And so He focuses His disciples on the task of proclaiming the kingdom rather than attempting to establish a church which is perfectly pure of unbelief, because Jesus says there'll never be such on this earth until the final judgment. And then in the parable of the mustard seed, we learned that we were not to despise small beginnings for the gospel.
The mustard seed to look at is not very impressive. In fact, Jesus says it's the smallest of the garden seeds. And yet it grows up into a massive tree, ten or fifteen feet tall, the largest of the garden plants. In other words, don't underestimate the kingdom through it begins in an unimpressive way. It will grow, it will prosper, but don't measure the kingdom by it's apparent size. And so we also learned that important lesson as the disciples expected the kingdom to come in a glorious form, and they were not prepared for the humble form of the kingdom which the Lord Jesus Christ was ushering in.
And finally, in the parable of the leaven, the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us never to underestimate the impact of the kingdom, even if it works silently and without our observing it, just like leaven, just like yeast in bread, causes the whole of the loaf to rise, so the kingdom permeates everything that it touches and has a broad impact even if we are not drawn to it with regard to our attention. Even if we don't notice how totally it is impacting everything that it touches, the kingdom is going to work.
And so today we come to Matthew 13 verses , and we'll look at three more of Jesus' parables. Let's hear God's holy and inspired word beginning in verse Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.
So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Father, we bow before You. This is Your word meant to build Your disciples up in the faith as the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ as those who trust in Him.
We would be instructed by Your word in Spirit. Apply this truth to our own hearts and our own circumstances and by the Spirit Lord, keep us from failing to see the glory and value of the kingdom.
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We ask it in Jesus' name, amen. In these three brief parables, Jesus reminds us of three things. First, He reminds us that the true value of the kingdom is hidden to some. His disciples couldn't believe it. Surely not the glorious kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Surely no one could underestimate how valuable that is. But He reminds us here that the true value of the kingdom is hidden to some. Secondly, He reminds us that belonging to the kingdom is worth more than everything else. And then in the third parable, He teaches us that though the kingdom is mixed in this age, yet it will be purified in the judgment.
And if we are truly citizens of the Lord Jesus' kingdom, then these truths will make a practical difference in our lives, in our thoughts, in our attitudes, and in our priorities. And so I'd like to study them with you today. The true value of the kingdom is hidden to some. The first one you'll see there in verse 44 as Jesus tells the story, or the parable, of the treasure hidden in the field. There we learn that the true Christian sees the worth of the kingdom, even though it is hidden to the eyes of the world. Look at the parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field which a man found and hid again, and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and he buys that field.
Jesus, by the way, is apparently speaking these last three parables directly to His disciples. They had already asked Him to explain one parable. He had volunteered them another explanation of the parable of the tares.
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And these parables come after that explanation, indicating that Jesus shares these parables in addition to the ones that He had given to the multitude with the express purpose of helping His disciples understand the nature of the kingdom that they were supposed to proclaim. I mean, it's a bad thing to send someone out to proclaim a message that they don't understand. It would be like sending me out to explain to you a computer manual.
These disciples need to understand the nature of the kingdom, and so the Lord Jesus is explicitly honing and reemphasizing certain aspects of the kingdom that He has previously taught them. For instance, the third parable in this text, this parable which concerns the dragnet, clearly reiterates the truth with which He had taught them in the parable of the tares and the wheat. Apparently He thought that this was a truth so important that they could not fail to understand that if they were going to effectively proclaim the kingdom.
And after all, that's what He was sending them out to do. He told them that they were to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of heaven. That was their job. And so it was essential that they understood what it was that they were to proclaim. Now even if we're not called to proclaim that good news as Christians, we must understand the nature of this kingdom lest we miss the blessing of it as it is set forth in the word. And so, here in this parable Jesus highlights certain aspects of the kingdom to edify His disciples, to reinforce certain things that He's already stressed to them, and to correct misunderstandings they had about the kingdom of God.
The story that He first tells here in verse 44 focuses on a man who, while digging in a field, unexpectedly comes upon a treasure. And when he finds that treasure, the treasure is so valuable that it's worth more than the field and it's worth more than everything else that he has. And so he goes out, he gives away everything that he has in order to purchase the field, and he obtains the treasure.
And the story is actually a very commonplace kind of story. It would have not been uncommon for people in Jesus' time to bury family heirlooms and treasure. There were not secure places available to common folk, and in times of war or raids or because of fear of burglary, it would not have been uncommon to bury family heirlooms.
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There's a story from my family's past that approximates this one. When my father was a little boy growing up in Union County, South Carolina, every family reunion, on the afternoons, all the cousins would spend the afternoons with shovels on the old family home, the McDowell home at Liberty Hill, South Carolina, digging for the family silver, which had been buried during the War between the States to save it from the invader.
And they would dig and dig and dig, and throughout his childhood years they never found it. Now there's a tag at the end of that story. In the s, my father went into one of his cousins' homes whose mother had just passed away. And up on the mantle piece there was a very large piece of silverware, like a serving tray. As dad grew closer to it, there was a London silver mark on it, and it was so thick and so laden that he could actually bend it with his fingers.
That's how silvery it was. At any rate, this man buys a field and in it he finds a treasure. We're not told why it was that he was digging in a field that he didn't own in the first place.
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Perhaps he was a renter. But he comes across a treasure, and he recognizes that this treasure is more valuable than anything that he has, and so he is willing to sell everything in order to obtain this treasure. The disciples expected the kingdom to be obviously valuable to everyone. And they expected the people of Israel to diligently be seeking after that kingdom because it was so valuable. Now listen to the parable as Jesus tells it. The kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. And a certain man unexpectedly comes upon it while he's digging and he sells everything that he has in order to buy it.
Jesus, in this parable, indicates that the treasure is hidden to many. Not all will see the value of the kingdom of heaven. Not even all those in Israel will see the value of the kingdom of heaven. Notice three aspects to the story. First of all, the treasure is hidden. It is not openly displayed for all. Not all see the value of the treasure. Secondly, notice that the treasure is found unexpectedly. This man was not in the field digging for treasure. He was digging for something else. Perhaps he was plowing his field.
And he stumbles upon this treasure. So he wasn't even looking for it when he found it. And finally, notice this treasure is worth everything. Jesus indicates that there is nothing in this man's life that can match the value of the treasure which he has found. And so this parable shows the incalculable preciousness of salvation for those who discover it and obtain possession of it without ever even looking for it.
This parable reminds us of the exceeding preciousness of the kingdom, even if the world doesn't value the kingdom in that way. Now this parable can serve as a diagnostic for our hearts. We have to ask ourselves this question: Is the kingdom my priority? If we do not value the kingdom as the greatest treasure, if we do not value saving eternal relationship with Jesus Christ above all else, then we have cast our lot with those who do not have the treasure, because that is the treasure, and it is worth losing everything else to obtain. Listen to what William Hendriksen says about this parable: It is the supreme treasure because it fully satisfies the needs of the heart.
This is the one needful thing. This is the one thing that satisfies, the one thing that we need, and nothing else matches up to it. Have you made that estimation on Christ and His gospel? Is it the one thing? Is it the priority? Is it the treasure of your life? The Apostle Paul, friends, is a living illustration of this parable. If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to Philippians chapter 3.
In verse 8, and the first half of verse 9, the Apostle Paul gives us a little glimpse of the aftermath of his own conversion. Remember, Paul was on the way to Damascus to persecute Christians, and unexpectedly he encountered the treasure. And he rightly saw the value of the treasure and he gave up everything in order to embrace that treasure. And here's what he says about it in Philippians 3: Paul literally did lose everything. He lost his career, his reputation, and it is not difficult for us to imagine losing all of his family and his friends.
For he had sided with Jesus the Nazarene, and that meant to the people of his day, as to many of our Jewish friends today, to turn his back on his culture and his heritage. And he was ready to give it all. And not only to give it all, my friends, but never to regret having giving it all.
In his eyes, everything that he has given up is rubbish in comparison to knowing Jesus Christ as Lord. Many of you have read the wonderful book by J. Packer called Knowing God, and in the second chapter, he tells the story of a colleague who, because of his commitment to Christ and Christian principles had lost any possibility of advancing through the British university system to a higher level as a professor. And Packer tells the story of walking with him in the woods one day, and he asked his friend whether he ever regretted the choice he made, and whether he resented what had happened to him.
And his friend's response was simply this: Now how many of us can say that honestly about our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Second, the statements seem to have no purpose. They are simply disparate facts pried from the biblical moorings that communicate their cause and import.
Without a clear purpose in view, listeners have no apparent reason to listen to a sermon. Finally, the statements beacon no application. They have no apparent relevance to the lives of those addressed. Without application, a sermon offers people no incentive to heed a message. Most will reasonably question why they should waste time giving attention to something that even the preacher does not seem to be able to relate to their lives. Statements of truth, even biblical truth, do not automatically make a message for the pulpit. Well-constructed sermons require unity, purpose, and application.
What is the difference between lecturing and preaching? Your goal is to equip your hearers to honor and serve the Lord. Expository preaching attempts to present and apply the truths of a specific biblical passage. Consecutive expository preaching is teaching through a book or section of Scripture. There are several advantages with consecutive expository preaching. Jim Newheiser gives six advangages for teaching through a passage or book of the Bible in an expository manner. Although the degree of homiletical skill will vary, God promises to perform his purposes through all who faithfully proclaim his truth.
Redeeming the Expository Sermon Kindle Locations Moves and Structures Philadelphia: Fortress, , The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages, 2nd ed. Baker, , See further the definition below and in chap. Home Who We Are Equipping the saints for ministry "I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Growing and Changing in Christ Welcome to our blog! A leader must be devoted to his wife; one-woman man Titus 1: A Pastor must love his wife exclusively with his mind, will and emotions and not just his body. If a leader has children, they must be in submission while living in the home, though not perfect Titus 1: The first flock for a pastor is his own family as Pastor Dad. A leader is a faithful steward or manager in carrying out his responsibilities Titus 1: Here the term used is overseer Greek episkopos.
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It is not another office, but a functional title of the elder. It is what he does. He takes responsibility, but not ownership. A leader must be humble — not arrogant Titus 1: A pastor must constantly demonstrate the gospel by admitting when he is wrong and assuming responsibility and restoring relationships. A leader must be gentle — not quick-tempered Titus 1: No man will be of any use in the kingdom that is quick-tempered. The difference between how Jesus demonstrated anger is that He was angry at the abuse of others in the name of religion and the dishonoring of God.
We get angry at how it affects us. A leader must be sober — not a drunkard Titus 1: This is not just overindulgence in alcohol but is idiomatic for any behavior that fuels addictive responses. A leader must be peaceful — not violent Titus 1: A pastor is prone to inflict violence through his words. He is to be a peacemaker. A leader must have financial integrity — not greedy for gain Titus 1: A pastor is to be upright in his financial dealings and not accused of pursuing money over the kingdom of God. A leader must be hospitable Titus 1: A pastor genuinely loves what is good.
He does not just think he should love it. A leader must be upright Titus 1: He has integrity in his relationships and in how he treats others. A leader must be holy Titus 1: His life is devoted wholeheartedly to Jesus externally and internally. A leader must be able to teach Titus 1: All of the other qualifications are character qualities. This is the only ability-based requirement. He is to be able to teach sound doctrine, not just be able to communicate in an excellent manner.
His teaching can be to one or two, to twenty, to a hundred or to a thousand. Most of the churches in Crete were house churches. The elders were to defend the faith once delivered to the saints against the numerous false teachers that arose. A leader must be spiritually Mature 1 Tim 3: Positions of authority without spiritual maturity lead to the trap of pride. When pride grows in a man, sin abounds.
A leader must be respectable 1 Tim 3: That does not mean that everyone must like him or even appreciate him. It means that there is no credible witness to an ongoing sinful behavior. A leader must be an example to the flock 1 Peter 5: Leaders, and especially pastors and elders are to be examples of Biblical expressions of chastity, marriage and sexuality, time management, parenting, worship, relationships and every other way.
A pastor should be someone your sons could pattern their life after and the kind of man your daughter should marry. Maturity Remember that these qualifications are not just for leaders, but they are descriptive of all mature Christians everywhere. What is Expository Preaching? According to Mark Dever of 9 Marks ministries an expositional sermon or teaching is: Expository Preaching is Exegetical What is expository preaching? Expository Preaching is Powerful What is the difference between lecturing and preaching?
Advantages with Consecutive Expository Preaching Jim Newheiser gives six advangages for teaching through a passage or book of the Bible in an expository manner. You and your hearers grasp the message of a book as a whole. You will understand passages in their context. Your preaching will have balance — covering the whole counsel of God. You will be helped in avoiding hobby horses. You can address delicate subjects more naturally. Dangers with Consecutive Expository Preaching Jim also give seven dangers in expository preaching: Some expository preaching is monotonous — How should Leviticus be taught?