Matt : 13 : 44 Heaven’s Treasure: Life’s Strength Found in the Church
1.I pray that you will experience God's grace and peace as I share the message with you this morning. When I was preparing for my first sermon with you, I spent a lot of time thinking and praying about what I wanted to talk about. At first, I thought I would talk about love because I believe it's the most important thing Jesus taught us in the Bible. However, I changed my mind while moving to a new parsonage. As I packed up my old home, I realized that the things I cherished in my old home didn't seem so important anymore. I learned that no matter how much we value things in this world, they mean nothing when the Lord calls us home. We can take nothing with us, but our faith. This experience reminded me to put my hope in Heaven. So today, I want to talk to you about the Kingdom of Heaven, from Matthew 13:44.
2. In Matthew 13, Jesus tells us about the Kingdom of Heaven through parables, or stories. These stories teach us what Heaven is like, how to find it, and what we need to do to be a part of it. Today's passage focuses on the incredible value of Heaven. Before we dive into the scripture, let's talk a little bit about the context. In Jesus' time, Palestine was a crossroads between three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. This made it a place of constant conflict and war, just like the ongoing tensions between Israel and Palestine today. In other words, it's a region that lives under constant violence, and in Jesus' time it was even worse. When the rising powers wanted to get at each other, they usually went through the land given to God’s people.
3. In this unstable environment, people had to find ways to protect their belongings. The rich people often bury their treasures in the ground to keep them safe from enemies and war.They wouldn't even tell their family where the treasure was hidden, afraid that someone might give away the secret. But here's the problem: if the owner of the treasure died or was taken captive and couldn't return, the treasure would remain buried forever. This is the situation described in today's passage, where a man finds one of these buried treasures while working in the field. We can assume that this man was a laborer or farmer, working in the fields for his daily wage.
4. When the laborer found the treasure, he was overjoyed. He decided to sell everything he owned to buy the field where the treasure was buried. The people around him couldn't understand his actions. They wondered why he would give up everything for a piece of land. Some might have even laughed at him, thinking he was foolish. But the farmer didn't care what others thought. He knew the value of the treasure he had found, and he was willing to sacrifice everything to get it. So he happily bought the field.
5 Jesus uses this parable to show us the heart of someone who has discovered the Kingdom of Heaven. When we find Heaven, nothing else in the world can shake you. Finding Heaven means that we have received salvation through Jesus Christ, and this leads us to eternal life. The point of this parable is that Heaven is the most valuable thing in life. For the man, working the land and earning a living was everything before. But after finding the treasure in the field his whole purpose in life changed. He had found something far more precious and meaningful than anything else.
6. When we discover Heaven, we become like this farmer. Our values change, and our purpose in life shifts. We dedicate our lives to pursuing the Kingdom of Heaven. The things we used to hold dear, the things we used to prioritized, they all take a backseat. Our focus and purpose in life becomes solely heavenly.
Ex) Think back to when you were a child, eagerly awaiting a school field trip. The excitement was so great that it was all you could think about, even keeping you awake at night. Any little problems that came up before the big day didn't matter because the joy of the field trip was so great. Discovering Heaven is like that – it fills our lives with so much joy and anticipation that everything else seems less important.
7. So, if the hidden treasure represents Heaven, what does the field represent? Where can we find this treasure? The field can be interpreted as our own lives, or the world around us. But, in the Bible, it's traditionally understood to represent the Church. The Church is where the treasure of Heaven is hidden. And the owner of this field is Jesus, who offers us the gift of Heaven.This traditional interpretation helps us understand that we can discover the hidden hope of Heaven in the church. But it's important to remember that simply attending church is not the same as finding Heaven. We might come to church by God's grace, but if we don't meet Jesus within the church, if we don't recognize the value of Heaven, then we're missing out on something truly precious. So, we can't be satisfied with just showing up on Sundays. We must meet Jesus personally in this church, experience a taste of Heaven, and long for the eternal Kingdom. That's what it means to be a true Christian. Only then can we truly understand that only God has true value. This isn't just a matter of opinion; it's what the Bible teaches us.
8. So, how do we find the treasure of Heaven hidden within the church? First and foremost, we must be in the right place. You won't find treasure if you're not looking in the right place, right? That's why it's important to come to church regularly and be part of the community here. To use an analogy, if you hang out in a bar, you're probably going to drink. If you're around temptation, you're going to be tempted. But if you stay in the church, where we hear God's word, worship, pray, and feel God's presence, you'll be more likely to find the treasure. Secondly, we have to be active here in the church, coming to the services and using our gifts to serve others. Remember, if the farmer in the story hadn't worked hard in the field, he wouldn't have found the treasure. In the same way, our active participation is crucial to discovering the heavenly treasures within our church community. It is like the old saying, “You cannot win if you do not enter.” We have to be engaged in being Christian.
9. However, as we serve the church diligently, we might face criticism or even ridicule from those around us. They might say, "Why are you wasting so much time and money on church activities? Just going to church on Sundays should be enough." In Korea, there's even a saying that goes, "Does the church feed you?" which is a sarcastic way of saying we're wasting our time and money on something that doesn't offer any tangible benefits. They may try to belittle our dedication. When we hear this, how should we react? Should we get discouraged and think, "Maybe I've been spending too much time and resources on the church. It's time to cut back."? Absolutely not! We know that the church holds the most precious treasure of all: the Kingdom of Heaven. Just like the farmer who bought the field with all his property, we must keep investing in our relationship with God and His church. Remember, discovering heaven goes beyond simply understanding it; it means filling our hearts with the hope of heaven and overflowing with the joy of possessing it.
10. Unfortunately, sometimes we lose our joy and gratitude in church. We might even go just out of habit or because we feel like we have to. Why does this happen? It's because we get distracted by other things and forget about the hope of Heaven. We might think believing in Jesus is just about having a better life here on Earth. In other words, although we say we believe in Jesus, we might actually be using the church to satisfy our own desires. This is not true faith, but idolatry. When our faith becomes self-centered, we easily get discouraged and lose our joy when the church doesn't meet our expectations.
11. Let me be clear: Nothing in this world can compare to the life of believing in and following Jesus. The true purpose of worship is to be close to God for a time; the purpose of our faith is to reach heaven through Jesus and His grace. Our hope and joy in heaven should be what drives our lives in the church. Just as the farmer in the story worked hard in the field, if we work diligently in the church, we'll find the treasure of heaven. In other words, if we have entered the church by grace, we must diligently dedicate ourselves to finding the treasure within the church. Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who resisted Hitler, encouraged resistance to evil and was martyred for his efforts and faith, echoed this idea in his book "The Cost of Discipleship," arguing that true grace requires a commitment to discipleship and following Christ, rather than taking God's forgiveness for granted. And here's the amazing thing: when we discover that hope and joy of heaven, it gives us the strength to face any challenge life throws our way. We all have problems: relationships, money, health... the list goes on. In fact, Buddhism even says there are 108 kinds of human suffering! But remember, we are God's children. When we face these trials with the hope of Heaven in our hearts, we can overcome them.
12. Fanny Crosby, the hymn writer who wrote over 8,000 hymns despite being blind, put it beautifully: "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!" This is the joy of knowing heaven awaits us, a joy that can overcome any sadness we face here on Earth. Let's remember that our time here is not eternal. As the apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:18, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." When we focus on the eternal Kingdom of Heaven, the challenges of this life become less daunting and we can ultimately overcome them. In other words, we find strength and keep going, knowing that our ultimate reward awaits us in heaven. What would you pay for Biltmore House? What about an eternal home with God? It is free in exchange for your love and faith. My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I urge you to hold onto the hope of Heaven with all your heart.
Heaven is a hidden treasure, but it can be found within our church community. As we faithfully serve and participate, we will discover the hope of heaven, and we will also experience its joy right here and now. May your hearts overflow with the joy of knowing that you are a child of God, destined for a glorious eternity in His Kingdom.
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