Matthew

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The Kingdom is Treasure: The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Merchant

July 28, 2013 | Matthew 13:44-46 | discipleship

Pastor Jonathan continued our Parables sermon series by looking at the Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Merchant in Matthew 13:44-46. Do you ever feel like God is hidden from you? Or in the busyness of life, are the things of God the first things to get pushed off your list? These little parables from Jesus have great meaning for us as citizens of the Kingdom of God.

“He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay” (Matthew 28:6 ESV)

February 14, 2013

An angel clothed in white with an appearance of lightning announced the resurrection to the women as they came bearing spices for Jesus’ body. They expected a morning of mourning, but they left sprinting with surprise. Have you yet fearfully peered into Death’s tomb and discovered that the Christ has left it empty?

“Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40 ESV)

February 8, 2013

This is what Jesus will say at the last judgment to those who have cared for those who are hungry, thirsty, estranged, naked, sick or imprisoned. Would you do something for Jesus? If He came to your door, would you put him up for the night or offer Him supper? If you would do something for Jesus, then here’s your chance: Do something for the “least of these.”

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14 ESV)

February 5, 2013

This was a part of Jesus’ answer to the disciples questions concerning end times. The Greek word translated “nations” is ethnos (ἔθνος). It might also be translated every race/culture/tongue. According to Wycliffe Bible Translators, there are still 350 million people in the world who do not have a Scripture translation in their heart language. There are still “ethnos” who have not heard the gospel. God is still asking, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?” (Isa.6:8).

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25)

February 4, 2013

Jesus accused the Pharisees of the hypocrisy of outward expressions of holiness without any true heart change. The Pharisees had added layers of rules on cleanliness in their interpretation of the Torah. They even had instructions on how to do dishes. Yet, their eyes were blind and their ears deaf to Christ’s message. The disciples of Jesus may not have washed their hands according to the Pharisaic tradition, but their hearts were humble and open to Christ’s teachings. As God told Samuel, “man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart” (1 Sam.16:7). What does God see in your heart?

“But Jesus answered them, ‘You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God'” (Matthew 22:29)

February 2, 2013

What Jesus said to the Sadducees, He might say to our generation as well. Who were the Sadducees? They were a Jewish sect that existed during the intertestamental period and consisted of a wealthy ruling class of priests that were often seen as allies of the Romans (or whoever was in power). They claimed to be Torah only followers, rejecting the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. They denied the after-life, the resurrection, the existence of angels, and a final judgment. They mostly saw the Scriptures as a basis for morality and no more. The way I was taught to remember them in Sunday School was that “They didn’t believe in the resurrection, so they were sad-you-see.” I think we have a lot of “sad-you-sees” in our world today.

“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” (Matthew 21:22)

January 31, 2013

This was Jesus’ answer to the disciples after they saw him curse the unfruitful fig tree and it immediately withered. The disciples marveled over the miracle, but Jesus told them that they would be able to do even more than this through faithful prayer. How should this word from Jesus affect our praying today?

“He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?'” (Matthew 16:15)

January 25, 2013

The most important question of all: Who do you believe Jesus to be? We are not followers of ritual or religion, but relationship. We follow a person, Jesus the Christ. Recognizing Him as more than teacher and prophet, we receive Him, placing our faith into Him as Savior and Lord. Jesus still asks this question. And we must each answer it for ourselves.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44)

January 20, 2013

One of Christ’s many kingdom parables, this one emphasizes the willingness of one to give up everything in this world in order to have it. The value of the kingdom is “hidden” to most, yet revealed to those who discover its treasure. Others probably thought the man foolish for giving all that he had, but he treasured the kingdom of heaven over the world’s kingdom. There are still those today to whom the treasure is hidden. And strangely, there are those not mentioned in the parable, to whom it is revealed, yet they continue to haggle over its price. Are you willing to give all or are you holding back?

“For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40)

January 18, 2013

Jesus affirmed two miraculous events here. First, what many call fable (Jonah), Jesus treated as fact. Jesus not only affirmed the Jonah story in Scripture, but saw it as a Messianic sign. Second, He prophesies His own death and resurrection. Modern man may discount the stories of the Bible as myth, but Jesus did not. He not only believed Scripture, He fulfilled it.