Our passage: Matthew 13:44-46 (OT Reading: Exodus 20:4-6).
GCW Sermon – Preacher: Ian Bayne, 26/01/2020.
The notes below were taken live during the sermon, and have been adapted for the website; they should not be considered an accurate transcript.
Recap
We are continuing our series in kingdom parables. Last week we learned that the Lord uses small beginnings, and sometimes progress can be slow in growing His Kingdom. We should not be discouraged. The sinfulness that remains in us slows down our ability to follow Jesus, but even Paul had these challenges.
Explanation
“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.
[45] “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, [46] who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:44-46 ESV
We come today to two more parables in Matthew 13:44-46, that both have a number of similarities:
- The thing being searched for is of great value (e.g. pearls and treasure)
- There is successful discovery in each case
- All that the searcher had before was given away in order to acquire the treasure
Application
Despite these verses being short there is a lot to say:
- The only people who will find anything are those that seek
- Every generation must rise up to acknowledge Christ’s lordship
- This generation in particular must surrender to the call of Christ
We’ll look at point 1 this week, and make three applications:
1. We must seek in order to find
Everyone is searching for something that gives meaning to their life; their “treasure”. When searching and seeking, there are some that say that they have no interest in searching. But deep down everyone is seeking something.
“If a man doesn’t believe in God, they don’t believe in nothing, they believe in anything.”
GK Chesterton
Such people have replaced a search for God with a search for something else to fulfil their lives.
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.
Psalm 14:1 ESV
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
Hebrews sets out the criteria for finding God: that we believe He exists and seek him.
2. Not everyone has the right motivations
There are others who are searching, but are searching for searching’s sake; seeking to justify their own theories on where fulfilment is found. Some philosophers fall into this category.
In Ecclesiastes 2: King Solomon is looking back over his life and how he sought meaning in lots of different things, but everything was ultimately “vanity” and “like the wind”; fleeting and not fulfilling.
He sought:
- mind-altering substances.
- style in gardens.
- riches
- pleasure from orchestras, dancing women and concubines
He was searching for pleasure. The Epicurean school of thinking follows this path. What we are really searching for is something we’ve lost: a relationship, a relationship with our Creator.
As believers, we are fortunate that we didn’t initiate the search. God started it by looking for us. He stirs us up to seek Him in the first instance, and then He finds us.
3. A search for the right treasure is wonderful
A true search is a good and wonderful search when we’re searching for the right thing; that is: God, His Son and His Plan
Unlike searching after pleasure and worldly things which are quickly found to be insufficient, a search for God persists until the object of the search is found.
We must give priority to seeking the kingdom.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33 ESV
What are we aiming for? What is most important to us? What are we prepared to sacrificed to get what we want?
There are a number of examples we can look to in the Bible:
- Woman washing Jesus’s feet (Luke 7:36-50)
- Lowering a paralytic through the roof (Mark 2:1-12)
These people put seeking God before social norms. How can we do likewise?
Resources
Questions? Please contact us. Inspired? Come and worship with us on Sundays.
