Christ: The Hidden Treasure

Introduction to the Kingdom Parables and the Twins

0:03 Now may I encourage you to turn in your Bibles to the 13th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter 13, and I shall read selected portions from this chapter, and the rationale behind that selection I trust will become clear as we move into the exposition of the last two verses that I shall read in your hearing. Matthew 13, verses 1 through 3a, and then we'll drop down to verse 10.

0:38 On that day went Jesus out of the house and sat by the seaside, and there were gathered unto him great multitudes, so that he entered into a boat and sat, and all the multitude stood on the beach, and he spoke to them many things in parables. Now verse 10. And the disciples came and said unto him, Why are you speaking unto them in parables? And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

1:18 For whosoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance. But whosoever has not, from him shall be taken away even that which he has. Therefore, speak I to them in parables, because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, By hearing you shall hear and shall in no wise understand, and seeing you shall see and shall in no wise perceive.

1:56 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull. Of hearing, and their eyes have they closed, lest perhaps they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should turn again, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly I say unto you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and saw them.

2:32 And to hear the things which you hear, and heard them not. Now verse 34. All these things spoke Jesus in parables unto the multitudes, and without a parable he spoke nothing unto them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, saying, I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the world. Then he will say unto them, I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the world.

3:02 And he left the multitude, and went into the house, and his disciples came unto him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares. Now verse 44.

3:17 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid, and in his joy he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. Again. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a merchant, seeking goodly pearls, and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

3:51 Those of you who regularly attend this place of worship know that last Lord's Day morning I completed the consecutive expositions of the book of 1 Peter. I do have a desire that I trust will...

4:05 That many have read the Deutschen 1st vidurach are good avec you were eyes 2-3. hopefully, not all...

4:08 But I do have a desire that I trust will answer all questions given to you. And I do think I will continue to do so. You can see the 2nd one. Two� Three.

4:35 Three. Two came and scored one, and shots. begin to consider two of the parables that are found here in Matthew 13. As I've prayerfully reflected on how best to use these two Lord's Day mornings closest to the two weddings, my mind has been drawn to these two parables of our Lord Jesus, parables which I have been fascinated with for years, but upon which I've never preached, never made any effort to expound them.

5:03 Well, God willing, this morning and then next Lord's Day morning, I will make an effort to open up and apply these two parables, the parable of the treasure hidden in the field and the parable of the pearl of great price. Most of you, or many of you, would know that these two parables come in a context in which, as Matthew records this aspect of the ministry of our Lord, he gathers together and opens up, or records, seven of the parables of our Lord spoken at this time. They are ordinarily called kingdom parables, and in them the great subject of the kingdom of God is central. In two of the parables, the sower in the soils and the sowing of the seed, the good seed and the bad seed, we have some indication of how the message of the kingdom is received. It is as seed. Some falls on good ground, some falls on not so good ground, and the kingdom advances as the message of the kingdom is proclaimed, and the response is along the lines of the differing soils described by our Lord. And then in the parable of the dragnet, and possibly that of the wheat and the tares,

6:29 our Lord is showing the mixed character of the kingdom, and also the future purification of the kingdom. The tares will be gathered in bundles and cast into fire, and the bad fish that have come up in the dragnet will be discarded, and the good fish gathered and brought into the kingdom in its future and consummate glory. And then in the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven, we are taught something of the growth and the development of the kingdom. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds, yet it grows into this tree, which is able to become home for the birds of the air, and a little bit of leaven put into the flower affects the whole lump. And here we are taught something of the growth and the development of the kingdom. And then in these two parables, the parable of the treasure hidden in the field, and the pearl of great price, our Lord is underscoring something of the preciousness of the kingdom for all who are brought into that kingdom. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure.

7:48 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant seeking goodly pearls. Now in any initial reading of the two parables, it is evident that in a real sense, they are twins, not identical twins. They are fraternal twins. They have many things in common, though they are not identical twins.

Common Denominators and Key Distinction of the Twin Parables

8:10 The common denominators are obvious. In both cases, a single object of supreme value is found. Look at your Bibles and see the language. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found.

8:28 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man, seeking goodly pearls, and having found. There is one of the common denominators of both parables. In both cases, a single object of supreme value is found. A treasure is found.

8:48 A goodly pearl is found. Furthermore, in both cases, the single object of supreme value is acquired at the price of the total liquidation of all other assets. In each case, the thing that is found of precious and supreme value is acquired at the price of the total liquidation of all other assets. Look at the text.

9:16 Verse 44, Which a man found and hid, and in his joy he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. Verse 46, And having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. There is the second common denominator. In both cases, the single object of supreme value, whether the treasure or the pearl, is acquired at the price of the total liquidation of all other assets.

9:54 Sold all that he had. He went and sold all. Those are the two obvious common denominators in these parables. And then there is one major factor of difference easily observed.

10:12 In the first parable, the treasure is discovered unthought and unexpectedly. The text says the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found. He found it. How he found it, we don't know.

10:29 We'll come to that in a moment when we try to grab hold of the basic facts. We'll come to that in a moment when we try to grab hold of the basic facts. We'll come to that in a moment when we try to grab hold of the basic facts. But in the parable of the hidden treasure, the man finds his treasure.

10:37 The man finds his treasure. He comes upon it, unsought, unexpectedly. But in the parable of the pearl of great price, there is a merchant we are told seeking goodly pearls. This man's business is pearls.

10:52 He thinks pearls. He eats pearls. He sleeps pearls. He's seeking goodly pearls.

10:59 He's not one of these who's just trying to find some junk pearls He's not one of these who's just trying to find some junk pearls them off as good stuff. He's a serious pearl merchant. Now, I've never met a serious pearl merchant except here in the text. But you see, there is a marked contrast. In conjunction with the treasure, it is found. In conjunction with that one pearl of great price, it comes in the course of a life taken up with pearls. Here's a man seeking goodly pearls, and in that pursuit, he comes upon this one pearl of great price. Now, before we are done considering the instruction which these two parables are meant to convey, we'll address the significance both of the common denominators and of that fundamental distinction between the two parables.

The Hidden Treasure: What Is It, and Have You Acquired It?

11:47 But in this hour, we take up verse 44, and I'm going to attempt to expound and apply this parable under this title. The Hidden Treasure, what is it, and have you found and acquired it? The Hidden Treasure, what is it, and have you found and acquired it? And I want to press the rationale for that title. Jesus said, the kingdom of heaven is like. In other words, wherever the dynamics of the kingdom of heaven are. Whenever someone is born of the Spirit and sees and enters the kingdom. Whenever the king of grace conquers one of his subjects and brings them into the kingdom of grace and power, what is said of this man who found a treasure will be true of every single individual who gets into the kingdom. And according to my Bible, you're either in the kingdom of grace and of power, or you're

13:07 in the kingdom of darkness, of death, that will lead to hell. And I want us to come to this parable not with an innocent curiosity alone, what does it mean, but with a felt sense of the tremendous personal interest. Each of us. Each of us.

13:30 Each of us. Each of us. Each of us has in this parable. If you are not the man who's found a treasure, you're not in the kingdom. No place for idle curiosity or even mere innocent curiosity. What does it mean? No. I'm preaching this morning on the hidden treasure. What is it? And with a passionate desire that you answer honestly this question, have you found and acquired it? That's the thing to which our text points. Having found it, he hid it, sold all that he had, and bought the field in which the treasure was buried. The hidden treasure. What is it? And have you found it and acquired it?

Basic Facts of the Parable Explained

14:24 All right, we begin then considering under our first heading the basic facts of the parable explained. Our Lord in these parables, takes the stuff of events and circumstances and commodities that would be well known by those of His own day, and for many of us, we've got to put ourselves back there and seek to get into their mindset. And when our Lord said the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field, it was not talking about something that would be foreign to their knowledge and to their experience. Think of what it really was.

15:05 like before the days of a local bank where you could go down and rent a safe deposit box to put your valuables. I remember back in 1974, I think it was, we came into a little bit of money from one of our relatives, and I had received some counsel that I ought to put a little bit of it into gold. And so I bought eight Mexican, I forgot what they were, gold coins. At the time, gold, I think it was $250 an ounce, invested $2,000 in gold. And there it's been sitting since 1974 and isn't worth much more than that now. I'd like to go to the person that gave me that counsel, but be that as it may. I was able to take these valuable coins and put them in a safe deposit box, and I don't think of them sometimes for years on end, except when I'm on an illustration and can bring them up, all right? But remember, back then there were no local banks with safe deposit box, nor did they have a safe deposit box.

16:02 Heavy, thick, steel, lead-lined safes that you could purchase and keep somewhere in your basement that weighed 500 pounds and put your valuables in there. Grandma's old ring and all the rest. No, if you had something very valuable, it was not unusual to take that commodity, whatever it was, coins, jewelry, and to put it in a substantial, thick wooden box and bury it in some obscure place. Some who've studied the times, some of our lords said that wealthy men would be advised to split up their assets like that into three major divisions, and one of them should be buried. Well, apparently what happened in this case is someone had valuables, called a treasure, and this is the standard word used for treasure. The wise men, the Madge and I, came and opened up their treasures, same word, lay not up treasures upon earth, but treasures in heaven, and the man put his treasures in a box and buried it, and then he tells us that a man found, a man found. Who was the man? He's undesignated.

17:11 Whose field was it? It's undesignated. What was he doing in that field? We don't know.

17:18 It just says, which a man found. Now, he may have been a hired hand of the man who owned the field, who may have been a distant relative to the one who put the treasure in the field. The Lord doesn't give us all these details. Now, whether he was, following behind his mule who was drawing the plow, and he heard the plow bite into something substantial, and he told the mule to stop. We don't know. One thing we know, he didn't own it.

17:44 He found the treasure. He opens up the box and sees there is real substantial treasure here. Once he discovered it, looks over this way and this way, and sees what's in there, he wants to make sure no one else is privy to his discovery, and Jesus said, he then hid it. He either buries it in the same place, or he buries it in the same place. He buries it in the same place. He buries it in the same place, or perhaps feeling, well, if people see the dirt disturbed around here, they might get suspicious and come and dig around it, so he may look this way and that way and the other way, find some other place. All we are told is, having discovered the hidden treasure, he himself hides it, and he hides it with a view to doing something. Look at the text, and the words of our Lord Jesus are very precise. And in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. A very strange construction, when the Lord says, in his joy,

18:42 it means from, from the very posture and out of the context, and because of his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Now, I don't know if he had a garage sale. I don't know if he advertised in the local paper or went to the local supermarket where they pin announcements and said, everything for sale, cheap, first bidder, first come, first serve, it's there for cheap. I don't know. But one thing is clear. He was whistling all the while he was selling. It says, and in his joy, he goes and he sells. So you can't think of him saying, oh, I've got a treasure there in the field. But man, oh man, I've had this particular set of tools, this particular set of golf clubs. I can think of many around the golf, and I've got this clock that was given to me by my great-grandfather. I've got this clock that was given to me by my great-grandfather. I've got this

19:34 clock that was given to me by my great-grandfather. And I, boy, I don't know if the treasure, no. It says in his joy, in his joy, he goes, in his joy, he sells. And he comes whistling up to the walk with the owner and says, you know that field over there? Yeah, I want it. And doesn't tell us whether they bickered, whether they bargained, whether he had to give him every last cent he had. I don't know. All it says is he sold all that he had. And he struck a bargain. And that day when he walked away, he had title to the field. All right?

The Central Truth of the Parable Identified

20:13 Those are the basic facts that are found in the parable. Now then, having ascertained the basic facts of the parable, this man found the treasure and in his joy went and sold all that he had and bought the field. What is? Secondly, now, the central truth of the parable. Having considered the basic facts of the parable explained, now the central truth of the parable identified. The kingdom of heaven is like. And in what does the central likeness consist? And you don't say, well, was it right for him to hide the treasure once he fought? If the field was not his, didn't the treasure? What about the ethics of what

21:07 he did? Forget it. Forget it. It has nothing to do with the central truth of the parable.

21:11 You don't get locked up in all the little details saying this must have to be different. No. The kingdom of heaven is like, in some ways, it's like a sower who goes out to sow. That doesn't tell you everything about the kingdom you need to know, but it does tell you how the kingdom is advanced by sowing the seed of the word.

21:33 It tells you that it will meet with a different reception. Some will receive it like hard-packed wayside soil. Some like shallow rocky soil. Some like thorny soil.

21:45 Some like good soil. Is that the only and the comprehensive, extensive teaching on the kingdom? No. It teaches certain aspects of the truth of the kingdom.

21:55 Well, likewise, when our Lord is committed to underscore the preciousness of the kingdom and how it becomes precious to all the subjects of the kingdom, He is not giving us an exhaustive, comprehensive dissertation of the whole biblical doctrine of the preciousness of the kingdom to all who enter the kingdom. He is highlighting certain aspects of it. And what is it? What is the central truth of this parable?

22:22 Well, certainly we can say with confidence what it is not. Certainly our Lord is not teaching that the message and blessings of the kingdom of grace ought to be hidden from men. The kingdom of heaven is like unto itself, a treasure hidden in the field. Therefore, let's hide the message and only give it out to those who come and ask for it.

22:43 No. Jesus, in this very chapter, it is said, when He saw the multitudes, He didn't retire. He got in a boat, pushed out from the land, and preached to them. So the message of the kingdom is not to be hidden.

22:59 Jesus said, Make disciples of all the nations. You shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. I have a divine warrant to stand here this morning and declare God's treasure house of grace, His treasure chest of grace, in Christ, and say, In Christ there is forgiveness, reconciliation, pardon, adoption, the gift of the Spirit, the pledge of eternal life. It is all there, treasured up in Christ.

23:32 And Christ is there for you if you will have Him. Certainly. The message of the parable is not that the blessings of the kingdom of grace ought to be hidden from men, nor is it that the blessings of the kingdom can be purchased by the currency of our own works. It says that He sold all that He had and bought the field, so He paid for the treasure.

23:56 The treasure was the reward of His payment. Therefore, if we bring enough shekels, God will give us the blessings of the kingdom, and all that is in Christ the King. No. That would contradict this very chapter again.

24:11 When Jesus is telling His own disciples why the parables conceal truth from the multitudes, and while they reveal truth to His own, He says in verse 11, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries. You know the mysteries not because you're more clever, not because you have something of worth which you've presented to God and purchased, it's privilege. It is given. It is given.

24:39 Philippians 1, 29, we read this morning. Unto you is given on the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but to suffer for His name. The first beatitude, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The first thing God does to a sinner is to strip him and bring him to the place where he realizes I have nothing, I can do nothing, I can conjure up nothing to present to God, as the reason why he ought to pardon and forgive me and take me into His kingdom as one of His cleansed and forgiven subjects.

25:13 No, the central truth of the parable has nothing whatsoever to do with any notion that the message of the kingdom ought to be hidden, that we can by some currency of our own works earn the blessings of the kingdom. No.

25:29 It is true that this parable, as with all the parables, there is a central, a dominant, and an all-embracing truth illustrated. And the crucial issue in understanding it is having at least a little understanding of what Jesus meant when He said the kingdom of heaven is like. The kingdom of heaven is like. What is the kingdom of heaven?

Christ as the Treasure and the Joyful Relinquishment

25:53 Now some have asserted that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are two different things. Folks, I don't mean to be unkind if there is anywhere sitting here who has believed that. That is sheer biblical nonsense. Unbiblical nonsense.

26:06 I should say. In a passage such as Matthew 19, 23 and 24, Jesus uses the terms interchangeably in the very same context. Matthew 19, 23 and 24. In speaking of the rich young ruler as we generally describe him, Jesus said to his disciples, Verily I say to you, it's hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

26:33 And again I say to you, it's easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Jesus uses the terms interchangeably. And when you study certain passages in Matthew and see their parallels in Mark and Luke, where Matthew says kingdom of heaven and for good and wise reasons, which we'll not go into, Mark and Luke will say kingdom of God. Kingdom of heaven, kingdom of God are one in the same kingdom.

27:00 And when we turn to our Bibles, we realize that whatever the kingdom of God is, yes, Emphasis in the New Testament is that the kingdom comes when the king himself comes. Look at Matthew 3 and verse 1. In those days comes John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying, Repent, why? For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

27:28 And how did the kingdom of heaven come to be at hand? Because the king himself was now going to present himself in his public ministry. Shortly thereafter, Jesus is baptized. And then when we read the preaching of Jesus, chapter 4 and verse 17, from that time began Jesus to preach and say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

27:54 It is at hand in the presence and person and work of the King of Grace, the Lord Jesus. And so when he commenced, He says, that's what you're to go out and preach. I'm giving you power to cast out demons, heal the sick, raise the dead. And these are to be validations that the king has come in regal power to invade the kingdom of darkness.

28:18 The kingdom of darkness with which sickness and demonic possession and death are associated. You go in my authority and in my power, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons. And this is the kingdom of heaven. And this is the kingdom of heaven.

28:32 This is what you are to preach, Matthew 10 and verse 7. And as you go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons. You see the sense of what the kingdom is.

28:47 The king has come. We come in his name, in his authority. The kingdom of darkness is going to yield before the king who has come to establish his kingdom. And then when the 70 are sent out, you find the same.

29:02 You find the same emphasis in Luke chapter 10, verses 8 and 9. And when we come to the book of Acts, when Paul summarizes his preaching, he summarizes it as a preaching of the kingdom. Look at Acts chapter 20 for our final verse.

29:19 Acts chapter 20. He summarizes three and a half years of ministry among the Ephesians, tells them the disposition with which he served the Lord. Verse 20 of Acts 20. I strength not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable, teaching you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews and Greeks repentance toward God, faith toward the Lord Jesus.

29:43 And now, behold, I go bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there, save that the Holy Spirit testifies unto me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But I hold not my life of any account as dear to myself, that I may accomplish my course in the ministry I receive from the Lord Jesus. Now notice, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that you all among whom I went about preaching the kingdom shall see my face no more.

30:20 When Paul preached repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus, when he testified the gospel of the grace of God, he was preaching the kingdom. The kingdom has come in the person of the King. And all of...

30:35 And all of God's gracious disposition toward sinners in that King of grace, the Lord Jesus. Now, with that basic understanding, and that's not an exhausted description of the biblical doctrine of the kingdom, I must only touch on this basic element that we might feel the weight of this parable. Now, with this understanding that the kingdom of heaven is the rule of God in grace and power, connected with the person, and through the work of the Lord Jesus, what is the central truth of our parable? The kingdom of heaven is like when the rule and reign of grace in the person and work of the Lord Jesus comes to terminate upon a man, upon a woman, upon a boy, upon a girl. The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field. Which a man found and hid and in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. I believe with all my heart this is the central teaching of the parable.

31:52 You might express it in different words. I claim no divine inspiration for the words that I use. But words like this, similar to them, that capture the essence of it. Here is the central truth of the parable.

32:05 It is this. The discovery of the great worth of Christ and the salvation that is in Christ will always cause a sinner joyfully to dispense with anything and everything that would keep him from possessing Christ and the salvation offered to us in Christ. Now let me run it by you again. What is the central teaching of this parable?

32:34 The discovery of the great worth of Christ, the discovery of the great worth of Christ, and the salvation offered to us in Christ will always, always, cause a sinner joyfully to dispense with anything and everything that would keep him from possessing Christ that would keep him from possessing Christ and the salvation that is offered to us in Him. Now let's see if that fits the parable. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field. The discovery of the great worth of Christ, the discovery of the great worth of Christ, the discovery of the great worth of Christ, In a field, the treasure is Christ, and all that is stored up in sinners for Christ, the King of grace.

33:16 And as far as this man is concerned, the field is useless. It has no more worth than a means to earn his living, however he was using it, until he discovers the treasure. The discovery of the great worth of Christ and the salvation that is in Christ. What will it do?

33:37 It says, and in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field. When the sinner discovers the beauty and the worth and the treasures of grace in Christ, he is ready joyfully, in the joy of that discovery, to dispense with anything and everything that would keep him from possessing Christ. And the salvation. And the salvation offered to us in him.

34:10 This man may have had deep, long-term emotional ties to an old grandfather's clock in his living room, but once he got enamored with the treasure, away with grandpa's clock.

34:26 He may have had rings from a grandmother and a great-grandmother and things of great value, that before he discovered the treasure in the field, he might periodically sit down and look at his assets, and look at, the things that had tremendous emotional and historical significance in the family lines, they were precious to him until, until he found something more precious.

34:54 And out they went in the first garage sale. Isn't that what the text says? In his joy, don't miss that, in his joy he goes and sells all that he has. He wants the field because the treasure's in the field, and he knows he can't have the treasure without the field.

35:13 Nothing is important now but the field in which the treasure is found.

35:19 That's the way the kingdom comes. It comes to us who as sinners have a thousand idols in our hearts to which we are bound with deep ties of affection.

35:31 Deep ties of affection. For some it's sensual pleasure. For others it's aesthetic pleasure. For others it's the pleasure.

35:41 The pleasure of being number one, putting others down, being first on the block. For others it's this, it's that, and we have a thousand ties to a thousand things. And we walk by the field in which the treasure is found and counted a thing of no worth until the Spirit of God through the Word discloses to us the loveliness of Christ and the desirability of salvation in Christ. And for the joy of that discovery, there's nothing that is not expendable.

36:19 In His joy He goes, He sells, and He buys. And Jesus said, the kingdom is like this. So if the kingdom has come to you, and the kingdom has come to me, we have come to the discovery of the great worth of Christ and of the salvation that is in Christ. Amen.

36:46 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

36:47 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

36:47 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

36:47 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

36:47 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

36:48 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

36:48 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

36:48 Amen. Amen. Joyfully to dispense with anything and everything that would keep us from possessing Christ and the salvation that is in Christ. And if that's not true of you, you're not in the kingdom.

Paul as the Positive Example: Counting All Things Loss for Christ

37:04 He said, very narrow. Call Jesus narrow for He said the kingdom of heaven is like. It is like, wherever it comes, wherever it comes, to whomever it comes, the kingdom is like this. And God has given us a very vivid illustration of this.

37:21 of this in a particular man in the very book we've begun to read. And if my definition of the heart of the meaning of this parable is accurate, then surely the analogy of Scripture will support it. I want you to turn to Philippians 3.

37:39 I'm going to read the account of a man who tells you all that he had, to which he had great ties of affection sentimentally, religiously. And then he's going to tell us how upon a certain discovery he was ready to relinquish it all that he might have the treasure. Finally, my brethren, Philippians 3.1 Rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me, is not irksome, but for you it is safe. Beware of the dogs. Beware of the evil workers. Beware of the knife wielders.

38:14 These Judaizers want to get all the Gentiles circumcised and become kosher Jews. Paul very inelegantly calls them knife wielders. Not very flattering. He hadn't gone to a user-friendly seminar.

38:29 For we are the circumcision. We are the true covenant people of God who worship by the Spirit of God. Glory in Christ Jesus. Boast and exult in none but Christ.

38:42 And have no confidence in the flesh. Though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If any other man thinks to have confidence in the flesh, I yet more. Anyone thinks he has the stuff with which to purchase grace, to purchase God's favor and God's salvation.

38:57 I've got a better stock than he does. Circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel. Of the tribe of Benjamin. Hebrew of the Hebrews. As touching the law of Pharisee. As touching zeal. Persecuting the church. As touching the righteousness which is in the law.

39:12 Found blameless. How be it? What things were gains to me? These things were gains to Paul at one time. These were the treasures of his house. He had lots of them. He said, you think you've got some? I've got more. I had more.

39:31 These things were gains to me. I was tied to them with affection and trust and pride. They were my salvation. They were the significance of my life.

39:43 These are the things that I lived for and was ready to die for. Now what happened? How be it? What things were gains to me? These I've counted lost for Christ. But what did he discover? That made the difference. Yes, truly I count all things to be lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things and count them but scubala. Dung.

40:13 Refuse. Notice that I may gain Christ, the person, and be found in Him not having a righteousness of my own. The blessing of a justifying righteousness. Paul does not separate gaining the person and gaining the privileges. They are inseparable in God's salvation. You can't snatch at the privileges while being indifferent to the person.

40:43 That I may gain Christ and be found in Him not having a righteousness of my own.

40:53 That righteousness which is of the law but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness which is from God by faith. There's a man who found the treasure in the field. And most of the commentators are careful to point out he illustrates very vividly that area of difference. He was not like the merchant, the pearl merchant, seeking goodly pearls. He was out seeking Christians, committing them to prison and to death. And God said enough. And there was the blinding light above the brightness of the noonday Syrian sun. And there was the voice out of heaven and the treasure was there before him.

41:36 And he said when I saw the worth of the treasure for joy I sold all that I had. I counted but a pile of dung.

41:46 What was his gain is now a pile of dung. Why? Because the Holy Spirit showed him the beauty and the loveliness of Christ and all the gracious salvation that is in Christ. The kingdom of heaven.

The Rich Young Ruler as the Negative Example: Unwilling to Relinquish

42:04 It's like. Paul the great example. The negative example is that wretched young man of Matthew 19. Look at the contrast.

42:14 He comes to Jesus and he seems to be a merchant seeking goodly pearls.

42:22 Behold, verse 16, one came to him and said, Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? And he said, why do you ask me concerning that which is good? One, there is good. But if you would enter into life, keep the commandment.

42:37 And he said unto him, which? And Jesus said, you shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness.

42:45 Honor your father and your mother. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The young man said unto him, all these things have I observed. What do I lack yet?

42:53 Now notice Jesus' answer. Jesus said to him, if you would be perfect, if you would be complete, if you would have what you say you desire, eternal life, you obviously have morality and uprightness and decency. and honorableness. But you yourself have said you don't have the consciousness that you have eternal life.

43:13 If you would be complete, if you would know the blessing of eternal life, this is what you must do. Go, sell what you have. Give to the poor. You shall have treasure in heaven.

43:27 Come, follow me. What did Jesus offer him? He offered him treasure in heaven and his own companionship. Isn't that what he offered him?

43:43 He said, go, sell what you have. You will have treasure in heaven. Come, follow me. Get rid of what you have.

43:52 Give it to the poor. Don't put it in long-term bearing CDs, hoping eventually you may go back. No, no. Don't sign it over in your wills.

44:01 You give it right now.

44:03 And then you'll have treasure in heaven. Follow me. What is the Lord doing? He's seeing.

44:09 Has this man been brought to the place where he's really discovered the treasure? He comes as a man who's got great ties to his present treasures. His morality, his uprightness, his reputation, his influence, all these things. And at the head of the list is the money and all that it can give him, all it has given him, all that it could continue to give him.

44:33 And the Lord Jesus is saying, you've come to me and called me good master. I'm more than that. I'm God incarnate. I'm the king of grace and eternal life is bound up in me.

44:42 You want me? Have you seen in me a treasure above the treasures that are there in your bank accounts? Above the treasures in your titles to land and possessions and property? If you have, you will with joy go and sell all that you have.

45:01 And having a treasure that cannot be touched in heaven to come and me as your companion now, it'll be a no-brainer.

45:12 But what happened to it? Look at the passage. But when the young man heard the saying, he went away. How sorrowful!

45:20 Why? For he was one that had great possessions. He still saw his treasure in the things that he could touch and feel and fondle and turn into cash and influence. He didn't see Christ as the treasure hidden in the field for whom he ought joyfully to get rid of all of his toils, that he might have eternal life in Christ.

45:51 And the text says he went away.

45:55 Why? Because he didn't see the worth of the treasure.

46:02 And Jesus didn't run down the road and say, excuse me, young man, you know, I was really going for broke. I was hoping to get you both saved and surrendered with one big whack of the soul. I missed it! But look, if you're willing to believe I'm the Son of God and came from heaven to die from sinners, you'll be saved and go to heaven when you die and hopefully down the road you'll learn to love me enough and you'll...

46:20 No, no, Jesus did not butcher his soul by that wretched teaching.

46:26 Jesus wasn't playing games with him. He said, what shall I do to have eternal life? And Jesus is saying, eternal life is in me. I'm the treasure.

46:35 Do you see in me the treasure? Then get rid of your toys. Come, follow me and there'll be eternal treasure in the heaven. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field.

Application 1: No Blessings Without Christ on His Terms

46:53 We go by Christ, day after day. We go over him, around him and we see nothing beautiful. But when the Spirit of God through the Word of God opens up the loveliness of Jesus and the fact that all the salvation we need and could desire is in Jesus, then for joy, for joy of that discovery we shall all that we might have the field and the treasure that is in us. Now having sought to open up the basic facts of the parable and the central truth of the parable, now I want to close by making two crucial applications of the parable. The first is this. The parable exposes as utterly false the notion that some of the blessings of the salvation of Christ can be had without having Christ himself on his terms.

48:05 This parable exposes as utterly false the notion that some of the blessings of the salvation of Christ, some of the things in the treasure box can be possessed without having Christ himself on his terms. We can somehow sneak up on the box in the field and grab a goody or two without getting rid of the toys in our home that we might buy the next day. And the field in which the treasure is found. No, impossible.

48:44 This takes all kinds of wretched faces in our day where people write books trying to show you can take Jesus as Savior and have your sins forgiven and be ready to die and go to heaven while you have never bowed to Christ as your Lord and as your Master. You can believe on the Lord Jesus but not be a disciple to the Lord Jesus. You can be saved but not fundamentally surrender. You can be a true Christian but not a holy man or woman.

49:12 That is all forms of saying you can have some blessings that are in Christ without having Christ himself on his terms. There is no more wretched, destructive lie than that lie because it encases people in a false security. Oh yes, I believe Jesus, the Son of God, came from heaven, died for sinners. I'm trusting in what he did on the cross to take away my sins.

49:38 My friend, you have never, seen any beauty or loveliness in Christ that's caused you for joy to throw open the whole soul and being of who and what you are. To embrace him, to be to you all that he promises to be. To sinners who trust him and receive him on his terms. You see how the parable exposes this notion as false.

50:09 The treasures in the field, the man had to sell all to get the field and he got the field on the owner's terms, not his own.

50:20 No evidence that he bargained. No evidence that he was struggling. Well, I've got to give up my boat. No, I found the treasure.

50:30 Everything I have is expendable for the sake of the treasure. My Bible says God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. Where? In Christ.

50:42 All of God's salvation and all of his blessings and all of his glorious facets are stored up in Christ. Forgiveness, reconciliation, justification, the gift of the Spirit, the promise of eternal life, adoption, all of them are in Christ. And Christ comes to us in the gospel as the treasure. And he says, do you want me?

51:03 If you want me on my terms, you have everything that's in me. And what are his terms?

51:09 Any man come to me, hate not father, mother, brother, sister, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Whosoever does not take up his cross and follow after me cannot be my disciple. How can you believe which seek glory one from another and seek not the honor that comes from God only? Christ's terms are that you've seen in Christ a loveliness, a beauty, a desirability.

51:35 You have seen in Christ through the preaching and teaching, reading of the word of God, good books, whatever means God is pleased to use. You've discovered him to be the treasure of your life. You've discovered the treasure and you haven't bickered with him. Like Saul of Tarsus when he discovered the treasure.

51:54 He didn't pray a long prayer in that initial discovery. It just was, who are you, Lord? I am Jesus. He says, what will you have me to do?

52:03 Saul of Tarsus up till now has made the plan, set the agenda. From here on in, Lord Jesus, I'm yours. I'm yours. I'm yours.

52:15 Some of you kids struggling, I might say, this is the real issue. This is the real issue. You deny nothing that you've heard about Christ. But if you're honest, you'd have to say, well, there's an awful lot I haven't tasted in this world and it still looks so attractive to me.

52:33 It still looks so desirable.

52:36 I'm not sure, I'm not sure if I want to come into my adult years never having known a rib-crushing embrace from a young man and a passionate kiss on my lips. And perhaps never to have it if God doesn't give it to me in a marriage partner.

52:55 You've not settled that.

52:58 You really think that you might miss something in Christ if you never know what it is to have a rib-cracking, passionate embrace.

53:10 You go right down the line to have this, to have that, to experience this, experience that. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field which a man found. And for joy thereof went, he goes, He sells present tense verbs to make it live before us. We see the man whistling all the way as he disposes of his goods.

53:34 Comes with his bag of money, whistling up to the owner's walk.

53:42 You don't know anything of that. And that's why you're so miserable. Your conscience is conditioned not to be comfortable in crass worldliness. But you've not discovered a beauty in Christ that has captivated you.

53:56 And makes Him precious. And makes a life of obedience and delight. You're of all people most miserable. That's the problem with some of you.

54:04 And if you're honest, you'll say, Pastor, now I don't know why God led you to take this for anybody else, but Lord, that's my problem. And I plead with you. Own it. Face it.

54:15 That's the issue.

54:19 You need to cry to God that He would, by His Spirit, do what Paul says He does whenever He brings someone in the kingdom. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 is another passage that is an excellent commentary on this parable. Paul says, If our gospel is veiled, it's veiled in them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not. And what does He blind them to?

54:44 Lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ should shine upon them. The devil doesn't want a gospel that radiates the beauty and the loveliness and the glory of Christ to break upon your soul. And he says, For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus is Lord, and ourselves your servant for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

55:21 Paul says, It wasn't the light in the Syrian sky that was the instrument of my conversion. It was the light shed upon my darkened heart. And when the light broke in, it illuminated the face of Jesus.

55:36 And I've never been the same. That's it. And that's what you need. You need to cry to God that He would, by His Spirit through the Word, make Christ the treasure.

55:49 Discover Him in His beauty.

55:52 Many years ago, I heard an Indonesian preacher, and in his broken English, and I won't try to imitate his broken English, was preaching on this theme out of the experience of Abraham. And he says, God says, Go, and heart don't want go. Heart don't want go. But when I see Him, heart go.

56:14 His words came back to me in my preparation at my desk yesterday. Heart don't want go. See Him, heart go. Heart go.

Application 2: Possessing Christ Leads to Joy, Not Joylessness

56:25 This parable exposes this utterly false, the notion that some of the blessings of the salvation of Christ can be had without having Christ on His terms. And my second, application is this. This parable exposes this utterly false, the notion that to possess Christ on His terms is to consign oneself to a joyless life. This parable exposes this utterly false, the notion that to possess Christ on His terms is to consign oneself to a joyless life.

57:00 The passage is clear, and I confess, and so often happens for those of us who preach the Word, the Word would acknowledge this. There are things we pass over again and again until we have to preach on a passage, and I never saw how pivotal is this little phrase. And in His joy, for the joy thereof, apotes karatho tu, that is, from the joy of His, He goes, He sells, He buys. That's it, dear.

57:29 That's it. God does not deliver us from our soul-damning idols to make us a bunch, a bunch of sorrowful, doleful, wretched creatures. He delivers us to bring us into the joy that we were meant to know as creatures in fellowship with the living God. The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, Paul says, but righteousness, peace, and what?

57:57 Joy in the Holy Ghost. I hope some of us who've been in the way a while are a constant refutation of this lie of the devil to you young people. You see, you see your life before you, and you see all the options, and you see the self-denial, you see the strict terms of following Christ closely in a world that is hostile, and you see your parents, you hear their acknowledgment of their struggles with sin, and the devil would love to come along and say, is that what you want for your life? This joyless, doer, struggle, wrestle existence?

58:37 I hope some of us are a living monument that that's a bunch of bunk. I hope you see in us amidst our struggles and our acknowledged wrestlings and the rest a joy and a vibrancy that you know is rooted in Christ and in the things we have in Christ and in your heart of hearts you know it ain't fate. You know it's real. It's yours.

59:02 If you have the treasure, it's there in the field. Sell all and buy it. There it is, available. The kingdom of heaven is like, like unto a treasure hidden in the field when a man found and hid and in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

59:27 Isn't it interesting that the program that has knocked the charts into all kinds of disarray is Regis's you want to be a millionaire. Isn't that amazing? It's amazed people. And now all the other stations, not all of them, several others have come up with imitations of it.

59:49 What lies behind all this obsession? Millions of people, night after night, sit there watching so you want to be a millionaire. What lies behind that? It's the lie that the treasure's in bucks, in dollars, in what dollars can procure.

60:08 We've got a nation that's bought the lie. That's why the lottery is so popular. If I can hit the lottery, what's at the end of that lottery hitting the right number? Is the pot of gold?

60:19 No, my friend. The treasure is not to be found on Regis' show or in a local store that sells the lottery tickets. Christ is the treasure.

60:31 Christ is the treasure. And all that your soul will ever need to be right with God now and to be filled with all that you can handle now and to look forward that the best is yet to come, it's in Christ. Oh, my friend, go to Him. Go to Him.

60:51 Go to Him. Cry the, God will enable you to see that in Christ are hidden all the treasures, Paul says, of wisdom, of knowledge, of pardon, forgiveness, fulfillment, direction, purpose. Name it. It's in Him.

Concluding Exhortation: Acquire the Treasure Now

61:13 I come around full circle to where I began.

61:17 The hidden treasure, what is it?

61:21 And have you acquired it? Have you acquired it? No one can acquire it for you, kids. Mom and Dad can't.

61:28 In their prayers, they would. But they can't. You must acquire it. You personally must acquire it.

61:37 Have you acquired it? If not, why not? And if not, when?

61:44 Behold, now is the day of salvation. Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your heart. Let us pray.

61:56 Our Father, how we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for our Lord Jesus, the Master Teacher. We thank You that, in Him, there is Life and Salvation, Pardon, Acceptance, the Promise of Eternal Life, the Gift of the Spirit. O Lord, how we thank You for the treasures that are in Him.

62:19 And that many of us sitting here today, by Your grace, have found that treasure. And for joy thereof, have dispensed with everything necessary that we might have that treasure. Forgive us that we so quickly, and so easily look back over our shoulders, thinking that just perhaps there is some joy to be found in something long ago repudiated as any hope of giving us true satisfaction. Forgive our folly.

62:52 O God, help us that we may retain a single-hearted, white-hot devotion to Your Son and an unswerving trust in Him. Be gracious to those who have never discovered the treasure. May the Spirit of God reveal it to them this day. And may they find joy in acquiring it.

63:16 Hear us, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.