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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Guilherme Borda

He is Worth it

It's a joy to be back at Heaven Hope to share the Word of God with you.

I would like to thank my brother for the prayer for this moment of study as well.

Last time I was here in July, we considered Revelation 2, verses 8 to 11, and the topic of courage in Christ.

And today I want to invite you to open the scriptures to Matthew chapter 13 verses 45 and 46.

I'll give you the time to open the scriptures.

You know, many of you don't even know me, why should you trust me?

My words are tentative but the words of God are authoritative.

My words are fallible but the scriptures are infallible.

So please, please let's make it clear where the authority lies and it is not in me but in the word of God.

And today I'm reading from the New King James Version.

Matthew 13, I'm just listening to the pages, I wanna give you a little bit more time Matthew 13 verses 45 and 46 and the text says again The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant Seeking beautiful pearls Who when he had found 1 pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

How much do you think a pearl would be worth?

You know, it's interesting that Jesus does not specify a price, but it says that it was a pearl of great price, great value.

How much do you think a pearl would be worth in the ancient world?

In the IVP Bible commentary, the New Testament scholar Craig S.

Keener points out that some pearls imported by the rich could be worth the equivalent of millions of dollars Imagine 1 pearl millions of dollars And this is back in the ancient world, equivalent to today's money, millions of dollars.

But like I said, Jesus does not specify a price.

And Jesus was able to use numbers, to use values.

I mean, you have the parable that you have the 10, 000 talents, for example.

Maybe it was to emphasize that this pearl was worth it all.

It was worth selling all that 1 had to buy it.

This merchant saw that this was indeed a valuable pearl.

He saw that this was a valuable pearl and he then lets go of everything he has and buys this 1 pearl.

But as a good and perceptive merchant, he also knows that in fact this pearl is worth more than what he paid for because as I said merchants buy and sell so he knows that with the sale of this pearl he'll get to have even more than he had before So we could even come to the conclusion that this pearl is worth more than everything he had combined.

What is the kingdom lesson that we can take from this parable?

I think it might be helpful to consider first a few differences.

At least 2 differences I wanna point out.

Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like, and then he describes the situation.

But there are differences between the kingdom of heaven and what we see here.

1 of them is, and what I pointed out, merchants buy and sell.

They buy something, they have it temporarily, and then they sell it and have it no more.

But we do not embrace the Kingdom of Heaven to have it temporarily, but permanently.

And also, we do not buy the Kingdom of heaven with money.

So these are at least 2 key differences to keep in mind.

But with these differences in mind, we can say based on this parable that the kingdom of heaven is worth it all.

Its value outweighs the value of any and everything that you have combined.

The kingdom of heaven is worth whatever the cost.

We may now then ask, but what is really specifically the value of the kingdom of heaven?

This parable is suggesting that it is worth it all.

It is worth letting go of everything you have if you need to so you can have it.

Well, let's try to do a little value assessment here.

Dwellings of gold, infinite, healthy, longevity, total safety, amazing food.

Now right here, when we speak about the cost of the kingdom, some people may get a little nervous.

Well, of course, I mean, Ephesians 2, Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9, to make it clear, Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9, tell us how we are saved by grace, how salvation is a gift from God.

Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9 where it says, for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves.

It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Still, this parable speaks of an exchange.

There's a cost involved for this man to enjoy the kingdom of heaven.

How can we then speak of a cost of the kingdom of heaven if we are saved by grace?

Well, Jesus himself points out at least some elements, some aspects of the cost of the kingdom.

Consider for example John, John chapter 15.

John the fourth book in the New Testament chapter 15 and verses 18 to 21.

John 15 18 to 21 and see what Jesus says here and consider what it can tell you about the cost of the kingdom of heaven.

If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world will love its own.

Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master.

If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

If they kept my word, they will keep yours also.

But all these things they will do to you for my name sake because they do not know him who sent me Part of the cost of the kingdom of heaven is the cost of following Jesus.

Part of the cost of following Jesus is being willing to suffer persecution, being willing to be the object of the world's hatred.

We can go back to Matthew now, and we were considering the parable in chapter 13, but let's go to chapter 10.

It will help us to Learn a little bit more about the cost of the kingdom Matthew chapter 10 verses 37 To 39 and and And this will help us really explore the question of whether it is with it.

And look at what Jesus says, He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.

And he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

And he who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.

He who finds his life will lose it and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

The cost of following Jesus, The cost of the kingdom of heaven involves, in summary, having Jesus as truly the number 1 in your life.

Above parents, above children, above friends, above your peer group in school or in your workspace.

And it involves again, here we find the willingness to suffer for Christ.

He says, he who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.

It involves the readiness if need be to accept social rejection, abandonment even by loved ones.

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He is Worth it

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