Palm Sunday 2022: Extravagant Worship

 

April 10, 2022                NOTES NOT EDITED
Extravagant Worship
John 12:1-8

SIS:  The only worship that is worthy of Almighty God is "extravagant" worship.

ex·trav·a·gant  [ik-strav-uh-guhnt]  –adjective

1.spending much more than is necessary or wise; wasteful: an extravagant shopper.  2.excessively high: extravagant expenses; extravagant prices. 3.exceeding the bounds of reason, as actions, demands, opinions, or passions.

Americans are an "extravagant" people, but not always in a positive sense.  Consider how "extravagantly wasteful" we are:

• throw away 106,000
   aluminum cans every 30 seconds,
• distribute 1 mil
   plastic cups on U.S. airline flights every 6 hours,
• go through 2 million
   plastic beverage bottles every five minutes,
• discard 426,000
   cell phones every day,
• use 1.14 million
   brown paper supermarket bags each hour,
• use 60,000
   plastic bags every five seconds,
• use 15 million
   sheets of office paper every five minutes and
• produce 170,000 Energizer batteries every 15 min.

“We can go on. Americans discard enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet every three months — and aluminum represents less than one percent of our solid waste stream. We toss 14 percent of the food we buy at the store. More than 46,000 pieces of plastic debris float on each square mile of ocean.”—motherjones.com/environment/2009/05/waste-not-want-not. Retrieved September 28, 2009.

Extravagant certainly describes our habits of consumption as Americans -- "excessively high; exceeding bounds of reason."

But, does "extravagant" apply to our worship experience as Americans?  I think you know where this is going.  Do we spend an "excessively high" amount of time reading our Bibles for instance?  Do we spend and "excessively high" amount of time in prayer?  Do we give an "excessively high" amount of our money in church donations?  Uh-oh!  It's getting "excessively hot" in here!

We all know the fact of the matter:  our worship to God through His church cannot be described as "extravagant" in the same measure as the amount of waste we produce through our daily living.

In regard to our lives, we consume extravagantly but in regard to our worship, the operative phrase is, "just good enough."

As we continue to examine God's Word in this time of Lent (40 days before Easter) we have been thinking about how we live our lives in light of the sacrifice God made on our behalf.

Certainly, we all agree that God's love for us qualifies as "extravagant" -- excessively high; exceeding the bounds of reason.

Today, we are going to look at an example of "extravagant worship" by a woman deeply thankful for what Jesus Christ had done in her life.  We are going to join a family "touched by the miraculous love of Jesus."  The response by Mary to Who Jesus is and what He had done was an act of "extravagant worship" -- or, "holy waste." 

Let's read this story together: (Jn 12:1-8)

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ² Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. ³ Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴ But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ⁵ “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” ⁶ He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. ⁷ “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. ⁸ You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

This story pricks my heart. When I read it I become acutely aware that my love and devotion to Christ is almost a sham in comparison to Mary's. And, I have so much more to be thankful for than Mary.  At the time, Mary had only received the miracle of a "restored loved one."  However great a miracle that was, it is a small thing compared to the miracle of eternal life that I have received from the Lord.

Should not my worship to God be eternally more deep and sincere than that of Mary's?  I certainly think so.

As we explore this example of "extravagant" worship, I pray it will deepen our love for Jesus Christ and spur us on to a more vigorous, enthusiastic, and costly worship.  I pray that Mary's example will help us take more seriously the private and public times of worship in our lives.  There are at least four characteristics that made Mary's worship "extravagant." 

1.  First, EW involves GRATITUDE

On a recent religious talk show the hostess was interviewing a young woman who had just recently come to know Christ and had been received into the church. Until her recent conversion, she had lived on the wrong side of the tracks, lived in the fast lane, and teetered on the brink of destruction. So overwhelming was the sense of forgiveness that this young woman practically gushed with joy as she spoke. "I can't express," she said, "the sense of gratitude that I feel that God has changed my life."

The talk show hostess knew where she was coming from for she, too, had walked on life's wild side before coming to Jesus. She said, "I know what you mean. Every day I thank God for saving me!" And then she added a very profound statement: "You know what I've noticed though? People who have always been in the church, people who always do what they ought, who have never really gotten into trouble, always been prim and proper, don't have the same sense of gratitude that I do. In fact, I've noticed that for most church people, it's not so much what God had done for them, but what they still want God to do!"

It is easy for those of us who have been in church for a while to take the gift of salvation for granted.  It is obvious that Mary did not take the miracle Jesus performed for granted.  It meant something to her.  It moved her deeply both spiritually and physically.  Her gratitude could not be contained to just spiritual platitudes, but burst out in a physically tangible way.

People have always reacted this way in regard to spiritual matters.  Think of the ancients who offered sacrifice upon sacrifice upon sacrifice to show devotion to their deity of choice.  Certainly, we cannot commend such sacrifices, but it proves the point that worship which does not more than rattle around in one's head is not true worship.  True, extravagant worship, will always find a physical expression.

This is why we sing.  This is why we have public prayers.  This is why we have sacred dance and sacred art.  When God touches a person's heart, there is an unstoppable urge to do something with our hands.

Worship at the very core is a physical response of gratitude.  It is an outward expression of a thankful heart.  We can miss the reason for Mary's outburst of extravagance if we concentrate only on Mary's act.  We must look about the room to find the reason for Mary's extravagance.  Look in verse two:

"Lazarus was among those who were
reclining at the table with [Jesus]."

There he is.  Once dead. Once lost to his family.
But now, back in the picture -- full of life.  One hundred percent huggable for his sisters.

When Jesus gave Mary back her brother, Lazarus,
from the dead it was the greatest gift she had ever
received, or could have ever conceived of.

Here's my point:  Mary found it very easy to pour out her life -- and the family's life savings -- to Jesus because she had received something of almost infinite worth -- a dead brother returned to her alive.

Now follow me here:  have we not received something of even more eternal value from Jesus than Lazarus and his family?  We do not know how long Lazarus lived after being raised from the dead, but we do know he eventually died and occupied a grave.

Yet, you and I have received our life back again and we will experience eternal life and bliss in heaven.  How can we consider what Jesus has done for us and not feel compelled to pour our lives out before him like Mary poured out her perfume.  This is the essence of the story:  Mary's gratitude for Who Jesus is and what He had done compelled her to EXTRAVAGANT WORSHIP.  No other response would be appropriate.

At the heart of extravagant worship is GRATITUDE.  If your worship has become lukewarm or flat it is because you have taken the gift of God in Christ for granted -- or worse yet, never received the gift of life in the first place.  In either case, this calls for some serious reflection.

Extravagant Worship involves GRATITUDE.

2.  EW requires HUMILITY (v 3; Mk. 14:3)

A little background is necessary to put this text in John into perspective.  This anointing of Jesus is mentioned in Matthew, Mark, and John.  Another anointing involving another woman -- who had lived a very sinful life-- and involving completely different circumstances is mentioned in Luke.

In this instance in Bethany there are minor differences that can be easily explained as just different perspectives on the same event.  But, there is a difference in John that I believe has special theological  reasons for being included.  Remember, John was written years later than the other gospels and was a theological study of the Life of Jesus, not so much a chronological record of His life.

In Matthew and Mark the writers record that after Mary broke the vile she

"poured it on His head" (Mt. 26:7; Mk. 14:3)

In our text in John, John adds theological insight by recording something that happened the other writers did not record.  John says that Mary

"poured it on Jesus' feet" (Jn. 12:3).

It was common when a guest came to your house to wipe a little oil on the forehead.  It was a gesture of kindness against the harsh, hot Middle Eastern sun.

Anointing the head was also a common way to coronate a king.

Now, Mary did both.  But, John alone was led by the Holy Spirit to point out that she also anointed His feet. This would not be difficult to do.  In Middle Eastern fashion guests ate lying on cots with their head at the table and their bodies pointing away.  That's the reference given in verse two to Lazarus, "reclining at the table."  To me this is a very strange custom but it was the common way in the Biblical times.

John was pointing out the great "humility" of Mary.  Humility is a blessed virtue much commanded in Scripture.  The Lord Himself said,

"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 5:3).

Jesus also said,

"Whoever humbles himself like [a] child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Mt. 18:4).

There was nothing more disgusting to a Middle Easterner of Jesus' day than to touch someone feet -- much less get your face down close enough to wipe the dust off with your hair.  This was so disgusting as to be almost disgraceful for a lady like Mary.  Plus, she let down her hair.  This was another act sure to bring her scorn.

Respectable woman did not let their hair down in public.  That was something only reserved for the husband.

Anointing the feet of a guest was the duty of the lowest slave in the household.  Mary gladly took upon herself that duty in order to show her Lord "extravagant worship."

Extravagant Worship will always open one up to the ridicule and perhaps scorn of others.  It did Mary.  Look in verses 4-5,

⁴ But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ⁵ “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” ⁶ He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it."

Again, John writing much later for a more specific theological purpose adds the part about Judas.  Matthew and Mark point out that all the disciples had a problem with Mary's extravagance -- Judas just had different reasons for objecting.

It takes great humility to give "extravagant worship" to the Lord because I can guarantee you SOMEONE IS GOING TO OBJECT!

Take the example of David as instructive of this fact.  

¹² Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. ¹³ When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. ¹⁴ David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might,
...........................................
¹⁶ As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

If you are so humble as to allow yourself to give "extravagant worship" to God, don't be surprised if someone objects.

So often in our Baptist church we put way too much starch in our Sunday clothes.  We are so stiff in worship sometimes we can hardly sit down -- and when we do sit down, we are not about to get back up -- and certainly NOT DANCE.

Friend, pride in our tradition keeps us from giving God "extravagant worship."  And pride, is the deadliest of all sins.

We will do just about anything to protect our pride and our standing in the community.  We are like one man I read about.  This man was vain and self-centered.  He came from a prominent family and was going to write a book to make sure that his fine family name would live on long after he was gone.

But as he began looking into his family background, he discovered more than a few skeletons in his closet.

One example was the man's Uncle Fred who had been convicted of murder and eventually, after a long prison stay, electrocuted. Why, this would ruin the family name if it got out.  So, the man sort of rewrote the part about his Uncle Fred, the prisoner who was electrocuted.  The written version went like this:

"My Uncle Fred occupied the chair of applied electricity at one of our leading government institutions. He was attached to this position by the strongest of ties and his death came as a great shock!"

Our pride keeps us from giving our Lord "Extravagant Worship."  It keeps our voices soft when the Spirit calls us to shout.  It keeps our hands to our sides when the Spirit urges us to raise them in an act of humble surrender.

Mary's extravagant worship involved gratitude and it required humility. But, her EW did something special:

3.  EW influences OTHERS (v. 3b)

"And the house was filled with the
fragrance of perfume"

Mary's act of extravagant worship blessed the others in the room.

Let me say that again . . . Mary's act of extravagant worship blessed the others in the room.

I would hope that my life would "sweeten" the little corner of life where I live.  Over the last week while meditating on this story, I have tried to be extra pleasant everywhere I've gone.  I've tried to be cautious of how I speak to others I meet in my daily life. 

In short, I decided it would be much better to leave a sweet perfume behind when I leave rather than the stink of self-centeredness.

When we come together in church to worship God together, we should be especially mindful of what kind of odor we are creating by our presence.

I read somewhere that "everybody brightens a room--some when they enter, and others when they leave!"

Over the years I have learned that there are certain people, that when you inquire upon greeting them: "Hello, so and so, how are you doing," they will actually begin to tell you in painstaking detail.

Two ladies were talking at the supermarket. "I ran into old Mrs. Burgess on my way up here," said one. "And I made the mistake of asking her how she was." "Did she tell you?" said the other woman.  "Yes she did. In groanological order."

Mary was no such person.  She was an "extravagant worshipper" of the Lord Jesus Christ and she positively influenced everyone around her. 

When we live in the attitude of "extravagant worship" where every thing we have, every thing we do, and every where we go we demonstrate the love we have for the Lord Jesus Christ, we will leave the sweet perfume of devotion wafting in the air when we leave.

Living a life of "Extravagant Worship" positively influences others.

EW involves gratitude.  EW requires humility.  EW positively influence others.  Also,

4.  EW anticipates HEAVEN (v 7)

⁷ “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.

All three accounts contain this statement about Mary anointing him with one of the spices traditionally used to prepare a dead body for burial. 

Did Mary fully understand Jesus' words?  It is doubtful.  The Bible indicates that the disciples were surprised to see Jesus die. They certainly did not comprehend the substitutionary meaning of His death. No, sometimes there is more truth available to us than we can fully comprehend in one instance.  This seems to be such an incidence.

So, I'm not sure Mary fully comprehended the fact that Jesus was going to die on a cross in just a few days in order that she -- and all believers before, during, and after her -- could have eternal life.  Her gift anticipates this, but not in a manner fully understood by her or the disciples.

But, it is something fully comprehendable by you and I   we can clearly see that "extravagant worship" arises in part because we anticipate the great blessing of heaven that awaits us after we die.  Just as Jesus died and was raised from the dead, so every believer in Christ will likewise rise from the dead.  Paul writes in Rom 6:3-7:

Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. ⁵ If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

This was what Mary act pointed to, eventhough she
and the disciples could not fully appreciate it -- yet.

WE  can fully appreciate it.  Our acts of "extravagant worship" arise out of a hopeful anticipation of that day when we will worship God around the throne in heaven.  The Apostle John describes that scene:

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

¹¹ All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen! (Rev. 7:9-12)

Our worship here and now should be preparatory to a time when we will worship God in His very presence in Heaven.

EW arises out the grateful heart of person's who anticipate that day when we will worship around God's throne in heaven.

CONCLUSION:  This message profoundly impacted my life as I've studied, meditated, and prayed about what it really means, and how it applies to our lives today.

So often -- perhaps most often -- our worship to God (in church or out) looks nothing like that which Mary gave to Jesus that day in Bethany.  This bears repeating:

So often -- perhaps most often -- our worship to God (in church or out) looks nothing like that which Mary gave to Jesus that day in Bethany. 

How many times when we come together for worship do we come only giving God what we consider "GOOD ENOUGH."  How many times do we enter this sanctuary and yet do not even intend to give God "extravagant worship."  How often do we gather in worship and all of our lives stay safely in the bottle of our religion? 

God wants us to come before Him broken, contrite, and all that we are poured out before Him.  Good Enough just ain't good enough when it comes to giving God our worship.

Friends, let's make a covenant with eachother and with God today that we will give only "extravagant worship" to God -- not only on Sundays, but every day of our lives.

 

 

Kingdom Parables Pt 3: Wheat and Tares

 

March 27, 2022                            NOTES NOT EDITED
Kingdom Parables—Pt. 3:  Appearances Can Be Deceiving
Matthew 13:31-33

SIS – What an individual, family, church, or nation becomes is a matter of nature, not appearances.  Or, True success—eternal success—is a matter of something internal not external.

When we hear the term, “mustard seed” in regard to faith in the New Testament we immediately think about the small size of the seed.  The same can be said for the “yeast, or leaven” which seems to be more for emphasis than for a separate discussion.  So, we will consider these two parables together as an examination of two very “small things” with a very great influence.  Let’s read these parables together:

Mark 4:30–32^{(CSB) 30}And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to describe it? ³¹ It’s like a mustard seed that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground. ³² And when sown, it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants, and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade. 

³³ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds of flour until all of it was leavened.”

Matthew and Luke have this similar discussion.  Unmistakably, the tiny size of the seed in regard to the significant impact it has (“birds get shelter”) is a major part of the Lord’s teaching.  This is a picture [SLIDE] of mustard seed on person’s finger and the microscopic yeast.  They are tiny.  As I said, the same applies to the “tiny size of yeast compared to how large a loaf gets.”  The primary issue, however, is not of the “size” of the mustard seed or the yeast (leaven), but of their “nature.”  The seed and leaven perform according to their God-ordained nature.  The secondary issue goes to the “mixture” idea of the kingdom.  Birds are usually bad in the Bible and yeast is universally a symbol of worldliness and evil.  Both these ideas must be considered in an examination of the nature of the “Inaugurated Kingdom” as it operates in the real world today.

What appears on the surface as a comparison based upon small size verses large impact, is actually a comparison between “appearances and reality” or “appearances and nature.”  By all appearances, the mustard seed—our faith and activity in the present kingdom—is small.  Evil as we have seen in the other parables is ever-present and seemingly getting the upper hand much of the time.  However, “appearances are deceiving.”  While according to appearance the mustard seed is small and insignificant, according to its nature it is large and significant.  It is the very nature of the mustard seed to grow and have a significant impact on this life, and also eternity.

While the disciples were very aware of the “size” of the mustard seed, they did not appreciate the “nature” of the mustard seed.  This is the mustard seed version of seeing a “glass half-empty.”

Remember the inaugurated kingdom verses the consummated kingdom we learned about last week?  At times during this “inaugurated kingdom,” it appears faith in God is insignificant is has very little potential for making any lasting change.  But, that is simply a “false appearance.”  In reality, everything is moving exactly as God ordained toward a “consummated kingdom” in which evil and chaos is completely vanguished.

Scholars are divided as to how to interpret these two parables.  The key issue rests with determining whether the “birds and leaven” illustrate something good or something evil in regard to the church.  What these parables really represent is “size versus nature.” The other issues are perhaps important, but secondary. 

I believe that when all the evidence is taken together and sound principles of Biblical exegesis are followed, the conclusion must be reached that Jesus is not “praising the mustard bush, nor encouraging the influence of leaven.”  He was illustrating the difference between appearances and nature. 

Also, as I said weeks ago when we looked started this study of the Kingdom Parables in Matthew 13, that these seven parables were intended as a “unit” teaching basically one main truth.  That main truth is this:  from the time of Jesus Christ’s departure from earth to the time of His return the world (Kingdom), including the church, will be a mixture of good and evil, but good (the King) will ultimately win the battle.

That mixture can be addressed personally as the “flesh versus the spirit” in an individual believer, and it also applies to the church made up of individual believers, and of the world made up of individual churches.  Evil is ever-present until the consummation of the kingdom; but it is not ultimate in authority.

The great growth of the mustard bush is a symbol of good, and the birds are a symbol of evil, just as we would expect.  The tremendous growth in the rising bread loaf is good, but the influence of leaven is universally not good in the Scriptures.

So, the key to understanding the nature of the Kingdom in this the world in the absence of the King (Jesus) rests on understanding the co-existence of both good and evil in the world.  The church operates in the context of a “hostile” environment and her greatest threat is not from a lack of influence, but from a lack of integrity.

Life this side of eternity will always be a struggle against evil and suffering, both for the believer and non-believer.  One’s nature will determine whether one wins that battle or loses for eternity.

There will always be a battle between good and evil influences, even in the Church.  This is the reason Jesus gave us these parables.

READ TEXT:  Matthew 13:30-34

I had to fight off the temptation to surrender to the more popular notions that these two parables describe the “unimaginable success” that a Christian or Church would have if they followed Jesus.  Many well-known, well-respected scholars hold this position in regard to these two parables; though, certainly not all.

Dictionary.com gives us the typical, popular version of a definition for SUCCESS as 1. the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.  2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.

Basically for most people success is about size:  the size of one’s house, the size of one’s bank account, and the size of one’s fame, in which in all instances bigger is better.  This idea I think permeates how many scholars view these two parables.  Bigger is better.

I don’t think these parables teach that at all.  In fact, THREE IDEAS surface from our text that seem to teach just the opposite.  Let’s examine the relationship between a greater size and success.  I’ll use three declarative statements to help bring out the meaning or our text.

1.  Greater size (appearances, externals) does not mean greater success for a church.

Matthew 13:32 (CSB) ³² It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”

The mustard seed bush in this parable reached a surprisingly large size.  This is no exaggeration but something people in that region were used to seeing. The mustard plant is actually an herb, not a tree, but some bushes have been known to reach up to 12 feet in height.  The mustard seed is also not technically the “smallest” seed in the botanical kingdom—the orchid is smaller.  [SLIDE, SEED] Yet, the phrase “as small as a mustard seed” was a well-known proverb in the Middle East.  It meant “smallest of the seeds sown for food.” [See SLIDE, TREE]

The mustard bush reached an incredible size, but appearances are deceiving.  In reaching this abnormally large size, the mustard seed  provided refuge for all kinds of birds.  We know from what Jesus said in the parable of The Sower, the birds often represent evil people and errant doctrines. So, what appeared to be very successful, actually was not as good as it seemed.

Bigger is not always better.  Outward appearances do not always tell the whole story.  Christianity (both true and false versions) has spread to every continent on the globe.  You can find churches that are as large as shopping malls – but still, there are more lost people on the planet now than at any time in the history of the world.  Outward growth can be deceiving.

The fact that mustard seeds grow into large trees and yeast expands into an entire loaf must be considered along with the fact that both birds and yeast have negative representations in Scripture. 

2.  Smaller size does not limit the significance of a church

Matthew 13:33 (CSB)  ³³ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds of flour until all of it was leavened.”

The issue of size verses significance is further strengthened in consideration of the “yeast.”  It not only is “small,” but it is “microscopic” (3 to 4 microns avg.  Micron=1000^th of a millimeter). Yeast (leaven) are fungi that eat sugar and make alcohol and carbon dioxide.  This causes dough to “balloon up” or rise.  Yeast are invisible to the naked eye, but have enormous significance to a lump of dough. Size—whether great physical strength, great fame, or great fortune—is not the measure of significance.  Consider that well-known inventor, George de Mestral [SLIDE]. Raise your hand if you ever heard of George de Mestral.  Yep! That’s what I figured.  Raise your hand if you ever heard of “Velcro.” [SLIDE] Mestral created what would commercially be called, “Velcro.”  This hook and loop fastener is EVERYWHERE in our world.  It’s even been found “out of this world!”  Apollo astronauts used it to fasten down stuff in zero gravity of space.

Mestral became curious about how things like “burr seeds” [SLIDE] stuck to his dog and his pants after hunting.  He examined one of these “burrs” under the microscope and noticed “hooks” that would stick to anything with a loop—clothes and fur for example.  The hook and loop fastener that became Velcro took him 11 years to get from an idea to a working product with a patent.  Nobody knows his name, but his life has been extremely significant.

Where the Mustard Seed Parable focuses on the external issue of the Kingdom, the Leaven Parable focuses more on the internal issue.  Yeast is almost universally negative and representative of evil and error in the Bible.  Even that which is not seen or is easily ignored can have very significant consequences.  The nature of “yeast” is evil and the consequences is that it can grow quickly and exponentially. The internal issue in the Kingdom of Heaven is simply this:  a little bit of error goes a long way!  Doctrine is extremely important.

Mustard seeds do what mustard seeds do—grow.  Yeast is always (except for two mentions in the Book of Leviticus) associated with bad influences.  Both have significance far beyond their diminutive size.   So, here’s the conclusion of the matter.

3.  Size is not the issue.  Nature is the issue.

By “size” I mean “any external measure of success,” or as I’ve said before, “appearances.”  Appearances can be and often are deceiving.

The Bible refers to this as a “nature” issue.  The oldest scientific statement mentioned in the Bible sets forth the principle of “seeds producing after their kind, or nature.”

Genesis 1:12 (CSB) ¹² The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.

Jesus applies that scientific principle of “producing after one’s kind (or seed) to the spiritual world:  Matthew 7:17–18 (CSB)

¹⁷ In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit.

Paul outlined this same principle in regard to the “competing natures of the human soul, or the flesh that produces evil after the flesh and the spirit that produces good after the Spirit.”

Romans 8:5 (CSB)  For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit.

Paul went on to develop this theme of “competing natures” in the Book of Galatians where Paul concludes this:

“Follow the Spirit nature and you will produce good according to the Spirit, and not evil according to the fleshly nature.” (paraphrase, Gal. 5:16).

Non-believers have only one “nature.”  That nature is the flesh and it produces evil—it cannot do otherwise.  The believer has two natures, both flesh and spirit.  The believer has the nature and the ability to produce good according to the Spirit.  For the believer, it is all about “which NATURE” is doing the producing.”

The idea of “artificially manipulating the nature” (you could insert here—the Doctrine of Works) of a thing in order to get a better (usually meaning a bigger) result is nothing new.  People have been breeding animals to get bigger, better beef, and even breeding flowers to get bigger, brighter flowers.  People have been trying to change human behavior with politics, psychology, education, and religion since the dawn of man—these have never changed man’s nature.

Over the course of my high school career, I bred and cross-bred many generations of fruit flies. We manipulated the color of their bodies—some dark, some light.  We manipulated the size of their wings—some normal, some bearly visible.  Yet every time we bred a new generation of fruit flies with varying mutations one extremely important characteristic remained true—they always came out fruit flies.  That was their basic nature and it never changed—never!

No matter how many times you breed, cross-breed, and otherwise manipulate a cow – it is always a cow.  A rose is always a rose.  A mustard seed always produces a mustard tree.  A yeast always causes bread to rise. That’s their natures.  The nature of a thing can be manipulated, but it cannot be changed.  The sin nature of a man, woman, or child cannot be changed—except by being “made new by accepting the gift of salvation God offers in Christ and being filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Here's what the Bible says about that:  “If anyone be in Christ he or she is a new creation; behold the old nature has disappeared and a new nature has come.”  (2Cor. 5:17)

Salvation gives us a new birth and a new nature.

So often people fall into the trap that success is about “external issues” like size, strength, wealth, skill, education, inheritance, or a thousand other external things.  Eternal success—which is the only success that really matters—is about something “internal” not something external—what is our “nature.”  In these twin parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven the issue is not “size,” but “nature.”  Success is not measured externally, but internally.

The primary application of these parables I want to leave simmering on our hearts this morning is this:  nothing will ever change the evil in our world until we let Jesus change the nature of men’s hearts.

The matter at hand is all about “nature.”

Nobody had to tell the seed to grow.  That was its nature. Nobody had to tell the yeast to spread.  That was its nature. A thing does what it’s nature tells it to do.

All the evil in the Kingdom of God (His world, His church, and His people) has nothing to do with anything external, but it is an “internal” problem – a problem with the sin nature.

Success is defined according to the world as “a degree or measure of succeeding; a favorable or desired outcome; the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence.”

This definition is founded upon appearances, not reality. Appearances are deceiving, just like the tiny mustard seed that becomes a tree and the microscopic yeast that balloon dough into a fat loaf.  True success, whether with individuals, families, churches, or nations, has nothing to do with external appearances, but internal natures.

In 1979, a skinny, unimpressive quarterback from Notre Dame was drafted in the third round by the San Francisco 49ers.  Many fans felt that the 49ers had wasted their draft opportunities for the third round and that this skinny, unimpressive rookie would turn out to be a huge disappointment.  In fact, on Tuesday, April 18, 1995, after about 16 stellar seasons in the NFL, superstar Joe Montana had gone on to win an impressive four Super Bowls.  John Madden, the famed coach and sports announcer once said, “Joe Montana is the greatest quarterback who has ever played the game.”  A quarterback who didn’t look like much in the beginning turned out to be one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Appearances can be deceiving.  What matters is not how things appear, but how God has ordained them to be.  God has a plan.  You can put your trust in Him.  In this world in may look like faith is tiny and insifnificant—but from small beginnings will grow huge blessings.

 

Kingdom Parables Pt 4: A Thing Most Valued

 

April 3, 2020    Notes Not Edited
“A Thing Most Valued”
Matthew 13:44-46

SIS – The Kingdom of Heaven is so valuable that we should be willing to sacrifice everything—including our lives—to be part of it.

 As a bit of background,  let me say that some preachers and commentators see these two parables as dealing strictly with Israel.  Jesus came first to the Nation of Israel with the “treasure” and “the pearl” representing the gift of salvation.   Israel rejected the gift and it was reburied in the field until Jesus comes again.  I am aware of this interpretation and I do appreciate the prophetic nuance it offers, but I feel it is too narrow an application of what the text teaches.

In the course of my study on the “Thing Most Valued,” I wanted to find the answerto the question:  “What is the most valuable thing according to the world?”  I was surprised that this is not as “clear-cut” an issue as I thought.

The most valuable item seems to come down to a bit of a

tie between the Kohinoor Diamond and the Portuguese Diamond.  The Portuguese Diamond is the “largest” in the world at 127 carats.  In 1963, the Smithsonian acquired the Portuguese Diamond from a Mr. Winston in exchange for 2,400 carats of small diamonds.  The other contender for the “Thing Most Valued,” is the Kohinoor Diamond.  Originally believed to have been discovered in India over 5000 years ago it now resides in the Crown of Elizabeth I.  All totaled,  the Crown Jewels have an estimated value of as much as 20 Billion or more.

It has been said, “the one who possesses the Kohinoor Diamond” rules the world,” so I guess that makes it the most valuable thing in the world.  Unless . . . you are dying of thirst in the desert.

Then, a glass of water becomes the most valuable thing in the world.  Or, if you are dying of cancer, a cure becomes the most valuable thing in the world. Or, If you they are dying, a moment with your loved ones becomes the most valuable thing in the world.  Value, from a human perspective, is highly relative and very fickle and fleeting.

Our text today will show us something of value that is “not relative, not fickle, and not fleeting.”  This is the essence of the twin parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price.  These parables show us clearly that “the most valuable thing in the world is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!” 

So, this morning we come face to face with the most valuable thing in this world – and in the next – eternal salvation.  If you miss the opportunity this morning to secure this possession for yourself, you will have lost something of eternal, priceless value.

Three great truths confront us in this passage.

1.  Nothing is more VALUABLE than eternal salvation.

The key words in these two parables are “treasure” (v44) and “priceless pearl” (v46).  Each of these two images point to some-thing of great value, but that is not immediately recognized as such.

Both refer to the Kingdom of Heaven directly, but also refer to the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ that makes one a part of this Kingdom.  As such, it represents something of “eternal value.”

The treasure is referred to as “hidden.”  The CSB

says it was “buried.”  Buried or hidden describes the process but the original Greek word emphasizes more the purpose.  The word is “krūptō” which means to “conceal or hide.”  We get the words, “encrypt or cryptic” from this word.  This word indicates a very special treasure hidden for a very special purpose. It was just not accidentally covered up in a field but put there for the purpose of safe-keeping and to later be recovered.  In fact, interestingly the word, “hidden,” is a perfect participle that demonstrates even more clearly the purposeful, and eternal, nature of the treasure being hidden.

In those days, they did not have “banks”

as we do today.  Also, wars and conflicts could mean that property could be seized at any time.  Homeowners would bury their valuables in the field so they could not be stolen or otherwise confiscated.  On occasion, the originally owner would die without ever retrieving the treasure.  The property could pass through several hands with nobody realizing the treasure was there.  Whatever the property appeared to be worth was much less than it would be if it was known the treasure was there.

By law an employee or a passerby that

came upon the treasure had to surrender it by law to the landowner.  That is why the man first buys the field before lifting out the treasure.  This allowed him to gain rightful ownership of the treasure.

The field represents the world and everything represented

by worldliness.  Many people live their entire lives according to the dictates and desires of the world and never realize the true treasure is found hidden in Christ.  Many people live and die, some even gaining a great measure of wealth and fame, but never realizing or possessing anything of eternal value. It is possible, in fact likely, that a person can gain everything the “field” has to offer and never obtain the “treasure” that Jesus has to offer.

Jesus has made available a great “treasure” through His shed blood on the Cross of Calvary. The Word says,

Everyone born of a woman

gets to participate in the “field,” but only those who are born-again of the Spirit get to possess the “treasure.”

The great value of eternal life is also represented also by a pearl

⁴⁶ When he found one priceless pearl, he went and
sold everything he had and bought it. 

An oyster on the outside is not a beautiful creature by any stretch of the imagination.  As far as I know, an oyster has never made the “Top Ten Pet List.”  They just look like rocks. 

But, hidden inside is often one of the most beautiful

things in the world—a pearl. Of all the gems in the world, I believe that the “pearl” exceeds them all in beauty. They are formed by adding layer upon layer of material surrounding a tiny grain of sand or other irritant on the inside lining of the oyster.

The words used to describe this pearl is:  of great price.

This translates the Greek word, polutimos, from poly, meaning muh or great, and timos, referring to value, usually monetary value.  Hence a “pearl of great (poly) price (timos).”

This merchant was a buyer and seller of pearls.  Greek

has two words for merchant.  One refers to a retailer (huckster, street merchant) and the one used here refers to a wholesaler.  This man was a “wholesaler” who looked for the product that could bring the largest return on his investment.  He recognized that this was one of those “rare” finds that come along once in a lifetime.

These twin parables emphasize the immeasurable value

(eternal worth) of possessing eternal life through Jesus Christ.  Salvation is a rare opportunity that may come along only once in a lifetime.  The Bible says, “My spirit will not always strive with the spirit of man.” (Ge 6:3) 

And again in Romans Paul warns that a person can become so blinded by worldly pleasures that God “turns them over to a reprobate mind” (Rom. 1:28)

There is nothing more valuable than “eternal life.” 

2.  There is nothing we can do to earn or deserve this precious treasure.

Now at first glance it may seem like this is exactly the opposite of what the parable is teaching.  It says of the “treasure,”

“The man sold everything he had and bought it,” (v46) and of the merchant it says the same thing.”  Is this not saying we must “purchase” our salvation?  No, it is not.  There are at least four reasons we know this.

First, Remember, parables are not allegories.

Parables are very narrow in their intent and very constrained by their context.  Unlike allegories, individual details do not necessarily have symbolic meaning.  And, in every case, Scripture must always interpret Scripture.  We know what God is saying in one case (or what He is not saying) by what He has said in another place.  It is absolutely clear by the teaching of the New Testament that we can do nothing to earn or deserve eternal salvation.  The Word says clearly and directly, (Eph 2:8)

“By grace are you saved through faith.  It is NOT of works.”

 Second, where did the man get the money to buy the field.

Or where did the merchant get the money to buy the pearl?  One of the great fallacies of worldly thinking is that man is autonomous.  That is: we wrongly think that we can amass great riches or that we can secure a place of comfort in this world apart from God.  That ain’t so. 

God is absolute and sovereign.  He is Creator and

Sustainer of the Universe and everything that is in it belongs to Him.  We hold in our hands only that which God allows us to hold into our hands. 

To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it (Deuteronomy 10:14). 

"The silver is mine and the gold is mine," declares the LORD Almighty (Haggai 2:8).

So, even if it is the case that the man paid for the field and the merchant paid for the pearl, it was with God’s resources—not their own—that these things were secured.

Third, what the man paid or the merchant paid is not

the heart of the matter.  Who placed the treasure in the field?  Who put the pearl inside the oyster?  In both cases, we are to conclude that God is the Originator of these things.

The “treasure” was not placed in the field by the man.  The “pearl” was not placed in the oyster by the merchant.  In both cases neither man had anything whatsoever to do with the origin of the things of great value—the treasure nor the pearl.

It is only by God’s grace and according to His mercy that each and every one of us is not cast headways into the eternal flames of hell which is our just recompense for a life of disregard and rebellion toward God.

“There is none righteous.  No not even one.” Rom 3:10

The thing of most value in all of creation

for a man or woman to possess is eternal life through Jesus Christ God’s Son.  And, that possession is a gift.  It is not deserved.  It cannot be earned.  It can only be received after the Holy Spirit has enlightened your soul to an understanding of it’s availability.

In each case, the treasure and the pearl, the thing was “hidden.”  Neither man set out to find that which they came upon.  It was a moment of serendipitous enlightenment.  It had been in the field all the while and it was not until the man’s eyes were turned upon it by the sovereign grace of God did he see the true value of the field.

The merchant had been a man travelling far and wide

in search of fine pearls, and many fine pearls he had acquired over the years.  But, then alas, his eyes burst open in new insight to behold a pearl like no other – a pearl of great price! How sad that men and women walk through the field of life and never take notice of the “treasure hidden in plain sight before them.”  They are like those Jesus warned about in the start of these parables: 

vv 14-15 “They have ears, but they do not hear.  The have eyes but they do not see.”

So, if we cannot deserve this gift of eternal life, nor acquire it through high-thinking or moral living, then how can we secure eternal salvation?  The third truth we wrest from our text summarizes the whole of the matter:

3.  Our salvation cost Jesus EVERYTHING He had and following Him will cost us EVERYTHING we have.

Notice the interesting facts as stated in our text.

In both instances both men acting without any compulsion or hesitation to surrender freely and completely EVERYTHING they had to get this “one thing most valued.”

They did not hesitate, negotiate, or equivocate.

They acted hastily and boldly to receive something that was a once in a lifetime opportunity – in fact, it symbolizes a “once in eternity opportunity.” The key word in both parables in regard to our response is “everything.”  Twice our twin parables make this the essence of a proper response to a “thing most valued.”

The reason so many people never come to a full understanding and full appreciate, and indeed a full joy, in regard to a relationship with Jesus is because they do not surrender completely.

Notice verse 44.  The man gave up everything “in joy.”

So many people drag themselves to church like it is the greatest drudgery one could imagine.  So many people give to the church a pittance with great reluctance  when it comes to tithing and giving of offerings.  Why?  Why so much “joy” in regard to the man in our parable and so much “sourness and lifelessness” in our churches?

Because, one cannot grab hold of the glory of heaven until one lets go of one’s grip on this world.  Jesus gave everything He had.  Nothing is lacking that must be made up for by our self-righteous attempts at good living. 

Getting into heaven will cost you NOTHING, but getting heaven into you will cost you EVERYTHING.  The Devil will take up residence in any area in your life that is not absolutely, one hundred percent, surrendered to Jesus Christ.  Let me repeat that.

Jim Elliot who was speared to death by the very

Ecuadorian natives he had sought to share the gospel with wrote this in his journal just days before they found him and four companions lying in a shallow creek with a spear in his side:

“He is no fool to give up what he cannot keep
to gain that which he can never lose!”

That is the spirit of this parable. 0ur giving up everything makes room for God to pour Himself into us. God cannot fill a vessel with Himself that is already full of the world.

All of these parables have been showing us

that in the world—called here the Kingdom of Heaven (for God controls everything, not just the church)—there are those who “get it” (that is Who Jesus is) and those who “do not get it” (do not respond to Jesus).  These parables talk about seed that falls on good ground, seed that falls on bad ground.  They have talked about those who are like “wheat” and those who are like “weeds.”  They have described the Kingdom as like a tree great in size, but with evil nesting in the branches.  Or like a great loaf influenced by the yeast of evil.

Now, in these parables the contrast is between a field and a hidden treasure, or an oyster and a great pearl.  As always in these Kingdom Parables there is a warning not to make the wrong choice, or not to follow the wrong path.

Here, the warning is to seek the “treasure” and gain the “pearl.”  You can leave here this morning with full assurance that you possess “the thing most valued,” which is eternal life.  Don’t pass up this opportunity.

"How To Find Buried Treasure" C1976, 1986, 2000, 2001 by Jimmy C. Lyons

This book is in its third printing.  People by the thousands have purchased this book in hopes of “finding buried treasure.”  Here is one example of the leads the author provides.

Dr. John Marsh had the honor of being the first American doctor in California. Arriving in 1836, a dozen years before the Gold Rush began, he gathered riches to himself through his cattle, mining and real estate interests. As his wealth increased, he built a fabulous stone house near Brentwood, California, which still stands. One autumn day in 1856, Dr. Marsh was attacked by three Californians while riding his horse between his home and the neighboring town of Martinez. He was tortured and murdered by the men without revealing the hiding place of his fortune. Though his son Charles claimed to have seen a strong box containing $40,000 in gold in the doctor's possession the day before he was killed, neither that nor other valuables he was known to have had have ever been found. They are presumed to be hidden somewhere near the house, awaiting a lucky finder. That gold would be worth over $3.7 mil today.

For about twelve bucks you can order Jimmy Lyons book on “How to Find Buried Treasure.”  Or, you can heed these words of God today and discover hidden treasure beyond your wildest dreams!

Eternal salvation is the “thing most valued in all of the cosmos” and it is no longer hidden if you will simply “hear what God is saying to you today.”