On the Public
Broadcasting Service (PBS) television station, the
hour-long Antiques Roadshow is part
adventure, part history lesson, and part treasure hunt. Antique appraisers
travel with the show to various cities.
Area citizens bring
articles for free appraisals by specialists from the country's leading auction
houses and independent dealers. (Customers often speak about the historical
origins behind these items).
The
appraisers then expand on what is known about these treasures. Antiques Roadshow also includes tips for aspiring collectors of a wide range
of items.
Sometimes items are exposed
as imitations of the real thing. Other times, those present are pleasantly
surprised to discover their precious family heirloom, a flea market find, or
items saved from attic or basements are valued as being worth
far more than the contributor could have ever imagined (often priceless).[i]
In Matthew 13:44-46 (VOICE),
Jesus provides two simple truth-based stories (parables) that help us all
better understand the priceless value (and importance) of the Kingdom of Heaven
in finding your true purpose in life.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that is hidden in a
field. A crafty man found the
treasure buried there and buried it again so no one would know where it was. Thrilled, he went off and
sold everything he had, and then he came back and bought the field with the hidden treasure part of the bargain.
Or the Kingdom of Heaven is like a jeweler on the lookout
for the finest pearls. When he found a pearl more beautiful and
valuable than any jewel he had ever seen, the jeweler sold all he had and
bought that pearl, his pearl of great
price.
ü “There is no such thing as low-cost Christianity. Following Jesus means
swimming against the tide, renouncing evil and selfishness. (Pope Francis)
ü Your soul’s desire [is] with you at birth like a hidden treasure chest
of possibilities for you to discover as you grow and evolve into the person you
were meant to be. Give voice to what you long for in the deepest place in your
heart.” (Debbie Ford)
ü The kingdom of God is available to you in the here and the now. But the
question is whether you are available to the kingdom.
Our practice is to make ourselves ready for the
kingdom so that it can manifest in the here and the now. You don't need to die
in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In fact, you have to be truly alive in
order to do so.
(Nhat Hanh)
ü When Satan reminds us of our past, we should remind him of his future.” (Author Unknown)
1.
In
both of the above parables, the Kingdom of Heaven is priceless:
ü “God changes caterpillars into butterflies, sand into pearls and coal
into diamonds using time and pressure. He's working on you, too.” (Rick Warren)
ü “The Kingdom of Heaven is worth infinitely more than the cost of
discipleship, and those who know where the treasure lies joyfully abandon everything
else to secure it.” (D. A. Carson)
2.
In
both of the above parables, the Kingdom of Heaven was discovered
unintentionally (and intentionally):
ü “Imagine how a [person’s] life would be if [they] trusted that [they
were] loved by God. How could [they] interact with the poor and not show
partiality. [They] could love [their spouse] easily and not expect [them] to
redeem [each other, they] would be slow to anger because redemption was no
longer at stake.
[They] could be wise and giving with [their] money because money no
longer represented points, [they] could give up on formulaic religion. Knowing
that checking stuff off a spiritual to-do list was a worthless pursuit; [they]
would have confidence and the ability to laugh at [their self], and [they]
could love people without expecting anything in return. It would be quite
beautiful, really. (Donald Miller, author of Searching for God Knows What)
ü Nothing in life has happened to you. It's happened for you. Every
disappointment …wrong [and]…closed door has helped make you into who you are. (Joel Osteen)
ü “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him” (John Piper)
3. In both of the above
parables, the Kingdom of Heaven is available by following Jesus:
ü “Following Jesus isn’t something you can do at night where no one
notices. It’s a twenty-four-hour-a-day commitment that will interfere with your
life. That’s not the small print: that’s a guarantee. (Kyle Idleman)
ü But whatever you do, find the God-centered, Christ-exalting,
Bible-saturated passion of your life, and find your way to say it and live for
it and die for it. And you will make a difference that lasts. You will not
waste your life. (John
Piper)
Remember, “A word of kindness is seldom spoken in vain, while witty saying are as
easily lost as the pearls slipping from a broken string.” (George D. Prentice) [ii]
[ii] This post was inspired by the sermon, It’s Like This: Treasure Securing (installment
three) Pastor Dave Jansen Sunday, February 12, 2017 CenterPoint Church
Gahanna Gahanna OH
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