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0:20 All right, welcome back. 0:21 Day four as we're studying Matthew chapter 13, and Jesus teaches seven parables, just back to back to back to back. 0:28 Seven is the number of completion. 0:29 So, in essence, what Jesus is saying is, I am going to completely tell you about the kingdom of heaven. 0:34 And today we're going to look at two parables: the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great value. 0:40 On the surface, they look the same, but they're a little bit different. 0:44 The Bible says in verse in chapter 13, verse 44, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. 0:52 Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and he buys that field. 0:57 And again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who on finding one pearl of great value went and sold all that he had and bought it. 1:08 The question is this Do you treasure Christ above all the treasures of this world? 1:14 Like, do you think he's worth it? 1:16 Is he worth your life? 1:18 Because what Jesus is saying is if it costs you everything that you have to get Jesus, then you would be getting the thing of greater value. 1:29 So the question to you is, is he of supreme value to you? 1:33 Because when this man in the first parable, you see, the reality was in the first century they didn't have banks, so if you had a great treasure, you couldn't go put it like in a in a lockbox, in a savings loan or something like that. 1:44 So you'd buy a piece of land, you'd bury it, and you would come back, cover it up, but you would come back at some other time to recover your treasure. 1:52 Jesus' parable is some servant, some man that did not own the land. 1:56 If he found a treasure and he were to keep it for himself, he could be penalized for stealing. 2:00 So what this man does is he goes and he sells everything that he has. 2:04 And I'm sure his friends are like, bro, what is wrong with you? 2:07 Why are you selling everything? 2:09 Why'd you sell the house and your clothes and your car and everything you have? 2:13 And the reason is because this man has eyes to see what he's getting is of far greater value than what he's giving up. 2:21 You see, the reality is you don't sacrifice anything to follow Jesus. 2:28 I know you feel like you're sacrificing all kinds of things, but what we actually do is we trade in our sin, we trade in our shame, we trade in our pain, we trade in our condemnation. 2:39 We trade in all of these things, and what we receive is peace. 2:43 What we receive is sonship, what we receive is freedom. 2:47 It's the greatest trade you'll ever make in your entire life. 2:50 And the deal with the guy looking for the head and treasure is just that he wasn't looking for it at all. 2:54 Nowhere does it say that he was on a treasure hunt. 2:57 So what Jesus is implying is basically it's almost like the treasure found him, that he just stumbled upon it and he had eyes to see the treasure for what it's worth. 3:07 Now, the next parable, the parable of the pearl of great price, this man, he is a merchant in search of fine pearls. 3:14 He's looking and looking and looking. 3:16 And then he finds the pearl of great price and he realizes this is the prize that I've always been looking for. 3:23 And so I've got really good news. 3:25 My testimony is I wasn't looking for Jesus at all. 3:28 And he came and found me by the invitation of a football coach when I was running as hard as I could away from the Lord. 3:36 He invited me to this church camp. 3:38 And at that church camp, I thought I was a Christian because I was Southern. 3:42 That's just, you know, kind of like Kyle talks about all the time, man. 3:45 I it was that country music theology. 3:48 We were conservative and we were Republicans and we listened to country music, so I thought we were Christian and we were Southern. 3:53 And yet I saw the treasure of salvation for what it really was, and it overwhelmed me that my heart was consumed with a greater desire. 4:02 And so I put my faith in Jesus. 4:04 I wasn't looking, he just found me. 4:06 But the guy, the merchant, was looking. 4:09 He was looking for value. 4:11 He was looking for things that he thought would be the most valuable. 4:15 And then when he sees the Pearl of Great Price, he realizes this is what I've been looking for. 4:20 I believe some of you right now, you're tuning in to the Daily Blade because you are searching. 4:25 You realize the temporary things of this world just aren't doing it for you. 4:28 And so you're searching. 4:30 You find yourself listening to sermons online and listening to people uh debate about different forms of Christianity and you're looking and you're looking and you're looking. 4:39 And I'm here to tell you Jesus is what you are looking for. 4:43 And so, whether you're on the search or not, then Jesus is available to save you. 4:48 And I am here to tell you he is worth it. 4:52 He's worth everything. 4:53 This is what he means when if you spend your whole life trying to look for and build your own life, you're gonna lose it because all you'll have is what this temporary world has to offer. 5:04 But if you'll lose your life to him, if you'll lay your life down to him and say, Jesus, I surrender to you, then in that surrender, you will find life and find life eternal. 5:16 And he is worth it.