Transcript The Kingdom of God A biblical study in twelve lectures by Steve Gregg Lecture #6 The Cost and Value of the Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God
A biblical study in twelve lectures
by Steve Gregg
Lecture #6
The Cost and Value
of the Kingdom
Matthew 13:44-46
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure
hidden in a field, which a man found and hid;
and for joy over it he goes and sells all that
he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when
he had found one pearl of great price, went
and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:44
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure
hidden in a field…”
Matthew 13:38
“The field is the world…”
Matthew 13:44
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure
hidden in a field…”
Exodus 19:5
“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice
and keep My covenant, then you shall be a
special treasure to Me above all people…”
Matthew 13:44
“…he goes and sells all that he has and buys that
field.”
2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He
became poor, that you through His poverty might
become rich.
Philippians 2:5-8
Let this mind be in you which was also in
Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God,
did not consider it robbery to be equal with
God, but made Himself of no reputation,
taking the form of a bondservant, and coming
in the likeness of men. And being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself
and became obedient to the point of death,
even the death of the cross.
Matthew 13:44
“…and for joy over it he goes and sells all…”
Hebrews 12:2
…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith, who for the joy that was set
before Him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and has sat down at the right hand of
the throne of God.
Matthew 13:44
“…he goes and sells all that he has
and buys that field.”
Acts 20:28
Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the
flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers, to shepherd the church of God
which He purchased with His own blood.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
…you are not your own…For you were
bought at a price; therefore glorify God in
your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Peter 1:18-19
…knowing that you were not redeemed with
corruptible things, like silver or gold, from
your aimless conduct received by tradition
from your fathers, but with the precious blood
of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot.
1 John 2:2
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins,
and not for ours only but also
for the whole world.
Matthew 13:45-46
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when
he had found one pearl of great price, went
and sold all that he had and bought it.
From “Disciple”—by Juan Carlos Ortiz
…when we find Jesus, it costs us everything. He has
happiness, joy, peace, healing, security, eternity,
everything. So we say, “I want this pearl. How much
is it?”
“Well,” the seller says, “it’s very expensive.”
“But how much?” we ask.
“Well, a very large amount.”
“Do you think I could buy it?”
“Oh, of course. Everyone can buy it.”
“But didn’t you say it was very expensive?”
“Yes.”
“Well, how much is it?”
“Everything you have,” says the seller.
We make up our minds. “All right, I’ll buy it,” we say.
“Well, what do you have?” he wants to know. “Let’s
write it down.”
“Well, I have ten thousand dollars in the bank.”
“Good—ten thousand dollars. What else.”
“That’s all. That’s all I have.”
“Nothing more?”
“Well, I have a few dollars here in my pocket.”
“How much?”
We start digging. “Well, let’s see—thirty, forty, sixty,
eighty, a hundred, a hundred twenty dollars.”
“That’s fine. What else do you have?”
“Well, nothing. That’s all.”
“Where do you live?” He’s still probing.
“In my house. Yes, I have a house.”
“The house too, then.” He writes that down.
“You mean I have to live in my camper?”
“You have a camper? That, too. What else?”
“I’ll have to sleep in my car!”
“You have a car?”
“Two of them.”
“Both become mine, both cars. What else?”
“Well, you already have my money, my house, my camper,
my cars. What else do you want?”
“Are you alone in this world?”
“No, I have a wife and two children….”
“Oh, yes, your wife and children, too. What else?”
“I have nothing left! I am left alone now.”
Suddenly the seller exclaims, “Oh, I almost forgot! You
yourself, too! Everything becomes mine—wife, children,
house, money, cars—and you too.”
Then he goes on. “Now listen—I will allow you to use all
these things for the time being. But don’t forget that they
are mine, just as you are. And whenever I need any of
them, you must give them up, because now I am the
owner.”
From Disciple, by Juan Carlos Ortiz (1975), pp. 34-35
Matthew 13:45
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
merchant…who…found one pearl of great price…
Revelation 21:21
The twelve gates were twelve pearls:
each individual gate was of one pearl.
And the street of the city was pure gold, like
transparent glass.
Acts 14:22
…they returned strengthening the souls
of the disciples, exhorting them to
continue in the faith, and saying,
“We must through many tribulations enter the
kingdom of God.”
Matthew 6:19-21
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy and where thieves
break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
destroys and where thieves do not break in and
steal. For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.”
Luke 14:12-14
Then He also said to him who invited Him,
“When you give a dinner or a supper, do not
ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives,
nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you
back, and you be repaid. But when you give a
feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame,
the blind. And you will be blessed, because
they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid
at the resurrection of the just.”
Colossians 3:1-2
If then you were raised with Christ, seek
those things which are above, where Christ
is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your
mind on things above, not on things on the
earth.
Luke 14:33
So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all
that he has cannot be My disciple.
Matthew 19:21
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven; and come,
follow Me.”
Matthew 19:27
Then Peter answered and said to Him,
“See, we have left all and followed You.
Therefore what shall we have?”
Acts 2:44-47
Now all who believed were together, and had all
things in common, and sold their possessions and
goods, and divided them among all, as anyone
had need.
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple,
and breaking bread from house to house, they ate
their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
praising God and having favor with all the people.
And the Lord added to the church daily those who
were being saved.
Acts 4:32-35
Now the multitude of those who believed were of
one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say
that any of the things he possessed was his own,
but they had all things in common. And with great
power the apostles gave witness to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace
was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among
them who lacked; for all who were possessors of
lands or houses sold them, and brought the
proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid
them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to
each as anyone had need.
Hebrews 10:34
…for you had compassion on me in my
chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering
of your goods, knowing that you have a better
and an enduring possession for yourselves in
heaven.
Luke 9:57-62
Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that
someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You
go.”
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of
the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay
His head.”
Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead,
but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me
first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to
the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and
bury my father.”
And another also said, “Lord, I will follow
You, but let me first go and bid them farewell
who are at my house.”
Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters; for either he will
hate the one and love the other, or else he
will be loyal to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.
2 Timothy 2:3-4
You therefore must endure hardship as a good
soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in
warfare entangles himself with the affairs of
this life, that he may please him who enlisted
him as a soldier.
An American college student had been converted
to Communism, in Mexico, and wrote the
following letter to his fiancé, explaining why he
must break off their engagement:
“We Communists have a high casualty rate. We’re
the ones who get shot and hung and lynched and
tarred and feathered and jailed and slandered, and
ridiculed and fired from our jobs, and in every
other way made as uncomfortable as possible. A
certain percentage of us get killed or imprisoned…
“…We live in virtual poverty. We turn back
to the party every penny we make above
what is absolutely necessary to keep us
alive. We Communists don’t have the time
or the money for many movies, or concerts,
or T-bone steaks, or decent homes and new
cars. We’ve been described as fanatics. We
are fanatics. Our lives are dominated by one
great overshadowing factor, the struggle for
World Communism…
“…We Communists have a philosophy of
life which no amount of money could buy.
We have a cause to fight for, a definite
purpose in life. We subordinate our petty,
personal selves to a great movement of
humanity, and if our personal lives seem
hard, or our egos appear to suffer through
subordination to the party, then we are
adequately compensated by the thought that
each of us in his small way is contributing
to something new and true and better for
mankind…
“…There is one thing in which I am in dead
earnest, that that is the Communist cause. It
is my life, my business, my religion, my
hobby, my sweetheart, my wife and
mistress, my bread and meat. I work at it in
the daytime, and dream of it at night. Its
hold on me grows, not lessens as time goes
on.
Therefore I cannot carry on a
friendship, a love affair, or even a
conversation without relating it to the force
which both drives and guides my life…
“…I evaluate people, books, ideas and actions
according to how they affect the Communist
cause and by their attitude toward it. I’ve
already been in jail because of my ideas,
and, if necessary, I’m ready to go before a
firing squad.”
Philippians 3:7-8
But what things were gain to me, these I have
counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all
things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered
the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish,
that I may gain Christ
1 Corinthians 6:6-7
But brother goes to law against brother,
and that before unbelievers!
Now therefore, it is already an utter failure
for you that you go to law against one
another. Why do you not rather accept
wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves
be cheated?
Hebrews 10:34
for you had compassion on me in my chains, and
joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods,
knowing that you have a better and an enduring
possession for yourselves in heaven.
Hebrews 11:24-26
By faith Moses, when he became of age,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s
daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God than to enjoy the
passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the
reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the
reward.
Matthew 13:10-11
And the disciples came and said to Him,
“Why do You speak to them in parables?”
He answered and said to them, “Because it
has been given to you to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has
not been given.
Mark 4:34
But without a parable He did not speak to
them. And when they were alone, He
explained all things to His disciples.
John 15:14-15
You are My friends if you do whatever I
command you. No longer do I call you
servants, for a servant does not know what
his master is doing; but I have called you
friends, for all things that I heard from My
Father I have made known to you.
Psalm 25:14
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear
Him, and He will show them His covenant.
Proverbs 3:32
For the perverse person is an abomination to
the Lord, but His secret counsel is with the
upright.
John 15:8
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear
much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Luke 6:40
A disciple is not above his teacher, but
everyone who is perfectly trained will be like
his teacher.
Romans 8:29
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined
to be conformed to the image of His Son, that
He might be the firstborn among many
brethren.
2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in
a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image from glory
to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Luke 19:17
And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant;
because you were faithful in a very little, have
authority over ten cities.’
Revelation 5:9-10
And they sang a new song, saying:
“ You are worthy to take the scroll, and to
open its seals; for You were slain, and have
redeemed us to God by Your blood out of
every tribe and tongue and people and
nation, and have made us [ a kingdom of ]
priests to our God; and we shall reign on the
earth.”