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Season 1, Episode 80
For Friday, May 1, 2015
“The Value of the Kingdom”
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Episode Transcript:
Welcome to The New You, where we focus on maintaining and accentuating the new that Christ has created in you. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s scripture:
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it (Mat. 13:44-46).
We’re looking this week at the kingdom parables found in Matthew 13. We’ve already noted the responses to the kingdom (the parable of the sower), the growth of the kingdom (the parable of the mustard seed), and the influence of the kingdom (the parable of the leaven).
Today I want us to consider two parables, both of which deal with people who found something valuable, and sold all that they had so they could buy those valuable things.
First, we come to the parable of the hidden treasure. A man stumbled upon a treasure that was hidden in a field. He hid the treasure, sold all of his possessions, and bought the field in which he had hidden the treasure.
Second, we find the parable of the pearl of great price. This time, a merchant was seeking beautiful pearls. He found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought the pearl.
There is at least one main difference between the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl, and that is how they found the items of value. The first man stumbled upon the hidden treasure, he wasn’t looking for it specifically. However, once he realized what he had found, he took action to ensure that it could be his. The second person, the merchant, was seeking pearls. When he found the perfect pearl, he obtained it by selling everything.
What do these two stories teach us about the kingdom? They teach us the value of the kingdom. There are those who stumble upon the truth of the kingdom, recognize its value, and embrace it. Others search for truth, find it, and embrace it. The fact that the kingdom is found is what is most important. Jesus promises that those who seek will find (Mat. 7:7). Who knows? You could be the means by which someone stumbles upon the truth of the kingdom.
We also learn that the kingdom is intrinsically valuable. The kingdom, in these two stories, is compared to the treasure and to the pearl. Those men were willing to give up everything so that they could have the items of value. Likewise, we should be willing to surrender all to Jesus for His kingdom, which He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25).
Let’s wrap it up: The kingdom, the church, is great. It is so precious. It is of more value than any job, any relationship, any recreational pursuit, any lifestyle, or any habit. Don’t waste this precious gift. It is a privilege to be a part of Christ’s kingdom.
Memory Verse: We are, indeed, part of Christ’s kingdom. This is a special, distinctive kingdom that has been called out of darkness and into Christ’s light. Let’s look one last time at Colossians 1:13:
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col. 1:13).
Thanks for joining me today for The New You. This podcast is a production of The Light Network. You can find us at thelightnetwork.tv. You’ll also find show notes for today’s episode, archives of this show, and more Christian podcasts that I know you’ll enjoy. That’s thelightnetwork.tv.
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I hope you have a great weekend! I’m looking forward to meeting you on Monday for The New You.
