It is a privilege to bring God's Word to you tonight. Our text is from Matthew 13, verses 30, verses 44 through 46. Matthew 13, verses 44 through 46. If you're wondering if James and I coordinated on our sermons or sermon titles, that is not the case. Providence of God or we have Christmas on our mind with treasures, I don't know. Matthew 13, 44 through 46. And just as a little bit of background, Jesus has been speaking to the crowds in parables. The crowds have kind of dispersed, and now he's just with the disciples. And he's speaking to them in parables. And here we have two of, I think, about the shortest parables that you can find. They're easy to understand. Jesus, later on, asks, do you understand these things? And the disciples who, not all of them were always the sharpest, right? They were able to say, yes, we understand these things. And that is our aim tonight, is to understand these parables. Matthew 13, 44. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this opportunity that we have to examine your word. We pray that it would become sustenance for our souls, that you would sustain us on this journey of life. We ask these things in Christ's name and for his sake, amen. Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. This is the answer to the first question in the Shorter Catechism, and the answer is twofold, glorifying and enjoying God. The writers of the Catechism, the Westminster Divines, were attempting to summarize all of man's purpose on this earth, trying to summarize our purpose, trying to summarize your purpose on this earth. We're all very quick to say that our chief purpose is to glorify God, but it's also to enjoy God, as the catechism says. Friends, there is a treasure in this life to be enjoyed. Now, as we look at these parables, we must first remember how parables work. A little bit of housekeeping. Parables have one main point. They could be real stories. They really could happen. But they have one main point. And if we start assigning meaning to all the details, saying, well, this little detail, it means this. And this little detail over here, well, it means this. we can start to get into all sorts of trouble and bad doctrine is developed this way. Jesus speaks in parables because they give life and color to the lessons that he's trying to teach. Kids, you might think about it kind of like Kool-Aid. Right, Jesus, so Jesus has put a meaning into the parable, and we need to make sure we get that same meaning back out of the parable. Jesus has put some blue Kool-Aid into a pitcher, and we need to make sure that we get blue Kool-Aid back out of the pitcher. And if we decide, oh, well, I like a different color. I kinda like green, right? So what am I gonna do? I'm gonna take some other colored Kool-Aid and put it in there gonna pour it out and well I get a nice nice color right green if I'm messing that up I should have checked on my color wheel right but we put yellow and blue together we get we get green well that's that's a problem we need to make sure that we're getting the same meaning that Jesus put into the parable is that we get the same meaning out of the parable that Jesus put into the parable so we must keep that in mind Notice that these are kingdom parables. They're parables about the kingdom of heaven, more specifically. In Jesus' day, people thought that the kingdom of heaven was this earthly rule and reign of Christ. He would overthrow the earthly rulers and establish his kingdom on earth. One day he will, but that's not what the kingdom of heaven is right now. The kingdom of heaven is in the hearts of people. The kingdom of heaven is God's rule and reign in the hearts and lives of his people. So they're about the kingdom of heaven. Notice some characteristics of the kingdom of heaven that we observe in these parables. The kingdom, it's like it's hidden. You see that right off the bat in verse 44. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. People couldn't just see it by walking by. We can read our Bibles. We can attend church. and never see the kingdom of heaven. We have people in our midst, maybe even now, we had people here this morning who, they're right in the midst of the kingdom of heaven as it were, but they don't see the kingdom of heaven. So there's a hidden aspect to it. And this is, you know, it's a, thinking of other scripture, it's indicating Their spiritual truth is missed by many and cannot be found by human intelligence or worldly wisdom or power. Scripture makes it clear that mysteries of the kingdom are hidden from some people and they're unable to hear and they're unable to see and comprehend these truths. So there's this hidden aspect to the kingdom of heaven. Then when the kingdom is found, it's all-consuming. The kingdom of heaven is all-consuming. Notice how both of these men particularly the first one, we see it's evident. Upon finding this hidden treasure, the kingdom, he goes and sells all that he has to buy the field so he can get this treasure. This is the same in the second parable where the man finds the pearl of great price and goes and sells all that he has to buy that pearl of great price. This is really communicating really the heart of the parable that the kingdom of heaven is of supreme value. It is worth more than anything else in this world. It is of infinite value. And when these men see this and understand this about the kingdom, it is all-consuming. Notice too that when the The man in the second parable, he was searching for pearls. It doesn't say he went on searching for more pearls. He was satisfied with that one pearl. He was satisfied with the kingdom of heaven. It just consumed his life and he was satisfied with the kingdom of heaven as it consumed his life. We too have no doubt experienced this, right? Not the kingdom of heaven, just the all-consuming nature of the kingdom of heaven. As it comes into our lives and satisfies our greatest needs, it, you know, Christ, it's really Christ coming into our lives, giving us forgiveness. We repent of our sins, giving us a sense of meaning, giving us hope. Peace when we had been at unrest, when there had been unrest with God. Peace in the midst of fear. Righteousness. Justification. When we experience these things, it just consumes all of us, right? It just consumes all of our lives. We'll then notice the characters in the parables here. Those are some of the characteristics of the kingdom. But then notice the characters. And I believe that we see two types of characters. So each of you will probably relate more to one than the other. I know I did. There's two characters, two types. The first is someone who isn't looking for the kingdom when they found it. Okay, so this is the man who was working in the field. So he was out either plowing or digging in the field and just happened upon this treasure. Now, this might be Not all of you necessarily come from the same sort of background I come from, but I grew up on a farm, and we worked in the fields. And so every time I read this passage, I always think about those times when we were cultivating in the field or plowing, and you're driving the tractor, and all of a sudden, you're just moving along, and kaboom! Sometimes it would stop you, but it would just about knock your teeth out, and you're just, whoa, what was that? Most of the time, it wasn't a treasure. I never did find the golden watch that my great-grandfather lost. It's usually a rock. They grow rocks in New York. You can ask me about that later. But it'll surprise you. And that might have happened to this guy, right? He was working along, and he was, wow, what is this? And this time, it's not just a rock, but it's a treasure. And this is really interesting. rare occurrence, right? I mean, what a surprise it was to find a treasure in a field. But it wasn't completely unreasonable that this would be the case. You see, as the disciples, they heard this parable, they would think, oh, yeah. As over the years, there had been wars and fighting, people would invade. And as your enemy was coming, what you would do with your treasure, you would you would bury it, you couldn't necessarily take it with you. You couldn't take it to the bank or put it in your safe deposit box, and so you buried it. And then hopefully, after the fighting, then you could come back and unbury the treasure. So this was, it's very possible that this could have happened. It's a reasonable sort of story. Yeah, this makes sense. So this guy has found the treasure in the field. He kind of covers it back up and thinks, I have to get this treasure because this treasure is worth everything. And so he kind of maybe paces off. OK, well, he paces south of this sycamore tree. And OK, it's just off of their interstate and exit to Galilee. And then he goes and he sells all that he has to buy this field. He completely liquidated everything. He sold his car. He sold his house. He drained his bank accounts. He got rid of all of his toys. He might have even touched his retirement fund. Can you believe it? He gave up all that because he recognized the treasure of the kingdom. And notice too, it says he was Some translations say, from his joy. This says, goes and sells all that he has. So there's this internal joy that he has, and we'll talk about that in a bit, but just want to take note of that. Some of you will probably kind of relate to this sort of experience. You stumbled across the kingdom of heaven. You weren't necessarily looking for it, but you found the treasure of the kingdom in your life. And you can think of other examples. You know, Paul comes to mind. He was not looking for the kingdom of heaven, and God blasted him out of heaven off his horse, and he found the kingdom of heaven. The woman at the well, she was just looking for water. She wasn't looking for the kingdom of heaven. Or the blind man, he wasn't looking for the kingdom of heaven. But God just intervenes. On the other hand, you might be like the second person. You might be someone who, in a way, you were searching. And we see people like this quite often. You know, I think our pastor interacted with a man like that on the ice rink last night, who in a way, you know, he's searching in a way. You know, scripture, we know that it's not necessarily of their own volition. No man seeks after God, but God is at work in people, and he works in different ways, and some ways it appears that the man is searching. Just to kind of consider this second man, the merchant, he was one who would buy and sell pearls and precious gems. He was kind of a wholesaler, buying and trading. And we have to just kind of think about pearls and how valuable pearls were in that day, and they still are, right? I mean, this communicated to the disciples. Wow, the king of heaven is like pearls? Wow. Pearls, you know, they were, they form in oysters, right, and in the water, and it was difficult to get those pearls, especially then. They had to do all sorts of crazy things, you know, tying rocks to their bodies to get these pearls. They didn't have modern diving equipment, things like this. All the while, this is communicating to the disciples, the ones hearing this, the kingdom of heaven is like, A pearl of infinite value. And there's lots of examples, right, in scriptures about pearls. You know, Jesus contrasts two great opposites. Don't cast your pearl before a swine, the dirty animal, especially to the Jewish people. Pearls before the swine, a pearl of infinite, you know, just about almost infinite value to many people in that day. Or the pearly gates in Revelation, et cetera. And here we, you know, maybe think of other examples in scripture, the Ethiopian in Acts 8, or Lydia. There's others who, in a way, they're searching for the kingdom. Just recall maybe your experience when you were searching for the kingdom. This man was, he was searching for good things. He was searching for pearls. They had, you know, some value themselves. He didn't know what he was going to find. Kingdom of heaven. And so, too, we've seen others, even in our midst, wrestling with different religions, asking questions. And they find the kingdom of heaven, and they didn't know what was coming. But just think back to maybe, if that was your experience, what it was like when you discovered that treasure. Then I want us to catch the joy Look at the joy that comes when you find the kingdom. When these men find the kingdom, they are just overcome with joy. And then, you know, particularly in that first parable where it says, then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. The translation says, from his joy. That joy really becomes the motivation in his life. The kingdom brings joy into his life, and then that joy motivates him to live a radical life because he sees the value of the kingdom. He goes and sells all that he has. It's all motivated by joy, enjoying the kingdom. And I think we have to work at this, unfortunately. We tend to, sometimes, it's hard to enjoy, right? We're sometimes just a little stiff, and we forget how to enjoy the kingdom of God, and we forget what a treasure we have, and the joy that should come from seeing this treasure. You know, kids, you understand what this is like when you see a treasure and joy and happiness just well up from within you. My guess is that it will happen later this week. Well, next week. There will be some treasure, not necessarily wrapped in, an oyster, like a pearl, but it might be wrapped in some bright colored paper in a box. And it might not be buried in a field, but it might be buried beneath a green tree. And when you open up that box, when you open up that treasure, you are filled with joy. You don't have to say, well, OK, I know I'm supposed to enjoy this right now. It's my favorite toy. Okay, I'm supposed to enjoy it. No! You just erupt with joy because you recognize that treasure that you've been wanting. Friends, how much more when we see the kingdom of God, when we unearth that hidden pearl, That hidden treasure in the field, that joy should just well up within us in such a natural way. And it motivates us, again, to live a life for Christ. If He calls us to sell all that we have, we do it from our joy. We are happy to because we are getting the deal of a lifetime. Because we've seen this treasure of infinite value. You think about joy as this motive here. Jesus, for the joy set before him, endured the cross. John, in John 15, 11, Jesus is speaking and says, these things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. And in 1 John 1, 4, We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. It's just showing us that joy is a completely natural thing when we see the kingdom of heaven and understand what value it has. It's of infinite value. That joy should just come from within as we see the kingdom. Well then, finally there's this kingdom acquisition. How is the treasure acquired? There's a kingdom acquisition. And this at first might strike us as a little bit odd, but I just want us to dwell on it for a little bit here to consider how the kingdom was, was made personal, how did it go from being out there to in the hearts and lives of these men? Again, we don't necessarily build our doctrine from illustrative material, but I think there's truth that we can glean from just the story. In both of these parables, there's this idea of buying. At the end of verse 44, it says, then in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. And then at the end of 46, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. So the kingdom is acquired by a transaction. And you know that we can't buy or earn our way in heaven, right? So how do we buy, as it were, this pearl of great price or this field that contains the treasure? Well, listen to the way Isaiah puts it. Isaiah 55, come everyone who thirsts. Come to the waters, and he who has no money Come buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters and buy without price. How does this work? Well, this is the way the kingdom works. We buy, but we don't pay a price. There's this exchange that happens. We give all that we have to God, and we get all that God has of himself. There's got to be this exchange. Think about 2 Corinthians 5.21. 2 Corinthians 5.21. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." There's this exchange going on. Martin Luther called it the Great Exchange, where there's Christ, there's us. Christ gives us all his righteousness. It's imputed to us. We in turn give all of our sin, all of our guilt, all of our shame to Christ. There's this transaction that happens, and what a beautiful thing it is. We come to Christ and say, I have no money. I have nothing, and it's myself. to obtain this treasure. Yet, through faith, we place our trust in Christ, and that transaction happens. Think back to the time when you experienced that. When you experienced that transaction, you saw the kingdom of heaven. You saw that treasure. That treasure was made yours. There was this great exchange that took place. And so it's the greatest deal that you could ever come across. That's what the men in these parables experienced. This just doesn't make sense. Wow, this is a deal you can't even describe. the inequality here that's going on. There is other cost. You must be willing to deny yourself. Take your cross daily. Jesus, talking to his disciples, says, you must be willing to leave your father and mother. The one said, well, I want to go back and bury my father. Let the dead bury the dead. You follow me, essentially. There's a cost to following Christ. The rich young ruler, Jesus says, go and sell all that you have. Well, he wasn't willing to give up that. He wasn't willing to forego his riches. He wasn't willing to accept that cost. But at the same time, friends, there's no cost at all. These things, you could say, yeah, there's a cost to the kingdom. But when you've seen the treasure, when you've seen the treasure that's in the field, you've seen that pearl of great price, the kingdom of God, it is no cost at all to deny yourself, because you get the kingdom of heaven. It is no trouble at all to go and sell all of your earthly goods, because you have the kingdom of God. And so, brothers and sisters, do you see how we who possess the kingdom of heaven, that great treasure, have the privilege of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever? Yes, man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. And when we consider the treasure of the kingdom of heaven, which is the most valuable thing on earth, the most valuable thing we could ever come across, in our joy, we will go and sell all that we have Counting it all as loss in order that we might gain Christ. Gaining that treasure of infinite value. So let us treasure. Let us treasure the kingdom of heaven and enjoy God. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you that by your grace, many of us in this kingdom, in this room, have discovered your kingdom. We know, Lord, that it is not owing to anything that we've done. It is all of your grace. Our Father, Our prayer is that we might see your kingdom more clearly and understand the infinite value that your kingdom has. Lord, beholding your glorious kingdom, we would live lives glorifying to you, and that we would truly enjoy you, that we would truly enjoy them, that we would enjoy all us two. No matter how difficult it might seem, all we have to do is consider the treasure that we have, the kingdom of God. All we have to do is consider the treasure that we have in Christ. So Lord, apply these truths to our hearts and would you truly be glorified in our lives and would we truly enjoy you for the rest of eternity, starting this night. It's in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.