The Treasure and the Pearl, Part 2

Turn with me in your Bible to Matthew chapter 13 as we continue our study on the kingdom parables. Two parables in one sermon, the parable of the treasure and the parable of the pearl. It was March 19th, 1972. It was when I discovered the value of the kingdom of God, gave my life to Jesus Christ. And ever since then, I've had wonderful experience of understanding more and more about my God. But it began on a sunny day in Dover, Delaware, when I gave my life to Jesus Christ. As we've studied these parables, we began with the sower and the soil that tells us about evangelism during the kingdom age.

Then we went from there to look at the parable of the wheat and the tears. That talks about the enemy existing with us during the kingdom age. And then we moved to talk about the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the leaven, which speaks of the enormity of the kingdom. during the mystery age. And then tonight we're going to look at the parable, the treasure, and the pearl, which speak of the entry into the kingdom of God.

Matthew chapter 13, verse number 44. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid. And from joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant, seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Our outline is the same. We're going to look, first of all, at the instruction concerning the parable of the treasure and the parable of the pearl, and then we're going to look at the implications for your life and for mine.

First of all, the instruction concerning the parable of the treasure. Baring one's valuables was a very common practice. during the days of Christ. Very few people, if any, put their money into banks because only the wealthy people did that. They didn't have what we had today. They couldn't invest their money into the stock market. They couldn't invest their money into savings of loans and bonds and securities and real estate. And so they would hold on to their money. And for the most part, people would bury their money on their property because there were so many wars and people coming by and looting their homes, they would go and bury their treasure someplace on their property where no one would know where it was except the one who buried it.

The earth became a storage house for people's treasure. And the parable is about a man. We don't know what the man was doing, but this man was evidently in a field. Maybe he was working for the man who owned the field. And as he was going along, the Bible tells us that there was a treasure hidden in the field, which the man found and then hid again. And then from joy over what he found, he goes and sells all that he has in order to buy that treasure that he found. Now, that's important. Why? Because this man realized that what he dug up, and maybe he was, employed by the man who owned the field, then he was just doing some plowing.

And he came across his treasure. He saw the value of this treasure. He buried it again, went back to his house. He sold his house. He sold his car. He sold everything he had. Came back, purchased the field in order to obtain the treasure. Now, think about that. You find something so valuable, you're willing to get rid of everything that you own to buy that one thing that you perceive as being the most valued treasure in the world. That's important because this parable speaks concerning the value of the kingdom of God.

You realize that Christ told another parable over in Matthew 25 that tells of a man who gave talents or gave money to a servant. To the first servant, he gave five talents.

To the second, he gave two and to the third he gave one. The one who had five, the one who had two went and invested it. But the one who only had one would go and bury his treasure in the field. That was a very common practice in those days. So when Christ would take an earthy story, these people who would hear him would know exactly what he was talking about. We don't do that today. We don't go and, you know, our money under our mattress. Maybe you do. I don't know. I don't do that. Or go out in our backyard and bury it someplace.

We take it to the bank. We invest it. We want to be able to make sure that we're able to draw interest on it. And that's a good thing to do. But this man would go and bury his treasure. Now, some people would think, well, this man wasn't very ethical because he would go and he'd find a treasure on a property that wasn't his, and then he would hide it. Instead of going and telling the owner that he found something, he hid it and then bought the field. Doesn't seem very ethical. But you've got to realize that the Jews had a law.

It goes as this. If a man finds scattered fruit or scattered money, these belong to the finder. Jews had a law, and they lived by that law. And the people listening to the parable would understand exactly what the man did. He did everything above board. He did everything right. Also understand that the treasure that was hidden in the field did not belong to the man who owned the land. How do you know that? You know that because if the man who owned the land knew about the treasure, he wouldn't have sold the field, right?

Absolutely. Absolutely. You also got to realize that what the man did was completely honest. After digging up the treasure, he could have just taken off. It was so valuable. But he didn't do that. He did the right thing. He put it back in the ground. He hid it and then he went and sold all that he had. You see, what he could have done was to take that treasure, liquidate it, take some of the proceeds from that and go and buy the land and still keep what he already had. He didn't do that. He went and sold everything that he had in order to obtain.

this field that contained this treasure. The point of the parable is very simple. The man found something so valuable that he was willing to get rid of everything else he had in order to obtain it. That's the parable of treasure. Number two, the parable of the pearl.

Now, you've got to realize that pearls in those days are like diamonds today. They were the most valued commodity in Israel. If you had pearls, you were a rich man or you were a rich woman. And the Bible tells us that this man, this merchant, this man who would go around finding pearls and then selling them again and making his living would come across one pearl that was unbelievable. So much so that he would get rid of everything else that he had in order to buy this one pearl. Now, you've got to realize that the value of pearls was great because you got to understand how people obtained them.

You see, if you were going to go out and get some oysters, you couldn't go down into the local scuba diving gear, what's the whatever I want to say? Not office, but store and buy your air tanks and your mask and all the stuff you needed. You couldn't do that. You see, when you went looking for pearls in those days, you know what you did? You took a rock or lots of rocks and you tied them around you and you threw yourself into the way. water so you would sink to the bottom. Of course you had to take many deep breaths before you did this.

And people would lose their lives looking for pearls. And they would go down to the bottom, look through the muck that was there, get those oysters and bring them up and search for the pearls. That is, if there was somebody up to bring them up or they could untie themselves to let themselves go up to the top of the surface of the water. That's why they were so valuable. because people had risked their lives just to obtain them. And this man found one pearl that was so great, he would sell everything that he had to obtain it.

That's important because there was one pearl greater than all the other pearls. It's important to know that the Talmud said that pearls are beyond priced. The Egyptians actually worshipped the pearl. The Romans would soon worship pearls. When Roman emperors wanted to show how rich they were, they dissolved pearls in vinegar and drank them in their wine. They were of valued commodity. In fact, Christ would even say that we are not to cast our pearls before swine. That is, don't take what is valuable and put it before pigs.

Don't do that. In fact, you read in the book of Revelation, that the beauty of pearls is accentuated by understanding the pearly gates, as Revelation 2121. So aptly describes the gates that are pearly gates, that pearls will one day be in heaven. But the parable describes a man who went around seeking pearls, marketing them, selling them. And he found out that there was one pearl that was greater than all of them, the pearls he'd ever seen. He was willing to get rid of what he had to obtain that one pearl.

Can you imagine his friends, his family? What are you doing? Man, I found this great pearl. Okay, so you're going to sell your house? Yeah, I'm going to sell my house. I'm going to sell my clothes. I'm going to sell my car. I'm going to sell my furniture. I'm going to sell everything I got because I got this treasure. People say, wow, man, this must be some treasure. It must be some pearl. See, you've got to realize today that people, when they make an investment, it's not a wise investment to throw everything into one element, one package.

You have to diversify your investments. These people realized that there was one thing, more valuable than anything else, and they wanted that treasure, or they wanted. that pearl. They would do anything to obtain it. Now ask yourself the question. When you came to Christ, what did you give up? That was so valuable. Your sin? Hell? Is it so valuable that that's greater than Christ? No. We realized that we were destined for hell. And so we could easily give our lives to Christ because we realized that if we didn't have Christ, we would be separated from Him forever because of our sin.

But he took upon himself our sin, that we might be saved. Oh, that's priceless. That's what we want. Let me go with you with the implications.

Let me explain a couple of things to you. This is so important. Over in Matthew chapter 16, it says this. Christ had talked about to his men, his reason for coming. He said at verse number 24, For if anyone wishes to come after me, lend to deny himself and take him his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it. For what will a man be profited if he gains the whole world or forfeits his own soul? Here's the key phrase.

Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? There's your transaction. See that? That's a transaction. What will a man give in exchange for a soul? He gives his life to Christ. That's what he does. He gives his life away to God. Now, why does the people don't do that? Let me give you four reasons.

One is because of egotism. Egotism. They're self-centered. They can only think of themselves. They're preoccupied with them themselves. Their self-confidence. Their self-pity. Their self-righteousness. their self-sufficiency, their self-admiration, their self-love. They don't want to give away what they want. They want their prominence. They want to be glorified. They want to be recognized. And the Bible says, what is the profit if you gain the whole world and yet lose your own soul?

What profits in that? So what will you give in exchange for your soul? I give my life away. I realize through Christ, that's when Paul says in Gleicius 2.20, I am crucified with Christ. I'm crucified. I died to self. I denied myself. I died to self. That is salvation. I relinquished my life. I extinguished my life. That I might have the distinguished life. That's salvation. That's what Paul did. He gave his life away. Now people don't want to exchange our lives for God's life because they like their life too much.

They love their lives. That's a rich young ruler. He didn't want to give his life away. He wanted everything for himself. Another reason people don't give their life to Christ is not because of egotism but because of materialism. Turn with me in your Bible to Luke chapter 9 for a moment.

Luke chapter 9. These will be our concluding verses for tonight. And as they were going along, verse number 57, along the road, someone said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said to him, the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests. But the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. I'll follow you, Lord. Where are you going? Well, I don't know. Son of man has no place to lay his head. But see, people don't want to follow Christ because of materialism. They don't want to follow Christ wholeheartedly.

They want God along with everything else. They want God and their past. They want God and their past. their sin. I love what A.W. Toza says about that. He says this, when religion has said its last word, there is little that we need other than God himself. The evil habit of seeking God and effectively presents us from finding God in full revelation. In the and lies our great woe. If we omit the and, we shall soon find. find God. And in him we shall find that for which we have all our lives been secretly longing.

We need not fear that in seeking God only we may narrow our lives or restrict the motions of our expanding hearts. The opposite is true. We can well afford to make God our all to concentrate, to sacrifice the many for the one. You see, people don't want to give their life to Christ because of materialism. Christ says, follow me.

I'm not sure where you're going to sleep. I'm not sure where you're going to work. I'm not sure what you're going to do. Well, people don't want to do that. Remember Revelation chapter 14, $144,000? What was the unique characteristic about them? The Bible tells us, Revelation 14, verse number five. They followed the land wherever he went. That's salvation. That's true conversion. follow me Christ says he went up to Matthew follow me what a Matthew do well can I take my table with me no he didn't do that you follow Christ in March chapter 1 he went to James and John and Andrew follow me and I'll make you fishers of men they left their family they left their occupation to give their life to Christ that is salvation people willing to relinquish everything in order to obtain god so important egotism materialism pacivism luke 9 59 he said to another follow me But he said, permit me first to go and bury my father.

But he said to him, allow the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God. You see, in Jewish culture, when someone died, they buried him that day. The guy's father wasn't dead yet. He was going to die. And upon dying, he received an inheritance. And upon receiving the inheritance, he would be free to follow God. And Christ says, let the dead bury the dead.

You follow me. But there are many people who are very passive. You know, I've got a life to live. They've got places to go. People see things to do. I'll give my life to Christ tomorrow. Or next year. I've just, I got too many things I want to see. Too many things I want to do. As Charles Berger who said, these words, you are only young apprentices at present. And when your time is out, you think it will be early enough to attend to matters of sole interest. Or you are only journeymen at present.

And when you have earned sufficient money to set up or set you up in business, then will be the time to think of God. Or you are little masters than have just begun business. You have a rising family and are struggling hard, and this is your pretense for procrastination. You promise that when you have a competence and can quietly retire to a snug little villa in the country, and your children have grown up, then you will repent of your past and seek God's grace for the future. All these are self-delusions of the grossest kind, for you will do no such thing.

What you are today, you will probably be tomorrow. And what you are tomorrow, you will probably be the next day. And unless a miracle happens, that is to say, unless the supernatural grace of God shall make a new man of you, you will be at your last day what you are now without God without hope and a stranger to the commonwealth of Israel procrastination is the greatest of Satan's nets in this he catcheth more unwary souls than any other isn't that true tomorrow not today maybe next week I'm too busy.

Too busy for God. Egotism, materialism, passivism, sentimentalism. Luke 9, verse number 61. And another also said, I will follow you, Lord, but first permit me to say goodbye to those at home.

But Jesus said to him, no one after putting his hand to the plight. and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. Sentimentalism is one more obstacle that keeps people from seeing the priceless value of the kingdom of God. They value their family. They value their friends more than they value God. See, God wants you to love him with all your heart. all your soul all your strength all your might god wants all of you not just some of you i'm reminded of abraham god called him he obeyed he was leavenousness not knowing where he was going that's true faith right how about moses he would forsake the riches of egypt in order to obtain Christ's greater treasure.

He was 1126. He knew what he wanted. He pursued it. He saw a priceless it was. He knew that was the joy of his life. He would give his life away to obtain it. That's what he wanted. Last night I was sharing with my wife in our devotional times and things that I've been learning and I was reading to her something that A.W. Tozo says in one of his devotional books about the value of God himself, God and God alone. It says this, when the Lord divided Canaan among the tribes of Israel, Levi received no share of the land.

God simply said to him, I am thy part. I am. I am. thine inheritance. And by those words made him richer than all of his brethren, richer than all the kings who have ever lived in the world. And there is a spiritual principle here, a principle still valid for every priest of the most high God. The man who has God for his treasure has all things in one. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness.

Or, if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss. For having the source of all things, he has in one all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose, he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in one, and he has it purely, legitimately, and forever. That is a parable of the treasure and the pearl. Let's pray. I don't know