Two Absolute Truths
from Matthew 13:44-46
I promised at the end of last week’s message (January 9th) to finish my message the following Sunday. To honor the gift of everyone’s time I chose instead to post online the completion of that message and its appeal.
First let me take you back to a game you played as a kid. Who didn’t love playing hide and seek when they were kids? Let’s use that image for a couple of purposes here. I want to first use it to say this:
God NEVER plays HIDE & SEEK with you.
Underscore never. You may try to play it with Him, but He’ll never play it with you. He’s not trying to keep Himself away from you. The last thing He wants is not for you to know He’s there. He wants you to connect with Him and He’s not playing some cosmic game at your expense. He wants to be found. That’s why the Scriptures reveal in Deuteronomy 4:29, “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” If you want to find Him He will reveal Himself to you. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” So my friends, put your New Year’s passion into seeking Him and the treasures that He wants to give you. He has blessings to bestow, relationships to anoint, and a treasured existence that He desires to give you. But He says, “You’ve got to seek Me.” Then we must realize:
Life is found beyond the obvious and below the surface.
So many times we miss out on life and let it slip by. Can I just digress and tell you something I know that’s true about you? Back to when you were a kid playing hide and seek, no matter how good you were, and maybe you were the best … but you never really wanted NOT to be found. Let’s just be honest. No matter how camouflaged your position, no matter how well you were hidden if you were the last person to be found stuck in some dark closet, or inside the dryer, or some cramped space? It was scary. So at some point you start making noises to be found.
Here’s what I want you to understand folks - nobody wants to be lost. Have you ever truly been lost and enjoyed it? The problem is we’re lost and we want to be found. And God is saying, “Seek Me and I’ll change your life - forever.” “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
SALVATION is the TREASURE IN THE FIELD and the PEARL OF GREAT PRICE is JESUS. What Jesus says is, “I’m worth everything you have - and more.” So let me put this in really simple-complex terms. “THE QUESTION” is this:
Would you sell everything you had
to purchase a place in the Kingdom of Heaven
if it could simply be bought with money?
That is a much harder question than it appears. It is a simple question that is so hard to answer. Would you sell everything you had? Because that’s what the guy did with the treasure in the ground and that’s what the man did with the treasure in the pearl, “I’d give anything for this.” So what is your answer to the question? Check yes or no.
The problem is we want everything that Christ has and no sacrifice to ourselves. That’s not what Jesus is teaching, nor did He ever teach that. I know it sounds attractive - “I get it all for nothing!” And Jesus asks, “Would you give everything for it?” It is an eternal paradox I’m telling you because eternal life will cost you nothing - while it costs you everything. Jesus paid everything for you, but it will cost you everything. So what will I give Him? What does He want? Let me say this as clearly as I can … He wants you. Not 10% of you. He wants you - all of you. Will you surrender all?