The mp3 of this talk can be downloaded here
A world that is worth it
Matt 13:44-46
Introduction
I have the privilege of offering you the most unbelievable offer. The sort of offer that will blow your mind. In the Bahamas there is an Island. Don’t ask me how I came across it – I just did. It is called Bird Cay Island. It is a
'haven of beauty and tranquility, this 250 acre tropical island is located at the end of the south end of the Berry Islands chain, just 30 minutes by air from Nassau. THe island is well protected on all sides y neighbouring islands and sand banks...Proximity to the Great Baham Bank and the TOngue of the Ocean makes this an excellent fishing, sailing, and scuba-diving paradise. Bird Cay offers sandy beaches, crystalline waters, spectacular ocean views, gentle prevailing breezes, numberous landscaped trails, gardens, mature tropical palms, casuarinas, as well as citrus and coconut groves. Given the considerable flowing lawn that surrounds the main house, a few golf holes could easily be constructed on the island...The island also features a historic two storey main residence that overlooks the ocean and the swimming pool and is in need of repair. Five colourful waterfront cottages line the shore of this private gem and seem to float on an artist's palette of dazzling blue ocean fringed with pristine white beaches.'
Yours for a cool £14,085,000
Good eh? Well, no, not really! The problem is, if we were to move there we would just end up taking our problems with us. Sure, it would be lovely surroundings (for some of us), and it might be the best this world can offer, but I would still be me and actually, the biggest thing I struggle with in this life is me.
No, I said I was here to offer you something that will blow your mind. Well here it is.
The greatest thing
'The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a filed. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field - and to get the treasure, too! Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!' Matt 13:44-46
God is keen that we rightly see the value of the Kingdom of Heaven. I used to sing at school – ‘Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and it’s righteousness. And all these things will be added unto you. Alleluia.’ The Kingdom of Heaven (and therefore the King) is to be sought after above everything else because it is worth it. There is no greater treasure in the universe.
These 2 little stories make that point very clearly. One of the two men is looking for his treasure (the pearl merchant), the other just stumbles across it. But their reaction is the same. They are unrestrained in their response to get what they have found. They are active, sacrificial and single minded. They both sell everything to get it.
Of course, in Jesus day there was nowhere to store and hide treasures so, if someone wealthy was going away to travel, to war or on business he would bury all is treasured belongings in the ground and then dig them up on his return. Of course, if he never returned, was killed in battle or fell sick his treasured would remain hidden. So Jesus paints a picture or real excitement and joy stumbling upon great treasures.
The Pearl merchant sells all he has, his pearl business and all his other pearls to get this one, perfect pearl. He knows exactly what he has been doing – infact, in one sense he has been looking for this pearl all his life. And now he has found it, he is going to make sure he gets it.
The picture Jesus paints is very simple and clear. The Kingdom of Heaven is of absolute value and worthy of reckless and extreme measures in order for us to gain the treasure of the Kingdom.
For the Joy set before him
There is a verse in Hebrews 12 that says this
‘Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame , and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God in heaven.’ Hebrews 12:2
What is the ‘joy set before him’? What was the joy he had ahead of him that moved him to endure the cross?
He endured the cross for the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven for you and me. The context in Hebrews makes that very clear. The joy that was set before him – was the joy of reigning as King over a Kingdom of people who love one another, who worship and serve the living God and who have responded to God’s grace and forgiveness offered through the cross of Jesus. It is the joy of reigning over a kingdom that is no longer plagued by sin, evil and compromise, the joy of reigning over a kingdom where every element of the universe is finally brought under the kingship of Jesus, as it was always intended to be. The joy of seeing people from every tribe, nation and tongue bowing the knee before a slain lamb, who is a King. The joy of seeking a diverse dynamic crowd of people united and unified in purpose of declaring the glories of the King of the Kingdom.
There is nothing better, and it is where the universe is heading.
But what is that Kingdom like? How do you describe it to someone? Well, the Bible does so by comparison with things the world values highly.
I made a list of 10, though there are many more.
The Kingdom is more valuable, and therefore to be treasured more than -
• Peace (Luke 12:49-53)
• Health – (Matthew 18:7-9)
• Power – (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
• Money – (Mark 10:17ff)
• Comforts – (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)
• Security – (Hebrews 11:8-16)
• Spiritual Gifts – (Acts 8:14-24)
• Reputation – (Philippians 3:4-7)
• Family – (Luke 14:25-26)
• Life – (Matthew 16:24-28)
Notice, none of these are bad things in and of themselves. They are things that respectable, upstanding people live for. But they are nothing in comparison to the absolute worth of the treasures of the Kingdom of Heaven.
We are going to look at just the last 3
The Kingdom is to be treasured more than a reputation
I have a friend who was at university with me. A close friend who I became quite close too. Over a period of a couple of years I shared with him, both in conversation and in living life with him something of what the Kingdom of Heaven, and being a follower of the King Jesus was all about. He began to become more and more convinced that it was true. The more he saw it was true, the more he saw the implications. And so, suddenly, after saying to me – ‘I know it is true, I just don’t know how to believe it’, the path went cold. He had failed to understand that the Kingdom was worth more than his reputation.
He feared that Jesus would ruin his life and he’d become a laughing stock amongst his friends. He feared what Jesus as king might mean for his relationship with his girlfriend who he was living with at the time. For others it might mean different reputations.
What reputation are you most proud of, and afraid to lose?
- A business reputation.
- A street cred reputation.
- A ‘I don’t really care about anything’ reputation
- A ‘wealthy, prosperous and in need of nothing’ reputation. (men in particular)
Paul in Phil 3 speaks of the moment when he dashed his considerable reputation against the rocks.
'If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
'But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the suupassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.' Phil 3:4-8
From a religious perspective, he had everything going for him. But ‘knowing Christ Jesus my Lord’ and ‘becoming one with him’ meant that he considered his reputation nothing in comparison because the Kingdom is worth infinitely more than any earthly reputation.
What does that mean for us?
Those of us who are Christians easily fall into the trap of Christian reputations and can spend our lives chasing after them. We live as though we need to be seen to be at every Christian meeting, knowing the right people, quoting the right verses and praying in the right way. But it is rubbish, utter refuse in comparison to chasing with all our hearts after the Kingdom of Heaven. And whether we would call ourselves Christians or not, we should ask ourselves how have we been blinded by the world into forming or maintaining a reputation which just hides what is really valuable. We function as though I must maintain my reputation at work, but it takes me away from what I really ought to be chasing after. We try to maintain our reputation amongst our friends so that we end up compromising on living for the Kingdom?
So, does God ruin reputations?
The fear that God ruins reputations is real, but false. Who wants a reputation for being really great at something that on the eternal perspective doesn’t matter anyway? Who wants to be famous for chasing after the wind?
The Kingdom is to be treasured more than your family
Some of us may be shocked that we could even say this. What could be more right in the world we live in than treasuring our family, our children than anything else, and putting family first?
The problem is, Jesus although from a human perspective agreeing, says something very shocking about families.
'Large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wofe and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.' Luke 14:25-27
Earlier on in Luke Jesus has said that he has not come to bring peace to the earth, but strife and division.
‘From now on families will be split apart, three in favour of me, and two against – or the other way around. There will be division between father and son, mother and daughter, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.’ Luke 12:52-53
Jesus is making a point of contrast. Living for the King and chasing after the Kingdom of Heaven should be such an all consuming, life-dedicating, direction-setting experience that by contrast love for anything else, even families seems like hatred. It may even be that your behaviour is considered as hatred against your family as you follow Christ.
Now of course the Bible says a lot about families, about how to act as Fathers, Mothers, Children, husbands and wives. There are to be no more committed, dedicated and loving human relationships than these – they are priority. But this is always best done in the context of seeking the Kingdom first.
I could tell you of many individuals whose parents and families think of them and treat them with a real sense of distain and suspicion because they feel like they have been snubbed. Their children have not been rude, agressive or nasty. They simply now follow and live for Jesus which is not necessarily the way they were brought up.
Jesus says expect it, and recognise that the Kingdom of Heaven is worth even that.
This even impacts us as we see to live as parents who are living for the Kingdom. Does seeking the Kingdom mean our families suffer?
The best thing I can do for my son is to put, not him first, but my wife. I can remember as a child asking my Father who he loved most in the world. I expected the answer to be me and my brother and sister. But he said my Mother. I can remember being a little shocked.
But of course, what is the best way he could love me? By loving Mum well.
If my wife and I love one another well, are strong friends and a tight unit, then that is the best possible upbringing for our son. And so, seeking first the Kingdom of God will mean ‘all these other things are yours too’. It is a matter of making the most valuable the most valuable.
We need to hear this. Sometimes we live as though giving our children what they want is the best thing we can do for them. But actually, them seeing the Kingdom of Heaven being loved, longed for and desired above everything else is the best thing we can do!
The Kingdom is to be treasured more than your life
The verses we have just read in Luke apply the same truth of families to our own lives. We have just read say we must love the King, Jesus,
‘more than your own life…you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.’
The real value of the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than even our own lives. It is worth not only living for, but dying for. Thankfully, I doubt many of us will have to face the choices of giving up our lives for the Kingdom – but some of us may. It is worth it!
But that is not the point.
When Jesus says we must carry our own cross and follow him, he mean't something very real, and closer to home. Jesus original hearers, his disciples, knew exactly what he meant. As a part of Roman life in Jerusalem they would have seen people on a regular basis carrying wooden crosses. And they would also have known thatanyone who was carrying a cross was on a one way journey. They were no longer in charge of their own destiny but were heading to one place and one place only; a place from which they would not return. They were going to be crucified, to die. And Jesus says, living for the Kingdom means doing the same thing, and it is worth it.
Paul says (in Philippians 1:21) that for him to live is to live a life with Christ, but for him to die is ‘gain’. He doesn’t know which he would prefer because Paul has got it! It is only when we have understood this and surrendered ourselves to seeking first the King and the Kingdom that we truly know what Kingdom life is about.
And I’m not going to beat around the bush – this is what God is calling us to do.
Chasing hard
We should be people who are so captured by God’s new world, the Kingdom of Heaven that it is as though we have discovered treasure in a field. We are so excited and so filled with joy that we would do anything we can to buy it. We would ‘sell everything we have’ – we would be prepared to lose reputations, lives or even families in order that we find the Kingdom. Not that our intention is to shipwreck our lives! No, but we know the absolute value of the Kingdom of Heaven, and we know that God thinks these things are important too so will give them to us. But we are chasing after the right things.
So what are you going to do with the pearl of the Kingdom of heaven? Do you feel like you are looking for something in life. You will find it in the Kingdom of Heaven and in King Jesus. So what are you going to do to chase after it with all your heart? There is nothing more valuable in the entire universe to live for. What difference will it make to you?
An absolute treasure is worth absolute commitment in order to attain it. The Kingdom of Heaven is worth absolute dedication as we follow the King.