Hidden Treasure

Today on Summit life with Judy Greer the best water from a well happen. But why been the circumference of the well by going deeper into the well to grow in Christ will limit every possible different outcome and eschatology or how many angels can dance on the head of you going to grow in Christ we wonder of who God is and what is done for you in the gospel as your soul was well by that spring alive was spiritual fruit.

Simple power of God. As always, I'm your host Molly benefits you. Jesus once told a story about two men, both of them come across something so valuable that it makes everything else in their lives look worthless in comparison. So what should I do with this discovery tape yesterday. He looks at the difference in the responses of these two men as he continues our teaching series on Jesus's parables titled lesson and don't forget you can reach out to us@judygreer.com or give us a call at 866-335-5220 anytime, but for now let's join Pastor Jade here in Matthew chapter 13 begins this new message titled hidden treasure Bible you take it out of the gospel of Matthew chapter 13 wrote another parable Jesus told him that chapter of the Bible as your attorney there to Matthew 13, tell you that when I was a little kid like four or five years old. One of my favorite TV shows was called rescue 911 anybody member this thing how this William Shatner who was the Nicolas Cage of the late 70s and early 80s rescue 911 was a show about firemen and as with many young boys that age firemen quickly became my heroes. I thought it was so cool when the alarm went off and they would jump on the pole and slide on the pole they would jump into their fire boots that were attached to the fire pan so they would not want to pull him up and just a matter of seconds they would be dressed in in the truck in and out the door well show made it seem like fires happen all the time so I wanted to be ready. If one happened our house and so beside my bed.

I took my jeans into my boots that I had so that I could just jump in a bowl not really quickly like they did.

I've asked my parents if they would put a pole beside our back deck so I can slide down it. I case of a fire. They never did, which is probably wise on their part, maybe most importantly, I arranged all my favorite possessions on my bedside table so that in case of fire.

I could grab what was important to me and be out the door not leave anything behind. I can still remember as a five-year-old trying to think through what should go on that coveted bedside table slot and while things change from week to week one of the consistent items that was there was a set of three or four of my favorite records. By the way, does anybody remember records. This is not when having a record collection was a cool hipster thing to do. It was winnable. What we listen to.

Yes, I know that some of you this is surprising, but I am that old. I know that some of you think that I'm in my mid-20s, but it is true.

It is true.

I am indeed in my early 30s.

Well, one of my safer tests of all my records was my read along Davy Crockett book my mom had told me as a boy, that our families heritage on her side went back to you with our great Davy Crockett was her great great great great uncle which I thought was pretty amazing.

By the way, if you're listening in Texas. You're welcome for your state.

You are that to my mom side of the family. I kept that record their right along with some other favorite stuff so that if the house burned down.

I could be out the door with that stuff and at least preserve the family lineage well over the years. What I would keep there on my bedside table, metaphorically speaking, has changed but I still think it's a good mental exercise to go through the think through what you would hold onto. If you had to walk away from everything else. And just for the record my Davy Crockett records are still on that list for me.

They now sit proudly next to my complete box set of all 89 of Nicolas Cage is masterful films.

The point is that the value that you place on something is shown by what you give up for right if not obvious.

The value that you place on something is demonstrated not how excited you are about it but about what you give up what you leave behind in order to hold onto it. What I share that because when Jesus talked about finding the kingdom in Matthew 13 he used ideas and terms like these. He taught us that binding the kingdom was like discovering something of such incredible value that you would gladly walk away from everything else in your life in order to obtain it.

He taught that the two shortest parables that he ever told Heather.

Matthew 1340, 40, 46, this girl walk through the figures. Here's the first parable. The kingdom of heaven.

Jesus said, is like a treasure that was buried in a field that a man found and reburied then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field again second parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls when he found one priceless or some your translation say one very precious pearl and when sold everything he had and bought it.

Two very similar stories that make the same point in the first story. A man stumbles onto a treasure. Randomly we don't know exactly what he was doing in there that feel that he was and he did not own the field.

Maybe he had been hired to plow in.

Or maybe he was taking a shortcut home. We just don't know. The point is, while he is there he uncovers, he stumbles onto a priceless treasure.

By the way, who has not dreamed of having something like this happen to them. I used to think the guys with the metal detectors or walk up and down the beach were a little nerdy and I still think that for the record, but recently I read about Terry Herbert, a guy in Great Britain who using his metal detector discovered more than $5 million of gold and silver objects that dated back to the seventh century A.D. discover them in his neighbor's backyard while who's laughing now, right.

Like nerds, revenge, and by the way, after watching national treasure. I'm constantly tapping on old loose bricks and old churches, or try to find coded messages and stained-glass windows currently are not allowed in Duke Chapel for just that reason right there you will see in Jesus's day finding treasures like this was not all that uncommon. How she got me a minute. We have banks per se. So if you have a huge pile of money and you wanted to keep it safe you would bury, and if you tell him was being attacked or tells being attacked and you want the invading army to walk away with all your money even quite often you go find a place and you would bury all your possessions really quickly so they couldn't confiscate it. But then a lot of times the person who buried the treasure would die in the attack so nobody would know where that treasure was back in one of the archaeological digs at Qumran they found a map with 64 different places that people in that community had buried treasure to keep it from being discovered by invading armies to the point is, many people in Jesus's day live with the excitement of the possibility of stumbling onto some old buried treasure, so that when Jesus tells the story.

They're all really interested in. I could start leaning them like this could happen to me. Maybe. Well I will say that the story while it is interesting there does seem to be somewhat of a small ethical dilemma and the ethical dilemma is this is the guy who found a treasure morally obligated to tell the person who owns the field that he discovered it in. I think that's a fascinating question but Jesus skips right over and by the guy in Jesus. The story asked more than a little shady. It says that he reburied the treasure North. He put it back in covered backups and nobody would know about it until anybody and he straightaway goes to the owner's house and says what you want for that worthless piece of dirt out there in the gospel. Why would you want that piece of land in the man. Just evidently does make some, but I'll be going on I will build a mini golf monitor is about a flocking action they need somewhere to Grazer that I heard a voice said if you build it they will, or something like that and so they finally agree on a price, and evidently it's a pretty steep price because in order to purchase this field. The man has to sell everything else.

He has just to get the money to buy this field and then come the most important three words in the whole parable in his joy he gets rid everything else the purchase of real EC. Normally if you had walk away from everything you own. You would be devastated. Yet this man is related with joy because the treasure he is gaining has far more value in his eyes than the value of what he is walking away from so his sorrow over what he is losing is eclipsed by the joy in what he is gaining this Jesus says this is like discovering the kingdom of God. The second parable Jesus tells makes the exact same point just a few small distinctions this time, the one who discovers the treasure which is a pearl of great price is not a blue-collar worker. It's a very wealthy merchant, and unlike the first guy this guy doesn't discover the treasure accidentally. He's made a lifetime out of hunting treasures, pearls, by the way, were the most valuable jewel in the ancient world, mainly because they were so hard to get it and have all the diving equipment that we have today.

So in order to get one. You had to plunge into a fairly shallow bay and and and be able to find some new pearl. That's down there is much more difficult than it is today and they work very hard to come by, so only the wealthiest of the wealthy had pearls. It was said that the majority of Cleopatra's worth.

For example, was contained the majority of her wealth was contained in two pearls that are valued in today's terms that over $4 billion will see this merchant has made a living of buying and selling pearls, but this one that he discovers is of such exquisite beauty that he sells all of his other ones and all of his possessions and all of his businesses and all of his houses and all of his lands and liquidates all of its investments in order to purchase this one pearl two men, one blue-collar, one white collar one with relatively little. The other would quite a lot. One who was not looking for treasure the other who was obsessed with it one who was born, and the other rich and educated yet both of them encountering something of such priceless value that it makes everything else in their lives look worthless. By comparison, this Jesus said this is like discovering the kingdom of God and I would tell you that these two very short and small parables teach us three massive things about the kingdom of God is number one. By the way, I'll use the word gospel M interchangeably for kingdom of God today okay number one they show us that the gospel of the kingdom of God is in this is a common theme throughout the book of Matthew with something that we saw last week, and it's reinforced right here again in these two parables.

The gospel of the kingdom of God is hidden because it is hidden. Most people miss it.

The Bible's going to explain this to us in a number of different ways. If you're taking notes. Here's the first way A. The glory of Jesus the glory of Jesus was hidden in a very ordinary earthly body. Isaiah 53 tells us that there was no comeliness in the Messiah that we should desire him. In other words, he was not physically impressive.

He didn't look like you would think the divine son of God would look it's a mystery right, the son of God who designed the oceans and the stars in the nucleus of the atom and the human brain was born into the world for the messy process of childbirth, and grew up among the poorest of the poor. He wore ordinary closing date, ordinary food, and is this feeding is… Sore after standing all day just like the rest of us. He never let an army. He never won an award. He never won an election, and for that reason a lot of people missed him but see that that obscurity was intentional because God doesn't want people who only want to use him to gain power. He wants people who love him. For him, who love what he loves and he wouldn't just try to use him to get power and beauty for themselves. You see, had Jesus common power and physical beauty he would've attracted people to himself, who only wanted to use him to get those things for themselves. So God hid his power in a very ordinary earthly disguise so that only those who were poor of spirit and pure in heart, and only those who desire to know God, for the right reasons could perceive him.

He reminded me of that scene that I love so much of the end of Indiana Jones's last crusade. The last thing that movie to try to pick out which cup is the actual Grail and so one of the guys is with Indiana Jones are the treasure seekers were self-centered wanted for himself.

He and his partner pick out the cut they think is the real holy Grail. He picks out a golden cup it's studded with diamonds any holes in offices. This would be the top of the King of Kings diffs in the water and he drinks it.

But instead of giving them life it makes an age 100 years of just an instant. Many shrivels up. He turns in the dust and he blows away an old Knight Templar says he chose right now, that's a great thing, but within Indiana Jones you ever the erudite theologian who is not seeking treasure, but the man that is pure of heart, is trying to find healing for his dad who is been shot just loves his dad wants to get the healing to and from the looks of all the cops. He picks up this very plain looking copy says this this would be the couple the carpenter. This of the water and he drinks it.

Number the old gold filled nights as you have chosen wisely wisely. Right now I would normally say that Indiana Jones movies are a great place to learn theology, but that's not. That's not bad God hides his power and his glory in making looking rockets came in just a moment. First, did you know you can find Pastor JD on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, social media can be an easy way to offer daily encouragement to those you care about, as well as remind yourself of the traits that were learning here on the program. Just search for Pastor JD clear on Florence and give us a follow.

You can also find information about this ministry along with our featured monthly resource when you visit our website JD clear.com you want to make it as easy as possible to connect to you. Please join us.

Now let's get back to today's teaching Pastor Jim B. The power of the gospel is hidden in its simplicity. The power the gospel is hidden in its simplicity. The gospel message is just not that impressive on the surface it comes to us in the form of a preached word that you can set aside. You can ignore you can argue with you get up in the middle of me talking about it. Go to the bathroom you can doze off.

Yet in these simple words are the power of new life. Last week we saw how Jesus compared it to an acorn and acorn that you could crush beneath your feet yet with him that acorn is the potential for a mighty tree whose roots could reach so that heaven branches can reach the heaven and whose roots could split concrete in the same way Jesus said this word. This word that is put in the mouths of ordinary people, and is contained in simple stories and parables, and easy enough for a child to understand contains within it the ability to free the believing soul from the penalty and the power of Santa bring light back from the dead and infused divine life in the bay here. If it is received by faith, which if I could just digress for only a minute is why I take this moment appreciate so seriously right is why we don't have where preachers appear. We don't have speakers, speakers of the things that hang from the ceiling that help you hear what is being said. Preachers are the ones that open up the word of God and just tell you what it says will give talks here will give talks. We proclaim God's words talks might entertain or enlighten you, but I know that the word of God accurately preached can save your soul. Paul in fact would compare this after preaching right here doing Jesus would say to a layperson be healed and those simple words those losers reverberations traveling through the air are the power that could make the lame walk and make the blind see if the hearer would receive them by faith I know that when I'm standing up here delivering to you the promises of God.

I know that if you believe that it will do more than just give you a new perspective, it will be more than lighten your load it you feel good they can impart to you the very power of God, which is why by the way, I take preparation for the message so seriously. I spent the greater part of my week every week studying for 38 minutes on the weekend.

Why because I want to know what God says so that I can say it to you accurately know that I can do a lot of things poorly hear the church, and I probably do but I know that the most important thing that I'm a do is stand up in front of you and open up the word of God and tell you what it says and I can tell you that not one time in the 16 years I've been here not one time have I ever stood up here and felt unprepared to be opening the word of God underqualified.

Yes, unworthy absolutely underprepared. No, and I do not say that to you so that you will congratulate me. I say that because I want to know how seriously I take this moment this way it is everything. That's why when I stand up here.

I try hard not to spend most my time sharing with you my opinions about life and culture.

This is not good advice. Time from uncle JD.

I'm not a life coach. I am a preacher of God's words.

I don't dispense good advice. I proclaim good news and five the apostle Paul says that what I do is rather simple on the surface. It's rather foolish of the word to use it and take a lot of skill and that's what I just read God's words to you, and I try to tell you what I think they mean. And then I kill you for the remainder of the time.

That's my job. And so I study all week long study all week long for this moment and then backstage. I do three things right before I walk out here.

I pray and ask God to anoint what I'm saying. The power I checked my Mike and I checked my zipper because I don't want you to get distracted, which is like a metaphor for my whole job right there okay prepare hard and try not to embarrass the gospel the power of the gospel is hidden in its simplicity is so simple. Jesus said that a child to get their mind around it and understand it. It is so profound. The apostle Peter says so profound that the angels long to look into it, answer me this. Is there any other thing that you can think of that is so simple that a five or six-year-old child can understand it and explain it yet so profound and amazing that it still baffles the angels think about what angels have seen it in a front row seat to creation facing dots with the Red Sea and take Israel through it on dry land and destroy the Egyptian army that was behind them facing God put words in the mouth of a donkey as he rebuked Baylon for walking away from God that these angels who see all these amazing things according to the apostle Peter can't get enough of the gospel when I want to go deeper than what their minds blown this on a talk about the gospel. So don't tell me you're bored with it or your past. It was something that you used to bring to salvation, but now you want to learn a bunch of additional stuff is why we say the growth in Christ doesn't happen by going beyond the gospel real growth in Christ happens by going deeper into the gospel. The best water from the well.

Didn't happen. But widening the circumference of the wealth by going deeper into the well you to grow in Christ while learning every possible different outcome and eschatology or the difference in the first air is tense in the Greek language or how many angels can dance on the head of a pin for the difference in super lapse Arianism or interrupt. Larry is more power you pronounce those words you're going to grow in Christ. When you grow in the wonder of who God is and what he is done for you in the gospel and as your soul is overwhelmed by that, then you will spring alive was spiritual fruit is simple, yet it contains the power of God might let her see the beauty of the gospel is hidden, and ordinary believers.

The beauty of the gospel is hidden, ordinary believers. The instruments of gospel proclamation ordinary people. Honestly, I sometimes find myself wishing the God save more impressive people more athletes more movie stars more brilliant analects. We can certainly pray that that happens but I'm just gonna tell you it's not God's way.

Honey a thing about Paul's statement that he should be made in first Corinthians, not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth know God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things are not to bring to nothing the things that are so that no human being might boast in his presence all look around this morning O to the people around you okay and I look at your neighbors that you are low and despised your low it is that that's why God chose you because you are weak and you were foolish you were small. See, God did not want to put on display physical impressiveness you want the glory to belong to him switches ordinary things broken things not impressing things to be the vehicles that Kerry has gloried.

Please do not be fooled by the plainness of the package. That is something our enemy uses to keep your mind away from the truth that is really in God's word is CS Lewis in his book, Screwtape letters, which is collection of letters from a senior demon to a junior demon trying to explain how take to the June edema to keep the subject that he's been assigned to confused at some point in the book.

His subjects are to go to church and that you didn't like what do I do missing name is as easy as having focus on the ridiculousness of all the people around him and the church helping noticing how their singing out of tune and how to style their clothes are getting distracted with those things because he'll think well these people ridiculous.

It must be that the gospel they believe is ridiculous to I would dare say that that's happening to some of you right now you're trying to listen to me but you cannot get over the weird haircut of the guy three rows in front of you or you know the problems that are involved in some Christians wives are you seeing the way that they drive are you listening to me when I got what you know that impressive, smart, and you're thinking it must not be a true thing because he's not impressive and they are not impressive, but I'm telling you this, just how God does things God does not want you to be attracted to our beauty, but to his so he puts his glory and his truth and broken instruments to see if you're more interested in divine truth or you're more attracted by physical impressiveness. That's the first thing we see from this parable is that the gospel is hidden hidden so that that most people most people who are only in search of superficial beauty. Most people miss it. There's a second thing we learn from this parable, we learn that the gospel woos us with a greater joy I told you of the three words in his joy might be the most important words in these two parables. I explained you normally if you told the man he believes in everything that he he be devastated if this man is filled with joy because the doubt. You of what he is gaining so he eclipses the value of what is walking away from. Is this the metaphor that you would use to describe your discovery of the kingdom of God that for you it was like finding a treasure that brought you so much joy that you gladly left everything else in your life behind the present steerable conference and mixed in our culture that doesn't want you to be happy you got upset with you because you want to be happy. He wants to be happy she's the only one who can truly bring that level of joy can't satisfaction your listening to Summit life with Jenny Greer. Are you looking for more of Pastor JD's teachings find all of his resources online@jennygreer.com. This meant we have about F10 devotionals that we would love to send your way to discipline of daily devotions is the perfect entry place to become a better student of the Bible and help you dig deeper into Scripture. We'd love to hear from you today and get you this 10 day devotional book will send you a copy as our way of saying thanks for your financial get $35 or more to support this ministry join this mission today when you give by calling eight 663-3552 training and remember to ask for your copy of our newest resource.

Listen at 10 devotions from the parables and she said never again 335-5224 go online to get request your copy should be clear that Jamie G. R. R.com now you're on the website. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter ministry update information about resources and delivered straight to your inbox greatly to stay connected Summit life when you get Katie clear.com hi Molly maid and it's inviting you to join us Thursday as we learn more right here on your ministry