Is His Kingdom… Everything? (Matthew 13:44-46)

 

VIDEO

Is His Kingdom… Everything? (Matthew 13:44-46)

GIST: The gospel should consume our lives, not just add to them. 

Hey guys, if you have your Bibles with you (or phones), we’re going to be camping out for a bit in Matthew 13:44-46. When I was asked to speak today, I started praying about what to share. We go through books of the Bible at Providence, so the easiest route would have been to share one of those messages with you guys, but I figured that would make the people who came with me start sounding me out a bit ☺️. So, while I was praying about this, I was listening to an audio Bible while driving into work, and this passage was playing. It immediately struck my heart, and I couldn’t shake it, so I wanted to share that with you tonight. And don’t worry, I won’t take too long ☺. In fact, before I say anything else, let’s just read those verses. 

"44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it."

When I was asked to speak at this youth rally, I was excited and nervous. See, I’m a high school teacher,  and I was a youth pastor for 12 years. I love talking to young people. However, I’ve also been to a lot of youth rallies. They’re always fun, but the messages, frequently at least, tended to circle around to: be abstinent until marriage, pray often, and read your Bible. That’s great advice, but here’s the deal, if we grow up with a picture of Christianity that essentially boils down to “don’t do this” and “make sure you do this” we're missing the true beauty behind the gospel which, as the passage we just read illustrates, is meant to passionately consume us. That’s our gist for this evening: The gospel should consume our lives, not just add to them. 

And that is what the passage is talking about, by the way. I feel like I need to preface this conversation by clarifying that because, well, taken at face value, the first part, at least, seems a little underhanded. It kind of reads like this guy cheated someone out of some treasure by “buying their field” ☺️. This isn’t meant to be life advice for how to purchase land though. This is just illustrating how big of a deal the gospel is. In both pictures, once it was found, it became everything. These people were excited. They were filled with incredible joy. In fact, both ended up selling everything else they had and going all in on this gift—this good news.

That being said, let’s unpack that word→ 

I. Gospel

I never want to take for granted that everyone knows what we mean when we say gospel, or good news, so here’s it is in a nutshell. God is holy and loving. We’re not. In fact, we’re pretty broken and can’t fix ourselves. Failing to even live up to our own standards (the ones we use to judge everybody else), we definitely fall short of His expectations. Because we have sinned against the eternal God, we deserve eternal punishment. BUT, and oh that but is beautiful (pun intended), Jesus chose to come and live the perfect life we couldn’t and take on the Hell we deserved. Why? Not because we earned His favor. Not because He needed company in Heaven. Just because… He loves us. Because of this sacrifice, we can come to Him for forgiveness and experience acceptance and abundant life by letting go of the reins and giving Him control. That’s the good news. By nature, your sin is destroying you, but Jesus came to provide a way out and a life with Him that changes literally everything! So, why should that→ 

II. Consume Our Lives, Not Just Add To Them

Precisely because Jesus changes everything! This message of hope is dramatically transformative. We are in desperate need of His rescue, and He offers it freely to all who will come. If we package this as anything less, we’re just saying religious “stuff” or repackaging self-seeking desires with spiritual words, so we feel better about our vanity.

The gospel is everything because it changes how we look at everything. It’s like the famous C.S. Lewis quote: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it but because by it, I see everything else.” If we have experienced Jesus’ rescue, His amazing grace permeates all parts of our lives. 

I don’t know what you’re facing right now, but Jesus’ grace is the answer. That’s not just a “Sunday School” response either. He can’t just be an addon. He’s everything.

If you’re struggling to stand against the temptations of this world, remember: He bore your burden on the cross. If you’re experiencing rejection, remember: He loves you with unconditional passion. If you’re facing confusion and indecision, remember: He came to bring you abundant life. 

What about those three things most youth messages come back to? Well, knowing Jesus as your Savior and really being changed by the gospel will change how you look at those too. If sex is meant to be an expression of true love between a husband and a wife, viewing other people through the eyes of Jesus will motivate you to cherish that kind of intimacy in marriage. It will also let you know there is forgiveness and restoration if you’ve already messed up in that area. How about prayer & reading the Bible? Knowing He loves you like He does will make you want to talk to Him, and it will give you a desire to hear what He has to say through His word!

Are you willing to go all-in for Him?

The gospel is more than a list of dos and don’ts. It’s the love of Jesus poured out for you and an opportunity to live the life you were made for. It’s the acceptance and belonging we all long for, and a call to live in the righteousness we all need!    

Ok, so, let me give you two quick→ 

TAKEAWAYS

1. Looking for it or not, you’ve heard His call. The reason I wanted to read both mini-parables tonight was because they paint a really cool picture together. The first man wasn’t actively looking for that treasure, but he found it. The merchant was searching for what he knew he was missing, and he found it. In the same way, maybe you’re here tonight and you know you’re missing something. Maybe you couldn’t really articulate what that is, but you know it’s not there, and you want it. The Bible tells us that anyone who seeks will find. And despite my ineptitude, you’ve heard His call for salvation tonight. Now, some of you might be here and not feel like you need anything at all. You came for the pizza and the games… which aren’t bad motivations. (I love the game part too! I’ve been around youth ministry too long to really love the pizza anymore ☺ ️.) Nonetheless, you’ve heard the truth too. Will you come to Him? Because, we all need this gospel to change our lives…completely. So→ 

2. If you’re His, be His completely. Don’t miss out on the full life He’s called you to by letting the pull of this world distract you. And it will pull hard. It will be hard to stand, guys, I know. This could cost you so much. It could cost you reputation, and friends, and maybe even someday your life. But the kingdom of God is so valuable it’s worth everything. Is that true for you today?