Living with the Kingdom of Heaven in Mind - Life is a Journey, part 7
What does your forever look like? Not just your lifetime, but all eternity? As hard as it is to imagine, God has already promised us a priceless, personal, and awe-inspiring treasure. A place to feel loved and valued forever. All we have to do is say yes to Jesus and He will help us get there.
This message reveals why the kingdom of heaven is worth trading everything we have to attain it. Grab ahold of the promise of God, the priceless treasure of knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior, and you too will gain the kingdom of God and eternal life.
Through this series, you’ll learn how to live well & enjoy God's promises. You are loved by God; He knows your name. He has a plan for your life. Get helpful advice, encouragement, and hope for a life well lived in 2021 and beyond.
Are you walking in faith and victory? Set your eyes on the promises of God. You only have one life journey; say yes to Jesus. Like the parables of the buried treasure and the valuable pearl, stop at nothing to gain your entry into the kingdom of heaven.
Life is a journey, so live your life with the kingdom of God always in mind.
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN REVEALED IN PARABLES.
We are continuing our series on Life is a Journey. In this series we have looked at Abraham, Joseph, and Rahab. Today, we will be looking at two parables found in Matthew 13. A parable is like a story. Jesus used parables to illustrate moral and spiritual truths.
In Matthew 13 we find six parables:
The sower (v. 3-23, 37).
The weeds (v. 24-30, 38-43).
The mustard seed (v. 31-32).
The yeast (v. 33).
The hidden treasure (v. 44).
The pearl (v. 45-46).
Each parable was dealing with a spiritual principle regarding the kingdom of heaven.
The parable of the sower.
This refers to how the Gospel is spread and received by people in various states of spiritual health (Matthew 13:3-23, 37). This illustrates the Gospel message being spread and how some individuals might respond based on how the seed is received.
If the seed lands on hard soil, it can be stolen away.
If the seed landed in rocky soil, it may grow and later shrivel up for lack of soil.
If the seed landed among thorns, it could be choked out by other plants.
If the seed landed on good soil, it would grow and produce a crop greater than what was sown.
Each of these illustrations reflect how a person might respond to the Gospel: no response, limited response and quickly ignore, distracted and deny, or a healthy response that flourishes 100-fold. As people of faith, we must strive to have hearts that are pliable and soft. The soil of our hearts must always be ready to receive the word of God.
The parable of the weeds.
This reminds us that believers and non-believers live together here on Earth, but believers must be guarded and turn away from distractions (v. 24-30, 38-43). In this parable good seed was sown, however the enemy came after and sowed weeds. The wheat and weeds grew together and then at harvest time, the weeds were gathered first and burned, after which the wheat could be gathered without any problem. As people of faith, we should always strive to allow God’s Word to grow free of sinful desires and worldly distractions that limit growth.
The parable of the mustard seed; and the parable of yeast.
The mustard seed shows us that God can grow the kingdom of heaven from tiny to huge as believers turn to Him (v. 31-32). And the parable of the yeast reveals how God uses the smallest bit of faith to grow us into confident ambassadors for God (v. 33). Both parables relate how a small seed, or a small amount of yeast can grow into a large plant and become a tree as well as effect the entire amount of dough.
As believers we need to not limit what God desires us to do in us. We should be free to minister and share our faith and not let anything stop us from becoming all He desires us to be.
The parable of the hidden treasure (v. 44) and the parable of the pearl (v. 45-46).
These teach us that the kingdom of heaven is worth trading everything we have to attain it.
PARABLES HELP US LEARN SPIRITUAL TRUTHS ABOUT THE KINGDOM.
Each parable relates a spiritual truth concerning the kingdom of heaven.
We need to cherish the truth of the Gospel.
We need to allow the good news to grow in our hearts unhindered from the world’s distractions.
We must not allow sin or the cares of the world to choke out our faith or stunt our spiritual growth regarding what Gods wants to do in us.
We need to keep the soil of our heart ready to receive the word of God and all God has for us.
As believers, we must be aware of our surroundings and of what is tremendously important in life: Jesus and the kingdom of God.
The devil, the enemy of your soul, will try to blind you from seeing the truth:
He will try to stop you from hearing the truth.
He will try to choke out the truth with ideas and lies that are meant to confuse your understanding of the truth.
He may attempt to block the truth of the Gospel from you by having you believe that there is no God, and that truth is only relative, and that you can decide for yourself what is true.
The enemy of your soul may try to get you so busy with life that you miss what is tremendously important in life.
The enemy of your soul will attempt to trick you to blame God for a particular situation in the hopes that you will develop a calloused, hard heart and, by doing so, reject God.
Understanding 5 truth’s of the kingdom.
It is priceless.
It is desirable.
It is personal.
It is awe-inspiring.
It is unique.
1. The kingdom of God is priceless.
Life is a journey, so live your life with the kingdom of God always in mind.
Do not be so worldly minded that you overlook what is the true treasure in this life and the next:
knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior;
knowing that there is life beyond the physical life you know of today;
knowing the truth about the coming kingdom of God.
the kingdom of God is priceless and nothing in all the world will come close to satisfying your heart and soul.
With that let’s read Matthew:
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:44-46, NIV).
The kingdom of heaven is like a hidden treasure. It is also like a pearl of great value. In both cases, the one who finds the treasure does everything legally possible to possess that treasure for themselves.
These two parables illustrate the priceless value of the kingdom of God. Sadly, not everyone realizes the value of knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior. Many only see the present moment, the physical, the value of notoriety in today’s society, or the pleasures of this world, and they have refused to even consider the truth that the kingdom of God is real.
Jesus is speaking of the spiritual kingdom of God: not the physical Roman kingdom that was in power in Jesus’ day; or the once-great Greek society; nor any earthly kingdom.
The Apostle Paul was a Roman citizen by birth, yet a person could also buy their Roman citizenship if they had a large sum of money (Acts 22:27-28). However, no one can buy their way into becoming a citizen in the heavenly kingdom. The price is without measure. All the money, gold, silver, and jewels in the universe would not be enough to buy entry into the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:16-26). And our abilities and talents won’t do it either; none of these things has anything to do with gaining access to the kingdom of God.
Some of the beatitudes tell us something about what the kingdom of God cherishes:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
God doesn’t say the kingdom belongs to the popular, rich, mighty, happy, generous, beautiful, perfect, or strong. In fact, none of those things will help us get into heaven.
Instead, God looks for those who have a spirit of humility, and a spirit and heart that is pure. It doesn’t even matter where you come from or what your past sins are; what matters is faith in Jesus. We are blessed, happy, and can rejoice knowing our reward is in heaven, secure and safe.
Jesus paid the price for our entrance into heaven, the kingdom of God. That is why it’s priceless. There is nothing and no-one that can come close to repaying the price Jesus paid by dyeing on the cross. Faith in Jesus is what provides us the right to enter the kingdom of God.
The spiritual truth about the parables of the hidden treasure and pearl is that the kingdom of God is priceless and should be desired above all else.
2. The kingdom of God is desirable.
The second point I want you to know is that knowledge and truth of the kingdom of God is much like a hidden treasure in that, like the pearl of great price, it needs to be sought.
3. The kingdom of God is personal.
Third point is the knowledge of the kingdom of God is personal. In other words, the benefit of knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior is not something that can be passed down to others like a financial inheritance. Each person in faith, must discover for themselves the truth regarding the kingdom of God and eternal life with Christ. When our spiritual eyes are opened to the truth of the Gospel, and we come to faith in Christ and understand how precious the knowledge of Christ, Salvation, and the kingdom of God are, it will be as though we have found a hidden treasure and the pearl of great value.
4. The kingdom of God is awe-inspiring.
A fourth point is that the joy of knowing Christ is overwhelming and awe-inspiring. When the weight of sin and spiritual death is lifted off of us, it brings peace to our souls. The knowledge of God’s love, and the freedom from the bondage of sin and death are spiritual truths and treasures so priceless, that we are willing to sell everything else to gain the kingdom of God and enjoy eternal life with Christ.
5. The kingdom of God is unique.
Another point regarding the parables of the hidden treasure and pearl is that the truth of knowing and experiencing the kingdom of God for yourself is not the same for anyone else.
One person may come to the knowledge of Christ from listening to a Sunday sermon.
Another person may discover the truth regarding the kingdom of God and Jesus being Lord and savior from reading the bible.
Someone else, from a friend who shares their testimony of what Jesus means to them.
Still another by watching a spiritual TV program, or listening to a radio preacher. Many learned of Jesus and the kingdom of God at a Billy Graham crusade or TV special.
Some have had their hearts and spiritual eyes opened to the truth concerning the kingdom of God on a death bed or some painful experience.
Another person’s spiritual eyes were opened through a parable, where God sovereignly spoke to the heart and they embraced the truth about Christ for the first time.
is living for the kingdom on your priority list?
The work of gaining access to the kingdom is already done! Jesus said, “it is finished.” The kingdom is a priceless treasure waiting to be found; the truth of the kingdom of God is all around.
The priceless treasure of the kingdom of God, and knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior, cannot be compared to anything the world offers. Finding and knowing the truth of the kingdom of God, and faith if Christ, has a great effect on individuals. Lives have been changed for all eternity.
Some have given up all that the world offers to know Jesus and the kingdom of God: turning their backs on notoriety and riches; giving up their own desires to find great joy and fulfillment in God’s plans; some have even given their very lives for their faith.
Listen to what Jesus told His disciples:
‘ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?’ (Matthew 16:24-26).
What do you treasure in life?
As we live each day, it becomes more and more obvious that Life is a Journey; a journey of twists and turns, up’s and downs, filled with worldly lies, sinful desires and empty earthly promises that only come to disappoint in the end. The greatest lie is that there is nothing to see or believe in Jesus and the kingdom of God.
The truth of Jesus and the kingdom of God is that God loves you and that the message of the Gospel is real.
If you look closely and allow your faith, heart, and spiritual eyes to be opened to the truth, you will find living each day with the kingdom of God in mind you—like those individuals in the two parables we read about—will sell all you have to possess the priceless treasure of knowing Jesus as your Savior.
You will quickly realize that everything you once thought was important in life is nothing compared to the treasure of eternal life with Christ in Glory.
Let me encourage you to seek the treasure of the kingdom of God. You will find it as you seek it with all your heart. Investigate the Word of God, the Bible, for yourself. See if it is true. Be willing to turn your back on the world and grab ahold of the promise of God, the priceless treasure of knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior, and you too will gain the kingdom of God and eternal life.
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Matthew 13:44-46: What does your forever—your eternity—look like? As hard as it is to imagine, God has already promised us a priceless, personal treasure. All we have to do is say yes to Jesus and He will help us get there.