Stories of the Kingdom, Part 3

What if the best thing you could ever have isn’t something…but someone? This week, we’re diving into two short parables where Jesus shows us just how valuable life in His Kingdom really is — and why it’s worth giving up everything to follow Him.

You’ve Already Won
Shane and Shane

The Passion
Hillsong Worship

My King Forever
Bethel Worship

Nothing Else
Cody Carnes

Matthew 13:44-46
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

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A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”.

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Matthew 13:44
in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

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Matthew 19:21-22
Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

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Philippians 3:7-11
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

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Matthew 13:45-46
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

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Jim Elliot
“He is no fool who gives away what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”

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Craig L. Blomberg, Interpreting the Parables
“The problem with most of us is that we would like a little of the kingdom as an add-on to the rest of our lives. We want to hedge our bets. You cannot hedge your bets with the kingdom. This parable urges us to abandon what we thought was the focus of life and focus entirely on what God is doing with the kingdom. Likewise, from the pearl merchant: If the church has any viable message and is not to be laughed out of existence, it has a responsibility to demonstrate the presence of God’s kingdom. Christians have the task of showing the reality of the new age right in the midst of the old. The same Holy Spirit active with Jesus must be evident showing the compassion, the acceptance, the forgiveness, the justice, and the joy that marked Jesus’ own ministry. Without that, we have no right to speak of the presence of the Kingdom.”

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Luke 19:37-40
As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

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