The Hidden Treasure

Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church

Henley, and thanks so much for tuning into our

podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast,

you can have an encounter with Jesus that'll

change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring

message from our preaching team. It's on now.

It literally was. I think this will be there.

to pray for you. Nerd, I love books. Reading

is one of my hobbies and a couple of years ago

I made this incredible discovery which was that

if you went to op shops and you looked in the

book section you could find all manner of insanely

valuable books for the fraction of the price

or you would find nothing but like 300 Wilbur

Smith novels and what to expect when you're expecting.

There's kind of no middle ground and you just

never knew what to expect some days you just

strike so good I've read almost of what they

have like I got Dallas without rent books because

every now and then you come across something

You knew was worth insane more the front by the

door there most of the books. They're so much

fun There is great joy in discovering something

of great value, isn't there? Now for you, it

might not be secondhand books, but I wonder if

there's places in your lives where you've discovered

something. You've discovered it and it's of immense

value. Whether that's in your family, whether

that's financially, in friendships, in your career,

in a hobby, in your faith. Maybe for you, you

stumbled onto it. You weren't looking for it,

but almost by accident, you found it and it changed

your life. Maybe for you, you were looking for

it. You were looking for something and at some

point along the journey, there it was. This dynamic,

this joy of finding something of great value

is what Jesus is tapping into when he tells the

parable that Nathan just read for us of the hidden

treasure and the pearl of great price. Parables

as we know, we've been talking about it, we've

been in a series about it, they're not moral

stories, right? They're not fables intended to

teach us lessons. moral principles like the boy

who cried wolf or the tortoise and the hare Jesus

parables are always about himself What he's come

to do what his kingdom is like and today in our

text Jesus is teaching his followers and he says

this is what my kingdom is going to be like or

is like It's like a hidden treasure that a man

discovers in a field and it is an excitement

He buries it again, and he sells everything he

has just to purchase the field so he can possess

this great treasure. What's going on here? Let's

dig a little deeper. If a man is working a field

he doesn't own, well, he's probably a hired help.

He's probably a poor peasant working a field

who belongs to a rich man. And we learned a couple

of weeks ago that burying money in the ground

was considered a really safe thing to do, a decent

choice. But doesn't the owner of the field know

the treasure's there? And why would the owner

then sell that piece of land if he knows the

treasure's there? Well, the owner is only willing

to sell because he doesn't know the treasure

is buried there. The owner doesn't know what

he has. But this poor man, he realises as he

stumbles onto this great treasure that buried

in that piece of land is something of immense

value. But what about the owner? Shouldn't he

get a car even if he, you know, it did belong

to him? Well Jewish rabbis basically taught that

the long -standing kindergarten principle of

finders keepers losers weepers if you found it

it was yours and Roman law of that time dictated

that the if the bar of a field acquires any hidden

treasure Well, then as long as the previous owner

didn't know about it. It's this It's fair game

this treasure is fair game to the man who finds

it But he needs to make sure that the owner doesn't

catch on. And so he buries it again. And then

in his excitement, he goes and sells everything

he has to buy the field. Now, my big question

is, how does he explain this to his wife? Like,

honey, just trust me on this one. We're going

to have to sell everything we have, but this

random piece of land here, it's worth it. It's

so worth it. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge could be

a steal, right? How do his friends react? He

has to make sure that the knowledge of this treasure

doesn't reach the ears of the current owner From

the outside this looks like a really stupid decision

to sell everything you have to own this field

Sell everything for this little piece of land,

but the man knows something that they don't What's

hidden in that land is worth everything more

than everything that he has And so it's joyous.

It's a positive decision for him. He goes with

excitement to sell everything that he has. But

then to drive the point home, Jesus says, again,

the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant. And

he's in the market for pearls, pearls that he

can flip for a great price. And hidden away in

the market, he sees something really valuable.

He sees anti -rights, the resurrection of the

Son of God for $5, gathering dust on a shelf.

Now he finds a pearl of incredible value. And

so he sells everything for it just to possess

it. Now what's Jesus getting out with these little

stories? The hidden treasure, the pearl of great

price, it's the kingdom of God. It's Jesus' kingdom.

And Jesus here through his parallel is saying

that, look, people discover my kingdom in two

different ways. Some people like the man who

discovers the treasure in a field, they just

stumble upon the kingdom of God. They're not

looking for it, really. They don't know it's

there. And suddenly there it is. They discover

it and everything changes. And maybe that's your

story here today. And some people are like the

merchant. They are in the hunt for the kingdom

of God. They're looking everywhere. They're trying

everything. They're searching for something.

something more, they're searching for the truth.

And it's in their searching that they find the

kingdom of God. And in it they find something

of greater value than they realized was ever

possible. I mean, that's my story. Maybe it's

yours as well. And for both kinds of people,

both the person who's looking for the kingdom

and the person who stumbles upon the kingdom

by accident, what's their response? Well, how

does the man who finds a hidden treasure respond?

How does the merchant who discovers the pearl

of great price respond? They respond Identically,

they respond in the same way. They sell everything

they have to possess it The way that the man

and the merchant respond is for sure the point

of this parable However, you discover the kingdom

Jesus is saying whether you stub your toe on

it when you're out for a walk or you're looking

for it and you discover it, how you respond to

it is what matters. And they both respond the

same way. They sell everything to possess it.

You know, we can hear this. And we can hear this

in a certain kind of way. We can make this about

what having the Kingdom of God will require of

us. Like, I know where you're going with this,

Jesus. Here you go again. You're asking everything

of me. And so the protective barriers can go

up. And you know there's something in this parable

that's confronting to us when we sit with it.

Here is this thing is of incredible value and

in order to have it, all that's required is everything.

All that's required is everything. But how often

do we find ourselves bartering with God, negotiating?

Like we want his kingdom. We want what we have

discovered not in part, but in all of its fullness

But we want to barter on the price Like I won't

go around having casual sex, but there better

be a wife for me in it Like I'll tie 10 % but

that's it no more like I'll share my faith But

but only to my friends don't I'm not gonna be

talking to people. I don't know right. I'm an

introvert Like I'll serve I'll see even serve

you Jesus but in exchange I need certain kinds

of comforts Home ownership and the ability to

buy ice cream whenever I want it now I'm not

trying to be facetious. These are actual conversations.

I had with God as a young man and Even now when

I've given up completely given up almost all

of my conditions. I Still find myself trying

to draw the line How much I need to surrender

and I can't be the only one We try to find the

line. How much do I need to give to have the

kingdom of God? To have this treasure in the

field, to have this pearl of great price. Can

I get away with 30 %? That would be very generous

of me, 30 % of everything. What about 60 %? Can't

it just be 60 %? 80 %? I mean, have you seen

the cost of living, Jesus? But there's no bartering.

There's no bartering you want it the cost is

everything Like everything kind of just be something.

It's like everything And we can hear this parable

in our minds and go to what we will have to lose

In order to have the kingdom and maybe for you

like me the default is to try to go and negotiate

with God to minimize what we will lose, to draw

a line on them, to find the minimum requirement

for surrender. But there is no minimum requirement

for surrender. You can't half surrender. That's

actually not how that word works. It's all or

nothing. You want God's kingdom? The cost is

everything. I wonder what you think Jesus is

trying to do here. I think he's trying to motivate

his disciples. by crafting a parable that illustrates

a crisis that they will face. That at some point

in their life, at some point in the future, they

will have to make a decision. Hey, this kingdom

I'm bringing, it's the best thing you've ever

seen, and whatever you lose in the end, you win

big. But right now, it's gonna cost you everything

to gain it. To gain, you must lose. There's no

dipping your toes in the water. It's in or it's

out. So you're getting wet or what? And Jesus

is doing this because ultimately it will cost

his followers everything. They leave careers

and family and many of them are martyred for

just belonging to Jesus. At some point, he knew

they would be forced to choose, am I in or am

I out? And this parable is trying to provoke

them into a crisis of decision. And friends,

here's where our mindset has to shift. I know

for many of us, particularly if you grew up in

the church, you have a big red, just do better

button in your head, exists in your head. And

when we hear parables like this, that says, in

order to have the kingdom, you must give up everything

you have, they can tend to push that big red,

just do better button. And our response can be

to beat ourselves up about or to fret about what

we're doing or what we're not doing. Or we can

work ourselves into a frenzy, just striving,

I'm gonna be better. I'm gonna be better. But

neither is actually really that helpful to us.

Beating ourselves up just heaps on shame and

it actually paralyzes us from doing the things

that are actually gonna help us that we need

to do, that God's asking us to do. Shame is not

from Jesus, it is from the enemy renounced. But

you also can't work yourself into surrender.

Surrender is not achieved by striving, but by

the opposite, by letting go. David Benner says

this, the English word surrender carries the

implication of putting one's full weight on someone

or something. It involves letting go, a release

of effort, tension and fear. It involves trust,

one... cannot let go of self -dependence and

transfer dependence onto something else without

trust. Floating is a good illustration of this

because you cannot float until you let go. Floating

is putting your full weight in the water and

trusting that you will be supported. It is letting

go of your natural instincts to fight against

sinking. Only then will you discover that you

are supported. Let that sink in. If you're in

the water, Pun not intended. If you're in the

water and you're fighting against sinking, you

can't float. You can only float when you trust

the water will hold you and you let go. And this

is the mindset shift we need to make. We need

to let go of bartering with God about how He

will use our lives. We need to let go about worrying

about what following Jesus is going to cost us.

We let go of striving, of trying to earn God's

love for us by ticking the Jesus boxes that we

have. And trust that grace means Jesus has us.

Trust that God's grace like water will hold us

when we let go. Trust that Jesus' work is finished.

He sat down at the right hand of the Father,

completed His work. By faith you are saved, not

by your own efforts. Trust that you cannot earn

it, add to it or lose it by what you do or do

not do. Trust God to be as steady and as unchanging

as the water that holds you when you float. Friends,

it all really comes down to trust. Because once

you trust, you can really and wholeheartedly

surrender whatever it costs to have the kingdom.

That's the thing about the man who stumbles upon

the treasure and the merchant who found the pearl.

They didn't have to trust. They knew the value

that was before them. They weren't sitting around

doubting or theologizing. They knew they were

onto something that could change their lives.

And neither the man nor the merchant are just

sitting there wrestling internally, trying to

muster up the desire to do better, to sell everything.

They do it immediately and joyfully. They don't

hesitate. Why don't they hesitate? Because they

know the joy of what they will gain supersedes

the fear. of what they will lose. They know they've

made a discovery of immense value, far more value

than anything they currently have. And so for

them, it's an easy deal. It's a joyful deal.

And doesn't that just sum up the mind shift we

have to make? We have to move from fear of the

loss, fear of the cost to joy at the ultimate

gain that we will all make. I was sharing a bit

of my life And my story with an older and wiser

person this week and they said something to surprise

me because no This is not something that people

say They said Tim your reward will be great in

heaven And while this was very encouraging. I

found it very jarring Like immediately because

I don't think about what I will gain in heaven.

I think mostly about what I will lose on earth

But a balanced view of the hope that we have

in Jesus is that even if our life here is nothing

but loss, it is nothing but gain in the resurrection.

In the end, we win. Paul has this mindset. He

says this in Philippians, for to me, living means

living for Christ and dying is even better. But

if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ.

So I don't really know which is better. I'm torn

between two desires. I long to go and be with

Christ, which would be far better for me. But

for your sake, it is better that I continue to

live. Paul's got it. Paul's got it. And isn't

this what the parables are putting on the table?

We think giving up everything is lost, but compared

to the kingdom of God, it is nothing but net

gain. Nothing but net gain. So why do we struggle

to see it this way sometimes? Say tomorrow, someone

came to you and said, Tom. I'm going to give

you $100 billion, but there's one string attached.

In exchange, you've got to give me everything

you own. Now, I'm going to go out on a limb and

say that no one in this room has a net worth

of $100 billion. And even if we added up the

net wealth of everyone in this room, maybe we

wouldn't even make a dent in it. But would you

take that deal? Yeah. Yeah. Who would take that

deal? Hands up if you would take that deal. Ooh,

interesting. $100 billion for everything you

have. That's the only string. There's no hidden

agenda. I think most of us would take that deal,

if we're honest. Because the value of what you

gain vastly supersedes what you lose unless you

are someone with $200 billion as net wealth.

You don't hesitate to do that deal. So why is

it any different in God's kingdom? We've discovered

something worth giving up everything and everything

for and yet we are Sometimes more worried about

what it might cost us rather than than joy and

what we gain Why would we jump at a hundred billion

but bulk at the core cost of the kingdom? Here's

what I think I think if someone trades you a

hundred billion dollars for your beat -up car

not your I'm not looking at you Tom your cars

amazing and and your phone and the couch that

you love so much, and you get a hundred billion

dollars for those things, you are in control.

You can go and buy a new car, a new phone, a

new couch. You could even try and buy it all

back. But with the kingdom of God, you are not

in control. The kingdom of God already has a

king. And I'm sorry to break it to you, it ain't

you and it ain't me. And we have to learn to

accept this. Jesus is the King. He is in control.

I think we struggle to give everything in joy

because if we're honest, sometimes we struggle

to hand control over to God of our lives, of

our stories. We struggle to surrender, truly

surrender. And so there's an invitation here

from Jesus in this parable to not just choose

to let go and have the kingdom, but choose to

have it. with joy, in joy, to resist cynicism,

to resist striving, to resist a guilt or shame

-based faith and to surrender to God. For the

one who surrenders to God receives far more than

they have ever given in this life or the next.

Friends, this is the kind of God that we surrender

to. The God we surrender to is like a man who

discovers a great treasure hidden in a field.

The God we surrender to is like a merchant who's

looking for pearls and discovers a pearl of surpassing

value. And in order to possess it, God gave up

everything in joy. Everything. Friends, you are

the treasure in the field. You are the pearl

of great price. And to possess you, to have you,

God in joy does not hesitate to give his one

and only son. Jesus in His joy does not hesitate

to give up everything that He had, even in His

own life, given up on the cross so that you could

be with God forever. Hebrews 12 says it was for

the joy that was set before Him that Jesus endured

the cross, disregarding its shame. And now He's

seated in the place of honour beside God's throne.

Friends, you are the joy that is set before Jesus.

And this parable of the treasure and the pearl,

they're about God's kingdom and how we must respond.

But it's also about a God who would give up everything

to have you and to have me. This is how you have

been treated by God. This is the God we surrender

to. Isn't this friends, great news of great joy.

Let's pray together. Holy Spirit come. Lord,

we pray that we would just personally know your

love for us. So you would go to these lengths

to have us, to save us. This is how you feel

about us. You're like a man who's looking for

something and he finds it. And we're willing

to give up everything he has to have it. God,

what a blessing it is. What good news we have.

We pray God that we would be able to receive

this with joy, that we would see not the loss

but the opportunity, that we would see not the

loss but the blessing, and that we would step

fully and wholeheartedly into surrender to you.

We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. We're gonna

worship a little bit to finish off today. If

you need prayer, Eric's in the back. I would

love to pray with you. You can tap someone on

the shoulder next to you and ask them to pray.

But if you need to surrender, like you need to

actually like stop drawing boundaries with God

bartering for the minimum requirement of surrender.

Take this as an opportunity. You're here. There's

beautiful music going on in the background. God's

presence is with us. Take the opportunity. Take

the invitation to lay it all down. Thanks so

much for tuning into this week's message. If

you felt challenged or need prayer, we'd love

to hear from you on Instagram. at Encounter Henley.

Or if you're interested in how you can support

this ministry please go to our website encounteradelaide

.com .au. Thanks again for listening. God bless

you.