up your cross and following Him. Discipleship means obeying. Discipleship means serving others like Jesus serves you. Discipleship means living for God’s purposes instead of your own desires.
Jesus teaches us the truths of the kingdom in parables and then He asks us, “Do you understand all these things?” “If you do,” he says, “be a disciple.” So are you? Are you a disciple? I’m not asking if you come to church. I’m asking if you’re dead to self and alive to Christ. I’m asking if He’s at the center of your life. I’m asking if Jesus gets His way. Real disciples eat, sleep, and drink Jesus. Is that what you do? Disciples aren’t perfect. Still, the overall pattern that marks a disciple’s life is this—she values what Jesus values. He does what Jesus tells him to do.
Really understanding the truths of the kingdom of heaven changes who you are. It makes you a disciple. It also changes what you do. Anyone who really understands the truths of the kingdom will tell others about the kingdom. At least that’s Jesus’ expectation in Matthew 13:52. Again, Matthew 13:52 reads, He (Jesus) said to them, “Therefore (therefore since you understand all these things) every scribe (or teacher of the law) who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
Do you hear what Jesus says? What does Jesus call those of us who understand the truths of the kingdom of heaven? How does Jesus address those of us who have become disciples of the kingdom? He calls us scribes. He calls us teachers of the law. Do you see what that means? Jesus expects all His disciples to be disciple-makers. Jesus considers all of us who understand the truths of God’s kingdom to be teachers of those truths. All of us who know the truths of the kingdom are expected to share those truths with others. By the way, that’s one of the major themes of the book of Matthew. That’s why this book ends with what we call the great commission, “Therefore, be scribes! ...go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
But not only does Jesus remind us that we must be sharing kingdom truth with others, He tells us how to do it. Jesus says that all us disciples and teachers of the kingdom are like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.
So what does that mean? What is this new treasure and old treasure we are called to share with the lost? The old treasure is the word of God as it is revealed to us in the Old Testament. The new treasure is the person and work of Jesus Christ as it is revealed to us in the New Testament. Leading someone into the kingdom of heaven requires us to make use of both.
Let’s look first at the Old Testament. What treasures are revealed in the Old Testament that make it possible to lead an unbeliever to Christ? Let’s consider two examples. The first is God’s law. No one can really come to Christ apart from the Old Testament law. Do you know why? It is the Law that exposes our sin. It is the Law that reveals to us that we need a Savior. The Old Testament Law is like a light God shines into our dark lives. The law teaches us that our coveting in sin. It teaches us that our sexual immorality is sin. It teaches us that all our lying and deceiving is sin. It teaches us that disobeying our parents is sin. And it teaches us that ignoring God—or replacing Him with anything else—is sin. These truths of the Old Testament Law are treasures we need to share with the lost. Like the doctor who diagnosis cancer so it can be treated, the Law exposes sin so forgiveness can be sought. Nobody looks for God’s salvation until they know they need it.
But not only is the Old Testament a treasure because it exposes our need. It is a treasure because it promises us a Savior. At the same time Old Testament law exposes our sin, Old Testament prophesy promises us a redeemer from our sin.
Immediately after Satan had successfully tempted Adam and Eve to sin, God promised a Savior. Right there in the Garden of Eden, God addresses the serpent (who is Satan) and in Genesis 3:15 says, I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between our offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heal.
When God talks about the offspring of the woman who will crush Satan’s head, He’s promising us that a redeemer will come. That Redeemer is described for us in detail in Isaiah 53:3-6. It reads, he was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each one of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Does that sound like anyone you know? When we share the truths of the kingdom of heaven, we must share out of our old treasure as well as our new. In the Old Testament treasure of the Law we discover our need. We are sinners and we need forgiveness. In the Old Testament treasure of prophecy we discover God’s promise. He’s promised us a Savior. So what is the new treasure we share? His name is Jesus. He’s the Savior God promised. He is the solution to our sin. Jesus is the one who was pierced for our transgressions. All God’s promises are fulfilled in Him.
For more than a month, we’ve studied the parables of the kingdom of heaven. Now class is over and Jesus asks us, “Have you understood all these things?”
If so, here is what we must do. In light of all that Jesus has taught us we must be disciples. We must be disciple-makers. Live for the truth Jesus gives us. Share that truth with others.
