WEBVTT 00:00:09.859 --> 00:00:12.679 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church 00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:15.279 Henley, and thanks so much for tuning into our 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.000 podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast, 00:00:19.019 --> 00:00:20.879 you can have an encounter with Jesus that'll 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.359 change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:28.179 message from our preaching team. It's on now. 00:00:28.260 --> 00:00:32.820 It literally was. I think this will be there. 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:36.640 to pray for you. Nerd, I love books. Reading 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:39.000 is one of my hobbies and a couple of years ago 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:41.619 I made this incredible discovery which was that 00:00:41.619 --> 00:00:43.840 if you went to op shops and you looked in the 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:48.240 book section you could find all manner of insanely 00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:51.840 valuable books for the fraction of the price 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:56.320 or you would find nothing but like 300 Wilbur 00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:59.219 Smith novels and what to expect when you're expecting. 00:01:00.900 --> 00:01:03.259 There's kind of no middle ground and you just 00:01:03.259 --> 00:01:05.840 never knew what to expect some days you just 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:09.799 strike so good I've read almost of what they 00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:12.480 have like I got Dallas without rent books because 00:01:12.480 --> 00:01:13.959 every now and then you come across something 00:01:13.959 --> 00:01:16.379 You knew was worth insane more the front by the 00:01:16.379 --> 00:01:19.140 door there most of the books. They're so much 00:01:19.140 --> 00:01:22.459 fun There is great joy in discovering something 00:01:22.459 --> 00:01:25.420 of great value, isn't there? Now for you, it 00:01:25.420 --> 00:01:27.719 might not be secondhand books, but I wonder if 00:01:27.719 --> 00:01:29.819 there's places in your lives where you've discovered 00:01:29.819 --> 00:01:33.180 something. You've discovered it and it's of immense 00:01:33.180 --> 00:01:36.280 value. Whether that's in your family, whether 00:01:36.280 --> 00:01:39.659 that's financially, in friendships, in your career, 00:01:39.819 --> 00:01:43.620 in a hobby, in your faith. Maybe for you, you 00:01:43.620 --> 00:01:46.260 stumbled onto it. You weren't looking for it, 00:01:46.260 --> 00:01:49.200 but almost by accident, you found it and it changed 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:53.319 your life. Maybe for you, you were looking for 00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:55.549 it. You were looking for something and at some 00:01:55.549 --> 00:02:00.209 point along the journey, there it was. This dynamic, 00:02:00.349 --> 00:02:02.650 this joy of finding something of great value 00:02:02.650 --> 00:02:07.329 is what Jesus is tapping into when he tells the 00:02:07.329 --> 00:02:09.449 parable that Nathan just read for us of the hidden 00:02:09.449 --> 00:02:13.349 treasure and the pearl of great price. Parables 00:02:13.349 --> 00:02:15.210 as we know, we've been talking about it, we've 00:02:15.210 --> 00:02:16.969 been in a series about it, they're not moral 00:02:16.969 --> 00:02:19.849 stories, right? They're not fables intended to 00:02:19.849 --> 00:02:23.139 teach us lessons. moral principles like the boy 00:02:23.139 --> 00:02:26.460 who cried wolf or the tortoise and the hare Jesus 00:02:26.460 --> 00:02:30.039 parables are always about himself What he's come 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:34.139 to do what his kingdom is like and today in our 00:02:34.139 --> 00:02:37.400 text Jesus is teaching his followers and he says 00:02:37.400 --> 00:02:40.020 this is what my kingdom is going to be like or 00:02:40.020 --> 00:02:43.800 is like It's like a hidden treasure that a man 00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:46.280 discovers in a field and it is an excitement 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:48.460 He buries it again, and he sells everything he 00:02:48.460 --> 00:02:51.889 has just to purchase the field so he can possess 00:02:51.889 --> 00:02:55.729 this great treasure. What's going on here? Let's 00:02:55.729 --> 00:02:57.930 dig a little deeper. If a man is working a field 00:02:57.930 --> 00:03:00.909 he doesn't own, well, he's probably a hired help. 00:03:01.810 --> 00:03:05.490 He's probably a poor peasant working a field 00:03:05.490 --> 00:03:08.210 who belongs to a rich man. And we learned a couple 00:03:08.210 --> 00:03:09.810 of weeks ago that burying money in the ground 00:03:09.810 --> 00:03:13.250 was considered a really safe thing to do, a decent 00:03:13.250 --> 00:03:16.710 choice. But doesn't the owner of the field know 00:03:16.710 --> 00:03:19.599 the treasure's there? And why would the owner 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:21.719 then sell that piece of land if he knows the 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:24.460 treasure's there? Well, the owner is only willing 00:03:24.460 --> 00:03:26.159 to sell because he doesn't know the treasure 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:30.180 is buried there. The owner doesn't know what 00:03:30.180 --> 00:03:34.960 he has. But this poor man, he realises as he 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:37.080 stumbles onto this great treasure that buried 00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:39.460 in that piece of land is something of immense 00:03:39.460 --> 00:03:43.719 value. But what about the owner? Shouldn't he 00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:46.259 get a car even if he, you know, it did belong 00:03:46.259 --> 00:03:49.500 to him? Well Jewish rabbis basically taught that 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:51.479 the long -standing kindergarten principle of 00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:54.680 finders keepers losers weepers if you found it 00:03:54.680 --> 00:03:59.360 it was yours and Roman law of that time dictated 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:02.719 that the if the bar of a field acquires any hidden 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:06.699 treasure Well, then as long as the previous owner 00:04:06.699 --> 00:04:10.960 didn't know about it. It's this It's fair game 00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:12.979 this treasure is fair game to the man who finds 00:04:12.979 --> 00:04:15.430 it But he needs to make sure that the owner doesn't 00:04:15.430 --> 00:04:18.670 catch on. And so he buries it again. And then 00:04:18.670 --> 00:04:22.050 in his excitement, he goes and sells everything 00:04:22.050 --> 00:04:25.170 he has to buy the field. Now, my big question 00:04:25.170 --> 00:04:28.569 is, how does he explain this to his wife? Like, 00:04:28.589 --> 00:04:30.870 honey, just trust me on this one. We're going 00:04:30.870 --> 00:04:33.509 to have to sell everything we have, but this 00:04:33.509 --> 00:04:36.269 random piece of land here, it's worth it. It's 00:04:36.269 --> 00:04:38.170 so worth it. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge could be 00:04:38.170 --> 00:04:43.189 a steal, right? How do his friends react? He 00:04:43.189 --> 00:04:44.910 has to make sure that the knowledge of this treasure 00:04:44.910 --> 00:04:48.389 doesn't reach the ears of the current owner From 00:04:48.389 --> 00:04:51.170 the outside this looks like a really stupid decision 00:04:51.170 --> 00:04:53.610 to sell everything you have to own this field 00:04:53.610 --> 00:04:56.689 Sell everything for this little piece of land, 00:04:57.069 --> 00:05:01.149 but the man knows something that they don't What's 00:05:01.149 --> 00:05:03.730 hidden in that land is worth everything more 00:05:03.730 --> 00:05:07.069 than everything that he has And so it's joyous. 00:05:07.069 --> 00:05:10.129 It's a positive decision for him. He goes with 00:05:10.129 --> 00:05:14.350 excitement to sell everything that he has. But 00:05:14.350 --> 00:05:17.410 then to drive the point home, Jesus says, again, 00:05:18.149 --> 00:05:21.470 the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant. And 00:05:21.470 --> 00:05:24.230 he's in the market for pearls, pearls that he 00:05:24.230 --> 00:05:27.430 can flip for a great price. And hidden away in 00:05:27.430 --> 00:05:29.529 the market, he sees something really valuable. 00:05:29.610 --> 00:05:31.889 He sees anti -rights, the resurrection of the 00:05:31.889 --> 00:05:34.670 Son of God for $5, gathering dust on a shelf. 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:40.980 Now he finds a pearl of incredible value. And 00:05:40.980 --> 00:05:43.040 so he sells everything for it just to possess 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:45.860 it. Now what's Jesus getting out with these little 00:05:45.860 --> 00:05:48.779 stories? The hidden treasure, the pearl of great 00:05:48.779 --> 00:05:53.100 price, it's the kingdom of God. It's Jesus' kingdom. 00:05:53.939 --> 00:05:55.560 And Jesus here through his parallel is saying 00:05:55.560 --> 00:05:58.839 that, look, people discover my kingdom in two 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:01.899 different ways. Some people like the man who 00:06:01.899 --> 00:06:03.839 discovers the treasure in a field, they just 00:06:03.839 --> 00:06:06.339 stumble upon the kingdom of God. They're not 00:06:06.339 --> 00:06:08.459 looking for it, really. They don't know it's 00:06:08.459 --> 00:06:10.639 there. And suddenly there it is. They discover 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:13.699 it and everything changes. And maybe that's your 00:06:13.699 --> 00:06:18.720 story here today. And some people are like the 00:06:18.720 --> 00:06:20.399 merchant. They are in the hunt for the kingdom 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:22.519 of God. They're looking everywhere. They're trying 00:06:22.519 --> 00:06:24.399 everything. They're searching for something. 00:06:24.990 --> 00:06:27.689 something more, they're searching for the truth. 00:06:28.149 --> 00:06:30.129 And it's in their searching that they find the 00:06:30.129 --> 00:06:32.370 kingdom of God. And in it they find something 00:06:32.370 --> 00:06:33.990 of greater value than they realized was ever 00:06:33.990 --> 00:06:38.250 possible. I mean, that's my story. Maybe it's 00:06:38.250 --> 00:06:42.129 yours as well. And for both kinds of people, 00:06:42.529 --> 00:06:44.269 both the person who's looking for the kingdom 00:06:44.269 --> 00:06:46.110 and the person who stumbles upon the kingdom 00:06:46.110 --> 00:06:49.279 by accident, what's their response? Well, how 00:06:49.279 --> 00:06:51.480 does the man who finds a hidden treasure respond? 00:06:51.519 --> 00:06:53.339 How does the merchant who discovers the pearl 00:06:53.339 --> 00:06:57.500 of great price respond? They respond Identically, 00:06:57.500 --> 00:07:01.519 they respond in the same way. They sell everything 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:07.040 they have to possess it The way that the man 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:10.259 and the merchant respond is for sure the point 00:07:10.259 --> 00:07:13.459 of this parable However, you discover the kingdom 00:07:13.459 --> 00:07:15.519 Jesus is saying whether you stub your toe on 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:17.990 it when you're out for a walk or you're looking 00:07:17.990 --> 00:07:21.769 for it and you discover it, how you respond to 00:07:21.769 --> 00:07:24.709 it is what matters. And they both respond the 00:07:24.709 --> 00:07:28.310 same way. They sell everything to possess it. 00:07:30.170 --> 00:07:34.250 You know, we can hear this. And we can hear this 00:07:34.250 --> 00:07:36.089 in a certain kind of way. We can make this about 00:07:36.089 --> 00:07:38.829 what having the Kingdom of God will require of 00:07:38.829 --> 00:07:42.089 us. Like, I know where you're going with this, 00:07:42.250 --> 00:07:44.930 Jesus. Here you go again. You're asking everything 00:07:44.930 --> 00:07:48.379 of me. And so the protective barriers can go 00:07:48.379 --> 00:07:50.959 up. And you know there's something in this parable 00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:53.779 that's confronting to us when we sit with it. 00:07:54.459 --> 00:07:56.500 Here is this thing is of incredible value and 00:07:56.500 --> 00:08:00.779 in order to have it, all that's required is everything. 00:08:02.100 --> 00:08:05.180 All that's required is everything. But how often 00:08:05.180 --> 00:08:08.360 do we find ourselves bartering with God, negotiating? 00:08:08.870 --> 00:08:12.269 Like we want his kingdom. We want what we have 00:08:12.269 --> 00:08:15.350 discovered not in part, but in all of its fullness 00:08:15.350 --> 00:08:19.870 But we want to barter on the price Like I won't 00:08:19.870 --> 00:08:21.970 go around having casual sex, but there better 00:08:21.970 --> 00:08:25.389 be a wife for me in it Like I'll tie 10 % but 00:08:25.389 --> 00:08:28.230 that's it no more like I'll share my faith But 00:08:28.230 --> 00:08:30.329 but only to my friends don't I'm not gonna be 00:08:30.329 --> 00:08:32.210 talking to people. I don't know right. I'm an 00:08:32.210 --> 00:08:35.789 introvert Like I'll serve I'll see even serve 00:08:35.789 --> 00:08:37.590 you Jesus but in exchange I need certain kinds 00:08:37.590 --> 00:08:39.929 of comforts Home ownership and the ability to 00:08:39.929 --> 00:08:43.909 buy ice cream whenever I want it now I'm not 00:08:43.909 --> 00:08:46.330 trying to be facetious. These are actual conversations. 00:08:46.330 --> 00:08:50.490 I had with God as a young man and Even now when 00:08:50.490 --> 00:08:53.090 I've given up completely given up almost all 00:08:53.090 --> 00:08:56.250 of my conditions. I Still find myself trying 00:08:56.250 --> 00:08:59.809 to draw the line How much I need to surrender 00:08:59.809 --> 00:09:04.580 and I can't be the only one We try to find the 00:09:04.580 --> 00:09:09.360 line. How much do I need to give to have the 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:12.220 kingdom of God? To have this treasure in the 00:09:12.220 --> 00:09:15.159 field, to have this pearl of great price. Can 00:09:15.159 --> 00:09:19.360 I get away with 30 %? That would be very generous 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:23.039 of me, 30 % of everything. What about 60 %? Can't 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:27.299 it just be 60 %? 80 %? I mean, have you seen 00:09:27.299 --> 00:09:31.500 the cost of living, Jesus? But there's no bartering. 00:09:32.029 --> 00:09:35.509 There's no bartering you want it the cost is 00:09:35.509 --> 00:09:38.769 everything Like everything kind of just be something. 00:09:39.090 --> 00:09:43.750 It's like everything And we can hear this parable 00:09:43.750 --> 00:09:46.590 in our minds and go to what we will have to lose 00:09:46.590 --> 00:09:49.769 In order to have the kingdom and maybe for you 00:09:49.769 --> 00:09:53.809 like me the default is to try to go and negotiate 00:09:53.809 --> 00:09:58.259 with God to minimize what we will lose, to draw 00:09:58.259 --> 00:10:01.379 a line on them, to find the minimum requirement 00:10:01.379 --> 00:10:05.179 for surrender. But there is no minimum requirement 00:10:05.179 --> 00:10:09.480 for surrender. You can't half surrender. That's 00:10:09.480 --> 00:10:13.919 actually not how that word works. It's all or 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:16.720 nothing. You want God's kingdom? The cost is 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:20.179 everything. I wonder what you think Jesus is 00:10:20.179 --> 00:10:23.340 trying to do here. I think he's trying to motivate 00:10:23.340 --> 00:10:27.830 his disciples. by crafting a parable that illustrates 00:10:27.830 --> 00:10:31.870 a crisis that they will face. That at some point 00:10:31.870 --> 00:10:34.970 in their life, at some point in the future, they 00:10:34.970 --> 00:10:38.149 will have to make a decision. Hey, this kingdom 00:10:38.149 --> 00:10:40.009 I'm bringing, it's the best thing you've ever 00:10:40.009 --> 00:10:42.389 seen, and whatever you lose in the end, you win 00:10:42.389 --> 00:10:45.049 big. But right now, it's gonna cost you everything 00:10:45.049 --> 00:10:49.009 to gain it. To gain, you must lose. There's no 00:10:49.009 --> 00:10:51.629 dipping your toes in the water. It's in or it's 00:10:51.629 --> 00:10:55.289 out. So you're getting wet or what? And Jesus 00:10:55.289 --> 00:10:57.230 is doing this because ultimately it will cost 00:10:57.230 --> 00:11:00.490 his followers everything. They leave careers 00:11:00.490 --> 00:11:02.809 and family and many of them are martyred for 00:11:02.809 --> 00:11:06.789 just belonging to Jesus. At some point, he knew 00:11:06.789 --> 00:11:09.950 they would be forced to choose, am I in or am 00:11:09.950 --> 00:11:13.409 I out? And this parable is trying to provoke 00:11:13.409 --> 00:11:18.009 them into a crisis of decision. And friends, 00:11:18.169 --> 00:11:21.759 here's where our mindset has to shift. I know 00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:23.779 for many of us, particularly if you grew up in 00:11:23.779 --> 00:11:26.799 the church, you have a big red, just do better 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:30.700 button in your head, exists in your head. And 00:11:30.700 --> 00:11:32.879 when we hear parables like this, that says, in 00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:34.700 order to have the kingdom, you must give up everything 00:11:34.700 --> 00:11:37.600 you have, they can tend to push that big red, 00:11:37.860 --> 00:11:41.460 just do better button. And our response can be 00:11:41.460 --> 00:11:45.399 to beat ourselves up about or to fret about what 00:11:45.399 --> 00:11:48.070 we're doing or what we're not doing. Or we can 00:11:48.070 --> 00:11:50.070 work ourselves into a frenzy, just striving, 00:11:50.149 --> 00:11:54.870 I'm gonna be better. I'm gonna be better. But 00:11:54.870 --> 00:11:57.149 neither is actually really that helpful to us. 00:11:58.230 --> 00:12:00.190 Beating ourselves up just heaps on shame and 00:12:00.190 --> 00:12:02.230 it actually paralyzes us from doing the things 00:12:02.230 --> 00:12:03.690 that are actually gonna help us that we need 00:12:03.690 --> 00:12:07.049 to do, that God's asking us to do. Shame is not 00:12:07.049 --> 00:12:11.990 from Jesus, it is from the enemy renounced. But 00:12:11.990 --> 00:12:14.649 you also can't work yourself into surrender. 00:12:15.149 --> 00:12:17.830 Surrender is not achieved by striving, but by 00:12:17.830 --> 00:12:22.070 the opposite, by letting go. David Benner says 00:12:22.070 --> 00:12:26.190 this, the English word surrender carries the 00:12:26.190 --> 00:12:31.169 implication of putting one's full weight on someone 00:12:31.169 --> 00:12:35.549 or something. It involves letting go, a release 00:12:35.549 --> 00:12:40.490 of effort, tension and fear. It involves trust, 00:12:40.629 --> 00:12:43.509 one... cannot let go of self -dependence and 00:12:43.509 --> 00:12:45.610 transfer dependence onto something else without 00:12:45.610 --> 00:12:49.149 trust. Floating is a good illustration of this 00:12:49.149 --> 00:12:53.750 because you cannot float until you let go. Floating 00:12:53.750 --> 00:12:55.470 is putting your full weight in the water and 00:12:55.470 --> 00:12:58.450 trusting that you will be supported. It is letting 00:12:58.450 --> 00:13:00.909 go of your natural instincts to fight against 00:13:00.909 --> 00:13:03.590 sinking. Only then will you discover that you 00:13:03.590 --> 00:13:10.389 are supported. Let that sink in. If you're in 00:13:10.389 --> 00:13:13.340 the water, Pun not intended. If you're in the 00:13:13.340 --> 00:13:16.340 water and you're fighting against sinking, you 00:13:16.340 --> 00:13:19.620 can't float. You can only float when you trust 00:13:19.620 --> 00:13:23.360 the water will hold you and you let go. And this 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:25.840 is the mindset shift we need to make. We need 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:28.039 to let go of bartering with God about how He 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:31.120 will use our lives. We need to let go about worrying 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:33.840 about what following Jesus is going to cost us. 00:13:34.419 --> 00:13:37.059 We let go of striving, of trying to earn God's 00:13:37.059 --> 00:13:39.559 love for us by ticking the Jesus boxes that we 00:13:39.559 --> 00:13:45.470 have. And trust that grace means Jesus has us. 00:13:46.169 --> 00:13:49.169 Trust that God's grace like water will hold us 00:13:49.169 --> 00:13:52.710 when we let go. Trust that Jesus' work is finished. 00:13:52.710 --> 00:13:54.570 He sat down at the right hand of the Father, 00:13:55.169 --> 00:13:58.490 completed His work. By faith you are saved, not 00:13:58.490 --> 00:14:02.370 by your own efforts. Trust that you cannot earn 00:14:02.370 --> 00:14:05.450 it, add to it or lose it by what you do or do 00:14:05.450 --> 00:14:09.620 not do. Trust God to be as steady and as unchanging 00:14:09.620 --> 00:14:12.779 as the water that holds you when you float. Friends, 00:14:12.779 --> 00:14:16.039 it all really comes down to trust. Because once 00:14:16.039 --> 00:14:18.299 you trust, you can really and wholeheartedly 00:14:18.299 --> 00:14:21.240 surrender whatever it costs to have the kingdom. 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:23.559 That's the thing about the man who stumbles upon 00:14:23.559 --> 00:14:26.120 the treasure and the merchant who found the pearl. 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:29.600 They didn't have to trust. They knew the value 00:14:29.600 --> 00:14:32.259 that was before them. They weren't sitting around 00:14:32.259 --> 00:14:35.039 doubting or theologizing. They knew they were 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:37.100 onto something that could change their lives. 00:14:37.799 --> 00:14:39.480 And neither the man nor the merchant are just 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:41.779 sitting there wrestling internally, trying to 00:14:41.779 --> 00:14:45.580 muster up the desire to do better, to sell everything. 00:14:46.340 --> 00:14:49.820 They do it immediately and joyfully. They don't 00:14:49.820 --> 00:14:54.620 hesitate. Why don't they hesitate? Because they 00:14:54.620 --> 00:14:58.720 know the joy of what they will gain supersedes 00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:03.519 the fear. of what they will lose. They know they've 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:07.980 made a discovery of immense value, far more value 00:15:07.980 --> 00:15:11.720 than anything they currently have. And so for 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:13.980 them, it's an easy deal. It's a joyful deal. 00:15:14.919 --> 00:15:17.100 And doesn't that just sum up the mind shift we 00:15:17.100 --> 00:15:21.120 have to make? We have to move from fear of the 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:25.100 loss, fear of the cost to joy at the ultimate 00:15:25.100 --> 00:15:28.139 gain that we will all make. I was sharing a bit 00:15:28.139 --> 00:15:31.879 of my life And my story with an older and wiser 00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:34.240 person this week and they said something to surprise 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:36.200 me because no This is not something that people 00:15:36.200 --> 00:15:39.779 say They said Tim your reward will be great in 00:15:39.779 --> 00:15:43.779 heaven And while this was very encouraging. I 00:15:43.779 --> 00:15:47.620 found it very jarring Like immediately because 00:15:47.620 --> 00:15:49.759 I don't think about what I will gain in heaven. 00:15:49.779 --> 00:15:53.019 I think mostly about what I will lose on earth 00:15:53.019 --> 00:15:55.919 But a balanced view of the hope that we have 00:15:55.919 --> 00:15:59.700 in Jesus is that even if our life here is nothing 00:15:59.700 --> 00:16:03.919 but loss, it is nothing but gain in the resurrection. 00:16:04.679 --> 00:16:08.480 In the end, we win. Paul has this mindset. He 00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:12.159 says this in Philippians, for to me, living means 00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:16.440 living for Christ and dying is even better. But 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:18.740 if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. 00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:21.000 So I don't really know which is better. I'm torn 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:23.299 between two desires. I long to go and be with 00:16:23.299 --> 00:16:26.639 Christ, which would be far better for me. But 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:29.500 for your sake, it is better that I continue to 00:16:29.500 --> 00:16:34.620 live. Paul's got it. Paul's got it. And isn't 00:16:34.620 --> 00:16:36.539 this what the parables are putting on the table? 00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:39.220 We think giving up everything is lost, but compared 00:16:39.220 --> 00:16:41.820 to the kingdom of God, it is nothing but net 00:16:41.820 --> 00:16:46.639 gain. Nothing but net gain. So why do we struggle 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:51.820 to see it this way sometimes? Say tomorrow, someone 00:16:51.820 --> 00:16:54.330 came to you and said, Tom. I'm going to give 00:16:54.330 --> 00:16:58.690 you $100 billion, but there's one string attached. 00:16:59.730 --> 00:17:01.289 In exchange, you've got to give me everything 00:17:01.289 --> 00:17:04.930 you own. Now, I'm going to go out on a limb and 00:17:04.930 --> 00:17:07.829 say that no one in this room has a net worth 00:17:07.829 --> 00:17:12.170 of $100 billion. And even if we added up the 00:17:12.170 --> 00:17:13.569 net wealth of everyone in this room, maybe we 00:17:13.569 --> 00:17:15.829 wouldn't even make a dent in it. But would you 00:17:15.829 --> 00:17:20.329 take that deal? Yeah. Yeah. Who would take that 00:17:20.329 --> 00:17:23.430 deal? Hands up if you would take that deal. Ooh, 00:17:23.430 --> 00:17:27.410 interesting. $100 billion for everything you 00:17:27.410 --> 00:17:29.390 have. That's the only string. There's no hidden 00:17:29.390 --> 00:17:31.890 agenda. I think most of us would take that deal, 00:17:31.970 --> 00:17:35.869 if we're honest. Because the value of what you 00:17:35.869 --> 00:17:38.589 gain vastly supersedes what you lose unless you 00:17:38.589 --> 00:17:41.410 are someone with $200 billion as net wealth. 00:17:42.549 --> 00:17:45.430 You don't hesitate to do that deal. So why is 00:17:45.430 --> 00:17:49.480 it any different in God's kingdom? We've discovered 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:52.440 something worth giving up everything and everything 00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:55.539 for and yet we are Sometimes more worried about 00:17:55.539 --> 00:17:58.859 what it might cost us rather than than joy and 00:17:58.859 --> 00:18:03.519 what we gain Why would we jump at a hundred billion 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:08.079 but bulk at the core cost of the kingdom? Here's 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:10.319 what I think I think if someone trades you a 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:12.339 hundred billion dollars for your beat -up car 00:18:12.339 --> 00:18:14.039 not your I'm not looking at you Tom your cars 00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:18.339 amazing and and your phone and the couch that 00:18:18.339 --> 00:18:20.859 you love so much, and you get a hundred billion 00:18:20.859 --> 00:18:23.660 dollars for those things, you are in control. 00:18:24.700 --> 00:18:28.299 You can go and buy a new car, a new phone, a 00:18:28.299 --> 00:18:31.259 new couch. You could even try and buy it all 00:18:31.259 --> 00:18:35.759 back. But with the kingdom of God, you are not 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:41.140 in control. The kingdom of God already has a 00:18:41.140 --> 00:18:43.880 king. And I'm sorry to break it to you, it ain't 00:18:43.880 --> 00:18:47.279 you and it ain't me. And we have to learn to 00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:49.700 accept this. Jesus is the King. He is in control. 00:18:50.920 --> 00:18:53.099 I think we struggle to give everything in joy 00:18:53.099 --> 00:18:55.140 because if we're honest, sometimes we struggle 00:18:55.140 --> 00:18:59.740 to hand control over to God of our lives, of 00:18:59.740 --> 00:19:03.059 our stories. We struggle to surrender, truly 00:19:03.059 --> 00:19:07.220 surrender. And so there's an invitation here 00:19:07.220 --> 00:19:10.940 from Jesus in this parable to not just choose 00:19:10.940 --> 00:19:13.799 to let go and have the kingdom, but choose to 00:19:13.799 --> 00:19:17.950 have it. with joy, in joy, to resist cynicism, 00:19:18.109 --> 00:19:21.049 to resist striving, to resist a guilt or shame 00:19:21.049 --> 00:19:26.630 -based faith and to surrender to God. For the 00:19:26.630 --> 00:19:28.890 one who surrenders to God receives far more than 00:19:28.890 --> 00:19:32.569 they have ever given in this life or the next. 00:19:34.470 --> 00:19:36.410 Friends, this is the kind of God that we surrender 00:19:36.410 --> 00:19:41.069 to. The God we surrender to is like a man who 00:19:41.069 --> 00:19:43.549 discovers a great treasure hidden in a field. 00:19:44.349 --> 00:19:46.809 The God we surrender to is like a merchant who's 00:19:46.809 --> 00:19:49.690 looking for pearls and discovers a pearl of surpassing 00:19:49.690 --> 00:19:55.609 value. And in order to possess it, God gave up 00:19:55.609 --> 00:20:00.809 everything in joy. Everything. Friends, you are 00:20:00.809 --> 00:20:03.970 the treasure in the field. You are the pearl 00:20:03.970 --> 00:20:08.150 of great price. And to possess you, to have you, 00:20:08.730 --> 00:20:11.410 God in joy does not hesitate to give his one 00:20:11.410 --> 00:20:15.269 and only son. Jesus in His joy does not hesitate 00:20:15.269 --> 00:20:17.109 to give up everything that He had, even in His 00:20:17.109 --> 00:20:19.809 own life, given up on the cross so that you could 00:20:19.809 --> 00:20:24.890 be with God forever. Hebrews 12 says it was for 00:20:24.890 --> 00:20:29.549 the joy that was set before Him that Jesus endured 00:20:29.549 --> 00:20:34.529 the cross, disregarding its shame. And now He's 00:20:34.529 --> 00:20:36.269 seated in the place of honour beside God's throne. 00:20:37.289 --> 00:20:39.789 Friends, you are the joy that is set before Jesus. 00:20:40.650 --> 00:20:43.650 And this parable of the treasure and the pearl, 00:20:43.910 --> 00:20:46.130 they're about God's kingdom and how we must respond. 00:20:47.049 --> 00:20:49.069 But it's also about a God who would give up everything 00:20:49.069 --> 00:20:53.450 to have you and to have me. This is how you have 00:20:53.450 --> 00:20:56.529 been treated by God. This is the God we surrender 00:20:56.529 --> 00:21:03.809 to. Isn't this friends, great news of great joy. 00:21:04.769 --> 00:21:13.240 Let's pray together. Holy Spirit come. Lord, 00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:15.779 we pray that we would just personally know your 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:18.859 love for us. So you would go to these lengths 00:21:18.859 --> 00:21:24.779 to have us, to save us. This is how you feel 00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:29.279 about us. You're like a man who's looking for 00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:32.940 something and he finds it. And we're willing 00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:36.019 to give up everything he has to have it. God, 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:39.240 what a blessing it is. What good news we have. 00:21:39.980 --> 00:21:42.259 We pray God that we would be able to receive 00:21:42.259 --> 00:21:45.039 this with joy, that we would see not the loss 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:48.380 but the opportunity, that we would see not the 00:21:48.380 --> 00:21:51.940 loss but the blessing, and that we would step 00:21:51.940 --> 00:21:54.539 fully and wholeheartedly into surrender to you. 00:21:55.380 --> 00:21:59.240 We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. We're gonna 00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:02.079 worship a little bit to finish off today. If 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:04.140 you need prayer, Eric's in the back. I would 00:22:04.140 --> 00:22:05.819 love to pray with you. You can tap someone on 00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:08.240 the shoulder next to you and ask them to pray. 00:22:09.130 --> 00:22:12.269 But if you need to surrender, like you need to 00:22:12.269 --> 00:22:14.950 actually like stop drawing boundaries with God 00:22:14.950 --> 00:22:17.950 bartering for the minimum requirement of surrender. 00:22:19.069 --> 00:22:22.589 Take this as an opportunity. You're here. There's 00:22:22.589 --> 00:22:25.910 beautiful music going on in the background. God's 00:22:25.910 --> 00:22:27.990 presence is with us. Take the opportunity. Take 00:22:27.990 --> 00:22:31.670 the invitation to lay it all down. Thanks so 00:22:31.670 --> 00:22:34.190 much for tuning into this week's message. If 00:22:34.190 --> 00:22:37.109 you felt challenged or need prayer, we'd love 00:22:37.109 --> 00:22:39.609 to hear from you on Instagram. at Encounter Henley. 00:22:40.190 --> 00:22:42.450 Or if you're interested in how you can support 00:22:42.450 --> 00:22:46.549 this ministry please go to our website encounteradelaide 00:22:46.549 --> 00:22:50.569 .com .au. Thanks again for listening. God bless 00:22:50.569 --> 00:22:50.930 you.