This is the manuscript of the sixth sermon in the series, “The Master Speaks to the Present through the Parables". It is a series based on Jesus’ parables that describe the nature of the kingdom of God. All the parables deal with the same subject, the kingdom of heaven, but each one approaches it from a different angle.
Listen to an audio recording of the sermon by clicking on the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript.
You can also watch a video recording of the entire service on the Christ Church YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/NZrp0nPIyEk
Vsit the Christ Church website at christchurchlosangeles.org.
Scripture:
Luke 17:20-30 NIV Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed
Introduction
This is the sixth sermon in the series “The Master Speaks to the Present through the Parables,” It is a series based on Jesus’ seven back-to-back parables that describe the nature of the kingdom of God. All of the parables deal with the same subject, the kingdom of heaven, but each one approaches it from a different angle. The first was the parable of the sower about hearing the Savior’s message correctly. In His parable He listed four types of soil, symbolizing the four ways that people receive God’s Word
The don’t bother me; I’ busy crowd
The “hip-hip-hurrah for Jesus” crowd.
The “I love Jesus but love the world more” crowd.
The “I’m willing to grow” crowd.
The second was the parable about the wheat and tares the emphasis was on the type of seed that was sown. Good seed by Jesus and bad seed by the enemy who was identified as the devil. The third parable was the parable of the mustard seed. In it Jesus said that the kingdom of God, like a seed, contains spontaneity and divine vitality. It also points out that we should never discount “the little things,” because God has a way of multiplying our small endeavors and giving us tremendous results.
The fourth was the parable of the leaven which much like the parable of the mustard seed, described the remarkable spread of the kingdom of heaven with one caveat and that is that just like a small amount of leaven or yeast has an amazing effect of a large amount of dough the Gospel has the same effect on the world. The most unlikely or weakest things can become the strongest.
Last week we examined the parable of the treasure found in a field. The point of that parable was that the kingdom of God can be found sometimes unexpectedly and that when you find it it is more valuable than any and everything else and it should drive you to get it, no matter the cost.
Now today we are going to examine another parable where the kingdom of God has great value, and the one who finds it goes to great lengths to get it.
Text:
Matthew 13:45-46 NIV “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
In Jesus’ day pearls were highly valued. Jewish writers in Old Testament days spoke of the pearl as being “beyond price.” Merchants looked the world over for beautiful specimens, and stories were always circulating about the “greatest pearl of all.” In Jesus’ parable a man finds it.
I. Life is a quest.
Writers have described our time on this earth with many figures of speech. One of the most popular and most meaningful is that of a search.
Psalms 63:1 NIV You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
Matthew 6:33-34 NIV But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Our parable today represents the search for that which would bring us the greatest happiness. Often, we hear someone say, “He or she is trying to find herself,” which is another way of saying that a person is looking for the one “pearl of great price” that will bring happiness and joy. Too often that person doesn't realize that happiness will come not in a philosophy or in a commitment to a superficial cause, but rather it will come when he or she has found something or someone big enough to deserve their loyalty and claim their allegiance. We Christians know that this person is Jesus. Only He can bring fulfillment and put an end to the search.
God designed us for more than the trivial pursuit of pleasure. The hard truth is that we will never find relief if we continue to seek it through possessions or through people. Seeking satisfaction in the things of this world is like chasing the wind. Once you’re finally exhausted and weary from your pursuit, you’re left empty-handed and disappointed. You’ve wasted valuable time chasing nothing when you could have been pursuing true joy and peace.
The problem is that our hearts are black holes of discontentment, devouring relationships, and possessions, all while screaming, “I want more I need more.” We’re always eating but famished. Always drinking, but never satisfied.
Dissatisfaction in life is a root of all kinds of sin. Why do people cheat on their spouse, abuse drugs and alcohol, mindlessly binge-watch ridiculous amounts of television, scroll endlessly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter. Why do we steal, or commit suicide? Why are we always trying to get more money and material things? All of these things and more happen because people haven’t found happiness. They are not content with their circumstances
At the root of our dissatisfaction is a never-ending thirst that nothing in this world can satisfy. We’ve been duped into thinking that a better job, more money, cooler friends, another spouse, or a new life is really what we need. And if we can’t obtain any of these things, or when they leave us dissatisfied, we resort to drug abuse, sexual immorality, or senseless entertainment.
There is someone greater than people or possessions that can truly satisfy and that someone ls God who offers us Himself in the person of Christ. Jesus exceeds our expectations, provides for our needs, and fulfills our desires. Christ alone can provide the satisfaction and joy we so desperately seek.
Promises of Satisfaction
The Bible is full of glorious promises of satisfaction for the discontented.
John 6:35 NIV Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Psalms 107:8-9 NIV Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Psalms 22:26 NIV The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever!
Psalms 16:9-11 NIV Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Nothing in this universe is able to produce true goodness, unless the Good Creator is its source. This truth puts all of life in perspective for mankind. To state it plainly, if goodness is what we desire, we must go to the source of all goodness: God.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul said.
Philippians 4:12-13 NIV I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (emphasis mine)
Our Good and His Glory
Seeking satisfaction in Christ alone serves two purposes: It is for our good and for the glory of God.
John 7:38 NIV Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
We reap the benefits of knowing, loving, and delighting in Jesus. The Father gives us peace that surpasses understanding that's at Philippians 4:6; He provides for all our needs according to his riches that’s at Philippians 4:19. No good thing is withheld from us Psalm 84:11, and all things work together for our good Romans 8:28.
Living in light of these truths proclaims to a discontented world that Jesus is better than anything the world has to offer. As we look to Jesus to make us truly happy, we also proclaim to a world in need that only Christ can truly satisfy.
II. Jesus encourages investigation.
If one person in all the world could cope successfully with his competitors, it was our Savior. He at no time showed any fear of anyone who sought to rival his claim to being the Messiah.
In Matthew 13 between verses 23-29 Jesus says this 4 times; “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites!
Clossians 2:15 NIV And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
As the New Century Version says
Philippians 2:9-11 NCV So God raised him to the highest place. God made his name greater than every other name so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus— everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and bring glory to God the Father.
Jesus knew that if a person made an honest attempt to discover whether or not he was all he claimed, that person would be convinced and become a follower.
John 7:16-17 NIV Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.
As someone said and I agree; “I challenge any person to investigate fully the claims of Christ. I am certain that if he will make an honest survey of the facts and act with integrity, he will give himself in complete commitment to Jesus as Savior and Lord.”
Many of you know the testimony of Lee Stroble who wrote the book that later became the movie “The Case for Christ” but it’s worth revisiting it as we examine this parable of the pearl that was found,
Strobel was the legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, and he was widely known for his skepticism, saying, “I needed evidence before I’d believe anything.”
After his agnostic wife, Leslie, explored her beliefs through a period of spiritual investigation, she told Strobel that she’d decided to become a follower of Jesus Christ.
“I thought, ‘You know, this is the worst possible news I could get,’” he explains.” I thought she was going to turn into some sexually repressed prude who was going to spend all her time serving the poor in skid row somewhere. I thought this was the end of our marriage.”
Leslie did change, but to Strobel’s surprise, the new version of his spouse was a welcome presence in their home.
“I saw positive changes in her values, in her character, in the way she related to me and the children. It was winsome; and it was attractive; and it made me want to check things out. So I went to church one day…mainly to see if I could get her out of this cult that she had gotten involved in.”
In his visit to the church, Strobel says he heard the message of Jesus taught in a way that was far different from what he’d experienced before—this time he could understand it. The pastor explained that forgiveness is a free gift, and Jesus died for our sins so that we could spend eternity with our almighty and all-loving father in heaven.
“I walked out saying—I was still an atheist—but also saying, ‘If this is true, this has huge implications for my life.’”
Strobel spent the next year and nine months putting his legal training and experience in journalism research to investigate whether or not there was any credibility to Christianity—or any other faith system.
Through all of his research, Strobel came to the conclusion that it would require more faith for him to continue being an atheist, than it would for him to follow Jesus and become a Christian.
“To be an atheist I would have to swim upstream against this torrent of evidence pointing toward the truth of Jesus Christ. And I couldn’t do that. I was trained in journalism and law to respond to truth.”
So on that day—November 8, 1991, Lee Strobel received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. No longer atheist and agnostic beings, the Strobels were now sons and daughters of the most High.
Strobel took his findings and turned them into a series of novels, including The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, The Case for the Creator, and a handful of others that dive into the history of Jesus, the existence of God and the beliefs of Christianity.
III. More than the mind.
In our parable the merchant seems to have acted merely on business principles. He had heard that somewhere there was a pearl far greater than all others. When he saw it, he knew he wanted it. Perhaps the motivations of both pride and selfishness entered into the decision.
We need to be careful about our motivation in becoming a Christian. In the early stages of our religious impulses, we often act from selfish motives, like thinking that life will be without problems from now on or we are led to believe that everything we say, if we say in the name of Jesus will happen. But thank God Hs accepts those selfish motives until we can mature. He gives us grace because we don’t know any better yet.
In another one of Jesus' parables the prodigal son came home because he was hungry. In coming home though, he learned more about his father’s love, but it took the “hunger motive” to get him to go back home to his father.
In coming to Jesus, we must remember that the heart must still
make a decision even though the mind is convinced.
Here's an example: one attorney said to another, “I know you are a Christian. I am not. I want you to prepare a brief concerning Jesus and present it to me.” The Christian lawyer obliged. It was a well-drawn-up, thoroughly documented brief with the facts clearly stated concerning the validity of Christ’s claims. The non-Christian lawyer studied the brief carefully for several days. One morning he said to his attorney friend, “I had an unusual experience. I thought my problem was mental and intellectual. I studied your brief. I found that everything you said about Jesus stood up under critical investigation. I was thoroughly convinced, but then I learned something. My problem was not with my mind. It was with my heart.”
The man who saw the pearl realized its value too but the deciding factor was that his heart desired it.
IV. A purchase or a gift?
One question has puzzled people about this parable: How can God’s kingdom be a gift of grace, and yet in the parable the man buys it?
Like I said last week, we need to be careful in trying to press every detail in a parable to give us a doctrinal statement. This parable emphasizes the great truth, as does the parable of the hidden treasure in the field from last week, that to be in God’s kingdom is greater than having everything else in all the world. Both stories point to the great worth of God’s kingdom, that its value is far beyond all estimation, yet it is still a gift. Whether we come upon Jesus suddenly and unexpectedly, like the hidden treasure in the field, or whether we decide for him after years of searching, accompanied by examination and evaluation, the truth is still the same. He is more valuable than any and everything imaginable.
Conclusion
Notice that the merchant stopped seeking pearls when he found the pearl of great price. Eternal life, the incorruptible inheritance, and the love of God through Christ constitutes the pearl which, once found, makes further searching unnecessary. Christ fulfills our greatest needs, satisfies our longings, makes us whole and clean before God, calms and quiets our hearts, and gives us hope for the future.
The “great price that was paid,” of course, is that which was paid by Christ Himself for our redemption. He emptied Himself of His glory, came to earth in the form of a lowly man and shed His precious blood on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
Prayer
Lord God, your kingdom is worth more than all human treasure. Teach us to value your kingdom above everything else, that we give ourselves to your service; now and always. Amen.
I want to talk for a minute to those who have still not made the decision to accept the priceless gift of forgiveness and eternal life and all its benefits. After Moses died Joshua led the nation into Cannon. Before he died He gathered Israel before him and recited the history of God’s providential healing of the people and then challenged them. The entire address to the people is in the 24th chapter of Joshua but I want to read just one verse.
Joshua 24:15 NIV But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
He said I have made my choice, but you must chose for yourself. Each person is responsible for his or her own destiny.
Why is it so important to compare and decide? The basic reason is that we cannot have two masters. Jesus must be Lord of all or he will not be Lord at all. We cannot mingle our loyalties. We must make every effort to know all the issues and know the final result of our choices. Then we make our decisions based on the evidence. The merchant, once he saw the pearl of great price, knew that he could not live unless he possessed it. Thousands of people have had this experience with Jesus. Once you see him in all of his grace and glory, you know that you must not, you cannot, live without him!
You should move quickly when God offers salvation. God has offered you salvation, and today is the day to accept it. “Not to decide is to decide.”
When you say, “Not yet,” you’re actually saying no to Christ. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Right now God is ready to welcome you. Today he is ready to save you” (TLB).
How do you accept the gift of salvation? You turn away from yourself and toward God. You trust Christ to come into your life, forgive your sins, and make you who he wants you to be.
Salvation is the best gift you’ll ever be offered. Be quick to accept it today.
If you’re ready to accept God’s salvation, you can pray this prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. I open the door of my life and welcome you as my Lord and Savior. I ask that you forgive me of my sins. Thank you for dying on the cross to pay for my sins and for giving me grace and eternal life. Take control and mold me into the person you want me to be. Amen.
By saying a prayer like this you are doing what it say in;
Romans 10:9-10 NLT If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
Romans 10:13 NLT For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, my brothers and sisters. Amen.
Sermon Audio
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