1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:06,460 Today is the last in this short series of sermons on the parables of Jesus. 2 00:00:06,480 –> 00:00:11,080 We’ve called it Ministry Matters and we have been looking at the wisdom that Jesus Christ 3 00:00:11,080 –> 00:00:17,959 gives us for sustaining a lifetime of service. We’ve looked at the subject of 4 00:00:17,959 –> 00:00:22,920 expectations. When you engage in ministry like the sower of the seed in the first 5 00:00:22,920 –> 00:00:27,280 parable that we looked at, you need to understand that people will respond in 6 00:00:27,520 –> 00:00:32,040 very very different ways. Jesus sets these expectations so that we will not 7 00:00:32,040 –> 00:00:37,320 be surprised by these things. We looked at limitations we saw that nature of the 8 00:00:37,320 –> 00:00:43,400 world in which we live that, as Jesus Christ is sowing good wheat, so Satan, the 9 00:00:43,400 –> 00:00:48,560 enemy, is sowing weeds and the field of the world therefore turns out to be a 10 00:00:48,560 –> 00:00:56,619 mixture of good and of evil and will be so until Jesus Christ returns. Yet 11 00:00:56,700 –> 00:01:00,020 we are to give ourselves to this work of ministry and we are not to be discouraged 12 00:01:00,020 –> 00:01:04,660 because Jesus Christ promises to us that in all of this there will be progress. 13 00:01:04,660 –> 00:01:10,660 The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed and it is like leaven and despite 14 00:01:10,660 –> 00:01:15,099 all the difficulties that will both grow in size as more and more people turn to 15 00:01:15,099 –> 00:01:21,059 faith in Jesus Christ and and no one who turns to faith in Christ is ever lost in 16 00:01:21,900 –> 00:01:28,459 God brings all of His true children home and the leaven of Christ will spread in 17 00:01:28,459 –> 00:01:33,480 influence so that a Christian believer what you are at heart will become the 18 00:01:33,480 –> 00:01:41,019 whole of you as your nature is changed by Jesus Christ now in all of these 19 00:01:41,019 –> 00:01:47,940 parables we have seen Jesus Christ I was thinking about this that came to mind 20 00:01:47,940 –> 00:01:56,860 Alfred Hitchcock had the habit of appearing in his own movies and he used 21 00:01:56,860 –> 00:02:00,339 to do these little cameos in which a hidden sort of moment he would just 22 00:02:00,339 –> 00:02:04,080 appear it would be you know a man that was getting on a bus somewhere or a 23 00:02:04,080 –> 00:02:08,339 photograph even in a newspaper that someone was carrying would be Hitchcock’s 24 00:02:08,339 –> 00:02:14,720 image. So here’s the great filmmaker and he does these little cameo appearances 25 00:02:15,259 –> 00:02:23,740 in his own movies and we have found Jesus Christ, the great author in his own 26 00:02:23,740 –> 00:02:30,160 parables. We have seen that he in fact is the sower, he’s the one who sows seed 27 00:02:30,160 –> 00:02:34,860 the living seed of the Word of God into the hearts of men and women. He is the 28 00:02:34,860 –> 00:02:39,660 owner of the field, who one day is going to come and his angels will be the ones 29 00:02:39,660 –> 00:02:44,279 who will separate the wheat from the weeds. He is the mustard seed that will 30 00:02:44,339 –> 00:02:50,520 grow in its influence across the world. He is the leaven that changes a person’s 31 00:02:50,520 –> 00:02:58,919 life by transforming their nature from the inside out. Now today we come to two 32 00:02:58,919 –> 00:03:06,660 very short parables, in which it is very easy to see where Jesus Christ appears. 33 00:03:06,660 –> 00:03:11,199 We’re looking at the parables of the hidden treasure and of the priceless 34 00:03:11,339 –> 00:03:17,380 pearl, and of course Jesus Christ is the hidden treasure, He is the pearl of 35 00:03:17,380 –> 00:03:23,100 great value. And so please turn with me in your Bible to Matthew chapter 13, and 36 00:03:23,100 –> 00:03:30,339 just these three verses that are before us, from verse 44 to verse 46. That’s 37 00:03:30,339 –> 00:03:38,479 Matthew chapter 13 verses 44 to 46. And Jesus 38 00:03:38,479 –> 00:03:45,679 says the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man 39 00:03:45,679 –> 00:03:54,639 found and covered up. And then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and 40 00:03:54,639 –> 00:04:01,639 buys the field. Again says Jesus the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in 41 00:04:01,800 –> 00:04:11,399 search of fine pearls who on finding one pedal of great value went and sold all 42 00:04:11,399 –> 00:04:18,980 that he had and bought it. Now these two stories that are about Jesus Christ 43 00:04:18,980 –> 00:04:23,519 himself are both very simple and very wonderful. 44 00:04:24,019 –> 00:04:33,619 they are about four things that about searching finding selling and buying 45 00:04:33,619 –> 00:04:38,500 number one searching noticed particularly in the second parable the 46 00:04:38,500 –> 00:04:48,179 kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls so here is a story 47 00:04:48,200 –> 00:04:55,500 that Jesus Christ tells for everyone who is searching today now think about it 48 00:04:55,500 –> 00:05:00,980 the merchant already had a significant collection of fine pearls we know that 49 00:05:00,980 –> 00:05:06,299 because the pearls he sold were sufficient in value to obtain the pearl 50 00:05:06,299 –> 00:05:12,320 of great price that he found and brought him such great joy but in the words of 51 00:05:12,320 –> 00:05:22,359 the well-known song by you to he still hadn’t found what he was looking for 52 00:05:22,359 –> 00:05:27,359 it’s very interesting to me by the way that that’s song is sung by a group of 53 00:05:27,359 –> 00:05:36,040 guys who are very familiar with religion they sing about Jesus dying on the cross 54 00:05:36,399 –> 00:05:43,500 I have it on my heart today that some of you have grown up with Christianity 55 00:05:43,500 –> 00:05:51,339 you’ve been brought to church perhaps even since you were young if I asked you 56 00:05:51,339 –> 00:05:57,380 what the gospel is you could tell me but there is a restlessness in your heart 57 00:05:57,380 –> 00:06:05,619 and you still haven’t found what you are looking for that was the position of the 58 00:06:05,679 –> 00:06:11,239 Pearl Merchant he had a collection of pearls some little some larger somebody 59 00:06:11,239 –> 00:06:19,279 wrong some miss shaping some rough some smooth some cloudy some clear 60 00:06:19,420 –> 00:06:26,119 but he was looking for pearls that were better than the ones that he already had 61 00:06:26,119 –> 00:06:33,959 and maybe that describes you today there are many good things in your life 62 00:06:33,959 –> 00:06:41,380 God has given to you some big pearls there are people that are passions in 63 00:06:41,380 –> 00:06:45,880 your life that are of great value to you you you’ve been made a father you’re a 64 00:06:45,880 –> 00:06:52,399 grandfather but there’s a restlessness that is in you and you are looking for 65 00:06:52,399 –> 00:06:56,079 more and you would say this in your heart of hearts perhaps you wouldn’t say 66 00:06:56,079 –> 00:07:00,239 it out loud but you know on the inside what you’re really saying and what 67 00:07:00,440 –> 00:07:04,880 really living and experiencing is this there are many good things in my life 68 00:07:04,880 –> 00:07:10,459 but I still have the feeling that there is something more I am not satisfied I 69 00:07:10,459 –> 00:07:17,200 am not happy I still haven’t vaccines what I am looking for that’s exactly the 70 00:07:17,200 –> 00:07:22,040 position of the pearl merchant and it will be the position of many people who 71 00:07:22,040 –> 00:07:25,959 have been in church for many years and they’re here the story of Jesus 72 00:07:25,959 –> 00:07:35,500 therefore is for you because it’s about searching secondly it’s about finding 73 00:07:35,500 –> 00:07:43,279 notice verse 44 and verse 46 the man finds treasure hidden in a field which a 74 00:07:43,279 –> 00:07:52,480 man found verse 44 and then we read of this merchant finding one pearl of great 75 00:07:52,480 –> 00:07:58,859 value now the first thing to notice here particularly as we focus on the first of 76 00:07:58,859 –> 00:08:05,000 these parables for a moment is that the treasure is hidden in other words think 77 00:08:05,000 –> 00:08:09,480 of this is someone probably who had been plowing a field for a long time walking 78 00:08:09,480 –> 00:08:13,200 over a field for a long time and he’d actually been very very near to the 79 00:08:13,200 –> 00:08:17,399 treasure but until this particular day when he sort of stumbled over it maybe 80 00:08:17,920 –> 00:08:22,540 his plow hit something that was under the ground I don’t know but he’d been 81 00:08:22,540 –> 00:08:25,799 very very near to his possible to be near to the treasure that’s hidden 82 00:08:25,799 –> 00:08:30,540 under the ground and yet not to be aware that it is there in other words this 83 00:08:30,540 –> 00:08:37,239 treasure of Jesus Christ is not obvious to everybody that’s why you can read the 84 00:08:37,239 –> 00:08:44,239 Bible even for years and not see any particular value that’s personal to you 85 00:08:44,539 –> 00:08:50,400 in it that is why you can come to church for years you can be surrounded by 86 00:08:50,400 –> 00:08:55,799 people who love Jesus Christ as we read from Philippians 3 who worship by the 87 00:08:55,799 –> 00:09:02,940 Spirit and glory in Jesus Christ wonderful phrase you can be surrounded 88 00:09:02,940 –> 00:09:08,599 by people like that and yet you are simply an observer to what is going on 89 00:09:08,679 –> 00:09:15,719 in their hearts and in their lives you see the field but you don’t really see 90 00:09:15,719 –> 00:09:25,400 the treasure growing up in in Britain I learned early in life the history of the 91 00:09:25,400 –> 00:09:33,119 martyrs godly men of extraordinary courage who particularly in the 16th 92 00:09:33,619 –> 00:09:41,219 but also in other times were tied to wooden poles and burned account of their 93 00:09:41,219 –> 00:09:48,359 faith in Jesus Christ there were 284 of these men who died in four years of the 94 00:09:48,359 –> 00:09:55,840 reign of Queen Mary the first between 1555 and 1558 alone 284 of them burned 95 00:09:55,919 –> 00:10:04,419 at the steak their stories all followed the same pattern they were told on pain 96 00:10:04,419 –> 00:10:14,419 of death to recant their faith in Jesus Christ recant and go home to your family 97 00:10:14,419 –> 00:10:20,719 or confess on pain of death and they choose to die horrible death’s because 98 00:10:20,859 –> 00:10:27,960 they found Jesus Christ more valuable than their own lives now the 99 00:10:27,960 –> 00:10:34,520 extraordinary thing to me is that more than 500 years later we are having the 100 00:10:34,520 –> 00:10:40,500 same thing being brought to our attention in the Middle East where 101 00:10:40,500 –> 00:10:44,599 again and again now we’re beginning to see a pattern of Christian believers 102 00:10:44,599 –> 00:10:48,559 incredibly in the 21st century being told to recap their faith in Jesus 103 00:10:48,979 –> 00:10:56,080 Christ on pain of death and we continue to see men and women who are executed in 104 00:10:56,080 –> 00:11:02,799 the most brutal fashion because they choose to lay down their lives rather 105 00:11:02,799 –> 00:11:10,159 than to recant faith in Jesus Christ now here’s my question from that for you 106 00:11:10,159 –> 00:11:19,880 today does that make sense to you I’m not asking if the violence makes sense 107 00:11:19,880 –> 00:11:23,960 to you clearly it is senseless it is brutal 108 00:11:23,960 –> 00:11:32,520 it is wicked it is foul but I am asking you does it make sense to you today that 109 00:11:32,679 –> 00:11:41,479 in the 21st century there are men and women who count Jesus Christ as of 110 00:11:41,479 –> 00:11:49,659 greater value than their own lives does that make sense to you because you see 111 00:11:49,659 –> 00:11:54,280 that is the whole point of these parables that Jesus Christ is the pearl 112 00:11:54,280 –> 00:12:00,679 of great price that he is indeed a supreme value that means they’re for of 113 00:12:00,679 –> 00:12:07,119 more value even than life itself that he is the treasure that is hidden buried in 114 00:12:07,119 –> 00:12:11,919 the field that thousands and millions in this world have not yet recognized and 115 00:12:11,919 –> 00:12:16,159 yet to those who find him he is worth more than everything else that could be 116 00:12:16,159 –> 00:12:25,200 found in this world let me just try and touch the edge of telling you why Jesus 117 00:12:25,479 –> 00:12:32,659 Christ is of supreme value he’s of supreme value friends because of who he 118 00:12:32,659 –> 00:12:44,760 is he is God your creator in the flesh in Him all the fullness of God was 119 00:12:44,760 –> 00:12:51,260 pleased to dwell Colossians 1 and verse 19 in Christ are hidden all the 120 00:12:51,340 –> 00:13:00,159 treasures of wisdom and of knowledge God almighty God himself entered into this 121 00:13:00,159 –> 00:13:07,239 world and he was born as a baby in Jesus Christ God in a human body God in a 122 00:13:07,239 –> 00:13:13,219 human psyche with a central nervous system that felt joy and pain 123 00:13:13,219 –> 00:13:19,979 God tempted in the flesh God pressed on by all the demands of the various needs 124 00:13:20,239 –> 00:13:24,780 of mankind God loving God working God sweating God 125 00:13:24,780 –> 00:13:35,900 weeping God with us God for us God in the flesh that’s who he is and Jesus 126 00:13:35,900 –> 00:13:43,119 Christ is off supreme value because nobody else who has ever lived or ever 127 00:13:43,159 –> 00:13:50,619 will live can be who he is he’s of supreme value not only because of who 128 00:13:50,619 –> 00:13:59,940 he is but because of what he has done he has lived the life that God requires of 129 00:13:59,940 –> 00:14:04,340 every person he lived lived the life that God requires of you the life that 130 00:14:04,340 –> 00:14:10,260 God requires of me that I certainly have not lived he’s fulfilled the whole law 131 00:14:10,440 –> 00:14:14,460 God no one who has ever lived in this world has ever done that apart from him 132 00:14:14,460 –> 00:14:19,380 he’s done it in a life of perfect holiness he’s laid down this life as a 133 00:14:19,380 –> 00:14:26,539 sacrifice he has given this life on behalf of sinners he took on himself 134 00:14:26,539 –> 00:14:35,280 what was due to us by the Justice of God and he bore it the story does not end 135 00:14:35,580 –> 00:14:40,719 went into death for the Bible tells us death could not hold him he was like 136 00:14:40,719 –> 00:14:45,359 unlike anyone else in that regard he burst out of death he rose from the dead 137 00:14:45,359 –> 00:14:50,419 on the third day in the power of an endless life he ascended to the right 138 00:14:50,419 –> 00:14:55,099 hand of the Father in Heaven where he stands as the savior and does the 139 00:14:55,099 –> 00:15:02,719 advocate for all people who will come to him so Jesus Christ is of supreme value 140 00:15:03,059 –> 00:15:08,059 not only because nobody else can be who he is but because nobody else can do 141 00:15:08,059 –> 00:15:14,900 what he has already done and then Jesus Christ is a supreme value because of 142 00:15:14,900 –> 00:15:21,679 what he offers what he offers to every searching person in the church today he 143 00:15:21,679 –> 00:15:26,719 says to you this risen Christ this son of God who is at the right hand of the 144 00:15:26,719 –> 00:15:32,440 Father even now he says to you come to me all you who are weary and you the one 145 00:15:32,520 –> 00:15:40,419 who’s heavy laden you come to me and I will give you rest and my peace I will 146 00:15:40,419 –> 00:15:45,979 give to you I’ll give you a peace that this world can never give you. I have 147 00:15:45,979 –> 00:15:50,900 come that you may have life and that you may have it more abundantly and I speak 148 00:15:50,900 –> 00:15:58,500 these words that your joy may be full. He stands before you today and he offers 149 00:15:58,520 –> 00:16:06,119 to breathe his Holy Spirit into you and fill you with the power and presence of 150 00:16:06,119 –> 00:16:16,280 his own life. He offers to cleanse you from your sins, all of them, to such a 151 00:16:16,280 –> 00:16:22,340 degree that they cannot be charged against you now and will not be charged 152 00:16:22,460 –> 00:16:30,960 against you at any time in the future. He offers to reconcile you to God the 153 00:16:30,960 –> 00:16:36,539 Father in such a way that your relationship with the Almighty will 154 00:16:36,539 –> 00:16:44,599 change from a sinner-facing impending judgment to a son or a daughter with an 155 00:16:44,960 –> 00:16:53,799 everlasting inheritance. Jesus Christ is of supreme value. Not only because no one 156 00:16:53,799 –> 00:16:58,479 else can be who he is and no one else can do what he has done, but because no 157 00:16:58,479 –> 00:17:03,539 one else has what he is able to offer to you today. 158 00:17:05,540 –> 00:17:12,560 And then Jesus Christ is of supreme value because when he becomes yours he can never, never, never be taken 159 00:17:12,859 –> 00:17:19,579 from you. Alexander Maclaren has this wonderful and I think insightful comment, 160 00:17:19,579 –> 00:17:28,959 he says this, nothing that can be taken from me is truly mine. Think about that. 161 00:17:28,959 –> 00:17:34,880 Nothing that can be taken from you is truly yours. 162 00:17:35,640 –> 00:17:41,319 Nothing that can be taken from me is truly mine. 163 00:17:42,780 –> 00:17:49,520 So, fathers today, think about the big parallels of your life, your 164 00:17:49,520 –> 00:17:58,359 job, your family, your friends, your freedom, the various pleasures of your 165 00:17:58,380 –> 00:18:06,900 life, your health, your money, your independence. 166 00:18:06,900 –> 00:18:09,680 All these things can be taken from you. 167 00:18:09,680 –> 00:18:15,540 One day all these things will be taken from you. 168 00:18:15,540 –> 00:18:18,479 Every pearl you can gather in your collection 169 00:18:18,479 –> 00:18:22,380 in this life can be and will be taken from you 170 00:18:22,780 –> 00:18:27,420 except for one, Jesus Christ if you have him, 171 00:18:27,420 –> 00:18:31,000 can never be taken from you. 172 00:18:31,000 –> 00:18:34,140 Jesus Christ, if he is yours will walk with you 173 00:18:34,140 –> 00:18:36,479 through every circumstance of your life. 174 00:18:36,479 –> 00:18:39,119 He says to you when you walk through the fire, 175 00:18:39,119 –> 00:18:40,699 I will be with you. 176 00:18:43,839 –> 00:18:46,760 He will walk with you even when it comes through death. 177 00:18:46,760 –> 00:18:48,819 We go through death one at a time but if you’re 178 00:18:48,819 –> 00:18:53,040 with Jesus Christ, you will not go through it alone 179 00:18:53,040 –> 00:18:56,280 when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death 180 00:18:56,280 –> 00:18:58,800 his rod, his staff right here with you 181 00:18:58,800 –> 00:19:01,619 to comfort you, walk you through. 182 00:19:01,619 –> 00:19:05,239 No one else can do that for you. 183 00:19:05,239 –> 00:19:08,119 And he will stand with you on the other side of death 184 00:19:08,119 –> 00:19:10,260 in the presence of this father, 185 00:19:10,260 –> 00:19:12,719 in the presence of the almighty 186 00:19:12,719 –> 00:19:16,619 and he alone is the one who is able to present you 187 00:19:16,619 –> 00:19:21,020 in his presence, faultless, and with great joy. 188 00:19:21,020 –> 00:19:25,219 That’s what he’s able to do, no one else can do that. 189 00:19:25,219 –> 00:19:29,400 Jesus Christ is the only person in all of the universe 190 00:19:30,680 –> 00:19:33,000 who can ever say to you with truth, 191 00:19:33,000 –> 00:19:34,900 I will never leave you, 192 00:19:37,040 –> 00:19:38,380 and I will never 193 00:19:40,579 –> 00:19:41,579 forsake you. 194 00:19:41,859 –> 00:19:45,800 And when the pearl merchant who knew his pearls, 195 00:19:50,260 –> 00:19:53,339 when he saw the pearl of great price, 196 00:19:56,880 –> 00:19:59,719 when he saw it, he knew its value, 197 00:20:00,660 –> 00:20:03,500 and so he knew exactly what to do. 198 00:20:04,739 –> 00:20:08,359 Let me tell you this honestly, friend. 199 00:20:08,359 –> 00:20:10,500 If you’re still in the position today 200 00:20:10,500 –> 00:20:12,260 to work out if it’s really worth you 201 00:20:12,260 –> 00:20:14,680 being fully committed to Jesus Christ, 202 00:20:14,680 –> 00:20:18,140 you have not yet seen the value of Jesus, 203 00:20:18,140 –> 00:20:20,380 because as soon as you see the value of Jesus, 204 00:20:20,380 –> 00:20:23,140 then like the pearl merchant who knew his pearls, 205 00:20:23,140 –> 00:20:24,979 you know exactly what you have to do 206 00:20:24,979 –> 00:20:26,760 when you see his value. 207 00:20:26,760 –> 00:20:28,439 When you know what it is to worship by the spirit 208 00:20:28,439 –> 00:20:29,859 and you glory in Jesus Christ, 209 00:20:29,859 –> 00:20:32,920 you know exactly what to do. 210 00:20:32,920 –> 00:20:35,199 If you feel today that there are some sins 211 00:20:35,199 –> 00:20:38,119 that it would be too hard for you to give up, 212 00:20:38,119 –> 00:20:39,400 here’s the real issue for you. 213 00:20:39,400 –> 00:20:42,260 You have not yet seen the true value of Jesus Christ, 214 00:20:42,260 –> 00:20:43,500 you have not yet seen his glory, 215 00:20:43,500 –> 00:20:45,160 it hasn’t been earthed in you fully 216 00:20:45,160 –> 00:20:46,660 who he is and what he has done 217 00:20:46,660 –> 00:20:48,459 and what he really offers 218 00:20:48,459 –> 00:20:50,560 and why this is unlike anything else 219 00:20:50,560 –> 00:20:54,680 that you can ever achieve or have in this life. 220 00:20:54,680 –> 00:20:58,420 When you see the value of all that Jesus is 221 00:20:58,420 –> 00:21:00,819 and of all that Jesus has done 222 00:21:00,819 –> 00:21:03,479 and of all that Jesus has offered 223 00:21:03,479 –> 00:21:07,020 and when you see that he is the only treasure 224 00:21:07,079 –> 00:21:10,280 that you can have always now and forever, 225 00:21:10,280 –> 00:21:14,439 you will say, what do I need to do to get this treasure? 226 00:21:16,060 –> 00:21:18,640 How can I make this pearl mine? 227 00:21:20,000 –> 00:21:22,400 When you see the glory of Jesus, 228 00:21:22,400 –> 00:21:26,319 you will be ready to do whatever it takes 229 00:21:26,319 –> 00:21:27,819 to make him yours. 230 00:21:31,959 –> 00:21:32,800 Searching. 231 00:21:33,920 –> 00:21:34,760 Finding. 232 00:21:37,280 –> 00:21:39,260 What follows from that when the pearl merchant 233 00:21:39,260 –> 00:21:42,859 sees the value of this pearl of great price 234 00:21:44,520 –> 00:21:48,199 is selling, selling, then in his joy, 235 00:21:48,199 –> 00:21:51,880 verse 44, he goes and sells all that he has. 236 00:21:54,500 –> 00:21:57,500 Verse 46, on finding one pearl of great value, 237 00:21:57,500 –> 00:22:00,260 he went and sold all that he had. 238 00:22:03,800 –> 00:22:05,219 You notice the energy in this? 239 00:22:05,319 –> 00:22:07,280 You notice the immediacy? 240 00:22:07,280 –> 00:22:08,680 You notice the freedom? 241 00:22:09,599 –> 00:22:12,579 You notice the joy, in his joy, 242 00:22:12,579 –> 00:22:16,119 there’s no hesitation here, this is an energized response, 243 00:22:16,119 –> 00:22:20,040 there isn’t reluctance here, no, he’s seen the value 244 00:22:21,680 –> 00:22:25,640 and he knows exactly what to do 245 00:22:25,640 –> 00:22:28,319 and Jesus is using this as a story 246 00:22:28,319 –> 00:22:30,560 and as a parable for searching people 247 00:22:32,380 –> 00:22:34,040 who say, when you find who I am 248 00:22:34,859 –> 00:22:35,719 and what I have done and what I offer 249 00:22:35,719 –> 00:22:37,719 and the fact that this can be yours forever 250 00:22:37,719 –> 00:22:40,660 and forever and forever, you will know exactly what to do. 251 00:22:42,439 –> 00:22:46,280 Now, he’s using an analogy, Sal, 252 00:22:46,280 –> 00:22:51,280 what exactly does that look like in real life? 253 00:22:53,500 –> 00:22:56,680 That’s why we read earlier from Philippians in chapter 3 254 00:22:56,680 –> 00:23:01,680 because Paul there gives to us a real life example 255 00:23:02,400 –> 00:23:05,680 of what the Lord Jesus is describing here 256 00:23:05,680 –> 00:23:07,739 when he speaks about selling. 257 00:23:07,739 –> 00:23:10,099 Philippians 3, let me just read from verse four. 258 00:23:10,099 –> 00:23:13,599 If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence 259 00:23:13,599 –> 00:23:15,400 in the flesh, I have more. 260 00:23:15,400 –> 00:23:18,780 As circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel 261 00:23:18,780 –> 00:23:21,420 of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews 262 00:23:21,420 –> 00:23:24,000 as to the law of Pharisee, as to zeal 263 00:23:24,000 –> 00:23:26,920 of persecutor of the church as to righteousness 264 00:23:26,920 –> 00:23:30,640 under the law blameless, but whatever gain I had, 265 00:23:30,640 –> 00:23:32,500 whatever I had in my collection, 266 00:23:32,500 –> 00:23:35,920 whatever I had to my assets, I counted a loss 267 00:23:35,920 –> 00:23:39,739 for the sake of Jesus Christ. 268 00:23:41,359 –> 00:23:44,819 Here’s Paul and he’s laying out his assets 269 00:23:46,660 –> 00:23:50,640 and he’s laying out what had to go 270 00:23:50,640 –> 00:23:55,420 in order to obtain Christ, what had to go. 271 00:23:57,400 –> 00:24:00,239 An identity that could no longer define him, 272 00:24:00,239 –> 00:24:04,839 that had to go, circumcised on the eighth day 273 00:24:04,839 –> 00:24:08,540 of the people of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin, 274 00:24:08,540 –> 00:24:11,540 a Hebrew of Hebrews. 275 00:24:12,780 –> 00:24:15,920 See Saul of Tarsus was very proud of his race, 276 00:24:17,400 –> 00:24:22,400 a Hebrew of Hebrews, race was defining for him, 277 00:24:25,199 –> 00:24:28,359 but when he found Jesus Christ of supreme value, 278 00:24:28,359 –> 00:24:31,660 race could no longer be defining for him, 279 00:24:31,660 –> 00:24:35,939 he says, having Christ is more to me than being Jewish, 280 00:24:35,939 –> 00:24:37,199 that’s what he is saying. 281 00:24:38,319 –> 00:24:40,839 It’s more to me than being black. 282 00:24:40,839 –> 00:24:43,359 It’s more to me than being white. 283 00:24:43,359 –> 00:24:46,459 It’s more than anything that defines you 284 00:24:46,459 –> 00:24:51,459 or defines me by birth, by nature or by culture. 285 00:24:51,739 –> 00:24:53,439 When you are a new creation in Christ, 286 00:24:53,439 –> 00:24:57,420 When you are a new creation in Christ, 287 00:24:57,420 –> 00:24:59,819 you do not define yourself 288 00:24:59,819 –> 00:25:02,859 by anything that you find in yourself. 289 00:25:02,859 –> 00:25:05,099 You’re a man or a woman in Christ. 290 00:25:05,099 –> 00:25:07,319 You are a new creation. 291 00:25:07,319 –> 00:25:11,239 It changes your whole awareness of who you are, 292 00:25:11,239 –> 00:25:13,579 the very way in which you define yourself. 293 00:25:13,579 –> 00:25:15,140 You may be a father. 294 00:25:16,599 –> 00:25:20,520 You may be a mother, for a while. 295 00:25:21,520 –> 00:25:22,560 You may be a banker. 296 00:25:22,560 –> 00:25:23,660 You may be an athlete. 297 00:25:23,660 –> 00:25:24,520 You may be a teacher. 298 00:25:24,520 –> 00:25:27,599 You may be a missionary for a while. 299 00:25:29,520 –> 00:25:32,380 But these are only temporary assignments. 300 00:25:34,160 –> 00:25:35,939 You are in Christ. 301 00:25:38,160 –> 00:25:39,439 And if you’re in Christ, 302 00:25:39,439 –> 00:25:42,319 that is the identity that now defines you. 303 00:25:43,579 –> 00:25:45,199 And everything else that would compete 304 00:25:45,199 –> 00:25:48,119 for primacy against that, 305 00:25:48,119 –> 00:25:49,640 has to find a different place. 306 00:25:51,400 –> 00:25:52,859 Then there was a community in which 307 00:25:52,859 –> 00:25:54,079 he was no longer welcome. 308 00:25:55,099 –> 00:25:57,739 As to the law he says I was a Pharisee 309 00:25:57,739 –> 00:26:00,839 and Paul lists that among his gains. 310 00:26:00,839 –> 00:26:02,239 Whatever was to my gain. 311 00:26:03,760 –> 00:26:05,280 He loved being a Pharisee. 312 00:26:06,839 –> 00:26:08,520 I mean, this was an elite club. 313 00:26:08,520 –> 00:26:12,619 This was an in social circle of highly educated people. 314 00:26:12,619 –> 00:26:14,760 Whatever gain I had, 315 00:26:16,239 –> 00:26:20,119 being on the inside of this privileged circle of company. 316 00:26:20,420 –> 00:26:22,680 This professional group, 317 00:26:22,680 –> 00:26:24,920 to be esteemed by these people. 318 00:26:24,920 –> 00:26:27,439 That was a gain in Paul’s life. 319 00:26:27,439 –> 00:26:30,239 It was a big peril that he had cherished, 320 00:26:30,239 –> 00:26:31,959 but from the moment that he believed 321 00:26:31,959 –> 00:26:33,839 in The Lord Jesus Christ, 322 00:26:33,839 –> 00:26:35,800 he knew that he would never be welcome 323 00:26:35,800 –> 00:26:36,819 in that circle again. 324 00:26:39,199 –> 00:26:40,540 The community of Pharisees 325 00:26:40,540 –> 00:26:42,040 would no longer welcome him, 326 00:26:43,959 –> 00:26:45,339 and Paul says here so be it. 327 00:26:45,339 –> 00:26:49,880 I used to see being part of that community as a gain, 328 00:26:52,439 –> 00:26:54,420 but when I put it against the supreme value 329 00:26:54,420 –> 00:26:56,760 of having Jesus Christ my Lord, 330 00:26:56,760 –> 00:26:58,359 I could only count it as a loss 331 00:26:58,359 –> 00:27:00,959 if it were to be placed as an alternative. 332 00:27:00,959 –> 00:27:03,459 And you may have the same experience. 333 00:27:03,459 –> 00:27:05,819 There are perhaps more than some would imagine 334 00:27:05,819 –> 00:27:08,500 in this congregation who already walked this pathway. 335 00:27:10,420 –> 00:27:13,339 Committing yourself to Jesus Christ may well mean, 336 00:27:13,339 –> 00:27:14,880 and for some it has meant 337 00:27:15,839 –> 00:27:17,459 that there are social circles 338 00:27:17,459 –> 00:27:19,260 in which you are no longer welcome, 339 00:27:21,459 –> 00:27:24,359 communities in which you are no longer at home. 340 00:27:26,560 –> 00:27:29,319 For many, communities even into which you were born 341 00:27:29,319 –> 00:27:31,160 and which you are no longer received. 342 00:27:32,959 –> 00:27:36,439 And Paul says if that’s what it is, so be it. 343 00:27:37,380 –> 00:27:42,020 Because I have discovered the supreme worth of Jesus Christ. 344 00:27:42,880 –> 00:27:46,680 And then there was a passion that he had 345 00:27:46,680 –> 00:27:48,800 that was outside of the will of God. 346 00:27:50,420 –> 00:27:54,359 That had to go in this fire sale as well, selling all. 347 00:27:56,020 –> 00:27:59,099 Notice what he says, as to zeal, 348 00:27:59,099 –> 00:28:02,060 that word simply means we would say today passion, 349 00:28:03,020 –> 00:28:08,020 this was my passion to be a persecutor of the church. 350 00:28:08,979 –> 00:28:10,060 It was his passion. 351 00:28:12,699 –> 00:28:14,160 That’s what got him up in the morning, 352 00:28:14,160 –> 00:28:15,760 that’s what energized him, 353 00:28:15,760 –> 00:28:19,739 that was the driving cause that motivated his life. 354 00:28:19,739 –> 00:28:22,880 He lived for this, here was a man with a passion, 355 00:28:22,880 –> 00:28:26,180 he was pursuing a cause, but the cause he was pursuing 356 00:28:26,180 –> 00:28:28,099 was outside of the will of God 357 00:28:28,099 –> 00:28:30,520 and when he finds the supreme value of Jesus Christ, 358 00:28:30,520 –> 00:28:32,020 he has to say that passion 359 00:28:32,020 –> 00:28:34,119 that is outside the will of God has to go. 360 00:28:35,579 –> 00:28:37,040 What is a passion in your life 361 00:28:37,079 –> 00:28:38,880 that is outside of the will of God? 362 00:28:40,219 –> 00:28:42,060 You found pleasure in this passion. 363 00:28:43,560 –> 00:28:45,959 It’s become a motivating drive in your life 364 00:28:45,959 –> 00:28:48,359 but you know that it is outside of the will of God 365 00:28:48,359 –> 00:28:51,479 in Jesus Christ and when you see the supreme value 366 00:28:51,479 –> 00:28:54,719 of Jesus Christ, you know that if you are going 367 00:28:54,719 –> 00:28:56,959 to have him, that has to go 368 00:28:58,380 –> 00:29:00,739 and whatever gain I had, 369 00:29:00,739 –> 00:29:02,380 this was my life, he says, 370 00:29:03,319 –> 00:29:05,040 I counted it all a loss 371 00:29:06,119 –> 00:29:09,599 in order that I may gain Jesus Christ. 372 00:29:11,459 –> 00:29:14,119 And then there was a righteousness 373 00:29:15,380 –> 00:29:16,579 that could not save him. 374 00:29:16,579 –> 00:29:19,540 You notice how he says here as to righteousness 375 00:29:19,540 –> 00:29:21,819 under the law, blameless. 376 00:29:21,819 –> 00:29:24,680 See, here’s the hallway in which he viewed his own life. 377 00:29:24,680 –> 00:29:29,500 I’m a good guy, I’m a good father, 378 00:29:29,540 –> 00:29:33,540 I’m a family man, I go to church, 379 00:29:33,540 –> 00:29:37,140 I even from time to time have been known to read the Bible. 380 00:29:39,180 –> 00:29:42,579 And suddenly he discovers when he sees the supreme value 381 00:29:42,579 –> 00:29:45,040 of Jesus Christ and all that he is, 382 00:29:46,219 –> 00:29:50,359 that this self-righteous arrogance has to go. 383 00:29:51,400 –> 00:29:54,619 And that in order to receive the pearl of great price, 384 00:29:54,619 –> 00:29:57,939 in order that Jesus Christ will be his, 385 00:29:57,979 –> 00:30:00,959 he has to humble himself at the foot of the cross 386 00:30:00,959 –> 00:30:05,239 and to say before almighty God, I am a sinner. 387 00:30:06,619 –> 00:30:08,260 In fact, he says in the New Testament, 388 00:30:08,260 –> 00:30:11,280 I’m the chief of sinners, shows how deeply he felt it. 389 00:30:12,939 –> 00:30:15,219 And if I’m to have any hope at all, 390 00:30:15,219 –> 00:30:20,219 it has to be by hanging on to your son, Jesus Christ, 391 00:30:20,359 –> 00:30:25,180 who therefore is the supreme value of my life. 392 00:30:25,180 –> 00:30:30,180 Selling, that’s what it looked like for Paul. 393 00:30:31,739 –> 00:30:34,280 That’s what it looked like for you and for me, too. 394 00:30:37,099 –> 00:30:41,520 By the way, it’s very, very striking to me. 395 00:30:41,520 –> 00:30:43,540 If you look at verse 36, 396 00:30:45,099 –> 00:30:47,640 very striking to me that this parable, 397 00:30:47,640 –> 00:30:49,459 or these two parables rather, 398 00:30:49,459 –> 00:30:52,099 we’re told not to the crowds at large, 399 00:30:52,140 –> 00:30:53,959 but to the disciples. 400 00:30:55,459 –> 00:30:56,900 See if you look back to verse one, 401 00:30:56,900 –> 00:31:00,119 you’ll see that it began with Jesus was by the lake 402 00:31:00,119 –> 00:31:02,400 and the crowds gathered and so there was so many people 403 00:31:02,400 –> 00:31:03,300 here to get in the boat, 404 00:31:03,300 –> 00:31:05,180 and he’s speaking the parable of the Sower 405 00:31:05,180 –> 00:31:07,699 and so forth to them. 406 00:31:08,979 –> 00:31:11,619 But in verse 36, we’re told he goes inside, 407 00:31:11,619 –> 00:31:12,819 he goes into the house. 408 00:31:12,819 –> 00:31:14,260 He’s not with the big crowds now, 409 00:31:14,260 –> 00:31:15,760 he’s sitting with the twelve. 410 00:31:16,859 –> 00:31:18,760 And it’s there that he gives the explanation 411 00:31:18,760 –> 00:31:21,500 of the parable of the wheat and of the weeds 412 00:31:21,500 –> 00:31:22,680 that we looked at the other week. 413 00:31:22,680 –> 00:31:24,479 And it’s there that he continues 414 00:31:24,479 –> 00:31:29,079 to tell these two stories of the treasure and of the pearl. 415 00:31:29,079 –> 00:31:32,880 He tells them not to the crowds but to the disciples. 416 00:31:32,880 –> 00:31:37,719 The twelve were there and that means 417 00:31:37,719 –> 00:31:40,900 that Judas heard Jesus tell this story. 418 00:31:43,000 –> 00:31:44,979 Jesus told this story to him. 419 00:31:46,719 –> 00:31:48,839 I mention that for this reason that you see, 420 00:31:48,839 –> 00:31:53,119 Judas was with Jesus and the disciples. 421 00:31:53,119 –> 00:31:54,760 He was with them actually for three years, 422 00:31:54,760 –> 00:31:56,359 a lot of time and actually a lot of 423 00:31:56,359 –> 00:31:58,280 investment of his time and commitment 424 00:31:58,280 –> 00:31:59,439 and all the rest of it. 425 00:32:01,660 –> 00:32:05,540 But Judas had other pearls that he valued more than Jesus. 426 00:32:06,920 –> 00:32:08,420 That’s the story of his life. 427 00:32:10,180 –> 00:32:14,380 Something else was bigger to Judas than Jesus 428 00:32:15,140 –> 00:32:19,780 and so he sold the pearl of great price 429 00:32:19,780 –> 00:32:21,839 and he did it for 30 pieces of silver. 430 00:32:24,420 –> 00:32:28,319 If there is a bigger pearl in your life than Jesus, 431 00:32:28,319 –> 00:32:32,560 at some point, you will sell Jesus 432 00:32:32,560 –> 00:32:34,119 in order to keep that pearl. 433 00:32:36,699 –> 00:32:39,359 If there is a bigger pearl in your life than Jesus, 434 00:32:39,359 –> 00:32:41,619 at some point, you will sell Jesus 435 00:32:42,079 –> 00:32:45,640 in order to keep that pearl. 436 00:32:45,640 –> 00:32:50,640 That is why Jesus says, astonishingly to us perhaps, 437 00:32:52,219 –> 00:32:55,079 if you don’t love me more than you love your father 438 00:32:55,079 –> 00:32:57,400 and your mother, or your son or your daughter, 439 00:32:57,400 –> 00:32:58,880 you cannot be my disciple. 440 00:33:00,839 –> 00:33:03,500 If you’re not ready to take up your cross every day 441 00:33:03,500 –> 00:33:07,140 and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. 442 00:33:07,140 –> 00:33:08,199 Why is he saying that? 443 00:33:08,859 –> 00:33:11,219 Because if you have another pearl 444 00:33:11,219 –> 00:33:12,439 that’s bigger in your life, 445 00:33:12,439 –> 00:33:13,599 if you have something that you think 446 00:33:13,599 –> 00:33:15,079 is higher value than Jesus, 447 00:33:15,079 –> 00:33:16,920 at some point you’ll do a Judas too. 448 00:33:18,640 –> 00:33:21,119 And you’ll sell the pearl of great price 449 00:33:21,119 –> 00:33:25,760 for whatever it is that you think is of greater value. 450 00:33:27,900 –> 00:33:31,219 Now, friends, if that sounds too hard for you, 451 00:33:31,219 –> 00:33:34,180 all I can say to you is this. 452 00:33:34,180 –> 00:33:37,880 That if you don’t think Jesus Christ is worth it, 453 00:33:37,900 –> 00:33:39,060 other people do. 454 00:33:41,140 –> 00:33:44,959 And if you don’t want to have him, other people will. 455 00:33:47,040 –> 00:33:49,680 My prayer is that today, 456 00:33:49,680 –> 00:33:53,939 you will see the supreme value of Jesus Christ 457 00:33:53,939 –> 00:33:56,560 and considering who he is and what he has done 458 00:33:56,560 –> 00:33:58,119 and what he offers and the fact 459 00:33:58,119 –> 00:34:00,300 hat he alone can be yours forever. 460 00:34:00,300 –> 00:34:03,959 You will say to have him is worth any price. 461 00:34:05,359 –> 00:34:06,439 It’s worth any price. 462 00:34:08,000 –> 00:34:13,000 Searching, finding, selling, buying. 463 00:34:16,560 –> 00:34:18,439 Verse 44 then in his joy, 464 00:34:18,439 –> 00:34:23,080 he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field. 465 00:34:25,000 –> 00:34:28,419 Verse 46 on finding one pearl of great value, 466 00:34:28,419 –> 00:34:33,419 he went and sold all that he had and he bought it. 467 00:34:34,199 –> 00:34:38,239 Now there is a definite transaction 468 00:34:38,239 –> 00:34:39,600 that is taking place here. 469 00:34:39,600 –> 00:34:42,159 That’s why Jesus deploys this analogy 470 00:34:42,159 –> 00:34:44,800 of buying and of selling. 471 00:34:45,860 –> 00:34:49,080 We all know of course that salvation is a gift 472 00:34:49,080 –> 00:34:53,100 that we do not earn but it is a gift that must be received. 473 00:34:53,100 –> 00:34:55,040 There is a definite transaction. 474 00:34:55,040 –> 00:34:56,280 That’s the point here. 475 00:34:57,360 –> 00:35:01,820 It is a gift that can only be received with empty hands, 476 00:35:02,699 –> 00:35:04,939 not with hands that are full of other pearls 477 00:35:04,939 –> 00:35:09,520 that we want to give equal place to in our lives. 478 00:35:11,419 –> 00:35:12,260 Buying. 479 00:35:13,679 –> 00:35:16,919 A definite transaction in which Jesus Christ 480 00:35:16,919 –> 00:35:19,439 of supreme value in all that He is 481 00:35:19,439 –> 00:35:21,959 and all that He’s done and all that He offers 482 00:35:21,959 –> 00:35:23,360 for ever and for ever, 483 00:35:23,360 –> 00:35:27,780 actually becomes yours and you become His. 484 00:35:28,580 –> 00:35:32,800 And, when this treasure of Christ is yours, 485 00:35:34,000 –> 00:35:36,419 you say, how do I know if the treasure of Christ is mine? 486 00:35:36,419 –> 00:35:38,979 Well, you, when this treasure of Christ is yours 487 00:35:38,979 –> 00:35:40,580 you know that you are rich. 488 00:35:42,280 –> 00:35:45,100 You are blessed with every spiritual blessing 489 00:35:45,100 –> 00:35:47,419 in Jesus Christ. 490 00:35:48,560 –> 00:35:50,620 Paul puts it this way, all things are yours, 491 00:35:50,620 –> 00:35:53,000 life and death and the present and the future. 492 00:35:53,000 –> 00:35:54,860 All things are yours, your Christ, 493 00:35:55,300 –> 00:35:58,040 all things are your, your Christ and Christ is God. 494 00:35:58,040 –> 00:36:00,000 So if Jesus Christ is yours, 495 00:36:00,000 –> 00:36:01,919 whatever is going on in your life, 496 00:36:01,919 –> 00:36:03,919 don’t feel sorry for yourself. 497 00:36:05,439 –> 00:36:07,500 The pearl of great price is yours. 498 00:36:09,399 –> 00:36:11,300 How could you feel sorry for yourself? 499 00:36:12,919 –> 00:36:15,040 And when Jesus Christ is yours, 500 00:36:16,280 –> 00:36:18,520 you will no longer be searching. 501 00:36:19,459 –> 00:36:21,719 See this trader who has been trading all the time 502 00:36:21,719 –> 00:36:22,719 I’m looking for better pearls, 503 00:36:22,719 –> 00:36:23,719 I’m looking for better pearls, 504 00:36:23,719 –> 00:36:25,340 I’m looking for better pearls. 505 00:36:26,739 –> 00:36:27,580 Now what’s he done? 506 00:36:27,580 –> 00:36:29,080 He sold all the pearls that he has 507 00:36:29,080 –> 00:36:32,520 in order to have the pearl of great price. 508 00:36:32,520 –> 00:36:34,439 That means he is done trading. 509 00:36:35,399 –> 00:36:37,919 He’s nothing else to trade with. 510 00:36:37,919 –> 00:36:39,679 He isn’t going to sell the one thing 511 00:36:39,679 –> 00:36:41,739 that is of supreme value to him. 512 00:36:43,459 –> 00:36:45,600 So when the pearl merchant has made 513 00:36:45,600 –> 00:36:47,500 his purchase he effectively is saying 514 00:36:47,500 –> 00:36:49,040 I’m done with this market. 515 00:36:49,040 –> 00:36:51,159 I’m no longer in this business. 516 00:36:52,060 –> 00:36:56,699 I have found what I am looking for. 517 00:36:59,020 –> 00:37:01,939 If a church person says, oh I’m still on a long search, 518 00:37:01,939 –> 00:37:03,659 I’m still on a long journey. 519 00:37:04,959 –> 00:37:07,520 I have to say you’ve not yet found Jesus Christ, 520 00:37:08,780 –> 00:37:10,760 because when you’ve found Jesus Christ 521 00:37:10,760 –> 00:37:12,320 when Jesus Christ really is yours 522 00:37:12,320 –> 00:37:13,739 you’ll not be describing yourself 523 00:37:13,739 –> 00:37:15,199 as on some kind of a long search. 524 00:37:15,199 –> 00:37:17,899 You’ll say, I have found what I am looking for. 525 00:37:17,899 –> 00:37:19,840 Then what your life will be about this? 526 00:37:19,840 –> 00:37:22,479 It’ll be as Paul says, I want to know him. 527 00:37:22,479 –> 00:37:25,379 I want to know more of the power of his resurrection. 528 00:37:25,379 –> 00:37:27,800 That’s the journey that I’m on now. 529 00:37:27,800 –> 00:37:29,260 I want to know even what it is 530 00:37:29,260 –> 00:37:31,000 to enter into the fellowship of his suffering. 531 00:37:31,000 –> 00:37:32,080 That’s what I’m all about, 532 00:37:32,080 –> 00:37:36,060 but I’m not searching for what’s of supreme value in life. 533 00:37:36,060 –> 00:37:37,479 I’m not on that journey now. 534 00:37:37,479 –> 00:37:38,439 No I’ve found it! 535 00:37:38,439 –> 00:37:42,159 I have found what I was looking for. 536 00:37:43,780 –> 00:37:44,620 I end here friends. 537 00:37:44,620 –> 00:37:48,739 The good news is that the owner of the pearl 538 00:37:48,800 –> 00:37:50,280 is ready to sell. 539 00:37:52,040 –> 00:37:54,139 If you will have Jesus Christ, 540 00:37:54,139 –> 00:37:56,620 Jesus Christ will be yours today. 541 00:37:58,239 –> 00:37:59,080 But here’s the deal. 542 00:37:59,080 –> 00:38:00,620 You must go to God. 543 00:38:02,179 –> 00:38:06,060 You must go to God and seal the deal. 544 00:38:07,260 –> 00:38:08,659 This treasure is his. 545 00:38:08,659 –> 00:38:11,580 Jesus Christ is his son. 546 00:38:13,379 –> 00:38:16,199 So you go to God if you want him to be yours today, 547 00:38:16,199 –> 00:38:18,320 you go to God and you say, 548 00:38:18,340 –> 00:38:22,139 you see supreme value in his son. 549 00:38:22,139 –> 00:38:23,199 You tell him that. 550 00:38:24,899 –> 00:38:27,620 You tell him that you’ve been living for the wrong things 551 00:38:27,620 –> 00:38:30,340 and that nothing that you have in life, 552 00:38:30,340 –> 00:38:31,959 nothing that he has given to you, 553 00:38:31,959 –> 00:38:34,199 even the good pearls that he has given to you, 554 00:38:34,199 –> 00:38:36,860 can compare with the value of who Christ is 555 00:38:36,860 –> 00:38:40,040 and what Christ has done and what Christ offers to you. 556 00:38:40,040 –> 00:38:41,919 Go to God and tell him this. 557 00:38:41,919 –> 00:38:43,260 Tell him you’re ready 558 00:38:44,439 –> 00:38:45,459 for selling. 559 00:38:46,879 –> 00:38:47,739 Tell him 560 00:38:48,560 –> 00:38:51,800 I have been pursuing my own way. 561 00:38:53,620 –> 00:38:56,580 I have been defining my own truth. 562 00:38:57,719 –> 00:39:02,199 I have been living my own life and ruling my own life, 563 00:39:02,199 –> 00:39:05,080 but from this day, 564 00:39:06,439 –> 00:39:07,959 these pearls are sold. 565 00:39:09,719 –> 00:39:12,800 In order that I may obtain the pearl 566 00:39:13,919 –> 00:39:16,939 of the one who from today is my way, 567 00:39:16,939 –> 00:39:21,939 my truth, and my life, Jesus Christ, your son, 568 00:39:23,060 –> 00:39:26,260 who today I embrace as my sovereign Lord 569 00:39:27,459 –> 00:39:29,459 and as my gracious savior. 570 00:39:30,939 –> 00:39:32,899 Let’s bow in prayer together, shall we? 571 00:39:37,659 –> 00:39:41,300 Father, I ask that those who bear your name 572 00:39:41,300 –> 00:39:43,520 on Earth, fathers, today, 573 00:39:44,399 –> 00:39:46,620 may see with new clarity, the glory, 574 00:39:46,620 –> 00:39:49,340 unique value of your son Jesus Christ 575 00:39:51,659 –> 00:39:54,979 and that he may be all to us. 576 00:39:57,699 –> 00:39:59,179 That the pearls 577 00:40:01,580 –> 00:40:04,500 that we count and value and prize 578 00:40:04,500 –> 00:40:06,979 may seem as nothing to him 579 00:40:07,020 –> 00:40:11,159 or to him and that truly 580 00:40:12,340 –> 00:40:14,699 we may become his disciples deliver us 581 00:40:14,699 –> 00:40:19,620 from being like Judas who hangs in with the disciple Crowd 582 00:40:19,620 –> 00:40:22,459 while prizing other pearls as of greater worth 583 00:40:25,219 –> 00:40:26,899 and bring us to the foot of the cross 584 00:40:26,899 –> 00:40:28,620 whatever that cost may be 585 00:40:30,199 –> 00:40:32,100 so that the transformation of a life 586 00:40:32,100 –> 00:40:34,800 under the Lordship and savior hood of Jesus Christ 587 00:40:34,800 –> 00:40:36,060 may begin in us. 588 00:40:36,060 –> 00:40:39,080 I pray this not only for fathers I pray this for sons 589 00:40:41,419 –> 00:40:43,120 and pray this for daughters 590 00:40:45,320 –> 00:40:46,520 pray this for mothers 591 00:40:48,760 –> 00:40:52,399 pray this for persons from every background 592 00:40:54,600 –> 00:40:57,399 for the sake of Jesus Christ 593 00:40:57,399 –> 00:40:59,100 in whom we glory 594 00:40:59,100 –> 00:41:01,959 and the news name we pray everyone said together 595 00:41:02,860 –> 00:41:03,679 Amen