Matthew 13:44-46 Message

THE GREATEST TREASURE IS JESUS!
Jennifer Jesmer
2009 NIU COD SBC

Matthew 13:44-46
Key Verse 13:44

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it he hid it again and in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."

Good morning! My name is Jennifer. I'm a part of NIU UBF. We've had quite a weekend so far, eh? Last night we heard from Shps Hannah about the wise builder. We learned that we need to be like the wise builder, building our lives on God and to act on the will of God rather than doing nothing. This morning I want to talk about Jesus' vision of the Kingdom of God. Before we start I would like to pray.

Dear heavenly father, thank you for your son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for everyone who decided to come to this conference. Be with us in spirit during the rest of the weekend, and help us to grow closer to you. Use me as a messenger of your words. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.

From first glance this passage looks small and relatively insignificant. But when not taken for its face value these two of Jesus' parables hold many truths important for us to remember about the values that we place on things. As we think about this passage, I would ask you to ask yourself this question: What do you value more than anything else?

PART ONE: Buried Treasure

This passage describes two different men who find priceless treasures. Jesus told these parables to talk about the nature of the kingdom of God. The treasure is this kingdom. The first man found this treasure by accident, hidden in a field. Lets all read verse 44.

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it he hid it again and in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

As far as ordinary walks go, this man was very lucky, it seemed. One day an ordinary man was walking through an ordinary field and made a more than ordinary discovery - a priceless treasure just below the surface of the ground. We can imagine that the moment he discovered it he was elated. This treasure was worth everything he owned. Imagine, finding a chest of gold coins, a string of Hope diamonds or a barrelful of hundred dollar bills! But in a couple minutes his euphoria wore off as he remembered that the treasure wasn't his. The only way that he could legally own it would be if he bought the field.

Nowadays, a standard farmer's field can cost around $5,000 an acre in Illinois. Most of us don't have this kind of cash lying around, and probably neither did this man. The only way he could afford this field was if he sold all of his possessions first. In this world, treasures like this are usually too good to be true. Treasure chests in movies usually go hand in hand with curses, booby traps, and rival pirates. But the kingdom of God is not like any other treasure. No one is fighting you for it, it comes with only the prices of commitment and faith.

Remember, this is an allegory of the kingdom of God. The thing that gets people, maybe some of you, about God, is that they are so used to their old lives that when something better comes along, taking it and changing is too.. dangerous. And it really is a gamble. But knowing what this man knew- that the treasure was waiting for him if he could just give up his old life and trade it in for something infinitely better, the trade is less of a gamble and more of a guarantee of a return. We don't have to be afraid, because God is waiting on the other side of faith with open arms.

God calls us to commit. You can't be split between the world and him. But this is no blind jump off a cliff. Jesus helps us to commit and to sell everything. And really, it's not like we are giving up much - just dedicating everything to serve God. Instead of selfish time and friendships and money, everything works together to please God.

So in joy, the man sold everything he owned. He sold his car. He sold his house. He sold his furniture. He sold his laptop. He sold his new mountain bike. All of it to buy this field, and subsequently, this treasure. And he wasn't sad about it - he was joyful, because he knew that what he found was better. He could buy a better car, a better house, better furniture, electronics, and bikes. If we are going to obtain that which is of the greatest value, we must not be petty people, but ambitious and venturous.

How far would you go for God? Would you dedicate your life? Would you change your mission? What is your treasure? Some of you may be wondering what all this means- to dedicate, to commit. As Christians we can dedicate time to bible study for an hour instead of wasting time watching TV. We can dedicate friendships to God by being a leader and example for them instead of following them to places that you should not be going. You can dedicate your career to God by making time on Sundays to go to church, or I know a lot of you got time off work to come to this weekend retreat. That's not easy. But God sees everything, Just by doing small things like this, you commit and you will get the heavenly return some day.

One more thing that I want to point out about this man and his treasure was God's leading. Lets read verse 44 again.

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it he hid it again and in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

Out of all the fields, and out of all the places the man could be walking, he found the treasure. It was a miracle. God had to have led him there. There are no such things as random events. God controls it all. As followers of Christ, we need to understand that there is no luck. There is no fate. There is no Karma. There are no accidents or coincidences. In everything that happens to us and enters our life, God is working out his perfect plan.

So just as this man who was not looking for treasure found one, we all are being sought after by God. He wants you to find Him. He wants you to commit to Him. God can change your life. Yes He can! He wants you and I to joyfully see what he wants to bless us with. He wants us to trade in for the Kingdom of God.

PART TWO: Precious Pearl

Lets all read verse 45. "Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls."

This parable compares the Kingdom of God with a very fine, precious pearl. Much like the previous parable, a man finds a priceless treasure, sells all he has, and buys the treasure. There is one main difference however, in that this man was looking for pearls.

A merchant is someone whose job is to travel, buying and selling goods. They work in trading of commodities that they do not produce themselves. This merchant could be compared to someone who is looking for meaning, looking for purpose or things that bring true happiness.

Verse 46 reads, "When he found one of great value he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

Looking for pearls is like looking for things that make us happy. Friends could be a pearl. Money could be a pearl. Family could be a pearl. Career could be another. What was different about this one and what is the point of the analogy of the kingdom of God is that God's kingdom is worth all of that combined. Our lives are but a second compared to an eternity with God, and unless we can see that big difference we will always be settling for the small pearls, the ones found everywhere and totally skip out on the eternal life that God wants to give us.

These little pearls are things that make me happy for a moment, but don't have the great value of God's kingdom. And they seem good for a while, but compared to the precious pearl and treasure of God, these are not long lasting.

A long time ago I used to go to church in a different city before we moved to NIU. I loved going to church because it meant spending time with my best friends. We would sit in service and write notes and always run around and play as soon as the sermon was over. But when my family decided that we would move, I was both terrified and sad. I could no longer pass notes in church and do all the other stuff because we lived in different cities. Essentially that move was my (unwilling) sale of all I had. And even though they are still very much my friends, church is no longer somewhere I go to hang out. I started studying the bible with my mom, I started to help with the services and I had more of an active role. As a result my faith grew. Before, I wasn't thinking about God. I was only thinking about myself. I was like that merchant. I had the small pearls of fun, but God gave me something more important- a personal relationship with him. Pastor Kevin's message we learned that if we seek the Kingdom of God first, everything else God will give. Working towards a solid personal relationship with Jesus doesn't mean no friends or nothing else that makes you happy, it means that Jesus makes you the MOST happy. God wants us to sit and listen past what we think is happy and see what he sees.
Part Three: Conclusion
I’d like to read a passage from a book called Life of the Beloved by Henri JM Nouwen.
“Aren’t you, like me, hoping that some person, job, thin, or event will come along and give you that final feeling of inner well-being you truly desire? Don’t you often home, ‘May this book, idea, course, trip, job, country, or relationship fulfill my deepest desire’? But as long as you are waiting for that moment you will go on running helter-skelter, always anxious, restless, lustful and angry, never fully satisfied. God’s voice tells us he loves us and wants to give us more than that.” This is God’s treasure – the kingdom of God.
In this passage we learned about the value of the kingdom of God. Everything in this world seems like it can make us happy, but only when we commit to following God and searching after the kingdom of God as first priority can we have perfect happiness. No matter if you are searching or not, God wants you to be a part of his family. Eternity with him is worth everything else. Therefore we can joyfully invest in the Kingdom of God. With that treasure we can have everything.
Let's pray. Dear God, thank you for offering us the treasure of the kingdom of heaven. Help us to see the difference between the fleeting momentary happiness and true joy. Bless the rest of the programs this weekend and be with us. I pray in Jesus Name, Amen.
One Word: THE GREATEST TREASURE IS JESUS!