Matthew 13:44-46Page 826 in Pew Bibles

44. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

45. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.

46. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it.

What is the Treasure?

• Vs. 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure…”

• Some have maintained that we are the treasure– Exodus 19:5, NKJV “Now therefore, if you

will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people…”

– God thinks no price is too high to pay for us.

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What is the Treasure?

• Vs. 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure…”

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What is the Kingdom?

• Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

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Unnoticed Treasure

• Vs. 44 “…treasure, buried in a field and reburied”

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John A. BroadusAn instance of hiding treasure occurred during the War of Secession in a South Carolina village, where the writer lived. A shoemaker, upon the approach of hostile troops, hid five hundred dollars in gold, and told his wife and a friend that he had done so, but without revealing the place, supposed to have been in some adjoining forest. In a few days he died after a brief illness, and his widow was quite unable to recover the money, which years hence some man may find "hidden in the field" where he is at work.

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The Surpassing Valueof the Treasure

• Vs. 44 “Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.”

• It doesn’t take much of a man to be a disciple, but it does take all of him that there is.

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The Point of the Parables Same as Philippians 3:8

“More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ”

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The Joy of Selling Out

• Vs. 44 “Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.”

• He has joy because he sees himself gaining, not losing

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Dietrich BonhoefferThe Cost of Discipleship

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Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

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Dietrich BonhoefferThe Cost of Discipleship

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Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

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A Twin Parable

• Vs. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.”

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Seekers

• Vs. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.”

• The treasure was stumbled upon• The pearl was sought for• Nevertheless, the pearl exceeded

all expectations

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Is There a SuchThing as a Seeker?

• Romans 3:11 “There is no one who seeks God”

• Ethiopian Secretary of the Treasury, Acts 8• Cornelius, Acts 10• Only those in whom God has been working

seek God– Acts 16:14 “A woman named Lydia, a dealer

in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul.”>

A Search

• Vs. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.”

• The treasure was stumbled upon• The pearl was sought for• Nevertheless, the pearl exceeded all

expectations

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One Unique Pearl

• Vs. 46 “When he found one priceless pearl…”

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Earning Salvationon Our Merits?

• Vs. 46 “When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it.”

• Parables generally make one main point – the point here…– The value of salvation– Not how we obtain salvation

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The Exchange

• Vs. 46 “When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it.”

• Ian Thomas: “The exchanged life”

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The Exchange

• Give me your sins and I will give you My righteousness

• Give me your shame and I will give you confidence before God

• Give me your hurts and I will give you My healing

• Give Me your submission and I will make you free

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