Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Value.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] If you have your Bibles open them to Matthew chapter 13 [0:02] Matthew chapter 13 we’re going to be starting in verse 44 [0:07] this morning. We do I do want you to know as we prepare for Easter [0:12] that we will not be here on Easter Sunday as I’ve said before we will be [0:17] down the street at the old Journey building because [0:20] we would like to have plenty of room for us to gather as

[0:24] one church and one service on that day and we cannot do that here nor will we [0:29] be able to fit between two services on that day. [0:32] So we’re going to be using their old building down the road at Journey [0:35] Church to meet that day and here’s where I need your help [0:40] for that day. First don’t come here go there that’s that’s of [0:44] utmost importance. Second I need if you call Village Home

[0:48] I need you to find a place to serve that day. There will be many areas where [0:55] we’re going to need you to serve and that’s not going to be a day for you [0:59] to take off serving. Here’s why Easter gives us a great opportunity [1:04] as a church where those people who are in the community who maybe don’t [1:08] normally gather to hear the gospel will be gathering [1:11] that day. Therefore this is a great opportunity for us to live the mission of

[1:15] Jesus on a day. It may call you to make some sacrifices [1:19] it may call you to come a little early it may even [1:23] mean that you don’t come into the actual worship experience [1:28] and that’s where I’m really going to need help. We’re going to need a lot of [1:31] help to ensure that the children have a great [1:35] experience on that day. So Easter Sunday is not going to be a

[1:38] day for for those of you who are kids workers to take off. [1:42] It’s also going to be a great day for maybe if you’re looking for a place to [1:45] serve and you’ve got a passion for children’s ministry [1:47] or if you just like kids and you don’t have a criminal background which if you [1:51] have criminal background sorry we will check just so you know. [1:56] But that’d be a great day for you to help us out.

[2:00] Everything will be recorded for the podcast you won’t miss anything I [2:03] promise but what you will get is you’ll get the opportunity to help [2:07] in living the mission of Jesus. All right so we’re going to need help [2:10] when parking we’re going to need help in greeting we’re going to need help in [2:13] ushering we’re going to need help all over the place on Easter Sunday and I’m [2:17] asking you as a church to help us and chip in.

[2:19] Also if there’s the temptation for you to go to your grandparents church [2:23] don’t do that bring your grandparents to Village Church. [2:27] All right and I’m serious about that all right I know some of you are like but [2:31] but I want to get no you’re not allowed. I refuse to allow you to do that. [2:37] I will find you I’m just kidding that’s an empty threat. [2:41] But I’m really I hope that gave someone comfort that thought I was serious.

[2:46] But but on Easter Sunday seriously we need everybody to step up we need [2:51] everybody to chip in because we have a great opportunity to serve the [2:54] community around us. It’s not going to be about me or you that day it’s going to [2:59] be about people hearing the gospel and us ensuring that they have a great [3:03] atmosphere to be able to do that. Okay in Matthew chapter 13 we see all these [3:09] parables or these stories that Jesus gives where he compares the kingdom of

[3:14] things he’ll say the kingdom of God is like and if you’ve been noticing through [3:19] these stories one thing that seems to be a thread throughout is that the kingdom [3:23] of heaven is not like what they expected it to be for them. They did not expect [3:29] Jesus or the son of God to come in the form of a man and live to simply serve [3:36] live to simply heal live to simply teach but rather they expected him to come in [3:41] they expected to come as a conquering ruler to conquer the kingdoms of this

[3:45] world and Jesus gives them interesting parables like we saw last week where he [3:50] says I’ve not come to lead an insurrection against the kingdom of this of this age in [3:54] the way that you would count power but rather I’ve come to be a seed that’s [3:58] planted in a field that will grow from within the kingdoms of this world that [4:02] will ultimately overcome them. Then Jesus goes and he suffers and he dies on the [4:10] amazing failure by the view of this world but what he’s actually doing is is he’s

[4:17] preparing the soil to have the greatest kingdom that man has ever had because he [4:22] does not seek to defeat man but rather he came to defeat evil and death and in laying his life [4:29] down he does that but it’s not the kingdom that they were expecting and even after he left they [4:33] looked to him and they said Jesus will you now defeat Rome and Jesus says no but I will return [4:42] in Revelation he tells us that rather than simply leading us to defeat the kingdoms of this world [4:49] he will simply lay his kingdom directly on top of the kingdom of this world and so Jesus defies

[4:56] what we often think about life. He tells us to deny ourselves. He tells us to sacrifice all that [5:07] we have and so there’s a way of reading these stories or even reading the commands that Jesus [5:12] gives us and thinking why is Jesus calling us to this simple self-denial? Why is Jesus calling us [5:19] to maybe an ascetic lifestyle or a lifestyle of stoicism where we deny pleasure? Are we to be [5:26] an asechus for the name of Jesus? Is that the type of kingdom that he’s setting up and Jesus tells us [5:31] no that’s not he says he’s come to give us joy he’s come to give us life he’s come to give us

[5:36] pleasure forever more and we’re looking at what he’s teaching we’re like how can we possibly have [5:40] that through the things that you’re teaching it doesn’t sound that way and that’s because Jesus [5:45] literally wants to turn the way that they view life upside down and teach them to live a different way

[5:52] Jesus is delivering into this world an unexpected kingdom in unexpected ways and that is why Jesus [5:58] seeks to change us. Quite often we’re found guilty of trying to find the kingdom in the way that we [6:05] just naturally view this world the way that we just naturally view comfort the way that we [6:10] naturally view riches the way that we naturally view success and Jesus again and again and again [6:16] and he says you must change and the scripture tells us that he’s come to make all things new [6:23] Paul tells us that he’s come to give us a new life he’s come to vanquish the old self and so

[6:30] if we’re to really grasp the kingdom of God we must truly be open to change we must be willing [6:38] to admit that maybe there’s a possibility that the way that I’ve looked at life all along is wrong [6:45] and if you’ve never been open to that if you’re not currently open to that my fear for you is [6:50] that the truth of what you’re saying is that you’re not open to the gospel because the gospel does [6:56] not just give the possibility of change the gospel demands change by its very nature by saying that [7:02] we’re dead in our sin and if he’s come to give life then it’s truly something that we’ve never

[7:07] understood as we’re those who are naturally dead in sin

[7:13] and we’re guilty of often exchanging lesser excuse me greater joy for lesser joys

[7:22] a theologian once put it that we’re far too easily pleased in this life and because we [7:29] can’t even fathom anything better than that which is right in front of us that we never even attempt [7:35] to have the life that God has authored for us but God’s came to give us more than we could ever [7:40] expect Paul wrote that he’s able to do far more exceeding than anything we could ever ask or [7:45] receive because he’s God he’s infinite he’s unlimited and in Matthew 13 beginning in verse 44 he [7:53] gives two parables that have a greater joy as the centerpiece of the story Jesus tells them that

[8:00] there is a treasure that is so great that it changes the very value on which people place on [8:06] the very lives he says the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which a man found [8:16] and covered up then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field again the [8:26] kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls who on finding one pearl of great [8:31] value went and sold all that he had and bought it you have really two different principles here [8:39] first you have the principle of the kingdom of heaven being a great treasure or a great pearl

[8:45] the greatest pearl this world has ever known then you have a second principle it’s the principle [8:52] of giving absolutely everything that you’ve ever had for that kingdom or for that pearl [9:00] not because you’re seeking less but because you’re seeking more because your idea of what reward was [9:07] is not even worth comparing to the reward of God’s kingdom he doesn’t write that in his self-denial [9:15] he goes and sells everything that he has and he says in his joy he goes and he sells all that he has [9:22] he doesn’t even view it as a sacrifice he views it as seeking more he views it as getting more

[9:29] he views it as finding more so first this morning we must understand that faith is built on the [9:36] promise of more the kingdom of God is great reward Jesus equates the kingdom to something that is [9:44] great and worth trading everything that you have ever had to be able to attain it he specifically [9:50] equates the kingdom to a treasure that will give you joy in everything that you do to attain it [9:56] and this should challenge how many of us view faith oftentimes even in light of the grace of [10:02] God and in his great forgiveness and mercy we think in terms of simple sacrifice work obedience

[10:09] self-denial all of which are absolutely involved don’t miss that but we must understand the goal [10:17] and the purpose of those things you can do all of those things and have faith in absolutely nothing [10:24] you can live your life in great sacrifice you can live your life in great self-denial [10:30] you can live your life throwing away every pleasure that you ever thought was possible [10:35] and it be absolutely worthless if there is no reward on the other end God would not have us to [10:44] understand him as someone who has come to simply sap our joy but rather someone who has come to

[10:51] us great joy someone who has come to give us great reward someone who’s come to give us something [10:55] better than we ever thought possible to have in our lives but we have a tough time viewing faith [11:02] in that lens because we cannot imagine anything better than what this world affords us maybe you [11:09] cannot imagine anything better than what you already have I mean can you really wrap your [11:15] mind around something that’s so great that you would be willing to go right now sell everything [11:20] that you have get rid of everything that you’ve ever attained in this world your home

[11:28] your possessions your bank account your 401k your ira whatever it is that you have [11:35] it’s so valuable you say this stuff is worthless

[11:41] but Jesus doesn’t say that the kingdom of heaven is like living without

[11:49] it he doesn’t say the kingdom of heaven is like you want something great but you can’t have it [11:55] because that’s what obeying God is it’s denial it’s pleasureless it’s stoic no that would be [12:05] paganism compared to what God has God comes and he says no don’t get rid yourself of everything [12:14] that you have simply because you feel religious or moral superiority or because you think that in [12:19] finding poverty you’ll find some type of nirvana he says no you’ll trade everything that you have [12:27] but it’s because the treasure that I have to offer you is more valuable than anything that

[12:31] this world could ever offer you Jesus means to replace the kingdom that you have been pursuing [12:37] and building with a different kingdom he wants us to understand that there is a great reward [12:43] worth following him for the gospel promises eternal reward rather than temporary gain [12:51] you may be saying this sounds interestingly and oddly enough like the prosperity gospel [12:58] no it’s not it’s actually the opposite the false prosperity gospel gets it wrong [13:04] the false prosperity gospel tells us that if we have faith in Jesus then we will gain the

[13:09] wealth of this world not be physically sick and live a problem-free life this is a lie [13:15] and it is not what Jesus promised at all throughout the gospels Jesus actually [13:20] warns that persecution and suffering will come into our lives especially if we follow him [13:26] he also warned us in the parable of the sower the material gain and seeking the wealth of this world [13:32] could choke the gospel out of our lives so we know that’s not what he’s talking about [13:39] but in second corinthians chapter 4 verses 17 and 18 paul calls the riches and the pain of this

[13:44] world transient both this is don’t live your life seeking that which is transient or that which is [13:53] temporary don’t seek that which you can only find in this world and only keep in this world because [13:58] when you die it’s not going to be of any value it’ll die with you at best you can leave it to [14:09] he wrote that the promise of God’s glory is like nothing that this world can compare to [14:16] it’s so great God promises us eternal reward through what Jesus gives in his kingdom [14:21] it’s a faith in Jesus’s understanding that you were created more than you’re pursuing in this

[14:27] life in John chapter 15 verse 11 Jesus says this these things I’ve spoken to you that my joy may [14:36] be in you and that your joy may be full when Jesus stated this he’s stating that everything [14:44] that we do is ultimately for joy do you know that apart from Jesus everything that you do in your [14:51] life is because you believe that you’ll receive joy for it even those sinful vices that seem to [14:57] strangle your very life it’s because you’re seeking joy but he wants you to understand [15:02] that that’s actually part of how God has wired you he’s wired you for joy you’ve not been wired

[15:10] for eternal sadness who would want to go to heaven if that were the reality no God has [15:18] wired us to be radical consumers of joy but it’s a type of joy that only God himself has [15:25] that only God himself contains Jesus is speaking of a different kingdom with something of greater [15:31] value and what that great value is it’s God himself see you have been wired from the beginning [15:39] to find everything ultimately in who God is for you to find everything ultimately in an [15:46] eternal relationship with God but everything that you’re pursuing in this life cannot compare to

[15:52] that because it cannot ultimately satisfy you and if you seek hard enough and seek long enough you [15:57] will find that you only always want more because you can never get enough

[16:03] think of that hobby that consumes your life or that career that you’re going after that financial [16:09] gain that you’re seeking or that success or that power it’s never going to fulfill you it’s never [16:14] going to be enough and that’s because what Jesus is telling you is because you have been designed [16:20] to be filled with something rather some one is greater than all of those things God [16:28] you see number two this morning a life of simple denial will only produce disappointment and failure

[16:40] friends there is a temptation in each and every one of us to live a life not understanding and [16:47] not seeking joy in God because we believe that that is some sort of sinful temptation to attempt [16:52] to be joyful and happy so we’ll say things even well-intentioned things that are completely wrong [17:00] when asked why do you live a moral life why do you do right maybe you even said this before [17:05] let me say well I do right because it’s right and you think there’s some sort of virtue in that [17:11] but friend I stand today to help you understand that that’s not right

[17:17] that we don’t do right simply because it’s right because then it would terminate on itself [17:22] and at best you would be the one who receives the glory out of that because you’re the one doing [17:27] right you’re the one doing the loving action you’re the one obeying the commandment we do [17:33] not do right simply because it is right we do right because of what is better we do right because [17:38] we believe we will profit more in God he has promised great reward in that himself

[17:48] it’s just this moralism that ultimately will turn into a religion that will ultimately consume [17:54] your life and God will get no worship out of that we’re too easily pleased see when Philippians [18:03] chapter 3 verse 8 Paul puts it this way he says indeed I count everything as a loss [18:08] because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my lord for his sake I have suffered the [18:14] loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ I mean what kind of [18:22] crazy man would look and say I’ve lost everything and it was all worthless

[18:30] only someone who’s found something better

[18:35] note the terms that he uses he says because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ [18:43] and he says I count it as rubbish so that I may gain Christ he’s speaking of having more [18:50] he’s speaking of value he’s speaking of gain these are terms that we can understand why would [18:57] you take another job because it makes more money you have more gain because it gives you more worth [19:03] because you have more power because you have more fame these are terms we can understand but what [19:08] is saying is none of that is actual gain because it’s not worth as much as Jesus

[19:17] Paul knew this and Paul lived this and Paul wants us to understand the great treasure that [19:24] we can have in God Paul would have never said I do right because it’s right no he says I throw [19:31] it all away I sacrifice I deny myself because I’m gaining more because there’s a great reward

[19:41] life before Christ Paul had gained money he’d gained fame he’d gained power and he had also [19:48] gained religion but he says it is all worth nothing compared to Jesus he exchanged his [19:57] morality for the surpassing worth of Jesus

[20:04] we deny ourselves for the gain of something better what about Jesus though what about things [20:11] that Jesus said because Jesus says some really hard things does he not I mean he says some [20:17] things that just sound like we’ve got to just live like paupers we’ve got to live lives of [20:23] and he does but note how he says those things I want to go directly to Matthew 16 [20:26] 24 because maybe that’s the one that you’ve heard the most and then Jesus told his disciples [20:31] if anyone would come after me let him do what let him deny himself self-denial sacrifice take up his

[20:40] cross die to self and follow me therefore there are many who will simply attempt to live a [20:48] based on text such as this they seek to find no happiness or joy in anything but this is not what [20:54] God has designed us for is looking the next verse in Matthew 16 25 Jesus said that if you lose the [21:00] life you’ve built apart from him you will find true life see Jesus himself never simply says [21:06] deny for the sake of denial die for the sake of dying no he says you give up your life why would [21:12] you do something so crazy you would do it because you know there’s a better life on the other side

[21:17] of that self-denial there’s a better life on the other side of that death there’s something better [21:22] than anything that you’ve ever had there’s a treasure hidden in a field and in your joy [21:31] go sell everything you have you buy that field God is not seeking to sap you of joy [21:37] God is seeking to fill you with it compare Matthew 16 24 to Psalm chapter 16 verse 11 [21:46] where God writes through the psalmist you make known to me the path of life in your presence [21:52] there’s fullness of joy at your right hand there are pleasures forever more as the creator of life

[22:02] God alone has the ability to offer us true joy it is what he wants us to have [22:08] this is what Jesus showed through his very words but also his very life when he says things like [22:13] fullness of joy he’s saying that apart from God you’ll never have that fullness

[22:21] at best maybe you’ll just have a shallow filling but God tells us through this passage saying I’ve [22:28] got fullness of joy but more than that I’ve got pleasure so to find God is not the denial of [22:37] pleasure it’s actually seeking the greatest pleasure that’s ever been known it’s an eternal [22:40] pleasure it’s a pleasure that can never be taken away from you it’s something that you could never [22:46] lose so much that it’s not worth it he’s the author and creator of life therefore he knows [22:54] what we were designed to have and he alone because of that can give it to us

[23:01] but what about what Jesus did I mean Jesus denied himself God becoming man he stepped down off the [23:08] throne of heaven goes to the cross but before that he actually gets down on his hands and feet [23:13] serves the disciples then he dies a sinner’s death one of the most painful deaths that physically [23:19] anything could ever have but more than that he took the penalty for all of our sins and [23:24] finding satisfaction other things onto himself he who knew no sin became sin [23:30] did he do that just denial is that how God himself lives note what he says in Hebrews chapter 12

[23:38] therefore since we’re surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight [23:43] and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that’s set before us [23:48] looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith for what for the joy that was set before [23:55] him endured the cross despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God

[24:02] so in self-denial and all the sacrifice that you can do what is your great example of course it’s [24:08] Jesus and yes I don’t want to make light of this is finding your reward in God and finding your [24:16] joy and the ever-surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection [24:20] is it difficult absolutely the text doesn’t put lightly what Jesus did either it says he endured [24:28] the shame endurance is difficult he suffered for us Isaiah 53 calls him the suffering servant [24:39] Jesus literally bled and he literally died in pain and in anguish but why did he do it

[24:46] because of the joy that he knew was on the other side

[24:54] what can we take from that if there was no joy on the other side of the cross Jesus wouldn’t have [25:02] endured it wouldn’t have been worth it it would have just been an action that terminated on itself [25:11] and that’s not what God’s in the business of God is in the business of glory God is in the business [25:15] of joy God is the most joyful being that’s ever existed and he’s eternally been joyful [25:19] and so everything that he does you can be sure that he will reap the reward of joy [25:27] so thirdly this morning friends do not excuse me sacrifice to follow Jesus to gain a greater joy

[25:39] this is the example that Jesus gives us in his very life

[25:45] he sacrifices for a greater joy and therefore if Jesus is consumed by a joy of what obeying the [25:54] father will give him because we even see a picture of this in the garden of Gethsemane when Jesus is [25:59] like sweating drops of blood and he looks to the father and he says if there’s any other way let [26:04] this cup pass for me because he knew it would be difficult he knew it would be hard he knew it would [26:09] be trying but then he says not my will but thine note according to Hebrews chapter 12 he doesn’t do [26:14] that because he is masochistic he does that because Jesus wants a greater joy and he knows

[26:22] that when the gospel is accomplished there will be greater joy than he could have had without doing [26:27] it therefore if your example is Jesus Christ then you are to be a people that seek joy the problem [26:35] is that oftentimes in our joy seeking we become very idolatrous and it just becomes nothing more [26:45] than a moral exercise nothing more than okay well if I do then I’ll get and God’s never the [26:52] center of it but what God means to tell us is that if he is not the center of it then we will [26:57] never have the joy that we were created to have therefore don’t find joy or happiness

[27:08] in all the wrong places and Luke chapter 14 verse 33 Jesus said that anyone who does not [27:16] renounce all that he has can’t follow him whoa that’s too great a command that’s too hard of a [27:26] word renounce everything that I have so this is like allegory is this like Jesus speaking in [27:36] verbally no I don’t believe that he is I believe that he’s being very specific I believe that he’s [27:43] being very pointed I believe he means for us to understand that this is a hard word

[27:50] and it’s only through his grace that you can ever attain it but if you do that [27:57] you’ll receive something better in Matthew chapter 19 verses 16 through 22

[28:05] Jesus makes us even more pointed because this isn’t a parable where Jesus tells a very righteous [28:11] a very morally upright man someone who says that he has obeyed all that God has ever commanded [28:19] he tells him one thing you lack

[28:23] sell everything that you’ve ever had give it to others follow me

[28:30] and the text tells us that this man some text called the rich young ruler hung his head in shame [28:40] and walked away because Jesus had asked too much my fear for us is that when we look at phrases [28:48] such as this we believe that Jesus is asking too much of us and so if Jesus confronted us [28:55] with the very same thing I believe some of us would hang our head in shame would walk away

[29:01] why was it because what he had was so much better than what Jesus had to offer him no [29:08] it was because he could not imagine anything greater than this world could give him

[29:15] faith therefore he had no faith sometimes the very things that we call faith are not faith at [29:21] all sometimes the very things that we call faith are just simply hope for the other side of death [29:26] where Jesus says no your faith is for right now you abided me right now no you follow me right now [29:31] and so when Jesus confronts this man right here right now he has no faith and this is a man who’d [29:37] been very religious this is a man who’d been very moral by his own statements and no one combated [29:42] him on that not even Jesus who could see to his very heart combated him on what he said was true

[29:47] of him so I assume this man had obeyed the commands I assume this man had worshiped under [29:54] the rule of the temple but when Jesus goes to his very heart as to what is it that motivates you to [30:00] go through life there was no faith to be found there was no treasuring of God there was no affection [30:08] for the Lord there was only a hope for being full in this life and then a transference of that wealth [30:15] into the next life but what God says is you must right here right now look past what you think is [30:23] gained to understand that there is greater gain in this world than you can see is the very son of

[30:30] God who’d spoken the world into existence to directly in front of this man

[30:36] do you ever think about that the eternal one the holy God of Israel standing directly in front of him

[30:48] and that’s still not enough

[30:54] so what of us

[30:59] God desires us to look at him God desires us to look at Christ to look at what he’s done to look [31:05] at the sacrifice of the cross to look at the power of the resurrection to look at the love [31:10] the God who’s eternal the God who has no beginning has no end who in his hand are pleasures forever [31:17] more and say yes what you have and what you offer is better than anything that this world could ever [31:24] give me and because of that I will follow you I’ll do whatever you ask there’s no command too great [31:33] there’s no possession so valuable that I’ll not rid myself of it if you if it stands before you

[31:39] because the treasures of this world had squeezed the heart of that rich young ruler so much that [31:45] he could not imagine a life in which it was not his God

[31:52] and so long as that God is in your life Jesus cannot be your God because Jesus will not take [32:01] second place to anything in Matthew 19 29 Jesus makes it very practical when he’s done with this [32:14] he looks to his disciples who question man you said a pretty hard thing to that guy [32:19] he says everyone who’s left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or [32:25] lands for my name’s sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life

[32:36] see Jesus doesn’t tell you to rid yourself of your false gods of this world of your false comforts [32:42] of that false security that just squeezes the life out of you doesn’t tell that to you [32:49] so you can become a pauper so you can find eternal poverty [32:56] now he says because what Jesus has is better

[33:03] verse 45 of Matthew 13 he says the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls [33:10] who when finding one pearl of great value went and sold all that he had bought it

[33:20] each and every one of us [33:24] are seeking value and each and every one of us are putting our value in something

[33:35] what this man was doing is he’s seeking every seeking it all [33:40] he wants a pearl of great value he finds it [33:46] and it’s so valuable that no one has to tell him what to do [33:56] no one has to preach to him what to do no one has to hold his hand

[34:04] to take him to what to do and he sees the treasure

[34:11] and he just goes and lives like he’s found the greatest treasure ever

[34:22] you see friends there’s one way of hearing this type of message from the very mouth of Jesus [34:28] and saying well gotta get rid of everything can’t have any of it and maybe you’ll even go [34:38] you’ll do it you go extreme

[34:44] but it’s not because you found the pearl of great value that you’ve done it [34:49] it’s not because you found the treasure hidden in a hill

[34:53] god has not called us simply to seek him through moral uprightness through obeying more

[35:03] he’s called us to seek him

[35:07] because when we find the treasure of who he is we know that everything we’ve ever had doesn’t [35:17] pair and so we hold it all in an open hand say god i’ll do whatever you want me to with it [35:28] and you do it not so you can gain ground with him because that wouldn’t be a treasure at all [35:38] you do it because you know he’s already given it

[35:43] you see eternal joy is not something that you ever you’re ever afraid of losing [35:47] you know eternal joy is not something that you ever have to bite your fingernails about

[35:54] it’s not something you ever stay up late at night [35:57] fearful that when you wake up the next day it’s going to be gone

[36:02] no well how could you possibly leverage everything on something that’s not sure

[36:09] you can’t do that

[36:12] no [36:14] when you come to christ when you find the treasure hidden in the field

[36:21] you’re willing to give it all away because you know you’ve gotten something that can never be [36:27] taken away we know that because of the lengths to which jesus himself went to attain it

[36:39] do you believe that the kingdom that jesus offers to you is that valuable

[36:47] he did you see jesus was telling them a story that he believed he lived for that story [36:55] and ultimately he died for that story a god who would show us the depths of how much he [37:01] values his kingdom so that we can have it is the god that you can trust

[37:09] forever

[37:13] eternal but the question this morning is is what does your life reflect about what you truly have [37:21] faith in because i promise to you that god is infinitely more valuable than anything we possess [37:29] or could possess in this world no one has ever given their life to the jesus who would die [37:38] so you could be absolutely secure about his kingdom so you could know for certain that you [37:43] have it so you could know for certain you’ll never lose anything a god that dies for a god [37:48] who defeats sin and death never lose that that kind of god

[37:57] is worth leveraging everything in your life for but here’s my question to you [38:04] because every single one of us is leveraging our life for something [38:09] every single one of us is seeking some type of value not by what you may say

[38:18] but by what you actually do day in and day out [38:22] this is the question that we have to deal with the question we have to struggle through [38:25] this morning is what does your life what does your life reflect that you actually have faith in

[38:36] is the type of faith where you could lose it all and still have god therefore you still have joy

[38:43] or is it the type of faith it’s where one call from the doctor [38:48] is the type of joy where you can have one conversation with your father [38:48] one meeting with your boss one conversation with your spouse

[38:57] is the type of joy where that could ruin it all for you

[39:10] because jesus came to give you the type of joy that no matter what you go through on this side [39:17] of glory you know that what is offered to you on the other side is worth it all

[39:30] in god’s right hand our pleasures forevermore that cannot be compared to because they are so

[39:42] valuable friends jesus wants to give you that treasure will you trust him with it

[39:51] as the band comes up

[39:55] every week we reflect on the lord’s supper on communion

[40:02] and it’s in these parables i think of an even more spectacular meal because it represents [40:10] all that jesus did for joy all that jesus did so that you could take part in that joy that he [40:19] seeks so you could have it and friends it’s not because you’re good enough it’s not because [40:27] you’re obedient enough it’s not because you’re moral enough jesus came because you’re not [40:33] but god loves you to the extent that he wants you to have life with him forever so much

[40:41] that he’d sacrifice and die for it and he did the cup represents the shed blood of jesus the [40:49] bread and the plate represents his broken body and in this we proclaim that we believe the gospel [40:57] of jesus christ when we partake of it the life of jesus entering into your life treasure

[41:07] the pearl of great value given to you

[41:13] and he’ll never take it away if you’re a believer if you’re a follower of jesus christ i invite you [41:20] to one of the six stations around this room to proclaim your belief in that if you’re not

[41:28] i invite you to believe i invite you to trust into jesus who is greater treasure than you’ve [41:37] ever known i’d love to pray with you i’ll be right over here there’s some in the foyer [41:43] when you’re ready come