Treasure and Pearls

If you would take the Word of God with me and turn to Matthew chapter 13.

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

! While you're turning there, we've been in this series called Stories of the Kingdom,

going through some of the parables of Jesus.

I figured in a Baptist church, it's probably not a bad idea to talk about what Jesus talked

about when He was on this earth, right?

We can spend our time looking at a lot of different things,

but it's not a bad idea to talk about what Jesus Himself talked about when He was on this earth.

So, we're going through this series looking at these parables or illustrative stories.

These stories that would make a point, they had a moral, so to speak,

and they were all about the kingdom of God.

God was revealing to us what the kingdom of God is.

So, we're going to look at Matthew chapter 13.

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

And we're going to look down toward the end of the chapter, verses 44 through 46.

Matthew chapter 13.

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

And our title this morning is, our theme is Treasures and Pearls.

Treasures and Pearls.

So, that's what we're talking about.

That's what we're diving into with our Stories of the Kingdom series today.

Would you mind standing with me?

I know we've stood up and down a little bit during this service,

but would you mind standing with me in honor of reading God's Word one final time this morning,

if you're able to.

Matthew 13, beginning in verse 44.

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field.

In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned

to get enough money to buy the field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.

When he discovered a pearl of great value,

he sold everything he owned and bought it.

Let's pray together.

God, I pray that you would give us understanding of what you were teaching us

so many years ago when you first gave this parable.

I pray that we would understand what kingdom value is all about.

Give us wisdom and enlightenment from your scriptures by your spirit.

It's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

You may be seated.

Thank you for standing.

Let's dive in.

Number one, we're going to look at the poor man.

We see two different people here,

two different characters or players in this story.

We see a poor man and a rich man.

We're going to look at the poor man first.

Now, they're not exactly called poor man and rich man,

but it's intimated, it's understood by the story what they're talking about.

So we can learn what kind of person this is,

what kind of individual this is.

So let's look at the poor man.

And first, it says,

treasure was hidden in a ground.

Do you know why that would happen?

Oftentimes, when people would have to leave their home for whatever reason,

maybe they're going on a long journey,

maybe there's war in the area,

maybe they were arrested,

maybe they were in debt and thrown into debtor's prison,

whatever it was,

they would take their valuables, their treasure,

and usually that they would keep hidden in their home,

remember, no banks like we have them today back then.

So instead, if they were going to leave their home,

then they would bury them in the ground,

hopefully deep enough that nobody would find them,

and then later, when they anticipated their return,

coming back to their home,

they would dig it up and have their treasure.

Oftentimes, they never came back,

and the treasure would just be buried there.

Sometimes the land would change hands.

Sometimes a wealthy man might buy up a field,

and he would employ workers to work the field.

And what happens?

One of those workers, one of those day laborers,

one of those poor people,

kind of at the bottom of the economic scale,

is out there, manual labor,

digging in the field, working for somebody else,

and he finds a treasure.

Now, the rule was, apparently,

that if you dug the treasure out

and lifted it out,

then you would have to take that treasure

to whoever owned the field.

If it was you,

then you get the treasure.

But if it was owned by somebody else,

that treasure would, by right, belong to them.

So, you notice what happens.

The man does not lift it out of the ground.

He finds it,

and he hid it again.

He covered it back up

because he's smart, right?

So, the law would require

that if he took it out,

then he would have to turn it over

to whoever owned the land.

But instead, he left it in the ground,

and he made a plan.

And his plan was,

I've got to get enough money together

to buy this field.

So, what did he do?

He went all in.

He sold everything he had.

He went around and probably borrowed money

from family or friends.

He did everything he could,

maybe took on a side job.

We don't know how long it took him

to buy this field,

but that became his one goal.

Why?

Because he could work

for year after year

at his wages

and never, ever reach

the value of this treasure

that he had found.

So...

Okay.

Maybe we should stop and pray right now

for whatever's going on there.

So, he's all in on this treasure.

He knows this is the most amount of money,

this is the greatest thing of value

that he's ever going to find in his life.

So, he's got a plan.

So, what happened?

He came,

and he sold everything

he had

to get enough money

to buy the field.

So, then he goes to the rich man,

he goes to the owner of the field,

his employer,

and says,

listen,

I've put all my money together.

I've been spending time

working this field.

I want to buy this field from you.

And I can't imagine

that he gave him

a bargain rate on it.

Maybe he felt bad for him.

I don't know.

We're filling in the blanks

on some of this.

It doesn't get us

into the weeds on this.

But,

the point is,

he valued so greatly

that he abandoned

everything else

and went all in

on this treasure.

Why?

Because he found something

of so much greater value

than anything else

in his life.

And he knew that.

Said,

this is a sure thing.

Stock market might go up,

stock market might go down,

but this treasure

has inherent value.

And if I can own this field,

then this treasure

will belong to me.

Would you go to Romans

Romans 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10 and verse 20?

Romans chapter 10 and verse 20.

Romans 10 · chapter mention

This poor man

found something

of such great value,

he happily gave up

everything he had

to pay the price

of the field.

He made no excuses,

but went all in

on the treasure he found.

You ever been around somebody

who just seemed like

they were always stuck

in the same rut

because every time

they had an opportunity

to get out of that situation

and improve things,

they always had

all kinds of excuses

for why they couldn't do it.

Why they couldn't really

change their circumstances.

Why they couldn't really

improve their financial situation

or whatever it might be.

There was always

all kinds of excuses.

Well,

life just hadn't been

kind to me.

Well,

that's just not

my lot in life.

I'm always going to be poor.

I'm always going to be

in bad health,

whatever it is.

Let's look at

Romans chapter 10

Romans 10 · chapter mention

and verse 20.

Later Isaiah,

the prophet Isaiah

spoke boldly for God.

And there's a quote

back to the book of Isaiah.

It says,

I was found by people

who were not looking for me.

I showed myself

to those

who were not

asking for me.

Let's go to Matthew chapter 10

Matthew 10 · chapter mention

and verse 20.

Do you understand

this guy did not go out

thinking he was going

to find a treasure?

But he found

a great treasure.

He did not go out

that day

thinking that he would

absolutely turn

his life around

and yet he stumbled

upon something

that had the power

to do just that.

And he saw

the value in it.

He recognized

the value in it.

We're setting the stage here.

We're going to get

to the main point

in just a minute.

So stick with me.

Understand the value.

Matthew chapter 10

Matthew 10 · chapter mention

and verse 39.

If you cling to your life,

you will what?

Lose it.

But if you give up

your life for me,

you will what?

Find it.

There's the key.

That's what the poor man

understood.

He could cling

to his way of life,

but what would that get him?

He would just keep losing.

He could cling

to everything he knew.

He could cling

to what was comfortable.

He could cling

to not maybe

what was easy

because he probably

had a hard life,

but maybe it felt safer

than the unknown.

Maybe it was less scary

than venturing out

with newfound riches.

But instead,

he said,

no.

I have found something

of such greater value,

I'll never find

anything better

than this.

You hear that?

I'll never find

anything better

than this.

Now,

do you see

where we're going

with this?

When you find

Jesus,

you'll never find

anything better

than this.

when you find hope,

when you find life,

when you find joy,

when you find peace,

when you find contentment,

when you find compassion,

when you find kindness,

when you find all

that is wrapped up

in the person of Jesus,

you'll never find

anything better than that.

And Jesus is calling you

to give up your life

for him.

because in doing so,

he will give you

so much better

than you could ever

find on your own.

You can cling

to the scraps

that you have.

Last Sunday,

we talked about

the marriage feast

and the king

extended out

the invitation

to all of those

in the streets,

not his usual guest list,

but he said,

anybody,

come eat at my table,

come feast with me,

because I know you're not

eating like this at home.

I eat like this every day.

I'm the king,

but I'm welcoming you

into my table now.

I want to share

my wealth with you.

And I'm telling you, folks,

you can pursue everything

that everybody around you

is pursuing,

but it's not

the king's table.

It's not the treasure

that he is offering

for you to find.

If you find Jesus,

you've found everything.

So, that's principle

number one.

The poor man,

he gave up everything

in his life

for the treasure

because he knew

it was of greater value

than anything else.

He didn't cling

to his life.

But you know what happens?

Sometimes we want

to cling to it.

Sometimes there are habits,

there are distractions,

there are passions,

there are interests,

that we have in our lives

that do not mesh

with Jesus.

We might try to force them

to work.

We might try to play

both sides.

Oh yeah, I've got Jesus

on Sundays

and I've got everything else

that I'm interested in

the rest of the week.

That's clinging to your life.

It's not giving it up

for the treasure.

So you're abandoning

this treasure

of greater value

than any of that

could ever be

and you're clinging

to something

that will ultimately

cause you

to lose your life,

to waste your life.

And graduates in the room,

I don't want to see you do that.

Don't cling

to what will never

get you

where God wants you to go.

Hold things loosely.

Hold cars loosely.

Hold even jobs.

Dedicate yourself.

Do whatever your hand

finds to do.

Do it with all your strength,

all your might.

Do it to the glory of God.

But don't hold on

to the things of this earth

so tightly.

Hold them loosely

because those things

come and go

but God's words

remain forever.

The things that God gives you,

that will never fade away.

that is a treasure

that will last eternity.

The problem is

it will cost you something.

It will cause you

to give something up.

Folks,

we love to see people

get baptized.

We saw pictures

even in the graduate

photo,

whatever you call those,

slideshows,

there you go,

of people getting baptized,

graduates getting baptized.

What a powerful testimony

of life change.

But can I promise you,

and some of those

graduates know that.

Some of it was

in their testimonies

that when you choose

to follow Jesus,

he's going to ask you

to give something up.

And it might not be

immediately what you think.

It will cost you something.

Actually,

it will cost you

everything.

If you're truly

going to follow Jesus,

you're going to have

to give up everything.

He might give some

of it back to you.

Or he'll give you

something better.

You don't understand

that at first.

I don't understand

that at first.

And I get scared

when I lose something

for the sake of Jesus.

And I get nervous.

Man,

my bank account

doesn't look

how it used to look.

My retirement,

what am I going to do now?

Those relationships

that are causing me

heartbreak right now,

the emptiness sometimes.

and then I find,

boy,

God fills that emptiness

better than anything

ever it has before.

These new relationships

that I have

with my church family,

with the people

in my life

that I know

follow Jesus

and I'm strengthening myself

and now I'm pouring out

to others

with new relationships

who need to find Jesus

and God's using me

in a way to do that.

And all of a sudden,

your life becomes

so much more fulfilling

than it ever was.

but you'll never taste that

if you hold on

to everything

you have now.

You know the story

of the little kid

who reached his hand

in the cookie jar

and he grabbed

as many cookies

as he possibly could

and he couldn't get

his hand back out

because he was holding on

to all of the cookies

and it's like,

look man,

let go, right?

Let go

and you can enjoy

this treasure

you found

but if you hold on

to what you think

you want

you'll never experience

what God wants for you

and it's so much better.

It's so much purer.

It's so much more fulfilling.

So that's the rich man.

Now,

let's go to Matthew chapter 19.

Matthew 19 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 19,

Matthew 19 · chapter mention

few verses there

beginning in verse 16.

While you're turning,

I want to remind you

that those who were

looking for God,

I'm sorry,

those who were never

looking for God,

God was looking for them.

Isn't it a blessing

to know

that when I wasn't

seeking Jesus,

Jesus sought me out.

Jesus came to find me.

That's what we read

in Romans chapter 10.

Romans 10 · chapter mention

Some of us stumble

into the kingdom of God.

Isn't that interesting?

Some of us, man,

we seek it out.

Some of us were raised

seeking God.

Some of us weren't.

Some of us stumbled

backwards

into the kingdom of God.

God stopped wicked Saul

in his tracks

and turned him

into his servant Paul

in the New Testament

on the Damascus road.

He was working against God

and God arrested him,

stopped him dead

in his tracks

on his way

to do more harm

to God's people

and then he turned him

into one of his

most powerful servants

we ever have record of.

Now look at Matthew

Matthew 19:16

chapter 19,

verse 16.

Someone came to Jesus

with this question.

Teacher,

what good deed

must I do

to have eternal life?

Let me ask you

as that.

Church,

this morning,

what good deed

must I do

to have eternal life?

Nothing.

Nothing.

There's no good deed

that I can do.

Why?

Because nothing I can do

can give me eternal life.

God holds the keys to that.

He has to give that to me.

I have to humble myself

and place my faith in him

and then he gives me

eternal life.

So,

he's off from the beginning

but Jesus is going to teach him

something.

Verse 17,

why ask me

about what is good?

Jesus replied,

there's only one

who is good

but to answer your question,

if you want to receive

eternal life,

keep the commandments.

That's the law.

That's the Old Testament law.

The Ten Commandments

is the big one.

There are many other commandments

given throughout

the Old Testament.

Verse 18,

which ones,

the man asked.

Jesus replied,

you must not murder,

you must not commit adultery,

you must not steal,

you must not testify falsely,

honor your father

and your mother,

love your neighbor

as yourself.

He just gave him

the highlights,

right?

And the man says,

I've obeyed all these commandments,

the young man replied.

What else must I do?

Jesus said,

if you want to be perfect,

go and sell

all your possessions

and give the money

to the poor

and then you'll have

treasure in heaven

and then come

and follow me.

You know,

an interesting thing.

I think Jesus

is referencing here

the great commandment

that he gave.

He said,

there's a new commandment

that I give you

to love one another

as I have loved you

and on this one commandment,

all those Old Testament

commandments

now hang off of this one.

So if you're not

obeying this commandment,

it's like you've

disobeyed all of them.

So I think he's

communicating that

to this guy.

He says,

you think you followed

all these commandments

and the truth is,

I'm sure that guy

had not even obeyed

all those perfectly.

I'm sure he tried to.

He's probably a moral

upstanding guy.

Probably a kid

who mostly stayed

out of trouble, right?

But nobody's perfect

and there's no way

he was either.

But Jesus says,

if you want to be perfect,

love like I love.

Go and give up

everything on this earth.

Give it all away

and follow me.

And what happened?

The young man said,

yes sir, master,

I will follow you

to the end of my days.

No, he didn't.

Because we know

his heart

was not perfect.

His heart

was selfish.

The young man

heard this

and he went away sad

because he had

many possessions.

What are you

holding on to

that God wants you

to exchange

for his treasure?

You've all met Jesus.

You've all had

the encounter.

Doesn't mean

you're saved.

Doesn't mean

you placed your faith

in him.

But you've all heard

about Jesus Christ.

You've found

the treasure.

Now will you

give it all up

for him?

Will you give it all up

for that treasure?

Young people,

going off to college,

you are going to be

tested.

Your faith will be tested

in so many ways.

What will you

hold on to

that will keep you

from the treasure

of Jesus?

Speaking of that,

let's go back

to Matthew 13

where we started.

Matthew 13.

We looked at the poor man,

now we're looking

at the rich man.

The rich young ruler

that we just read about

that Jesus talked to,

he would not pay the cost.

The cost was everything

and he cared too much

for his possessions.

He cared too much

for his truck,

for his boat,

for his 401k,

for his vacations,

for his sports leagues,

for living vicariously

through his kids,

whatever it was,

okay,

whatever it was

that was keeping him

from pursuing Jesus

because he was scared

of what he might lose

and that's what happens to us.

We get scared

of what we might lose.

Well see,

I know what God wants for me

but this is what is important to me

and I'm afraid

he won't meet that need.

I'm afraid

he won't fulfill that

and we never get to experience

how good,

how fulfilling

he wants this life

to be for us.

So,

verse 45.

Matthew 13.

Let's look at it again.

Again,

the kingdom of heaven

is like a merchant

on the lookout

for choice pearls.

Totally different situation here.

When he discovered

a pearl of great value,

he sold everything he owned

and bought it.

You see,

wealthy merchants

would travel around the world

seeking out precious materials,

jewels,

stones,

money,

gold,

whatever,

precious herbs

at the time

and they would sell them

for a profit.

So,

they would go to the source,

try to find them,

get them at a bargain rate

and then turn around

and sell them

at their highest margin.

pearls

was a great one.

The ladies of the Roman court

would wear pearl necklaces.

It was like

the diamonds of the day,

basically.

And so,

this man came

and found

a great pearl,

the greatest pearl.

In Jesus' story here,

his illustration

that he's telling everyone,

this guy found the pearl

to beat all pearls,

the mother pearl,

mother of pearl,

sorry,

I got off track.

But you understand,

he found the greatest thing.

So,

this was a guy

who was not poor.

This was a guy

who did not work

for someone else.

He was his own boss.

He probably employed others

and he is a treasure hunter,

a treasure seeker,

entrepreneurial.

He'd go out

and he would make

the biggest margin he could.

and what happened?

He found the pearl.

He found the big heist.

He found the big treasure.

He hit the mother load

and he knew it.

And he said,

everything I've found

before this

doesn't measure up

to what I just found.

Do you see the similarity here?

You see the principle

that Jesus is trying

to get across?

Everything that I have had

up until this point

when I found this treasure,

it doesn't match in value.

This is the greatest thing.

Now,

most of us would agree

in this room,

Jesus is better

than all of us.

Jesus is greater.

Jesus is higher.

Many of us would say,

yes,

my faith is the most important

thing in my life,

but our actions,

our way of life,

what we're willing

to walk away from

says that is a lie.

It says we don't

really believe that.

But this rich man did.

He saw something

that was truly

the greatest value.

But sometimes,

we got too much going on.

We've got too much

of a life

that we have built up

for ourselves

and we're not willing

to let God

move us away from it.

We're not willing

to let God

change our direction

until you've been

radically changed

by God.

God,

you haven't really

experienced Jesus.

He will radically

change you.

It might be quick.

It might be over time.

But He will

change you.

And if you haven't

truly been

changed by Jesus,

then maybe you haven't

yet encountered Him.

Maybe you've heard

about Him.

Maybe you're Jesus

adjacent.

Right?

Maybe you've attended

church every once

in a while.

Maybe you're faithful

in church.

Maybe you could answer

Bible trivia.

Maybe you grew up

in Sunday school.

But you haven't really

been changed

by Jesus.

Because when you

really encounter Him,

He'll change

your direction.

He'll make you

give something up.

And you'll be glad to.

You'll be happy to.

Because you realize

how much more valuable

it is.

Philippians chapter 3.

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

Paul said,

listen,

I had a lot going on.

This Paul guy

that was Saul,

and we talked about

him a minute ago,

God changed him

on the road to Damascus.

He's literally

persecuting Christians,

working for the government,

got a high paying salary.

He says,

look,

I could have had

confidence in my own

effort if anyone could.

If others have reason

for confidence

in their efforts,

I could have had

even more.

Now,

this may not

match up with your resume,

but back then

this was a great resume.

Okay?

I was circumcised

when I was eight days old.

That was like a big thing

back then,

because only the Jews

did it.

I am a pure-blooded

citizen of Israel.

I'm a member

of the tribe of Benjamin,

a real Hebrew

if there ever was one.

I was a member

of the Pharisees.

Those were the top dogs,

right?

Top dogs,

not only on the religious scale,

but also in society.

I was a member

of the Pharisees

who demand

the strictest obedience

to the Jewish law.

I was so zealous,

I harshly persecuted

the church,

Jesus' followers.

They were not

the predominant religion

of the day.

And as for righteousness,

I obeyed the law

without fault.

It's kind of like

that other guy

that Jesus talked to,

right?

I obeyed the law.

I didn't mess up.

But he knew

he wasn't perfect

because his heart

was wrong.

That's the problem.

You can go day

after day

without violating

any Ten Commandments

and you are still sinning

because your heart

is not after God.

Paul knew that.

He said,

I once thought

these things

were valuable.

Y'all,

would you read that

with me again?

I put it in bold.

I once thought

these things

were valuable.

Think through

your life.

Your resume

is going to look

a little different

than Paul's.

The things that you

value and treasure

are going to look

a little different

than Paul's.

But would you think

with me right now

in your mind,

I once thought

these things

were valuable.

Maybe it was yesterday.

Maybe it was this morning.

But God,

show me

where real value is.

Paul had that encounter

with Jesus

and it changed him.

He said,

now I consider

these things

worthless.

Does that mean

you got to go

sell all your possessions?

I don't know

what God has for you.

Not necessarily.

As long as you realize

how worthless they are.

The TV in my bedroom

went out

and I had to get

a new TV

and it was bigger.

Worst day ever.

Sorry, babe.

The TV went out.

Obviously,

we're not going to get

one of the same size.

Come on now.

And that thing's awesome.

In reality,

I moved the living room

one into the bedroom.

So that's bigger

and now I got a bigger one

in the living room.

It's great.

But look,

that TV is worthless.

Now,

my credit card

would not say

it's worthless

because there was

a worth ascribed to it

that I had to pay.

Got it on sale

anyway.

But in reality,

that TV is worthless.

All the TVs

could go out tomorrow

and I would be okay.

My family would be okay.

We'd have to break out

some books,

you know,

some board games,

whatever.

We'll figure it out.

Break out the Bible.

But what is

of value to you

and what is worthless?

The things

that this world

teaches us

are of great value.

We've got to come

to the place

where we say

they're not.

They're worthless.

You know what has value?

Following Jesus

with your life.

The fellowship

and community

you get

in the body of Christ.

the hope

and joy

and peace

and all the comfort

that God gives you.

That has value.

That's what matters.

That's what your children need.

That's what these graduates

need to take with them

into their life.

That has value.

So Paul said,

I now consider

these things worthless.

Why?

Because of what Christ

has done.

That's where real value is.

Everything else

is worthless

when compared

with the infinite value

of knowing

Christ Jesus

my Lord.

There is nothing else

on this earth

that has infinite value.

You can get all the platinum

and diamonds

and pearls

and anything

on this earth

that the world

ascribes great value to

and it will never

have infinite value.

There will always

be an end

to its value.

Not so

with Jesus Christ.

So

that's why he said

for his sake

for Jesus' sake

I have discarded

everything else

counting it all

as garbage

so that I could

gain Christ

and become

one with him.

Do you understand?

He was still

a Hebrew.

He still had

his medals

on the wall.

When you walk away

from what's holding

you back

what you used

to consider

the most valuable

it doesn't necessarily

mean it's all

going to go away

immediately.

But your perspective

on it

shifts.

Now

if I lose

my truck

if I lose

the great house

if I lose

the big retirement

whatever it is

it's not going

to kill me anymore.

it's not

going to drive

me to depression.

Now

it's not

going to

affect

my spirit

because my

spirit

rests in

Christ.

I no longer

count on my

righteousness

through obeying

the law

now

rather

I become

righteous

through faith

in Christ.

That's why

it's so valuable.

It's saving

your soul.

It's giving

you a future.

It's giving

you a home

in heaven.

It's giving

you something

that can't

be taken

away from

you.

Do you

understand

that everything

in this

world that

you can

pursue

can be

taken away

from you?

He said

not family.

Oh yes.

How many

of you have

lost a

loved one?

They can

be taken.

Everything

in this

world

can be

taken from

you.

But your

faith in

Christ

the righteousness

that he

places on

you can

never be

taken away.

So I'm

trying to

get all

of us

myself

included

and everyone

in this

room to

realize where

the real

value is

in something

that cannot

be taken

away.

So

that's

God's

way of

making us

right with

himself.

It depends

on our

faith.

Would you

go with me

to 1 Timothy

and we'll

be done.

1 Timothy

1 Timothy 6:17–19

chapter 6

verse 17

through 19.

Paul hit

the top

of his

career.

He had

it all

but he

found it

was

worthless

once he

met

Jesus.

Have you

really met

Jesus?

Then you'll

see how

worthless

everything else

is.

Maybe you've

just heard

about him.

if you've

really met

Jesus

then why

do your

plans

have so

little to

do with

him?

Graduates

make sure

your plans

have much

to do

with Jesus

in your

life.

As you

go off to

A&M

and Tech

and all

those other

schools that

aren't UT

Austin

are

going to

do

with

him.

Anyway.

As you

go off to

your college

God leads

you into

a great

career

and Lord

willing gives

you a

family

and whatever

his plans

are for

you.

He says

I know

the plans

I have

for you.

He's going

to reveal

them to

you in

time.

Make

sure

your plans

match up

with him.

Make

sure your

plans

involve

!

Him

because

I promise

you

ask

your

parents

ask

your

grandparents

ask

your

church

family

it's

so

easy

for

your

plans

to

start

to

not

involve

Jesus

at

all.

It's not

that you

willingly

turned your

back on

him.

No.

Life

just kind

of

drifted

you

apart.

It'll

do

that

if

we

don't

intentionally

keep

our

eyes

fixed

on

Jesus.

So

1 Timothy

1 Timothy 6 · chapter mention

chapter

6

and

verse

17

I was

talking

to

y'all

and

forgot

to

turn

there

myself

so

give

me

one

second.

1 Timothy

1 Timothy 6:17

6

verse

17

Teach

those

who

are

rich

in

this

world

not

to

be

proud

and

not

to

trust

in

their

money

which

is

so

unreliable.

Their

trust

should

be

in

God

who

richly

gives

us

all

we

need

for

our

enjoyment.

Tell

them

to

use

their

money

to

do

good.

And

if

God's

blessed

you

with

riches

and

finances

use

it

for

right?

There's

nothing

wrong

with

that

as

long

as

you

realize

how

meaningless

and

of

little

value

it

is.

And

as

long

as

it

doesn't

keep

you

from

doing

good

and

bringing

God

back

into

your

plans.

They

should

be

rich

in

good

works

generous

to

those

in

need

always

being

ready

to

share

with

others

by

doing

this

what

are

they

doing

by

doing

!

They're

storing

up

their

treasure

If

you're

not

looking

at

it

real

quick

here

we

go

If

you

do

this

center

your

riches

your

positions

everything

you have

on

Jesus

what

will

happen

by

doing

this

you

will

be

storing

up

your

treasure

as

a

good

foundation

for

the

future

you

know

what

you

need

at

this

stage

in

your

life

a

good

foundation

for

the

future

so

here's

how

to

have

it

so

that

then

you

can

experience

true

life

y'all

I

don't

want

you

to

have

a

life

that

this

world

will

carve

out

for

you

this

world

will

set

you

on

a

track

it

can't

help

itself

it

will

do

it

social

media

pressures

job

needs

bills

to

pay

everything

will

start

to set

you

on

a

course

and

start

to

define

the

life

that

you

live

I

don't

want

that

life

for

you

I

want

true

life

for

you

and

I

think

just

about

everyone

who has

experienced

both

in this

room

would

want

the

same

we

want

true

life

for

you

so

true

life

is only

found

where

Jesus

is

true

life

is only

found

where

Jesus

is

so

go

with

Jesus

follow

him

follow

him

where

he's

leading

you

ignore

the

distractions

sell

it

trade

it

in

whatever

it

is

and

stop

pursuing

the

less

valuable

treasures

that will

never

satisfy

your

soul

that

relationship

that's

holding

you

down

sell

it

that

habit

that

is

toxic

for

you

and

you

know

it

is

sell

it

get

rid

of

it

dump

it

that

house

that

job

the

truck

the

boat

the

retirement

athletic

achievements

all of

that can

have

its

place

but

none

of

it

is

the

treasure

that

vacation

your

family

your

status

your

reputation

man

status

and

reputation

sometimes

that is

the

thing

we

hold

on

to

the

dearest

you

know

what

Jesus

did

he

came

and

made

himself

of

great

reputation