Selling Out To God Series

Last week we began a message entitled “Valuing the Valuable.” That teaching led us to the Parable of the Treasure in Matthew 13:44. That is our text for today. There Jesus said, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”i

First, we talked about the fact that this treasure was hidden. Most people do not perceive the kingdom of heaven. Their minds are occupied with the material, natural things of this world. They have not found this treasure, so they go their way as if it didn’t exist. Jesus taught this truth to Nicodemus in John 3:3. “Most assuredly,” Jesus said to him, “I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Have you been born again? Have you found something beyond this material world—something in the spiritual realm that Jesus calls the kingdom of God? If so, you can identify with the man in this parable.

Then we talked about the excitement and joy this man experienced when he found this treasure. Do you remember the day you knew Jesus had forgiven your sins and come into your life as your Savior? If so, you know the joyful sound of salvation. You discovered the treasure our text is pointing to. In the 18th century a song was written that was made popular in 1969 by the Hawkins Singers. It begins with these words: “Oh happy day, Oh happy day, when Jesus washed, Oh when he washed, Oh when he washed, he washed my sins away, Oh happy day.”ii It does us good to celebrate the discovery.

Many people think Christianity is a drab set of rules and restrictions that take all the joy out of life. The opposite is true. It fills our hearts with joy unspeakable and full of glory. “The way of the transgressor is hard” (Prov. 13:15 KJV). Living life out of harmony with God produces all kinds of unnecessary problems. All humans encounter difficulties. Christianity does not take us out of the human experience. We do encounter trials and hardships at times. But so do people who do not know God.iii All of humanity live in a fallen world, and even Christians do some groaning (Rom. 8:23) at times. But we have the comfort of the Holy Spirit. We have an eternal hope that sustains us through life’s journey. And we enjoy the refreshing presence of the Lord. David said to God, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11). The promise in Isaiah 12:3 is: “Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation.” Do you know what it is to be worshipping God and feel his approval on your life? Have you experienced joy in his presence? Has his word quickened you with renewed strength and courage for your journey? The ungodly do not enjoy those privileges.

The man in this parable was filled with excitement and joy when he discovered this treasure. And many of us can testify of the joy we experienced and continue to experience in Christ. Today we look further into this Parable of the Treasure.

Notice, the treasure was VALUABLE, and the man recognized its value.

It’s a sad day when people are offered the kingdom of heaven, but they don’t see its value. They set it aside as a common thing and go their way. Image going to an antique store and finding a priceless antique there. The seller has priced it as a common item. But it is worth many times more than the price being asked. It could be bought for pennies, but like many others you passed it up. You thought it was as common as the other articles in the store. A few days later you read in the local news that someone has bought that item at the antique store. He paid the rock bottom price being asked. But unlike you, he perceived its value to be much greater than the asking price. He had it appraised by experts and learned it is worth millions of dollars. You look at the picture of that item in the news article. It is the one you picked up and examined a few days earlier. It was in your hand. It could have been yours. But you passed it up. If only you had perceived the true value of that treasure. You could have bought it and become rich.

How many people have heard the gospel of Christ but passed it up? They put no more value on it than Plato’s Republic. To them it was worth no more than Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The message did not transform their lives, not being mixed with faith (Heb. 4:2), Imagine the eternal grief of passing up such a treasure—eternal life for the asking. But they chose not to have it.