I invite you to turn with me this morning to Philippians 3. Philippians 3, as we read that chapter of Scripture in connection with the portion that serves as our text, Matthew 13, verses 44, 45, and 46. What we have there is in a series of parables that our Lord taught, we find two very short parables that go together of the hidden treasure and of the pearl. In connection with that, we read together Philippians chapter 3. Hear now the word of God. Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh, for it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus and who put no confidence in the flesh. Though I myself have reason for such confidence, 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 of 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 surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it, but one thing I do, forgetting what is behind, and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For as I have often told you before and now say again, even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their God is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. In the text, Matthew 13, 44-46. Our Lord says, 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. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Dear people of God, if I were to ask you to complete this sentence, I would give up everything for... What would you say? I would give up everything for? What's your answer? I would give up everything for my health. I would give up everything for my spouse or my children. I would give up everything in order to gain possession of this or that or the other thing. Now boys and girls, I'm sure that there have been times, at least for most of you, when there was something you really wanted. Something that you thought you couldn't live without. Something that seemed more important than anything else. Something that you would be willing to give anything or almost anything for. I'm pretty sure we've all been there. We've all experienced that. And I trust, beloved, that you understand that in teaching with these two short parables, Jesus is filling in that blank for His people, for kingdom citizens. At least filling it in for us as it ought to be. He is teaching what it is that is worth everything. He is teaching the infinite value of the kingdom of heaven. Yet with these short parables, Jesus is also hitting us where it hurts the most, isn't He? Because in a sense, He's calling each one of us to take inventory of how important the things are that attach us to this earth, to this life. The question is, where is your allegiance? Where is my allegiance? It's no secret that people by nature are fortune seekers. We all know that the American dream is to own our own homes, to possess our little corners of the world. A close second dream is to be our own boss, to own our own business. And for many, this, of course, is with the goal in mind of maybe early retirement and enjoying the leisurely life and the good things of this life. Now, this message of our Lord is indeed for each and every one of us, but I want to especially challenge the young people to sit up and take notice of what Christ is teaching here. Young people, as you endure those years of growth, those years of change, those years of decision-making, those years of peer pressure, and as you consider your ambitions for your life and what it is that motivates you, you must know the proper place of this life and the things of this life. Beloved, Jesus talks here about laying up treasures properly. Why? Because he says in another place, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So this morning, where is your heart? Where is your heart? I preach to you this gospel message, the call to prefer the kingdom of heaven. This is a call from our Lord Jesus Christ to his kingdom citizens to prefer, to desire, to strive for, to seek the kingdom of heaven. Now we know that with many of the parables, Jesus teaches something about the nature of the kingdom of heaven. And we might summarize by saying that the kingdom is found wherever Jesus Christ rules in the hearts of his people by his word and spirit. His kingdom is found wherever there is submission to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Yet it begins tiny like a mustard seed and grows to be strong and productive. It influences like leaven, secretly and silently, yet powerfully and effectively. The kingdom of heaven is not what it appears to be in the eyes of the world. All the world sees as something insignificant and worthless, not worth the time of day. And as they look at you and me as believers, they say, you're willing to give up all that you can have over here just for that thing called the faith? To the world, it's really something laughable. But with these two short parables, Jesus is teaching about an important aspect of the nature of His kingdom. The valuable nature of the kingdom. Because that which is insignificant in the eyes of the world is indeed most precious and most valuable. And I would be negligent if I didn't ask you at this very moment, do you understand this? And how valuable is the kingdom of heaven to you? Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field. What is a treasure? Now boys and girls, you might have many treasures. And a treasure might be defined by any number of things, any number of circumstances. Maybe something you found on a really fun vacation, and it's a treasure to you. Or something your grandpa and grandma gave you, it's a treasure. It doesn't have any monetary value, necessarily, but to you it's a treasure. But in Scripture, physical treasures signified man's riches and possessions, which gave him food and power and luxury. In the Old Testament, nations would increase in wealth after they had defeated other nations and plundered them, taking all their treasures, their gold, their silver, their jewels, and other possessions. And in the culture of our Lord's day, since things could often be very unstable, rich men would apparently divide their goods into three parts. And one part they would use for normal business, including providing for their necessary support. The second part we might say they would invest. They would turn into jewels of value which they could easily grab and take with them if they had to run for their life, if they had to flee for some reason, for safety. And the last third, they would bury. The idea of burying one's savings in the backyard in a coffee can goes back quite a ways. But you see, it was not unlikely that one would die before he could dig it up again, before he could retrieve his buried treasure, his buried fortune, or before he was able to tell his family where he buried it. And therefore it was possible for someone else like a hired man working in a field to accidentally find this buried treasure. And to find someone's lost or forgotten treasure obviously would mean a complete life change for the finder. He would go from rags to riches really almost instantly. Now, Jesus adds in the second parable, again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls when he found one of great value. See, this merchant is not a novice. He's not a beginner. Jesus is talking about one who knows his business. He knows what he's looking for, and he is an expert in being able to determine the value of whatever he finds. An unblemished pearl, one with no defects and impurities, was one of the most ancient symbols of perfection and was among the most precious of gems. And the average person did not have the purchasing power to afford pearls. This one, the one that Jesus says this merchant found, this one, the idea is this pearl, exceeded them all. Better than them all. And how are we to understand this? What is Jesus saying here about his kingdom? Very simply, the kingdom of heaven is a treasure to behold. Like this one pearl against which nothing else can compare. The ironic, the sad thing is that many see it, but the mystery of it is hidden from them. That's what Jesus said in his answer to why he's speaking in parables. because the kingdom has not been given to them, those who reject God, but given to His disciples, that they might understand more and more. But what is it that makes this kingdom so incomparably valuable? Fellowship and communion with the Most High God through Jesus Christ. That is the one great treasure of the kingdom, the incomparably rich and glorious pearl of the kingdom of heaven, which is hidden from unbelievers. No other kingdom can be, nor ought be compared with it, with God's kingdom. Nor the relationship can begin to compare in value with fellowship and communion with God. No earthly relationship, young people listen, no earthly relationship can truly be trusted if it does not flow from and is not founded upon a true relationship with God. The only citizenship that can profit one is that citizenship in heaven, as Paul says. The kingdom of heaven is alone the one great pearl of value. It alone is to be desired, as the psalmist says in Psalm 27, verse 4, one thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord. And beloved, this one great pearl treasure, we might say, is made up of many nuggets of treasure. We know that I speak of salvation in a sense as a package. I've used that statement here before. A package with many things involved included that we can talk about and rejoice in. The treasure that a kingdom citizen enjoys by the grace of God includes the blessing of salvation through the cross of Christ. And that salvation includes being chosen by God. It includes new life with a new heart to recognize my sin and my need and then to place my trust in the only Savior. It includes having all of my sins forgiven and being seen by God as perfectly righteous. You know, we hear that. We know that's what justification is, but think about that. Think about yourself in relation to the law of God. The sins we commit daily, we confess daily, yet God sees us as perfectly righteous. Amazing, isn't it? It includes being a temple of the Holy Spirit, being His dwelling place, and being His work in progress. It includes enjoying the providing hand of God, and as well having the certainty of eternal life. God's people enjoy the knowledge of God, peace that passes understanding, forgiveness of sins, the experience of God's favor and love, His constant and abiding goodness and mercy. Where do we end? God gives the blessing of strength and courage to bear the heavy burdens of life and to fight the good fight of faith. This kingdom treasure as well includes the communion of the saints as well as the privilege to witness for Christ. And all of this is to lead the child of God to look forward to the fullness of that salvation reserved in glory, including everlasting life. Beloved, nothing on this earth can compare with the riches of God's kingdom. Paul talks about these riches in Philippians 3, doesn't he? As he speaks of the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. as he speaks of the righteousness that is from God by faith. As he talks about that heavenly citizenship and the glorious, the glorified body. And you remember that Peter describes the believer's heavenly inheritance in that marvelous way. Incorruptible, undefiled, unfading. Those things will never happen to that heavenly inheritance. reserved, kept safe in heaven? You see, beloved, none of our earthly treasures are like this, are they? None of them can be described like that. Boys and girls, think back to Christmas time. Think back to the gifts you received, maybe the toys that you thought you needed so desperately. What were they? Do you remember? Where are they? Are they in the bottom of the closet or tucked under the bed somewhere? Hidden in a drawer? And for all of us, you go out and buy a new car, maybe, or a new house. Oh, it's nice when you buy it. Shiny, bright, the car. House is just perfect. Five, ten years, what do you have? 70, 80, 100,000 miles, scratches, dents, upholstery stains. Time to paint the trim on your house again. None of these things are like that heavenly treasure. This treasure of the kingdom of heaven is the supreme treasure, beloved, because it alone fully satisfies the needs of the heart. And it alone brings inner peace and satisfaction, and it alone gives value and worth to anything in this life. It's impossible to put an earthly price on these kingdom treasures. the complete forgiveness of sins. And as the elders heard the other night by one of our new members in Santee, she said, that's a lot of sin. My sins are forgiven, she said, and that's a lot of sin. The forgiveness of sins, peace with God, the blessings of salvation and eternal life cannot be bought with gold or silver, houses or property, fame or earthly glory. None of these things can even be measured against the treasure of the kingdom, none of these things is to be preferred over the kingdom of heaven. Only the kingdom of heaven and its treasure has eternal value. Everything else will be consumed by moth and rust. The valuable nature of the kingdom of heaven is that only there will one find the one and only treasure for life as God made it to be. Only there does one receive the riches of reconciliation, communion, and fellowship with God, along with all of those blessings of salvation. Yet even though nothing else can or does compare in value with the kingdom of heaven, it does not have the same worth in everyone's eyes, does it? A number of the parables point out as well that there are so many who are unresponsive to the word of the kingdom. Again, it means nothing to them. Their God is their belly, Paul says. Many see the kingdom as insignificant and worth nothing. There's nothing tangible that they can discern, and therefore they don't see any worthwhile future in being involved in the kingdom of heaven. Unless, of course, it's a matter of convenience for me. Some people think it's good to have Christians for friends because they might come in handy sometime. Or it might come in handy to have my name on the rolls of a church. You never know. But other than that, it's not worth it. It's only by the grace of God through the redeeming and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that the child of God not only sees, but understands the value of Christ's kingdom. Only to the illumined child of God does the kingdom of heaven have worth those who are darkened to the treasure of heaven. And to them, these treasures are worthless, and they even despise those like you and me who value these treasures. But those in whom the Spirit has begun His good work are able to confess with the psalmist, Your lovingkindness is better than life. But what is the kingdom of heaven worth? What Jesus teaches here as well, the uncompromising worth of the kingdom. That's how we are to see it. An uncompromising worth. Now we need to notice the actions of the two men, the man in the field and the merchant. And through them, notice two of the ways that God reveals his kingdom to his people. Some come upon this treasure suddenly and unexpectedly like the man in the field. They aren't necessarily looking for it. Their life is just fine. It's just the way they think it ought to be when all of a sudden the Holy Spirit of God illumines them to the truth. Paul himself was an example of this in the Damascus Road. And you remember that one word from the mouth of Jesus and Nathanael was a changed man? Others, like the merchant seeking fine pearls, enjoy the blessing of finding the kingdom of God by God's grace after a diligent search. That's not to say that all men seek after God and desire to find Him. It's not true. That's contrary to Scripture. Romans 1 teaches us that all men have a sense of divinity, a sense of God within them, But they suppress that truth. And they change that truth into the lie. But the point is that the Spirit of God leads some on a journey. And these are moved by the Holy Spirit to know that there is something more to life than meets the eye. And the Spirit of God leads them to search for it. And the Bible gives examples of this. The Ethiopian eunuch was led to search the Scriptures for the truth. Cornelius in Acts 10 had his prayers answered and the angel told him to send for Peter who would bring him the word of the Lord. Lydia, we're told in Acts 16, worshipped God and then we read, the Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And of course there's the Philippian jailer who asked, what must I do to be saved? But the point is, beloved, it's not how the Lord brings one to himself, But that all who are brought demonstrate the uncompromising worth of the kingdom. How did the man in the field and the merchant respond to their discoveries? The Bible says they went and sold all they had and gained possession of these treasures. Now don't worry, I don't believe Jesus is telling us to go and physically sell all that we have and to give all the proceeds to the church. We know that we cannot buy salvation in that way or any other way. God's grace is free, as Isaiah points out in Isaiah 55 when he says, Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money or without price. Yet we should also say that if something is getting in your way of being totally devoted to God, then yes, get rid of it. If your TV or your computer is keeping your family from needed quality family time as God intended it, or keeping you from spending that few minutes in God's Word, if you're trading that off for your computer or television, then indeed take it to the landfill. Leave it there. Get rid of it. If extracurricular activities keep you from giving your all to the kingdom, quit them. If your position at work in the company is forcing you to have to compromise your faith and how you believe God calls you to live before Him, look for another position. Look for another job. It might be difficult, but God will provide. He blesses faithfulness. The kingdom of heaven, beloved, demands total sacrifice. And to sell all that you have means that your whole heart is transferred from other interests to the one supreme interest, Jesus Christ. And then all earthly interests are seen in the light of Jesus Christ. We buy, we purchase in the sense that we gain rightful possession of the kingdom of heaven by grace through faith. And beloved, the lesson here is that all that we are and all that we have is from God and our all must be totally and completely dedicated to God's service and to the advancement of His kingdom cause. And this is and can be and must be true even when going about the normal, maybe mundane, daily tasks and activities. Whether you're cooking or cleaning or driving the kids to school or to activities, whether you're working or mowing the grass, all is to be done from a kingdom perspective. Yet whatever stands in the way must be removed and discarded. The writer of Hebrews 12 says, Let us lay aside every weight in the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Jesus taught that whomever would save his life must lose it, but he that loses his life will find it. And we read Paul's beautiful instruction about this, didn't we? He had everything, every earthly reason to boast, he says. He had the things that the men of his day would want. The things that made him somebody in the sight of society. But, he says, But whatever was to my profit, I now consider lost for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. Paul knew the value of the kingdom. And by the grace of God, Paul gave up all that he had, much in the eyes of men, but which he knew or became to know is really very little. And he gained everything Christ had. Beloved, as God's people, we are called to surrender all that is inconsistent with the coveted prize of fellowship and communion with our sovereign and supreme God. Nothing may stand in the way. Our own personal interests and desires must be put aside in order to take up the cross and follow Jesus. And notice the requirement. All was sold to buy the field and pearl. We've just come through that season of the year called tax time. And in our country, your income determines how much tax you pay. But in the kingdom of heaven, God doesn't require any more from the rich or any less from the poor. He requires the same from all. Nothing is to be compromised. He shows no favoritism. All is to be given. All of our time and money and efforts and relationships and business dealings, parenting skills, obedience as children, respect as students, recreation, absolutely everything is to be in service. These things are to be enjoyed. but to see in service to the king of the kingdom. And we don't ever have a reason to ask, well, Lord, what about this? Do you really want that? What about that? Nothing may be left out. And it is to be sacrificed with joy. Not like the rich young ruler who went away from Jesus sorrowful because he was a man of great means. For neither of these men in the parables was the cost too high. Neither of them thought too much was required. They didn't negotiate to get the price down. They didn't complain that the price was overvalued. They willingly gave what was required. And they secured the prize. After going through all the work of selling everything, they did not lose out. You see, beloved, for those who seek first God's kingdom in the power of the Holy Spirit, the prize is sure. We will not lose out. Yet we must all confess that there are times when we are looking for the benefits of God's kingdom, but we don't always want to live up to the demands. 24-7? Oh, God expects way too much. Micah 6, verse 8 says, He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. And we must also confess that sometimes when our expectations of the church and God's people are not met, when we are disappointed, and we sometimes are, we're tempted to give up on the whole thing. We're tempted to give up on the kingdom and our citizens. I don't need them. Who needs them? And we also know that we will never give all to our God perfectly in this life, but our prayers that the Spirit of God will faithfully complete His work in us, Pardon me, that every day we might give up more and more of this life for God's glory and for the sake of the next life. Yet, beloved, our only comfort, our only true comfort is that our Lord Jesus Christ in our place has uncompromisingly given all that He had for our sake. And because He did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, he has purchased that wonderful treasure for all of his people. It's bought and paid for. He holds the receipt in his hand, as it were. Not one will be kept from eternally enjoying that kingdom treasure. But for those who reject him, once the temporary treasures of this life are consumed, they themselves will be destroyed by the consuming fire of God's wrath. Yet, beloved, the good news is that today is still the day of God's grace. If you have not yet looked to the Lord Jesus Christ and repented of your sins and believed in Him and placed your trust in Him, there's hope. He calls you to repent and believe on Him and that eternal treasure will be yours. You will be not left behind. People of God, those who confess the Savior Jesus Christ are called to lay up eternal treasures in heaven, not temporary treasures on this earth. And we know by experience that the battle continues today for our allegiance. Satan's temptations include money and power and wealth and fame and lifestyle and position. All these things that become attractive to our eyes. But for those who live from the sufficiency of Christ, these worldly things are not an end in themselves. but may be gifts from God to be used to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. And if you have the assurance, beloved, of owning the treasure of God's kingdom and all of its benefits in Christ, then you know that you have it all. You have it all. Nothing can be added to make it any better. Not one thing. And you also know that whatever you do have in this life, whether much or little, You might say it is an added bonus, huh? Like frosting on the cake. Doesn't make it any better, but what a joy for us. Whether little or much. Whether you eat rice and beans or filet mignon. Whether you purchase your clothes second hand from AmVets or go to Nordstrom's. Whether you drive a 10-year-old car that the tires are almost falling off and leaks oil all over. Whether you drive a brand new car. Whether you live in a small two-bedroom apartment or a mansion. Whether you barely make ends meet or have financial security. Whether you enjoy good health or you struggle day by day with your health. Whatever. Whatever our situation in life as believers, we have it all in Christ Jesus. And this life is simply a means to the glory of the next. So therefore, beloved, what is the kingdom of heaven worth to you? Young people, what is your focus? To all of us, where is your allegiance? To reject the treasure of kingdom life is to reject the kingdom's king. Remember again Jesus' words, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Because of him we have been given the greatest, most valuable prize of all and therefore may we be content to live from the riches of our Lord Jesus Christ who gave His all that we might have all that He has to give. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we thank You and praise You for the truth and the beauty of Your Word. We must confess, though, that having heard this word, at times we are not content. We are not satisfied with what we have in this life. Yet, Father, remind us daily that we have it all. We have it all. And the things of this life, we might say are extra from you, and that these things are to be used, whether little or much, to glorify and praise your most holy name as we look forward to the great inheritance one day in heavenly glory. Thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ, the priceless treasure, the salvation which is ours in him alone. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.