Matthew 13 Hidden Treasure
44 “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 buys that field.
A Costly Pearl
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and
upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Jesus spoke frequently about the kingdom of heaven:
Matthew 4:17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."
Matthew 4:23
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Matthew 6:10
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew
10:7
As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.'
Mark 1:15
"The time has come," he said. "The
kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!"
Luke 1:16
He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their
God.
Luke 10:9
Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
Luke 10:11
Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.'
Luke 11:20
But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Luke
21:31
Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
As we see in the above verses the reference to the kingdom of heaven is not about our eternal place with
God in heaven. The heavenly kingdom Jesus talked so much about is something we are to obtain, experience and walk in in this life. The first two verses from Matthew 13 talk about the kingdom being "a great treasure" and "of great value". Some of the other
scriptures list authority over demons and the power to heal as evidence of the kingdom's nearness.
There is an action required to walk in and obtain the kingdom of God. We are called to
repent and believe the good news. First let's look at repentance. To repent is first to recognize we are wrong, then to cofess our wrong and ask to be forgiven. That isn't the end of repentance though, it's really just the beginning.
Repenting also means that we turn from that wrong behavior, change our course and even our way of thinking to align ourselves with God and His will. Romans 12:2 says, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. This transforming and renewing of our minds
is part of the believing process. We believe because we have changed our minds not just our actions. Repentance and belief though are still the first step in our obtaining the kingdom of God.
Jesus talks about those who discover the kingdom being willing to give up what they have in order to obtain it. So even though the kingdom may be at hand, very near to us and even if we have repented, changed our course and our mind
we still need to purchase the kingdom. Take heart though the price is small. We need only to exchange the little we have for the treasure and great value of the kingdom.
I always want to tell
you the truth, so I need to tell you that unfortunately this kingdom life that we can have will not be without difficulty, trials and tribulation. Jesus says in John 16:33 These
things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” So obtaining and walking in the kingdom of God does not give us a life free from difficulty. We need only
to look at the suffering and trials of the disciples and apostles to see there will still be trials in a kingdom life. What we do gain though in obtaining the kingdom is power and authority, we are over comers as Christ has overcome.
In closing today I want to look again at Jesus response to Peter's confession of Christ in Matthew 16: 15 He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this
to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades
will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
Jesus says He will give the keys to the
kingdom of heaven. He says that the gates of hell will not be able to stand against His church built upon the foundation that Jesus is the Christ. The gates of hell are the entry points of evil into this world. In these last days these gates seem to be opening
wider and wider as evil, death and destruction become more ingrained into our daily lives. Jesus said though that He would give us the keys to the kingdom and the gates of hell will not stand against us. We will have power and authority to loose and bind things
on earth as they are in heaven.
My hope and prayer is that the daily nuggets we share will continue to accumulate into a great treasure
of kingdom truth. These nuggets then can be used as keys to the kingdom that lock the gates of hell, closing their access into our lives.
Latest comments
Vermont
West Virginia
Beauty
Pennsylvania