WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.679 Would it be okay if we open our Bibles to Matthew 00:00:04.679 --> 00:00:09.080 chapter 13? One of Jill and I's dear friends, 00:00:09.339 --> 00:00:13.199 Jennifer Smith, sent this passage this morning. 00:00:13.759 --> 00:00:15.960 It was comforting to us. As you turn, I'll just 00:00:15.960 --> 00:00:20.079 read it. Psalm 112, verse 1 and 2, it says, Praise 00:00:20.079 --> 00:00:23.420 the Lord. Blessed is the one who fears the Lord, 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:27.100 who finds great delight in His commands. Their 00:00:27.100 --> 00:00:30.800 children will be mighty in the land, and a generation 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:34.960 of upright will be blessed. So, mothers, just 00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:37.479 keep going. We love you. Keep fearing the Lord. 00:00:37.619 --> 00:00:40.420 Keep following His commands. The Scripture promises 00:00:40.420 --> 00:00:42.920 that your children will be blessed, and that 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:46.340 you're bringing about generations that will delight 00:00:46.340 --> 00:00:52.280 in the Lord. amazing job that you're doing. Keep 00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:55.479 going. Don't give up. I'm going to join you in 00:00:55.479 --> 00:01:03.320 Matthew 13. Alright, I told Jill my Mother's 00:01:03.320 --> 00:01:05.680 Day gift to you today will be a short sermon, 00:01:05.780 --> 00:01:11.980 so I will keep my word on that. It will be concise 00:01:11.980 --> 00:01:17.219 and it will be by the power of the Holy Spirit 00:01:17.219 --> 00:01:21.250 we hope. Let's pray. Jesus, as we open the Scriptures 00:01:21.250 --> 00:01:25.310 and read Your Word, we're asking now, as many 00:01:25.310 --> 00:01:28.170 servants have done over the many years, that 00:01:28.170 --> 00:01:32.049 Your Holy Spirit would come and demonstrate great 00:01:32.049 --> 00:01:36.030 power through these words to create change in 00:01:36.030 --> 00:01:40.409 us that will bear lasting fruit for Your glory. 00:01:40.670 --> 00:01:44.010 In Jesus' name. If you agree with that, would 00:01:44.010 --> 00:01:47.219 you say amen? Let it be so. Alright. Matthew 00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:52.620 chapter 13, let's read today verse 45 and 46, 00:01:53.099 --> 00:01:58.980 looking at the parables about the kingdom. Verse 00:01:58.980 --> 00:02:03.799 45, Jesus speaking, Again, the kingdom of heaven 00:02:03.799 --> 00:02:08.139 is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When 00:02:08.139 --> 00:02:12.419 he found one of great value, he went away and 00:02:12.419 --> 00:02:17.139 sold everything he had and bought it. Let me 00:02:17.139 --> 00:02:19.780 read it one more time. Again, the kingdom of 00:02:19.780 --> 00:02:23.039 heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 00:02:23.500 --> 00:02:27.280 When he found one of great value, he went away 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:32.419 and sold everything he had and bought it. A little 00:02:32.419 --> 00:02:38.560 bit of context. Or let's just say a lot of context 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:43.629 in a really brief manner. For 400 years, God 00:02:43.629 --> 00:02:45.949 was silent on the earth. The Scripture says that 00:02:45.949 --> 00:02:48.750 between the Old and New Testament, there were 00:02:48.750 --> 00:02:52.770 no prophets speaking the words of God. There 00:02:52.770 --> 00:02:58.969 was a covenant change coming. After 400 years, 00:02:59.129 --> 00:03:03.349 Jesus is born to the Virgin Mary. He comes. God 00:03:03.349 --> 00:03:07.189 comes in flesh to the earth. He's raised by His 00:03:07.189 --> 00:03:11.520 earthly mother and father. As he gets to be an 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:15.219 adult man, God has this plan to release him into 00:03:15.219 --> 00:03:20.639 the world. And so Jesus comes. He's baptized 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:24.300 by John, water baptized by John in the Jordan 00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:27.900 River. Then the Holy Spirit comes upon him like 00:03:27.900 --> 00:03:30.479 a dove and remains, the Gospel of John says. 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:33.400 And the Holy Spirit then leads him into the wilderness 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:40.289 where he's tempted by the devil. you know, thoroughly 00:03:40.289 --> 00:03:43.110 smacks the devil around with the Word of God 00:03:43.110 --> 00:03:47.449 and his authority. He comes out of that into 00:03:47.449 --> 00:03:51.189 public ministry, and he begins to teach this 00:03:51.189 --> 00:03:53.949 sermon where God sends him. And he says, repent, 00:03:54.150 --> 00:03:57.870 change the way you think, for the kingdom of 00:03:57.870 --> 00:04:00.969 God or the kingdom of heaven is now here or is 00:04:00.969 --> 00:04:04.650 at hand. And one of the main, I know for some 00:04:04.650 --> 00:04:07.430 of you, you're like, Do we have to talk about 00:04:07.430 --> 00:04:09.710 this every week? Well, for now the answer is 00:04:09.710 --> 00:04:14.930 yes, okay? But one of Jesus' main and major assignments, 00:04:15.250 --> 00:04:18.810 he had quite a few, but one of them was to establish 00:04:18.810 --> 00:04:23.670 the kingdom of heaven on the earth, model that 00:04:23.670 --> 00:04:27.170 for his disciples, and then release that assignment 00:04:27.170 --> 00:04:30.230 to the New Testament church. And we see that 00:04:30.230 --> 00:04:34.230 throughout the Gospels. part of what Jesus was 00:04:34.230 --> 00:04:37.029 doing, specifically on these passages we've been 00:04:37.029 --> 00:04:40.449 studying for the last few weeks, is he's teaching 00:04:40.449 --> 00:04:44.189 his disciples what the kingdom of heaven is really 00:04:44.189 --> 00:04:47.470 like. And so he's asking himself this question, 00:04:47.509 --> 00:04:51.870 as we have in Mark and Luke, what can I say about 00:04:51.870 --> 00:04:54.970 the kingdom? Or how can I compare the kingdom 00:04:54.970 --> 00:04:58.110 of heaven? And then... The Holy Spirit is giving 00:04:58.110 --> 00:05:00.490 him divine thoughts and ideas, and he's teaching 00:05:00.490 --> 00:05:03.430 these things to the disciples. So if you missed 00:05:03.430 --> 00:05:05.490 last week, we talked about the treasure being 00:05:05.490 --> 00:05:08.149 buried in the field. Catch up on that with some 00:05:08.149 --> 00:05:10.550 really good truths. And today we're looking at 00:05:10.550 --> 00:05:14.029 truths about the kingdom of heaven through the 00:05:14.029 --> 00:05:18.389 parable of the pearl of great price. So let's 00:05:18.389 --> 00:05:22.470 look at some lessons, because Jesus came, he 00:05:22.470 --> 00:05:25.480 established the kingdom, taught about the kingdom, 00:05:25.800 --> 00:05:29.220 conferred the kingdom on his disciples, released 00:05:29.220 --> 00:05:31.420 the Holy Spirit on the New Testament church at 00:05:31.420 --> 00:05:35.139 Pentecost, and now our job until the Lord Jesus 00:05:35.139 --> 00:05:38.620 returns is to advance the kingdom of heaven on 00:05:38.620 --> 00:05:43.300 the earth. And so we are, as a church, we're 00:05:43.300 --> 00:05:46.100 in a season of supernatural kingdom expansion. 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:49.060 Jesus said, when people say, here's the kingdom, 00:05:49.139 --> 00:05:51.639 they're the kingdom, Luke 17, he said, don't 00:05:51.639 --> 00:05:53.459 look here and there. Why? Because the kingdom 00:05:53.459 --> 00:05:57.040 is within you, right? So in us is the kingdom 00:05:57.040 --> 00:06:00.139 of heaven. Everything we need through the power 00:06:00.139 --> 00:06:02.600 and the authority of the Holy Spirit to release 00:06:02.600 --> 00:06:05.560 the kingdom of heaven is in us. In John chapter 00:06:05.560 --> 00:06:09.379 7, Jesus said, and you'll be like rivers of living 00:06:09.379 --> 00:06:13.459 water flowing. And he said, and by that he was 00:06:13.459 --> 00:06:15.740 talking about the Holy Spirit whom they were 00:06:16.029 --> 00:06:19.069 to receive. So Jesus said, the kingdom is within 00:06:19.069 --> 00:06:22.050 you, and now the kingdom should flow out of you 00:06:22.050 --> 00:06:25.750 as rivers of living water. So that's the lifestyle 00:06:25.750 --> 00:06:28.829 that we have. Living, dwelling in the kingdom, 00:06:28.870 --> 00:06:31.730 being confident of the kingdom in us, and releasing 00:06:31.730 --> 00:06:35.730 the kingdom in supernatural expansion. Why? Why 00:06:35.730 --> 00:06:39.310 should we care about the kingdom of heaven being 00:06:39.310 --> 00:06:43.209 released and expanded on the earth? Because God 00:06:43.209 --> 00:06:46.180 told us to? Okay. That probably should be enough. 00:06:47.180 --> 00:06:51.279 For those of us who need motivation, right? This 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:54.300 is why, right? These are all the initials of 00:06:54.300 --> 00:06:57.500 people in our life that are unsaved. We're not 00:06:57.500 --> 00:07:00.100 here to release the kingdom to grow a megachurch. 00:07:01.399 --> 00:07:04.019 We're here to release the kingdom of heaven on 00:07:04.019 --> 00:07:07.319 the earth so that desperate and dying people 00:07:07.319 --> 00:07:11.689 can see who the true king is. And if it's a kingdom 00:07:11.689 --> 00:07:14.610 of righteousness, peace, and joy that's unshakable 00:07:14.610 --> 00:07:17.089 in the Holy Spirit, and they experience that, 00:07:17.189 --> 00:07:21.170 they're going to want it. And they're going to 00:07:21.170 --> 00:07:23.629 bow their lives before that king just like many 00:07:23.629 --> 00:07:26.089 of us did. And they're going to get set free. 00:07:26.129 --> 00:07:27.870 And they're going to get healed. And they're 00:07:27.870 --> 00:07:29.509 going to get purpose in their life. And then 00:07:29.509 --> 00:07:31.089 they're going to go out into their spheres of 00:07:31.089 --> 00:07:33.209 influence and release the kingdom. And those 00:07:33.209 --> 00:07:35.810 people are going to get saved, set free, healed, 00:07:35.930 --> 00:07:38.050 and given purpose. And then they're going to 00:07:38.050 --> 00:07:40.850 go out. And that's how revival in the kingdom 00:07:40.850 --> 00:07:45.870 works until Jesus comes back. And hopefully there 00:07:45.870 --> 00:07:51.180 won't be any names on the cross. Because as we've 00:07:51.180 --> 00:07:55.399 been saying, the return of Jesus, thus sitting 00:07:55.399 --> 00:07:58.579 in this room, we can't wait. But for these people, 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:02.959 it's going to be a horrible day. It's a horrible 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:09.259 day. And so, we've got a job to do. We're kingdom 00:08:09.259 --> 00:08:11.980 people, living in the kingdom, releasing the 00:08:11.980 --> 00:08:15.889 kingdom. Right? And so this is why we're talking 00:08:15.889 --> 00:08:18.329 about the kingdom of heaven, studying Jesus' 00:08:18.550 --> 00:08:22.569 parables and learning lessons. Number one, if 00:08:22.569 --> 00:08:25.290 you're writing these down, take notes. This will 00:08:25.290 --> 00:08:28.750 be good. Number one, the kingdom of heaven is 00:08:28.750 --> 00:08:33.750 a message of ridiculously good news. You and 00:08:33.750 --> 00:08:38.289 I are the pearl of great price or great value, 00:08:38.409 --> 00:08:42.789 and God paid the highest price to purchase us 00:08:42.789 --> 00:08:48.429 back. to himself. The traditional interpretation 00:08:48.429 --> 00:08:53.929 of this passage is that it's us seeking the kingdom, 00:08:54.009 --> 00:08:56.330 and I think that that's right and good and holy, 00:08:56.409 --> 00:08:58.289 and we're going to talk about those lessons. 00:08:58.470 --> 00:09:01.649 But there are plenty of theologians, reputable 00:09:01.649 --> 00:09:05.210 ones, who see and interpret this passage in a 00:09:05.210 --> 00:09:08.470 different way, saying that God is the merchant. 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:14.659 And we are the pearl that he discovered. And 00:09:14.659 --> 00:09:19.740 we were of such great value to him that he paid 00:09:19.740 --> 00:09:27.820 the highest price to purchase us. And whether 00:09:27.820 --> 00:09:31.360 you agree with that interpretation or not, that 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:37.200 message is screamed all throughout the Holy Scriptures 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:40.909 from Old Testament to New Testament. to revelation 00:09:40.909 --> 00:09:47.690 listen the whole message from the garden to the 00:09:47.690 --> 00:09:52.809 new jerusalem is that god wanted friends he created 00:09:52.809 --> 00:09:56.830 us to love him and to be loved by him sin robbed 00:09:56.830 --> 00:10:01.509 him of his friends and the whole point of the 00:10:01.509 --> 00:10:05.990 gospel message is that he purchased us back he 00:10:05.990 --> 00:10:10.870 wants us loves us finds us valuable and did everything 00:10:10.870 --> 00:10:15.870 He could and did to have us back. Let's open 00:10:15.870 --> 00:10:18.610 our Bibles to Romans 5. You're in Matthew. If 00:10:18.610 --> 00:10:21.730 you can turn over to Romans 5. It's just one 00:10:21.730 --> 00:10:26.490 of those glorious passages that in a concise 00:10:26.490 --> 00:10:33.429 way tells the story of redemption. Romans 5, 00:10:33.850 --> 00:10:40.360 verse 6. And I'm just... picking this passage 00:10:40.360 --> 00:10:44.720 out for the sake of time, but if you want to 00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:48.720 read all of 5, 6, 7, and 8, it's some of the 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:53.779 most powerful chapters in the whole Bible about 00:10:53.779 --> 00:10:57.019 redemption and the power of the Holy Spirit in 00:10:57.019 --> 00:10:59.519 the life of the believer. Alright, but for the 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:03.139 sake of time, chapter 5, verse 6. You see, at 00:11:03.139 --> 00:11:07.080 just the right time, When we were still powerless, 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:12.320 Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will 00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:14.620 anyone die for a righteous man, though for a 00:11:14.620 --> 00:11:17.480 good man someone might possibly dare to die. 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:23.360 But, in contrast, God demonstrates His own love 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:27.240 for us in this. While we were still sinners, 00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:31.870 Christ died for us. And since we have now been 00:11:31.870 --> 00:11:37.929 justified, what? By His blood. We've been made 00:11:37.929 --> 00:11:42.009 innocent, justified of all of our sins by His 00:11:42.009 --> 00:11:45.710 blood. How much more shall we be saved from God's 00:11:45.710 --> 00:11:50.070 wrath through Him, Jesus? For if when we were 00:11:50.070 --> 00:11:52.649 God's enemies we were reconciled to Him through 00:11:52.649 --> 00:11:55.570 the death of His Son, how much more having been 00:11:55.570 --> 00:12:00.370 reconciled shall we be saved through His life? 00:12:00.970 --> 00:12:05.149 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God 00:12:05.149 --> 00:12:08.490 through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we 00:12:08.490 --> 00:12:13.570 have now received reconciliation. I mean, you 00:12:13.570 --> 00:12:16.929 could camp out right there until Jesus comes 00:12:16.929 --> 00:12:24.269 back. We were far away. We were enemies. We were 00:12:24.269 --> 00:12:29.830 sinners. And He came and rescued us and reconciled 00:12:29.830 --> 00:12:36.629 us back to Him. Do you know where you harvest 00:12:36.629 --> 00:12:42.149 pearls? It's not Kay's jeweler. That's not where 00:12:42.149 --> 00:12:45.610 you harvest pearls. Where do you harvest pearls? 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:49.139 You harvest pearls in the deep water where it's 00:12:49.139 --> 00:12:54.440 the darkest, buried in the mud in a gross, slimy 00:12:54.440 --> 00:12:58.320 clam. If you dig around in enough of those, you'll 00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:04.659 find a pearl. And we, somehow, religion has hoodwinked 00:13:04.659 --> 00:13:12.519 us to think that our God cannot lower Himself 00:13:12.519 --> 00:13:17.570 to even be around our sin. And I think that there 00:13:17.570 --> 00:13:20.929 is a misunderstanding and a false humility that 00:13:20.929 --> 00:13:23.690 might even have some good intentions in that. 00:13:24.190 --> 00:13:27.230 But the reality is if God could never be sin, 00:13:27.370 --> 00:13:29.429 we're all going to hell. If God could never be 00:13:29.429 --> 00:13:35.490 close to sin, we're all going to hell. He went 00:13:35.490 --> 00:13:40.129 to the depths, in the mud, in the slimy things, 00:13:40.330 --> 00:13:45.889 and he found us, the pearl of great value. And 00:13:45.889 --> 00:13:49.769 then he said, you are so valuable to me, I will 00:13:49.769 --> 00:13:57.889 pay the highest price. I will give my life. What's 00:13:57.889 --> 00:14:00.549 the only thing harder than giving your own life? 00:14:02.029 --> 00:14:07.490 Would be watching a son bleed out for people 00:14:07.490 --> 00:14:12.970 who hated him. Do you know what I'm saying? How 00:14:12.970 --> 00:14:15.090 many of you have ever seen your children's blood 00:14:15.090 --> 00:14:18.470 outside of their body? It's a horrifying thing. 00:14:19.309 --> 00:14:21.529 One of my daughters had to get a fingernail removed 00:14:21.529 --> 00:14:23.850 that she slammed in the door this week, and my 00:14:23.850 --> 00:14:28.250 wife sent me the bloody picture of when they 00:14:28.250 --> 00:14:31.750 took it off. And I'm like, ah! There's something 00:14:31.750 --> 00:14:34.889 about seeing your children's blood not in their 00:14:34.889 --> 00:14:39.710 body that's horrifying. Try watching every drop. 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:52.559 come out. I want you to know today that you are 00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:57.840 the apple of His eye. And not on your best day, 00:14:57.940 --> 00:15:03.559 on your worst day. He considered you the pearl 00:15:03.559 --> 00:15:10.179 of great value on your nastiest, grossest, filthiest 00:15:10.179 --> 00:15:15.539 day. And he said, you're worth every price to 00:15:15.539 --> 00:15:21.059 me. And some of you need to hear that. First 00:15:21.059 --> 00:15:24.159 of all, some of you need to get saved. Some of 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:25.960 you are hearing this and you're like, man, that 00:15:25.960 --> 00:15:30.159 sounds good, but I've never even had my sins 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:32.960 forgiven. All you have to do is call out to him. 00:15:34.820 --> 00:15:39.659 Say, forgive me of my sins. Take me into your 00:15:39.659 --> 00:15:42.259 family. I want to love you and be loved by you. 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:46.320 Get saved. What are you waiting on? You think 00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:52.580 this is a game? Nobody's promised tomorrow. Don't 00:15:52.580 --> 00:15:56.299 leave this building without getting saved. I'll 00:15:56.299 --> 00:15:59.299 be here after service. I'll be talking to people. 00:15:59.419 --> 00:16:01.279 If you need to get saved, you push them all out 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:03.259 of the way and say, I need to get saved. I'd 00:16:03.259 --> 00:16:08.500 rather talk to you. Find my wife. Find any of 00:16:08.500 --> 00:16:10.120 the pastors, any of the ministers, any of the 00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:15.779 ministry team. Say, I need to get saved. Most 00:16:15.779 --> 00:16:19.240 of you are saved. But I really felt strongly 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:21.960 in my heart that there are some of you today 00:16:21.960 --> 00:16:27.399 that have walked in such compromise. You've been 00:16:27.399 --> 00:16:32.559 swayed into such sin and weights of the world. 00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:37.059 And you do not feel like a pearl of great value. 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:42.440 And I want you to hear the Gospel message today. 00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:51.059 He loves you before you're shiny. He loved you 00:16:51.059 --> 00:16:55.639 before you were shiny. Even in your struggles. 00:16:57.120 --> 00:17:00.320 Even in your hardship. You're the pearl of great 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:04.259 price to Him. We sang the song, your blood is 00:17:04.259 --> 00:17:07.759 enough, but do you believe it? Do you believe 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:11.079 it? Is it enough for you? Is it enough for you 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:13.920 to silence the lies of the enemy that says you'll 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:16.240 never be worth anything? You've compromised too 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:19.279 much. You have no future in God. Who do you think 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:24.160 you are? Is His blood enough for you? It is. 00:17:26.740 --> 00:17:29.519 Go to this pause right here. I'm just going to 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:31.339 ask the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, would You just 00:17:31.339 --> 00:17:34.779 begin to minister? Right now, I'm just asking 00:17:34.779 --> 00:17:37.720 humbly, Holy Spirit, for those that are just 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:43.079 struggling with receiving love, with worth, with 00:17:43.079 --> 00:17:48.299 receiving forgiveness. Right now, Father, Your 00:17:48.299 --> 00:17:50.700 Word says that You pour out Your love into our 00:17:50.700 --> 00:17:54.880 hearts by the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, come. 00:17:56.119 --> 00:18:00.529 Break up those hard places. Silence those lies. 00:18:01.809 --> 00:18:04.170 If anyone needs to be saved, Lord, draw their 00:18:04.170 --> 00:18:06.690 heart to You right now by Your kindness. Lead 00:18:06.690 --> 00:18:12.549 them to repentance. If any Christians just need 00:18:12.549 --> 00:18:14.710 to let go and let Your blood be enough, would 00:18:14.710 --> 00:18:17.609 You do it right now, Lord? In Jesus' name, Amen. 00:18:18.829 --> 00:18:22.869 Alright, number two. Lessons about the Kingdom. 00:18:23.990 --> 00:18:26.329 The pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. 00:18:26.779 --> 00:18:30.059 must be more than a secondary matter of convenience 00:18:30.059 --> 00:18:34.960 a christ follower diligently seeks the kingdom 00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:40.099 and requires it as the primary pursuit of their 00:18:40.099 --> 00:18:44.039 lives switching directions back to kind of the 00:18:44.039 --> 00:18:48.160 traditional view of interpretation of this passage 00:18:48.160 --> 00:18:52.079 that we are the merchant seeking after the kingdom 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:54.940 The pursuit of the kingdom of heaven on earth 00:18:54.940 --> 00:18:58.319 must be more than a secondary matter of convenience. 00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:03.619 A true Christ follower diligently seeks the kingdom 00:19:03.619 --> 00:19:08.900 and requires it as the primary pursuit of their 00:19:08.900 --> 00:19:15.240 lives. Here in verse 45, it says again, the kingdom 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:18.880 of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:22.619 pearls. The word looking here, I think we have 00:19:22.619 --> 00:19:27.480 this up there. In the Greek, zateo. Listen to 00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:32.720 this. It means to seek after, to desire, to endeavor, 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:39.180 to require. You see, that's more than a casual 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:44.579 glance. Do you see that? When Jesus says to His 00:19:44.579 --> 00:19:48.700 disciples, I want you to seek first the kingdom 00:19:48.700 --> 00:19:51.880 of heaven, the kingdom of God and His righteousness. 00:19:52.380 --> 00:19:54.619 And everything else, don't worry about everything 00:19:54.619 --> 00:19:56.940 else. The pagans worry about those things. If 00:19:56.940 --> 00:19:59.380 you'll seek first His kingdom, He'll make sure 00:19:59.380 --> 00:20:02.960 you have everything you need. It was a command 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:06.519 as He's teaching His disciples about the priorities 00:20:06.519 --> 00:20:09.940 of their life and how to follow Him in kingdom 00:20:09.940 --> 00:20:14.099 mandate. And then we see this story in which 00:20:14.099 --> 00:20:16.960 the parable of Jesus saying, the kingdom of heaven 00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:19.200 is like a merchant. Could we go to that next 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:26.079 one? Merchant. The Greek word emporos, a merchant 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:29.640 as opposed to a retailer or petty tradesman. 00:20:29.700 --> 00:20:32.880 This is someone that gets their life. Their whole 00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:38.500 life's purpose, right, is to find pearls. Their 00:20:38.500 --> 00:20:40.759 whole livelihood depends on it. This is not some 00:20:40.759 --> 00:20:44.019 petty retailer. It's not somebody part -time 00:20:44.019 --> 00:20:50.500 doing this thing. A merchant is a full -on tradesmen 00:20:50.500 --> 00:20:54.099 all right and then the other definition one on 00:20:54.099 --> 00:20:57.220 a journey whether by sea or by land especially 00:20:57.220 --> 00:21:01.599 for trade so what jesus and and we don't really 00:21:01.599 --> 00:21:05.799 have this in our culture But in Jesus' culture, 00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:08.819 you had all these trade routes in the biblical 00:21:08.819 --> 00:21:12.559 history in which people were coming across the 00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:14.839 globe in these trade routes, and they were bringing 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:17.299 these possessions that they're going all over 00:21:17.299 --> 00:21:19.519 the world and finding, and they're bringing these 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:22.099 fine possessions for trade. And Jesus is saying, 00:21:22.160 --> 00:21:26.099 listen, the kingdom person is like that merchant 00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:30.299 that has set their face. Their life is to find 00:21:30.299 --> 00:21:33.980 fine pearls. And they're out there, and they're 00:21:33.980 --> 00:21:36.799 not just casually glancing around. Hey, I wonder 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:39.180 where I could find a nice pearl today. No, because 00:21:39.180 --> 00:21:42.339 their life depends on it. They are seeking. They're 00:21:42.339 --> 00:21:46.000 endeavoring. They're desiring. They're even requiring. 00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:50.420 I've got to find the pearl of great value. What 00:21:50.420 --> 00:21:52.019 am I going to do? How am I going to provide for 00:21:52.019 --> 00:21:54.160 my family? How am I going to have any kind of 00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:56.880 inheritance? My whole life's purpose is to find 00:21:56.880 --> 00:22:03.049 that pearl. And in contrast, Unfortunately, we 00:22:03.049 --> 00:22:07.410 have American Christianity that says, I can live 00:22:07.410 --> 00:22:11.509 like the world, talk like the world, watch what 00:22:11.509 --> 00:22:14.089 the world watches, entertain myself with what 00:22:14.089 --> 00:22:18.710 the world entertains myself. Oh, and by the way, 00:22:18.789 --> 00:22:26.130 in the name of Christ. And it's just not true. 00:22:27.190 --> 00:22:30.089 It's not Christianity. Do you understand that? 00:22:30.559 --> 00:22:33.619 That's not Christianity. If you're defining Christianity 00:22:33.619 --> 00:22:36.720 the way Jesus defined it in the scripture, that 00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:39.420 is not it. He said the kingdom of heaven is like 00:22:39.420 --> 00:22:42.160 this. It's like a merchant whose life depends 00:22:42.160 --> 00:22:45.940 on finding fine pearls is seeking, endeavoring, 00:22:45.940 --> 00:22:50.000 requiring to find it. Where are those people? 00:22:51.259 --> 00:22:54.819 You are them. Don't give up and don't go backwards. 00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:02.019 The kingdom first lifestyle has to be the primary 00:23:02.019 --> 00:23:06.599 direction of our lives. Yes, we got jobs. Yes, 00:23:06.660 --> 00:23:09.960 we got families. Yes, we got bills to pay. All 00:23:09.960 --> 00:23:13.940 of them are only tools to advance the kingdom 00:23:13.940 --> 00:23:18.059 of heaven. And we have to have that perception. 00:23:18.619 --> 00:23:21.519 I know we've talked about this a lot. You're 00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:23.920 like, my goodness, Jesse, how many times are 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:29.180 we going to talk about this? Repetition is good 00:23:29.180 --> 00:23:34.859 for us. It's good to learn. All right. Like I 00:23:34.859 --> 00:23:37.859 said, going to be quick. All right. I'm going 00:23:37.859 --> 00:23:39.579 to give you the choice. This is crowd participation. 00:23:40.039 --> 00:23:44.759 Would you like to hear a quick story about one 00:23:44.759 --> 00:23:50.740 of my daughters that was lost in an industrial 00:23:50.740 --> 00:23:54.690 park in the Metroplex? Or would you rather hear 00:23:54.690 --> 00:23:57.650 a story about how I lost the Army's keys to the 00:23:57.650 --> 00:24:00.630 Armory and almost got an Article 15? All right. 00:24:00.630 --> 00:24:04.049 Raise your hand for the daughter. Raise your 00:24:04.049 --> 00:24:06.650 hand for the keys. All right. I'm going to tell 00:24:06.650 --> 00:24:10.130 you the key story then. All right. For a very 00:24:10.130 --> 00:24:12.990 brief time, when I was stationed at Fort Hood, 00:24:13.069 --> 00:24:17.609 the training NCO moved to a different position. 00:24:17.990 --> 00:24:20.549 And some of you will think this is funny. For 00:24:20.549 --> 00:24:24.490 a very brief time, I was Corporal Tunnel. They 00:24:24.490 --> 00:24:27.130 all thought that was a great joke, Corporal Tunnel. 00:24:27.309 --> 00:24:29.769 But for a very brief time, I was a Corporal Tunnel 00:24:29.769 --> 00:24:31.549 for about six months before I made sergeant. 00:24:31.589 --> 00:24:34.609 During that time, the training NCO left, and 00:24:34.609 --> 00:24:37.390 I was appointed by the commander as the training 00:24:37.390 --> 00:24:41.170 NCO for our unit. Very brief time, just so they 00:24:41.170 --> 00:24:44.130 could find a better replacement than me, which 00:24:44.130 --> 00:24:47.950 was highly needed. But as the training NCO, you're 00:24:47.950 --> 00:24:50.089 given the keys to the armory, all right? The 00:24:50.089 --> 00:24:53.160 armory and... And they give you, back when they 00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:55.099 printed out things on paper, do you remember 00:24:55.099 --> 00:24:57.660 it had like the printouts with the holes all 00:24:57.660 --> 00:25:00.500 down the side with the terrible thing? The terrible, 00:25:00.579 --> 00:25:03.519 you could tear it off. Anyway, it was just pages 00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:05.960 and pages and pages. And I'm talking millions 00:25:05.960 --> 00:25:08.900 and millions of dollars of equipment. And then 00:25:08.900 --> 00:25:11.559 a 24 -year -old is signing their name at the 00:25:11.559 --> 00:25:13.859 bottom, Corporal Tunnel. Yes, I'm taking charge 00:25:13.859 --> 00:25:16.740 of these millions of dollars of equipment. It's 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:19.740 an infantry unit. We got it. I mean, we got Bradley 00:25:19.740 --> 00:25:24.059 fighting vehicles. We got saws, 249, Bravo. I 00:25:24.059 --> 00:25:28.799 mean, we got all, you get it, a lot. So I had 00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:32.619 the keys. Get the weekend off. Go down to hang 00:25:32.619 --> 00:25:35.900 out with my family in Brownwood, Texas. It's 00:25:35.900 --> 00:25:39.460 on my key chain in the cars. Go out on the swimming 00:25:39.460 --> 00:25:42.579 dock because I'm an idiot. And I take off my 00:25:42.579 --> 00:25:45.380 hat, my shirt to go swimming. I put my keys in 00:25:45.380 --> 00:25:49.140 my hat, lay it on there. go swimming, we're having 00:25:49.140 --> 00:25:51.500 a good time with family, get out, go to draw 00:25:51.500 --> 00:25:54.900 off, go to put my clothes on, put my shirt on, 00:25:54.940 --> 00:25:57.500 take my hat, go like this, and I hear a kaplunk, 00:25:57.619 --> 00:26:00.319 all right, and those keys go to the bottom of 00:26:00.319 --> 00:26:04.279 Lake Brownwood off the swim dock. And honestly, 00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:06.799 it really is an article 15 if you lose honor. 00:26:06.920 --> 00:26:08.940 It's not like you can go have another one made. 00:26:09.019 --> 00:26:11.859 Do you know what I'm saying? Like, it's an Article 00:26:11.859 --> 00:26:14.960 15, which is reduction in rank, reduction in 00:26:14.960 --> 00:26:17.279 pay, and possible jail time. Right? It's kind 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:20.400 of a big deal, especially when you're a corporal, 00:26:20.420 --> 00:26:26.299 you know. And so I was like, holy moly. What, 00:26:26.380 --> 00:26:30.400 you know, full -on panic mode. Well, a couple 00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:33.339 years earlier, I got my scuba diving certification 00:26:33.339 --> 00:26:36.039 in Brownwood, actually, because that's where 00:26:36.039 --> 00:26:38.240 I went to college. And I knew they had a scuba 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:41.369 diving shop, so I went. and I rented scuba diving 00:26:41.369 --> 00:26:44.150 gear. All right, so I put on scuba diving gear. 00:26:44.269 --> 00:26:47.390 I go down to the bottom of the lake underneath 00:26:47.390 --> 00:26:50.230 the swim dock. Do you know what the visibility 00:26:50.230 --> 00:26:53.650 in Lake Brownwood is? About two millimeters. 00:26:53.789 --> 00:26:56.750 That's about it. It doesn't matter. Like, you 00:26:56.750 --> 00:26:59.609 can't see jack squat. It's brown. That's all 00:26:59.609 --> 00:27:03.349 it is. And so I start where I think they fell 00:27:03.349 --> 00:27:06.569 off, and just by feel, I'm looking for these 00:27:06.569 --> 00:27:13.059 keys. Minute. Five minutes, 10 minutes, 20. First 00:27:13.059 --> 00:27:17.160 tank of air, gone. Go back into town, get a second 00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:20.740 tank of air. Come back out. I'm trying to make 00:27:20.740 --> 00:27:25.000 concentric circles. By the grace of God, I found 00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:27.660 the keys to the armory on the bottom of Lake 00:27:27.660 --> 00:27:30.480 Brownwood, all right? And I didn't get an article 00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:34.359 15. And actually, you know more than my commander 00:27:34.359 --> 00:27:36.640 knows because I never told him either, all right? 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:42.079 No need. No harm, no foul. We found them. But 00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:45.880 you talk about someone frantically looking for 00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:55.140 something of great value to them. The kingdom 00:27:55.140 --> 00:27:58.099 of heaven has to be more than a casual pursuit. 00:28:00.599 --> 00:28:05.259 It has to be our life. And people are like, Jesse, 00:28:05.339 --> 00:28:10.720 that sounds too serious. Take it up with Jesus. 00:28:11.539 --> 00:28:15.099 I don't know what to tell you. I don't know what 00:28:15.099 --> 00:28:19.299 to tell you. You don't get to live your life 00:28:19.299 --> 00:28:23.660 for yourself anymore. We're bought with a price. 00:28:24.599 --> 00:28:28.839 We don't belong to us anymore. We surrendered 00:28:28.839 --> 00:28:32.240 all our dreams and visions and plans for our 00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:36.859 lives at the foot of that bloody cross. And now 00:28:36.859 --> 00:28:40.200 it's... How do I further your kingdom, Jesus? 00:28:40.660 --> 00:28:43.779 How do I live for your kingdom? How do I bring 00:28:43.779 --> 00:28:47.599 salvation to the lost? How do I bring the power 00:28:47.599 --> 00:28:50.339 of the Gospel to people's lives? How do I bring 00:28:50.339 --> 00:28:53.740 unshakable righteousness, peace and joy in the 00:28:53.740 --> 00:28:56.940 Holy Spirit? And everything else will be added 00:28:56.940 --> 00:29:00.920 to you, right? Moms, I want to encourage you. 00:29:02.180 --> 00:29:04.859 I want to highly encourage you because the kingdom 00:29:04.859 --> 00:29:07.680 of heaven... is right there in those babies. 00:29:09.759 --> 00:29:15.799 That is your primary and most beautiful assignment 00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:19.660 is the kingdom of heaven being built up and released 00:29:19.660 --> 00:29:24.500 in these disciples that live in your homes. One 00:29:24.500 --> 00:29:27.680 of my daughters rides with me to church every 00:29:27.680 --> 00:29:34.079 Sunday morning. I cherish it. And today I was 00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:37.730 just... I was driving and I was thinking about 00:29:37.730 --> 00:29:42.309 this whole concept. And honestly, Jill knows 00:29:42.309 --> 00:29:46.289 I have the worst memory in the world. But things 00:29:46.289 --> 00:29:49.490 that are precious, I can remember. And I was 00:29:49.490 --> 00:29:52.250 just thinking about the years because we've been 00:29:52.250 --> 00:29:55.869 pastoring this church for 18 years. My daughter's 00:29:55.869 --> 00:30:01.890 only 14. And for years, we've been driving this 00:30:01.890 --> 00:30:04.779 route to church. And I just started thinking, 00:30:04.880 --> 00:30:09.400 man, I can remember when she was tiny and asking 00:30:09.400 --> 00:30:12.420 me about questions about things outside the window, 00:30:12.559 --> 00:30:15.539 right? And then they get a little older and they 00:30:15.539 --> 00:30:17.599 want your phone. And I can remember driving, 00:30:17.779 --> 00:30:20.980 watching her over there playing games on the 00:30:20.980 --> 00:30:24.299 phone. And then they get their own phone and 00:30:24.299 --> 00:30:26.660 you're driving, you're watching them on their 00:30:26.660 --> 00:30:29.619 own phone. And today I was just watching her 00:30:29.619 --> 00:30:35.079 put on her makeup. young lady, and I'm just thinking, 00:30:35.240 --> 00:30:42.039 this is the kingdom. This is the kingdom of heaven. 00:30:43.880 --> 00:30:49.420 Right? Moms, dads, you don't have to look very 00:30:49.420 --> 00:30:52.819 far to see the kingdom. They sleep in that room 00:30:52.819 --> 00:30:56.900 next to yours. It's valuable. It's precious. 00:30:58.680 --> 00:31:01.079 You've got to be seeking first that kingdom. 00:31:01.200 --> 00:31:04.500 Does that make sense? Alright, let's close with 00:31:04.500 --> 00:31:07.640 this one, number three. Before we do, could we 00:31:07.640 --> 00:31:10.759 just pause? If you need to repent for a casual 00:31:10.759 --> 00:31:14.640 kingdom lifestyle and be like the merchant whose 00:31:14.640 --> 00:31:21.119 life depends on finding precious pearls, let's 00:31:21.119 --> 00:31:33.119 just respond to that. Lord, help us. Help us 00:31:33.119 --> 00:31:38.279 to perceive what is primary and priority. Amen. 00:31:38.440 --> 00:31:41.859 Alright, let's close with this. Do not undervalue 00:31:41.859 --> 00:31:45.119 the kingdom of God. It's not illogical or irresponsible 00:31:45.119 --> 00:31:48.559 to sell everything you have to purchase that 00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:52.519 which has exponentially greater value. It is 00:31:52.519 --> 00:31:55.700 a wise investment and excellent stewardship. 00:31:56.259 --> 00:32:00.880 Can I read that again? Do not undervalue. the 00:32:00.880 --> 00:32:04.019 kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God. It is 00:32:04.019 --> 00:32:07.480 not illogical or irresponsible to sell everything 00:32:07.480 --> 00:32:10.980 you have to purchase that which has exponentially 00:32:10.980 --> 00:32:15.460 greater value. It is a wise investment and excellent 00:32:15.460 --> 00:32:21.339 stewardship. So this merchant, he finds a pearl 00:32:21.339 --> 00:32:25.400 of great value and then he goes and sells everything 00:32:25.400 --> 00:32:30.789 he has to buy that pearl. And you say, Well, 00:32:30.809 --> 00:32:35.029 that's crazy. I mean, what guy's going to go 00:32:35.029 --> 00:32:39.470 sell everything, everything he has, household, 00:32:39.609 --> 00:32:44.069 everything he has, to buy a pearl? Well, if you're 00:32:44.069 --> 00:32:46.630 asking that question, you're thinking too small 00:32:46.630 --> 00:32:52.690 about the pearl. Right? Because how many of you... 00:32:53.180 --> 00:32:56.059 If someone offers you an investment to sell everything 00:32:56.059 --> 00:32:59.920 you have which is worth $600 ,000, your net value, 00:33:00.119 --> 00:33:03.119 and you get to trade that in to purchase something 00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:07.619 worth $2 to $5 or $6 or $10 million, you're not 00:33:07.619 --> 00:33:09.900 going to think twice about that investment. You're 00:33:09.900 --> 00:33:15.460 like, duh. Right? I have this picture. Can I 00:33:15.460 --> 00:33:19.559 show this picture? This is the world's most valuable 00:33:19.559 --> 00:33:21.559 pearl. I thought the teenagers would like this 00:33:21.559 --> 00:33:23.730 because Gig is such a... fun word right now, 00:33:23.789 --> 00:33:26.609 but it is literally called the giga pearl, all 00:33:26.609 --> 00:33:30.609 right? And it's valued at 100 million dollars, 00:33:31.029 --> 00:33:37.970 okay? It is 75 pounds of pearl discovered by 00:33:37.970 --> 00:33:41.589 this fisherman off the coast in the Philippines, 00:33:41.890 --> 00:33:47.890 all right? Now, I was just doing the math this 00:33:47.890 --> 00:33:51.900 week. I was thinking, Did anybody get their tax 00:33:51.900 --> 00:33:53.819 assessment here in the last couple of weeks? 00:33:54.019 --> 00:33:57.380 Did anybody else cuss? Okay, just me. All right. 00:33:58.559 --> 00:34:00.619 Just kidding, children. I didn't cuss out loud. 00:34:00.700 --> 00:34:02.759 Only in my mind, which is not much better. All 00:34:02.759 --> 00:34:05.839 right. So I'm just looking at my tax assessment. 00:34:05.960 --> 00:34:08.440 It says my house is worth $250 ,000. I'm just 00:34:08.440 --> 00:34:10.860 rounding these numbers. It says my land is worth 00:34:10.860 --> 00:34:14.739 $100 ,000, so that's $350 ,000. I'm thinking 00:34:14.739 --> 00:34:18.239 like... The cars that we have, the gun collection, 00:34:18.380 --> 00:34:20.840 the KitchenAid mixer, and the wiener dog, I'm 00:34:20.840 --> 00:34:22.699 putting all that together. I'm thinking maybe 00:34:22.699 --> 00:34:26.539 another $100 ,000. So I'm thinking, you know, 00:34:26.539 --> 00:34:28.599 the tunnel net worth right now, I'm thinking 00:34:28.599 --> 00:34:32.440 around $450 ,000, all right? If somebody says 00:34:32.440 --> 00:34:37.179 to me, hey, what do you think about selling everything 00:34:37.179 --> 00:34:40.920 you have and it'll buy this? You're thinking, 00:34:41.039 --> 00:34:46.599 yes, please. I will spend that for the $100 million 00:34:46.599 --> 00:34:53.860 pearl. Right? When the world says, what are you 00:34:53.860 --> 00:34:58.219 doing? Why are you giving up career in the pursuit 00:34:58.219 --> 00:35:02.300 of riches or whatever it may be? Or why are you 00:35:02.300 --> 00:35:06.360 giving up this priority? Because we ought to 00:35:06.360 --> 00:35:10.739 look different to the world. The Christ follower 00:35:10.739 --> 00:35:13.559 should look strange to the world we live in. 00:35:14.699 --> 00:35:19.760 Yes? We should look different. They should look 00:35:19.760 --> 00:35:23.340 at us and go, why do you live that way? Why are 00:35:23.340 --> 00:35:28.820 those your priorities? When the world looks at 00:35:28.820 --> 00:35:32.800 us and says, it is crazy that you're trading 00:35:32.800 --> 00:35:36.280 in the things of the world for faith to a God 00:35:36.280 --> 00:35:39.539 you can't see, they just don't understand how 00:35:39.539 --> 00:35:46.309 priceless the pearl is. And sadly, most Christians 00:35:46.309 --> 00:35:49.510 don't either. That's why we haven't sold everything 00:35:49.510 --> 00:35:53.329 for the kingdom. Now when I talk about sell everything, 00:35:53.550 --> 00:35:58.769 please don't go give away your house today unless 00:35:58.769 --> 00:36:01.869 God tells you to. Don't go give away your property. 00:36:01.889 --> 00:36:04.329 Don't quit your job. That's not what I'm talking 00:36:04.329 --> 00:36:08.150 about. God has no problem with wealth and careers 00:36:08.150 --> 00:36:12.809 and fantastic things. They're just all second 00:36:12.809 --> 00:36:17.110 in priority to the kingdom. They're all intended 00:36:17.110 --> 00:36:20.869 as tools for the glory of the king on the earth. 00:36:22.409 --> 00:36:25.190 But if your life is still about you and your 00:36:25.190 --> 00:36:28.849 kingdom, I'm telling you, it's only because you 00:36:28.849 --> 00:36:34.239 have not seen the... unspeakable value of His 00:36:34.239 --> 00:36:40.739 kingdom. Because it would only make logical sense 00:36:40.739 --> 00:36:45.980 for us to put everything on the back burner for 00:36:45.980 --> 00:36:49.760 the kingdom of heaven. Does that make sense? 00:37:03.210 --> 00:37:06.409 Does anybody know who Jim Elliot is? He's an 00:37:06.409 --> 00:37:09.369 American missionary, was martyred for the gospel 00:37:09.369 --> 00:37:13.469 in Ecuador in like the 1950s. He says a quote 00:37:13.469 --> 00:37:18.010 that a lot of people know, but maybe you don't 00:37:18.010 --> 00:37:22.130 know the context he later gave his life. He is 00:37:22.130 --> 00:37:24.829 no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain 00:37:24.829 --> 00:37:30.130 what he cannot lose. And there's a kingdom concept 00:37:30.130 --> 00:37:37.710 that says, My King is so glorious and His reign 00:37:37.710 --> 00:37:40.730 is so important to the salvation of the world 00:37:40.730 --> 00:37:45.250 that I will give up every right to myself and 00:37:45.250 --> 00:37:50.590 to this world if I can have that kingdom. If 00:37:50.590 --> 00:37:53.349 I can be a part of that kingdom. If I can give 00:37:53.349 --> 00:37:56.989 that kingdom to one other desperate, needy person. 00:38:01.769 --> 00:38:05.590 What's interesting about the giga pearl, you've 00:38:05.590 --> 00:38:07.889 got to go research this story. It's fantastic. 00:38:09.150 --> 00:38:12.670 The guy was fishing. That guy was fishing in 00:38:12.670 --> 00:38:15.550 a storm, and his anchor got caught on something, 00:38:15.690 --> 00:38:19.849 and it was putting his boat in peril during the 00:38:19.849 --> 00:38:23.969 storm. So he dove down to the bottom of his anchor. 00:38:24.570 --> 00:38:27.929 and he found his anchor on this huge clam. And 00:38:27.929 --> 00:38:31.349 in those areas, they say clams get 100, 125 pounds, 00:38:31.650 --> 00:38:35.650 these mussels. And his anchor in the storm is 00:38:35.650 --> 00:38:39.570 stuck on this pearl. You can't make this stuff 00:38:39.570 --> 00:38:42.949 up. How many of you know that the pearl of the 00:38:42.949 --> 00:38:45.389 kingdom is often found when you're anchored in 00:38:45.389 --> 00:38:49.389 a storm? It is so true. It's the storms. It's 00:38:49.389 --> 00:38:53.559 when everything is going crazy. that that's where 00:38:53.559 --> 00:38:57.039 you find yourself anchored on what is truly important. 00:38:57.980 --> 00:39:02.940 So this fisherman finds the pearl in that muscle, 00:39:03.219 --> 00:39:07.019 and he doesn't know what it is. And for 10 years, 00:39:07.059 --> 00:39:10.340 he keeps it in a burlap sack underneath his bed. 00:39:12.280 --> 00:39:14.900 And in his mind, he's thinking it's a good luck 00:39:14.900 --> 00:39:17.719 charm. So every morning, he rubs the pearl on 00:39:17.719 --> 00:39:20.199 his way out for his fishing trip for good luck 00:39:20.199 --> 00:39:24.920 on the fishing day. Ten years. He's possessing 00:39:24.920 --> 00:39:27.900 a hundred million dollar pearl in a shack in 00:39:27.900 --> 00:39:36.519 the Philippines under his bed. Is that you? Is 00:39:36.519 --> 00:39:43.800 that you? Do you have the greatest collecting 00:39:43.800 --> 00:39:50.059 dust under your bed spiritually? Is it your good 00:39:50.059 --> 00:39:53.150 luck charm? Or is it the kingdom of heaven on 00:39:53.150 --> 00:39:59.949 the earth? Being advanced. Violent men take hold 00:39:59.949 --> 00:40:03.750 of it, it says. It's violently advanced on the 00:40:03.750 --> 00:40:07.110 earth with intentionality, with purpose. You 00:40:07.110 --> 00:40:09.989 know how they found out about this pearl? Fire. 00:40:10.349 --> 00:40:14.210 The guy's house caught on fire. And the pearl 00:40:14.210 --> 00:40:17.269 was revealed. And someone in his family, I was 00:40:17.269 --> 00:40:18.969 reading that some of his family was a tourism 00:40:18.969 --> 00:40:22.070 director and they put it on display in that little 00:40:22.070 --> 00:40:24.329 village and then it became known to the world. 00:40:24.409 --> 00:40:28.550 Isn't it amazing that the pearl of greatest price 00:40:28.550 --> 00:40:31.409 in the world was revealed to the world by fire? 00:40:32.750 --> 00:40:42.489 I can't make this up. Fire. Fire of hardship 00:40:42.489 --> 00:40:46.489 and purity. fire of the Holy Spirit, and one's 00:40:46.489 --> 00:40:48.829 coming greater than me that will baptize you 00:40:48.829 --> 00:40:56.030 with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Fire will 00:40:56.030 --> 00:40:59.829 reveal the priceless kingdom of God to the world. 00:40:59.869 --> 00:41:03.610 Both the hardships we walk through and the fire 00:41:03.610 --> 00:41:06.750 and passion of the Holy Spirit in us, on us, 00:41:06.869 --> 00:41:11.980 and through us. Yes? Alright. Well, I mean seven 00:41:11.980 --> 00:41:15.360 minutes early. That's early. Could we stand and 00:41:15.360 --> 00:41:20.880 be released? Anybody want to be that merchant 00:41:20.880 --> 00:41:27.460 that has found it and now everything is second 00:41:27.460 --> 00:41:30.179 place to the kingdom? Do you want to be that 00:41:30.179 --> 00:41:35.760 person? Anybody want to take the kingdom of heaven 00:41:35.760 --> 00:41:39.409 out from underneath the bed? And let fire reveal 00:41:39.409 --> 00:41:43.829 it to the world. They want to see it. They don't 00:41:43.829 --> 00:41:47.250 even know how bad they want it. They need it 00:41:47.250 --> 00:41:50.789 so bad. So Father, here are your sons and daughters. 00:41:50.909 --> 00:41:55.250 We were the pearl of great price that you bought. 00:41:55.409 --> 00:41:59.590 And we say thank you. And now you are our pearl 00:41:59.590 --> 00:42:03.690 of greatest price. You and your kingdom. And 00:42:03.690 --> 00:42:08.250 we say, God, take us. Rewire our brains to think 00:42:08.250 --> 00:42:11.309 about Your kingdom first everywhere You send 00:42:11.309 --> 00:42:14.869 us. And God, we're asking right now for fire. 00:42:15.329 --> 00:42:19.289 Fire through the Holy Spirit. The fire of faithfulness 00:42:19.289 --> 00:42:24.110 through difficulty and hardship. Purify us, God. 00:42:24.230 --> 00:42:32.449 And set us on fire so that this world can know 00:42:32.449 --> 00:42:35.329 You as their King and experience the beauty of 00:42:35.329 --> 00:42:38.489 Your kingdom. Do anything You want with us. We 00:42:38.489 --> 00:42:42.170 are a coin in Your pocket. Spend us any way You 00:42:42.170 --> 00:42:47.469 want. And bless our mothers. In Jesus' name, 00:42:47.610 --> 00:42:48.030 Amen.