The Worth of the Kingdom
Rex Yancey
Matthew 13:44-46
There was a pastor who visited a mental hospital one day. He was escorted by a guide through the first floor. He came by a room where a man was just sitting there twiddling his thumbs. The pastor asked the guide, ''Who is that man?'' The guide said, ''He is a Baptist preacher. He always wanted a big church and never got one.''
When they got to the second floor, they passed by a room where another man was just sitting and twiddling his thumbs. The preacher asked, ''Who is that man?'' The guide said, ''Oh, that is another Baptist preacher and he got that big church!''
The moral of this little story is the fact that most of us think happiness is somewhere else than where we are.
In these two parables, Jesus considers the worth of the kingdom. Did you know that your participation in the Kingdom of God is worth more than possessions, privileges, and attainments in life? You can't earn enough or win enough or inherit enough to come close to the worth of the Kingdom.
I want us to see three things in these two parables that deal with the same subject. (The discovery, the delight, and the decision)
1.THE DISCOVERY
1. The first man happened up on a treasure.
He wasn't searching for it. He wasn't expecting it. The picture is of a day-laborer who made an overwhelming discovery of a treasure buried in a field.
There was nothing unusual about this. The people of that day would bury their possessions in the ground. There were so many wars, skirmishes and the like; they would bury it and hope to come back for it when everything settled down.
Palestine was under Roman rule during the time of Christ. The Jews were under Jewish law for the common things that happened from day to day. The Jewish law stated, ''What finds belongs to the finder.'' This man had a prior right to what he had found. However, he wanted to buy the field so that the treasure would be indubitably his.
The year before I was ...
Rex Yancey
Matthew 13:44-46
There was a pastor who visited a mental hospital one day. He was escorted by a guide through the first floor. He came by a room where a man was just sitting there twiddling his thumbs. The pastor asked the guide, ''Who is that man?'' The guide said, ''He is a Baptist preacher. He always wanted a big church and never got one.''
When they got to the second floor, they passed by a room where another man was just sitting and twiddling his thumbs. The preacher asked, ''Who is that man?'' The guide said, ''Oh, that is another Baptist preacher and he got that big church!''
The moral of this little story is the fact that most of us think happiness is somewhere else than where we are.
In these two parables, Jesus considers the worth of the kingdom. Did you know that your participation in the Kingdom of God is worth more than possessions, privileges, and attainments in life? You can't earn enough or win enough or inherit enough to come close to the worth of the Kingdom.
I want us to see three things in these two parables that deal with the same subject. (The discovery, the delight, and the decision)
1.THE DISCOVERY
1. The first man happened up on a treasure.
He wasn't searching for it. He wasn't expecting it. The picture is of a day-laborer who made an overwhelming discovery of a treasure buried in a field.
There was nothing unusual about this. The people of that day would bury their possessions in the ground. There were so many wars, skirmishes and the like; they would bury it and hope to come back for it when everything settled down.
Palestine was under Roman rule during the time of Christ. The Jews were under Jewish law for the common things that happened from day to day. The Jewish law stated, ''What finds belongs to the finder.'' This man had a prior right to what he had found. However, he wanted to buy the field so that the treasure would be indubitably his.
The year before I was ...
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