Matthew chapter 13. We were there last week, and we are there again this week. We're going to read only three verses this week. It's a short text, but it's all portions of God's Word. Their value is not dependent upon their length or their size. When I was a boy in Sunday school, they would have us memorize verses, and everybody wanted to memorize, Jesus wept, because it was just easy to memorize, you know. But even that little statement, which is one verse out of the Gospel of John, has within it a world of meaning. Number one, that Jesus cares that much, that He would weep. Number two, that Jesus is human, that He's a man. God in the flesh, but yet fully man. So we need not look at a small text and say that there's a small meaning in a small text. There can be great meanings in small texts. Today we're going to read three verses, beginning at verse 44, and this will be our text today. These are the words of our Lord Jesus. If you have a red-letter edition of the Bible, they should be in red, are they? I thought they would be. Verse 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, I think the King James translates it of great price. One pearl of great value went and sold all that he had and bought it. Well, that's our text today. Last week, if you were here, we were in Matthew chapter 13. I told you last week that Matthew chapter 13 is basically filled with some of the teachings of our Lord Jesus and it's primarily filled with teachings that take on the form of parables and we talked last week about what a parable is, and we talked last week about why Jesus taught in parables. He answers the question of the disciples in verse 10 of chapter 13, and He communicates to them the reason why He often would teach in the form of a parable. So we talked about parables, and we talked about why Jesus often taught in parables last week, and then we spent most of our time last week looking at one of these various parables in chapter 13 of the Gospel of Matthew, the parable of the wheat and the tares. I'm glad somebody remembered what I preached on last week. Brian brought it up in Sunday school this morning and my heart leapt inside of me. And I thought a whole week later and he remembered what I preached on. last week. So I rejoice in that because sometimes it never gets home with people, let alone stays with them for a whole week. So I rejoice in that. But last week we did look at the parable of the wheat and the tares. And I told you last week that there were several parables that Jesus spoke, recorded for us in this chapter. And we're going to look at two more today. The parable of the treasure hidden in the field and the parable of the pearl of great price. Now basically what we're going to do this morning is I want to try to communicate to you that the message of these two parables are essentially one. There's a little bit of a variation in the way that the two parables are communicated by our Lord Jesus, but essentially the message of the two parables are joined. That's why they follow. One follows the other immediately, and it follows in the English standard with the word, again. Jesus gives the first parable, the parable of the treasure hidden in the field. Then He says, again, and He gives this great parable of the pearl of great price. So the message of the parables are essentially one and the same with just a little bit of variation, and we'll consider that variation as we go through the message. But they are essentially communicating the same great truth about the kingdom of God. Now what I want to do is, first of all, I want to talk about the description that's given to us of this treasure in these texts, and then we're going to talk about the discovery of the treasure in these texts, and then their delight in the treasure in this text, and then their desire for the treasure in this text. So let's begin with what this text teaches us about the description of this treasure. First of all, in the first parable, we're told that the treasure is hidden in a field. The treasure is hidden in a field. Jesus gives us this illustration of a man who discovers that in a field there's a treasure that's hidden. He realizes that this treasure is here. He covers it up and then he goes and sells everything that he has so that he might buy this field and possess this one great treasure. Now, in the other parables, we don't have to wonder what the field symbolizes. Because you remember in the parable that we looked at last week, Jesus spoke about a man who sowed good seed in his field. And when the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him to explain to them the meaning of the parable, in verse 38 of this chapter, Jesus says, the field is the world. He's talking about the world in which you and I live. And in this parable, the parable that Jesus gives, there is a treasure that is hidden in the field. And of course, this is communicating a great truth about the kingdom of heaven or about salvation in Christ. And it's this simple truth here, that it is near, that it is near. Turn with me quickly so that you can see this in Romans chapter 10. I want you to see how this is spoken of by the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 10. The illustration here is that this treasure has been hidden in this field all along and multitudes of people have walked by it. Multitudes of people have walked around it. Multitudes of people have walked over it without discerning its presence, even though they were so near to this treasure that was in the field. Now notice what Paul says in Romans chapter 10, and this is what he's talking about, not the righteousness based upon law-keeping, but the righteousness which is based on faith, in verse 5 of Romans 10. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandment shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, do not say in your heart who will ascend into heaven, that is to bring Christ down, or who will descend into the abyss, that is to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say? The Word is near you in your heart and in your mouth, or in your mouth and in your heart. That is the Word of faith that we proclaim. Notice what he says. Because if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, or that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Now think, here's essentially what Paul is saying as he's writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The way that a man can be made righteous by the gift of Christ's righteousness, which is based on faith, does not require some great act of going up to heaven and bringing Christ down from heaven, or going into the deep and bringing Christ up from the dead, but the Word is near. It's the Word of the Gospel, and it's preached every day here and there and everywhere, and people are stepping over this great message of God's mercy and grace to sinners on their way to perishing and on their way to destruction. But it's not far off. You know, it amazes me, and it grieves me, and it concerns me. that there are multitudes of people just like Judas who can live in the presence of the Lord Jesus and then kiss heaven's door and turn around and perish that close and that near in proximity to eternal life. I think what Jesus is communicating in Matthew 13 is that this treasure is hidden in the field and many people have walked by it. Many people have been near it. Many people have stepped over it, not aware that it was there. Not aware that it was that near. It's like a person in the desert who perishes very near to an oasis where there is water, and they're close to water that would give them life, but they never cross the next hill and they never realize how close in proximity they are to the very thing that would save their life. The reality is that there is a treasure hidden in the field. But there are vast multitudes of people to whom it is indiscernible. There are vast multitudes of people. Listen, think about it in America. In America, there's a church on every corner, and many of those churches preach the gospel. In America, there's a Bible nearly in every house where someone could open up the Bible and hear the message of the gospel. In America, nearly everyone knows someone who's a believer who would gladly communicate to them the message of salvation in Christ, and yet men stumble so near to the Word of Life and they perish in darkness and in sin. How grievous that is! There's a treasure hidden in the field! I mean, listen, in Glasgow one morning when we first moved to town, I walked over here. I think it took me 30 minutes to walk from our house to here. There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that could walk this close to come here and hear the gospel, but they perish in their sins. You turn on the television and as bad as much of the nonsense that passes for Christianity on TV is, you can still turn on the TV and hear the Gospel preached. You can turn on the radio and hear the Gospel preached. You can go to the hospital and you can find Gospel tracks laid out where you can read and hear of the message of Jesus Christ. There is a treasure hidden in the field and people are walking right past it, day after day after day after day after day. And that's a grievous thing, but that's a true thing. Jesus said, this man finds a treasure that has been hidden in the field. The other day, Friday, we were doing a job, and I was in a big building here in town, and I was up in the attic of this building, and you could tell I was working on a water heater in the attic of this building, and there was all kinds of stuff scattered everywhere. It was dusty, and it was dirty, and I looked over, and right beside me was the Gideon Bible, and I thought, the gospel is everywhere in America. The gospel is everywhere in America. So we talk about people in the world that don't have a Bible. Most of us have more Bibles in our homes than we can count. They're everywhere. I have probably five of them on my desk at home right now. They're everywhere. You go into a hotel in America, open up a drawer, there's a Bible that will tell you the gospel of Jesus Christ. There's a treasure hidden in the field. The kingdom is near. The message is near. It can be heard. It can be understood. It can be received. by the work of the Spirit in the heart of an individual. So he says there's a treasure that's been hidden in a field. And number two, in the second parable, there's a merchant man seeking fine pearls. And on his search for pearls, he finds one pearl of great value. And of course, what this teaches is the singular and exclusive and unique nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the pearl of great price, salvation. in Christ is the pearl that is incomparable to every other thing that this world may have to offer. He finds one pearl. Now notice, he's searching for fine pearls, and we'll talk more about that later. He goes as his business demands from place to place, and he's searching for fine pearls. But he finally comes across one pearl. And he realizes there will never be another like this. There will never be anything that will compare to this. This is the one pearl of great price, and there will never be another pearl that will ever compare to this. Of course, what it's teaching is the singular and the exclusive nature of the kingdom of God. There's nothing in the world that compares to it. And notice what he says, this parable is of great price. This parable is of great value. Isn't it interesting that in neither parable no monetary value is attached to the treasure? Notice, he doesn't say a man found a treasure worth so much in a field. And he doesn't say, a man who was seeking goodly pearls found a pearl worth so much and he sought that pearl. No, he doesn't attach a value to it. And surely the reason is that the kingdom of heaven is priceless. You can't attach a value to what it means to be saved by the grace of God, to be adopted into the family of God, to know that your sins have been forgiven and that Christ is yours and that you are His. There is nothing in the universe that compares to the value and the exceeding worth of knowing Christ Jesus the Lord. There's nothing that compares to it. It amazes me that we have lost the sense of this in our preaching, in our teaching, and in our thinking when the Bible so clearly and so without question teaches this everywhere in Scripture. Go over to Matthew chapter 16 and notice how it's put here in verse 24. It said, verse 24 of Matthew 16, Then Jesus told His disciples, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Now here's this great verse. For what will it profit a man? What would it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life or his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his life or his soul? The Bible could not be plainer. Jesus attaches the value of your soul at more than the value of this world and a million more worlds like it. He basically says, if you gain everything this world has to offer and you lose your soul, you have lost it all. There is nothing as valuable as your soul. There is nothing in this world that is worth trading your eternal soul for. Nothing in this world that compares. You remember in the Gospel of Luke chapter 12, when Jesus tells about the man whose ground brings forth plentifully He looks at his prosperity, and he says, what am I going to do? Here's what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns, I'll build greater barns, and I'll bestow all my goods that I produce, and I'll say to my soul, take your eggs, eat, drink, and be merry. And Jesus, in His parable of this rich man, says, you fool! You fool! You have laid up many things for many days, but you don't even understand that tonight your soul will be required of you and someone else will enjoy the things that you have lived for. And Jesus said, so is the man that lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. Jesus is simply saying, there is nothing in this world that compares to the value of knowing Christ. Knowing that your sins have been forgiven. Knowing that you have been adopted into the family of God. Knowing that God is your Father. Knowing that you are His and that He is yours. This is the pearl of great price. Nothing compares to it. I'm afraid that we live in a generation of people in America That we are more concerned about teaching our children the value of trying to attain earthly security than eternal security. That we live in a generation of Americans where we want our children to know everything and to have everything and to possess all that this world has to offer, but we've not sat down and looked into the eyes of our kids with a broken heart and say, if you lose your soul, you've lost it all. You've lost it all. This is the pearl of great price. This is the treasure of untold worth. And it's near. It's hidden in the field. The gospel is everywhere. The gospel is near. And there's nothing that compares to being part of the kingdom of heaven. Now, number two, not only the description of the treasure, but notice the discovery of the treasure. Notice that most do not discover the existence and the location of these valuables. They walked past them. Apparently many people have walked over the field and not seen the treasure or not discovered the treasure hidden in the field. Probably many people have been in close proximity to the one pearl of great price and yet they have not esteemed its worth and they have not esteemed its value. In the parables, both parables, only one person, one person probably out of many, finds the treasure. Only one person out of many finds the pearl of great price and attaches the proper value to it. Of course, this is teaching us the personal and individual nature of salvation. We've been studying in the book of Acts in Sunday school, and on one day in the book of Acts, 3,000 people are saved. But do you know that when God saved 3,000 people, He saved each one as individuals? It doesn't happen on the group plane. You know, we're getting ready to go to this conference, a true church conference in February, and when I called about getting a hotel room, she said, is there more people coming? I said, there's several people coming. Well, maybe we can get you a better deal when we can find out the rates of everybody. And she was kind of insinuating that we'll get a better deal on the group plan. Let me tell you, when it comes to being born again, there is no group plan. You don't get in because mom and dad are in. You don't get in because mom and dad believe. There is no group plan. Listen, multitudes, probably many people have walked over the field and never saw the treasure, but one man discovered the treasure. Maybe many people had handled the pearl of great price, but never esteemed it for what it was and never saw its worth or value, so they put it back in its case and said, no, I don't need that. I'll venture nothing on that. But this one man, he saw it for what it was. A pearl of great value. It teaches the individual personal nature of salvation. This is an amazing thing. I've watched it for years, preaching. You can be preaching to a group of people like this, or to a group like Monday night I was up in the prison preaching 60-70 men. And you can be preaching, and it's funny that in a group, maybe a large group of people, how the Spirit of God takes the message to the heart of the individual. It's an amazing thing. It's a wonderful thing. Because I've experienced it. I've learned over the years you can almost discern it while you're preaching. I've seen people who just get this far away look, and even though there's many people sitting around them, you can tell they are having their own personal meeting with God. God is meeting with them personally and individually. And that's what happens. This man, the merchant, he's seeking pearls. And this teaches another great truth. This man's heart and mind has been aroused to seek for worthy and worthwhile pearls. His mind has been stirred, his heart has been stirred, and he's been aroused to go on this search, and he's searching for pearls. But we know from what the Bible teaches in Romans 3 that no one understands and no one seeks after God. So if someone is seeking God or seeking the truth, why is that? It's because God has aroused their heart. And God has aroused their mind. And God is doing a prevenient work of grace in their hearts. Listen, the Bible says that men and women in their sins are dead. They're dead. Dead people don't seek pearls, but living people do. Dead people don't seek treasures, but living people do. It's simply teaching that truth, that the only reason that men ever seek Christ is because Christ is seeking them. Drawing them, calling them, working in them. I sat in church for years under gospel preaching, heard nothing, felt nothing, cared about nothing. But there came a point when God called me. And I began to seek Him because He was seeking me. You say, well, did you know that back then? No, but I know it now. It's very common when you're first converted to say, I sought the Lord. But when you've been converted a while and read the Bible a while, you begin to realize you would have never even desired Him were it not for Him drawing you. That's the truth. This man, Seeking these pearls of great value is a picture of the sinner who has been awakened, whose heart has been aroused, whose mind has been stirred, and they say, listen, there's got to be something more. And don't forget, some of you don't know him, but there was a man who used to go to church here named Bud Lorden. His wife prayed for him eleven years that he would be saved. She came to church and she started coming to church. Every Sunday when she'd come to church, she would leave for Sunday school and she'd say, I hope to see you at church. And of course, she'd never come. But she began to come and she began to say things like, you know, Bud's saying things that make me think he's reading the Bible. I remember that. She'd say, Bud's saying things that make me think he's reading the Bible. Or she'd say, Bud's saying things that make me think he may be listening to the CDs. One Sunday morning, out of the blue, she gets up, comes to Sunday school, she says, hope to see you at church. And when she came out of the bathroom between Sunday school and church, guess who was at church? Bud Lord. Bud was wonderfully and gloriously saved. No one can take the credit for it but the sovereign wonder of God's grace. God did it. God did it. But I remember after he was saved, I was out there where he worked at Plytech one day, And he came out and he saw the truck I was in. He came out there and we began to talk and I couldn't resist. I said, Bud, tell me what's happened to you. Immediately big tears came in his eyes and he said, I begin to think, surely there's more to life than this. Now why would a man begin to think such things? God was calling him. God was drawing him. God was dealing with him. And he came to church looking for a pearl of great value, but he was only looking for the pearl because God made it known to his heart that there was such a pearl. Only God does that. So the picture in these two parables of these individuals discovering the treasure is a picture of how God draws individuals to Himself and He enables them to discover of value in Christ that most men never discover. Number three, not only a description of the treasure, a discovery of the treasure, but notice their delight in the treasure. It says it particularly in the first parable and not so particularly in the second parable, but it's evident that both are delighted at what they have found. I mean, the one, the man who finds the treasure in the field, I like this, he covers it up and hides it. And then it says, with joy, he goes and sells everything he has and buys that one field. You say, why would he hide it? Because he sees how valuable it is and he doesn't want to lose it at any cost. Doesn't want to lose it at any cost. He sees the value in that field that other people cannot see. And he is motivated by delight. And he says, listen, no matter what, I've got to get this treasure. So he covers it up. And he goes and takes care of his business. It's a picture. of how that when a sinner's eyes have been opened, they can't believe what they found. It's wonderful. Listen, I sat for years in a church and heard many, not everything, but many of the very same things that I preach to you every Sunday. I sat in a church as a lost church member for years and heard them over and over and over. But when God called me and when God awakened me and when God made me alive, I said, man, I can't believe what I found. This is wonderful! Jesus died for sinners? And I'm a sinner? Listen, we're all different. I know we're all different. I do not in any way question that. But I don't understand people who say that they see the value of Christ who never delight in Him. He's the best thing that ever happened to me. He is the fairest of ten thousand. He is the pearl of great price. Wednesday night we came just to have a time of prayer and thanksgiving before Thursday. And as I thought throughout the early part of the week, what am I to give thanks for? I can only come to two things, and I found out that everything that I have is encompassed in these two things. Number one, that God has shown me grace. And number two, that He's been faithful to me. He has done for me what He did not have to do. He has loved me in a way that He did not have to love me. He has sent His Son to suffer in my place, and He did not have to do it. It is all of grace from beginning to end. And when God opened my eyes to this one pearl of great price, I have been delighting in Him ever since. This is a picture of an awakened heart. One man, he sees this treasure and he says, listen, I've got to get this and I will gladly go and do whatever I have to do to get this treasure. The other says, I will gladly get whatever I have to give. Because this is more valuable than anything I've ever known. And that brings me to the last thing. their desire for the treasure. By the way, why do we praise and worship and rejoice and sing? Why do we talk about how worthy and wonderful our Lord is? It's because we delight in Him. We found a pearl. That's why. And I don't understand how we can't delight in Him. Now notice what these men do. The one man, he covers it up because he wants to attain it no matter what the cost. But both men do this. The one man, when he finds the field with the treasure that's hidden in the field, the other man, when he finds the one pearl of great value, they both go and take everything they possess, everything, and sell it. so that they can receive one thing. And what's it a picture of? You know what it's a picture of. It's a picture of this simple truth, that the sinner whose heart has been awakened, whose eyes have been opened, who see the value and the worth of Christ, They gladly, willingly, joyfully give up anything He demands that they might embrace Him. I will say this, and I say it with love, that's the only kind of salvation there is. Christ is not another add-on to all the other add-ons in our lives. He must become our life. Deanna was talking one day at the back door about how education is being dumbed down in our culture. We all know that's true. But you know, as bad as that is, which is, it's a tragedy, you know what's even more of a tragedy? What it means to be a Christian has been dumbed down in our culture. Now what this translates into is that in America, it's hard to find somebody who actually knows they're not a Christian. I remember years ago, I was in a prison and we were talking to people about their soul. One guy asked a man in prison, an adult man, are you a Christian? Well, I don't know. I'll have to call my mom and see. You know what we told him? If you have to call her and see, we can answer the question for you. You're not. Christianity is not some external act. It's not some decision. It's not just some act of the human will. It is a supernatural, sovereign, mighty work of God where a sinner by the power and grace of God comes from death to life. And can someone be alive and there be no evidence of such life? And the problem is in America, everybody has church affiliation. Everybody's walked down an aisle and got just enough religion to make them dangerous to themselves. But they've not been born from above. So what do we have? We have this vast numbers of people in America who say they're Christians, but when push comes to shove, they will always choose themselves over Christ. What I want, my will, my desire, my plan. But the person that has been awakened by the Holy Spirit, convicted of their sin, call to Christ, they say, listen, He's everything to me. I'll give anything He wants. I'll lay it all down. I don't have anything anymore. It's all His. It's not teaching that you can buy your salvation by giving up things. It is simply teaching this, that when you see Him by the work of the Holy Spirit for the gracious, wonderful Savior that He is, nothing else can ever mean the same to you what it once did. He becomes everything. And I'll lay down anything you want me to lay down. I'll live as you want me to live. I'll go where you want me to go. I'll be what you want me to be. Because you're my Lord. You're my King. You're my treasure. You're my pain. That still is involved in being a Christian. Notice in the cases of both of these men, was there any going back for them? Any plan B's? Any other options? No, they sold out. Lock, stock and barrel. But you know what? They didn't do it begrudgingly. They done it with delight. They didn't sell everything they had to get this one pearl or to get this treasure and go, oh, I hate that I have to do this. They go, this is wonderful. This is great. Who wants the junk I have when I can have this? So they gladly, joyfully, willingly surrendered their whole self for the possession of one great valuable. It's a picture of a total surrender of a life that's involved in repentance. No turning back. No other options. No other possibilities. No plan B's. This is it. Here's how Paul put it. I don't want you to turn. I just want you to listen. Here's how Paul put it. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish. in order that I may gain Christ. Now, for different people, absolute surrender means different things. For one, it may mean mission service in a foreign land, and for other, it may mean starting a business and raising your family in your own hometown. We have no right to try to determine for other believers what that surrender means. God will work that out as He works in their hearts. God will do that. But in every true believer, there must be this element of surrender. Because Jesus will never become your Savior without being your Lord. Never. You can't date Him. You have to marry Him. Amen? And then you'll spend the rest of your life learning what that surrender means. for you and your family. But you know what? I say this with absolute assurance that what I'm about to say is true. The further you go down the road, the more glad you'll become. that you sold out. Father, you go down the road. You will not get down the road and say, you know, I look back at my life and I wish, you know, I wish I hadn't given my whole life to Christ. As you go down the road, you're going to go back and say, I can't believe the deal I got. Selling all that junk that was mine. and becoming His. That's what it means to be a Christian. You don't listen. You don't buy salvation by giving anything up. But when you see Christ for who He is, nothing in the world will ever have its same attraction to your heart. I guess the thing that grieves me so much about this time of the year, we went Christmas shopping yesterday. I'm not trying to be a humbug. I know what you're all thinking. But you know what I keep thinking? We're buying a bunch of plastic junk. We do it because we love our nieces and nephews. But I keep thinking, we're buying, Kim said something about buying some child a gift. I said, it doesn't matter, they won't remember it three minutes after they opened it anyway, just buy something. But you keep thinking, you're just buying a bunch of plastic junk that the child won't remember, like you say, three minutes after they open it. And as I've got older, I realize that everything in this world is just fading, corrupting, corroding, dying, and passing away. But I have in my heart a power that's priceless. And the farther I go, the more priceless it becomes. And the more I realize that it's cost me nothing. It cost Him His suffering in life. But there's nothing I've ever surrendered to obey Him that can even compare with the love and the mercy and the kindness that He has shown to me. So you don't lose by selling out. Let's pray. Father, thank You for Your Word. Lord, I stumbled over the field for years and never, ever discerned the presence of the treasure. I sought for things that I thought were of value for years, but none satisfied until you revealed to me one pearl of great price.