Milford Church of Christ

INTRODUCTION

The kingdom of heaven is valuable.  It is so because of its nature.  It is called “the kingdom of heaven” because that is the realm with which it is associated.  It is associated more with heaven than it is with this world.  Christ Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).  Paul revealed to the church in Philippi that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20).  It is also called “the kingdom of God” because God is the ruler of it.  He is also its architect and builder.  And yet it is the “kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13) because Jesus is the present administrator of it.  It is written, “the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come” (Rev. 12:10).  What a kingdom! Ruled by God, administered by Christ, associated with heaven!  This kingdom is like a treasure; it is like a pearl.

SEEKING THE KINGDOM

In both parables, the kingdom is described as something precious being found.  No one will enjoy the benefits of the kingdom or comprehend its value without looking for and finding it.  This is not a kingdom of coercion.  No one is forced into it by another.  In fact the opposite is true.  “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force” (Matt. 11:12).  The Amplified Bible says it this way: “And from the days of John the Baptist untill the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize – a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion.”  The kingdom of God is so beneficial and pleasing to man that they force their way into it.  With strong impulse like never before people are striving and determined to enter in, because it is like finding a treasure; like finding a pearl of great value.

Priority: “Seek first His kingdom.”  A desire for God and His kingdom is characteristic of His people.  They seek Him.  When Jesus was teaching his disciples not to worry about food and drink and clothing He said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33).  It must have prominence in our priorities and it must be sought after diligently.  Jesus told His followers to “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24).  No one will stumble into the kingdom of heaven, it must be sought after.  We must strive.  We must be “diligent to enter that rest” (Heb. 4:11).  Heavenly things are desirous to them and they grope for them.  Those living this way say things like, “I long for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your law is my delight” (Ps. 119:174).  Like Paul, they “count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:8).  Kingdom concerns are top priority in their thinking.  The kingdom is sought “first.”  This is because the administrator of the kingdom has preeminence.  “He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything” (Col. 1:18).  He is the “precious corner stone” and “whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed” (1 Pet. 2:6).  The treasure must be sought first because of its value, and the pearl as well for it is precious.

Faith: “Better country.”  Those seeking His kingdom live by faith.  They are living with spiritual realities in view.  Like Moses who left Egypt, they too are in the wilderness living by faith, “as seeing Him who is unseen” (Heb. 11:27).  They are assured “of things hoped for” and convicted “of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).  They confess that this world and its kingdoms are not the primary ones.  Their hearts are not set here.  Their affections are not focused here.  They are like Abraham looking for the city “whose architect and builder is God.”  They confess themselves to be “strangers and exiles on earth” and “make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.” “They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them” (Heb. 11:9-16).

Focus: “Fixing our eyes on Jesus.”  Seeking the kingdom involves complete devotion to Christ Himself.  It involves laying “aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us.”  It involves running “with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1-2).  Those seeking the kingdom must fix their “eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.”  This involves having a focused mind “because the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace (Rom. 8:6).  We are told to “set your minds on things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2).  Men will travel in the direction that their minds are set and toward that on which their eyes are fixed.  Every effort must be made to rid our lives of the distractions of this world that we might have eternal life in the world to come.   Paul, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,” was pressing on “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).  Also, Moses chose “to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward” (Heb. 11:25-26).  Both were focused.  Seeking the kingdom of is first priority; it is sought after by faith and requires diligent focus on the goal. 

HAVING JOY OVER IT

Filling the void.  Seeking the kingdom is a most beneficent task.  It yields unparalleled results.  The kingdom of heaven is exactly what man is looking for.  It is far greater than any other thing to be found.  It has far greater value.  It is so precious to those who find it sell all that they have to buy it.  Enjoying fellowship with God and Christ brings contentment that is only possible in His kingdom.  “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you’” (Heb. 13:5).  With this reality in mind, great joy and peace are experienced in the kingdom of heaven. 

No comparison to earthly treasures.  The merchant was “seeking fine pearls” when he came upon the “pearl of great value.”  It was far better than any of the other pearls.  It is like a treasure beyond all treasures.  Indeed, describing it with words is often difficult “for the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power” (1 Cor. 4:20).  Perceiving it in its entirety is not possible due to man’s present condition.  It must be perceived through the eyes of faith.  This is why the Holy Spirit speaks of knowing “the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge” (Eph. 3:19).  He speaks of experiencing the “peace of God which surpasses all comprehension” (Phil. 4:7).  And those in the kingdom can “greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Pet. 1:18).  It is beyond compare and often beyond expression.  It is greater than anything the world has ever known.

The experience of joy.  The kingdom of God is the place where inexpressible joy is experienced.  It is of a spiritual realm and has spiritual benefits.  One of the greatest disservices that a person could do is try to make the kingdom of heaven an earthly kingdom with earthly benefit. A message like this cannot be from God. If this were the case faith would not be necessary, hope would not be possible and Jesus’ servants would have fought so that He would not have been handed over to the Jews; “but as it is, [His] kingdom is not of this realm” (John 18:36).  It is not about health, wealth, land, possessions, or other things concerning this earth’s kingdoms.  “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).  All of these blessings are of a spiritual nature and are facilitated in the kingdom of God.  The kingdom of God IS righteousness.  The kingdom of God IS peace.  The kingdom of God IS joy in the Holy Spirit.  No earthly kingdom is like this.

In our parable the man who found the treasure sold everything he had to buy the field because of his “joy” over the treasure!  Perception and understanding concerning the kingdom of heaven brings great joy.  It brings a response like that of the lame man who was healed at the gate called beautiful.  Who “with a leap…stood straight up and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:8).  There are several examples of this kind of joy in the kingdom.  But there is no greater joy than when a person is born again.  When Philip “preached Jesus” to the Ethiopian eunuch, “he baptized him,” “the eunuch…went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:38-39).  The Gentiles were “rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord” (Acts 13:48) when they heard that salvation was coming to them.  And upon Paul and Barnabas moving on to Iconium to preach, “the disciples were continually filled with joy” (Acts 13:52).  When they went on proclaiming the conversion of the Gentiles they were bringing “great joy to all the brethren” (Acts 15:3).  John categorically stated, “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth” (3 John 4).  This is having joy over the kingdom!

SELLING ALL YOU HAVE

Those who comprehend the kingdom of God and have joy over it, sell all they have to buy it.  They are willing to forsake all to follow Jesus.  This is the norm in the kingdom.  Peter and Andrew “left their nets and followed Him.”  James and John “left the boat and their father and followed Him” (Matt. 4:20, 22).  Matthew left the “tax collector’s booth” (Matt. 9:9).  Jesus said, “everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19:29).  This is the norm of Christ’s disciples.  They willingly leave current things in search of better things.  Those things of no spiritual benefit are quickly forsaken for eternal things.  The Spirit says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor. 5:17).  Following Christ and seeking the kingdom involves a putting away of “old things.” And in light of the glories to follow, this is not only a necessity but a desire of the sons of the kingdom.

Who can be His disciple?  Jesus often spoke about His kingdom in terms of who could be His disciple.  He gave requirements for those whom He would teach – for a disciple is a student/follower/learner.  His disciples’ love for Him had to be greater than his love for anyone else, including himself.  “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). The disciple must be willing to sacrifice his own well-being for that of others.  “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:27).  Furthermore, picking up the cross became a daily matter of self-denial for the cause of the kingdom.  “If anyone wishes to come to Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).  Just as the men in the parables sold all they had to buy the treasure and the pearl, so Christ’s disciples must be willing to sell out for Him.  “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his possessions” (Luke 14:33). 

Spiritual blessings.  The blessings that result from this sell-out to the kingdom are more than worth it.  Therefore, those in the kingdom of God are not like Lot’s wife, looking back toward the life they left, but rather upward and onward.  Jesus said, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).  No, they follow Him who “has nowhere to lay His head” (Luke 9:58) with no guarantee of great health or wealth.  Instead the promise is this: “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  So why would anyone sell all that he has for this kind of kingdom?  Because the blessings surpass anything this world can offer.  He “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).  Faith and hope in spiritual blessings enable them to endure to the end.  While the old covenant focused on physical provision for a physical kingdom, Jesus spoke of spiritual things.  He spoke of having “the kingdom of heaven” and being “comforted.”  He that they shall “inherit the earth,” “be satisfied,” “receive mercy,” and “see God.”  He spoke of blessing even in persecution saying, “rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great” (Matt. 5:3-12).  These are all spiritual blessings; “precious and magnificent promises” (2 Pet. 1:4).

Able to endure.  Jesus set the example of those able to see the kingdom of God.  He was able to endure suffering to the point of death “even death on the cross.”  This is because of the joy set before Him.  The kingdom of God transcends this world and focuses on the world to come.  “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17-18).  His is a heavenly kingdom.  It is precious and valuable.  It is like a treasure; like a pearl of great value!