Surpassing Joy

Wes Terry

Advent 2023 • Sermon • Submitted 5 months ago • Presented 5 months ago

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Lead Pastor Wes Terry preaches sermon number three in the 2023 Advent series exploring the Kingdom Parables of Jesus in Matthew 13. This message was preached out of Matthew 13:44-46 and was preached on December 10th, 2023.

Notes

Transcript

INTRODUCTION:

During this Advent season we’ve been making our way through the parables of Jesus in Matthew 13. They’re often called the “Kingdom Parables” of Matthew.

The reason is because though the Parables Jesus is giving his disciples a framework for how to understand God’s kingdom as it was being inaugurated through Jesus.

It’s not as though they weren’t anticipating some kind of breakthrough and deliverance by Messiah. The OT was clear that a King would come and rule on the throne of David forever more.

But the Kingdom Jesus preached was a kingdom that advanced through love and not violence. Humility and service not ego and selfish ambition.

Not only did this take his original audience by surprise - even his disciples struggled to understand what God’s kingdom was going to look like.

So over and over Jesus would say, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…”

In week 1 we learned the kingdom of heaven is like a sower who went out to sow.

The seed of the Kingdom is sown by the King but the condition of our hearts determines whether any fruit is produced.

In week 2 we learned that the kingdom of heaven is like a wheat field with both wheat and weeds growing at the same time.

The King planted good seed but the enemy sowed bad seed alongside.

God has a kingdom in this world “right now.” But that already kingdom has a “not yet” tension to it. Only at the end of days will the righteous be separated from the wicked.

Until then we saw how the kingdom of God works subversively to undermine and overthrow the kingdom of this world. It works like yeast in a batch of dow or a mustard seed that grows into a large tree.

Setting The Table

Today we’re going to continue making our way through these kingdom parables with two small parables in Matthew 13:44-46.

Jesus actually packs two parables into these three verses: the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great price.

Though each of these parables are small in nature, the truth they contain are profound in their impact.

They each communicate a basic fact about the kingdom. Namely, the kingdom of heaven is like hidden treasure. When discovered it results in surpassing joy.

Let’s pick up our passage in verse 44 of Matthew 13. First we will explain the parables and then draw out the main point and it’s relevance to us today.

Explaining the Treasure

Let’s pick up the passage in Matthew 13:44

Matthew 13:44 CSB

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

Who hides treasure in a field!? Well, the banks back then weren’t all that trustworthy so if you had a valuable asset you wanted safe and sound then it was common to burry it in the ground..

Some have made a big deal out of the fact that the man finds the treasure and then buys the field instead of telling the land owner.

Is Jesus condoning theft?! If that’s your view then you’re not really thinking about the parable carefully.

According to Jewish law and every childhood memory associated with finding something worth keeping - FINDERS KEEPERS!

Besides that, if the treasure belonged to the owner do you think he would’ve sold the field without removing the buried treasure? No!

And if it was a dishonest man who found the treasure then he wouldn’t have reburied it. He would’ve just stolen it! Or at least stolen enough to buy the field. But he doesn’t do that.

He goes and sells his OWN resources based on the conviction that this treasure didn’t belong to the land owner but to some other wealthy person who buried it and since gone on from this world.

So this is an incredible find from a fortunate man who does whatever it takes to take ownership of his prize.

Explaining the Pearl

The second parable is in verse 45

Matthew 13:45 CSB

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.

The greek word translated merchant is the word “emporos.” It means somebody who was a sea trader.

Essentially this was a type of wholesaler who would find great deals at a low price and then pass them on to a retailer.

So his stock and trade is assessing value and making trades.

Trading pearls was a lucrative business because they were one of the most value assets in the world at that time.

Many people would preserve their wealth in pearls. (think diamonds today) If you had pearls you had a fortune.

And finding pearls was no easy task. They didn’t have the kind of scuba gear we have today.

They’d basically tie a rock around their leg (Skandalopetra) and sink to the bottom of the ocean and feel around on the surface for oysters and come back up to see the find.

This trade was a semi dangerous trade. So the lucure was not without cost.

In the case of this man, one of his dives resulted in a priceless pear and prompts him to do the unthinkable.

Matthew 13:46 CSB

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

So as we think about these parables two similarities rise to the surface.

Both men find hidden treasure.

Both men sell everything that they have to obtain it.

We’re going to dive into these similarities in a few moments but first I want us to examine some of the differences.

There’s a difference on HOW they find the treasure.

The first man finds an incredible treasure but he seems to do so by accident.

The second man finds incredible treasure but he seems to do so intentionally.

Which is also true about the kingdom of God. Some men find the kingdom unintentionally and some come to inherit the kingdom after a long intentional search.

Another difference is the social-economic status of the men.

The first man seems to be lower on the social ladder.

We don’t know why he’s in the field but we know it’s not because he owns it.

We also know that in order to obtain the field he has to sell everything in his possession.

The second man would’ve likely been much higher on the social economic ladder.

Selling pearls was a dangerous trade but it was also very lucrative. Not only would he be wealthy but he would be connected to many other wealthy people as well.

These differences are also present in the Kingdom of God. The Lord is “no respecter of persons.”

What gives someone the ability the find the kingdom has nothing to do with their socio-economic status. It has everything to do with the condition of their heart.

The Point of the Parable

Now that we have the parables on the table what point in Jesus trying to make? It’s actually pretty obvious.

Both parables teach two truths about the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is a Treasure.

The Treasure of God’s Kingdom is Hidden.

Jesus makes both points in both parables but the focus of the first parable is the treasure of the kingdom.

The focus of the second parable is the hiddenness of the kingdom.

The Treasure of the Kingdom

First, the Kingdom of God is a treasure.

The kingdom is priceless in value. It is of incomparable worth when compared to any other competitors or alternatives.

What is the treasure of the Kingdom? In a word, it’s salvation.

But salvation is more than just being rescued from damnation. Salvation is the receiving of everything you’ve ever wanted.

This is why both of these parables are about the discovery of joy.

Did you notice the word in Jesus’ first parable? “In his JOY he goes and sells all that he has.” (Mat 13:44)

Biblically speaking “joy is not just something that we feel. Joy is something that we find.”

Lewis & Joy

C.S. Lewis was fascinated by this topic of joy. He titled his autobiography “Surprised by Joy” because it was one of the dominating themes of his life.

For Lewis, the subjective and fleeting experiences of joy that we have in this life are actually only a signpost of true joy (objective joy) which exists beyond this world and is located in God himself.

He used the German word “Sehnsucht” (Zan,zooKHt).

It’s a word that conveys your “life longing.” The intense desire we all have for an ideal state of existence and the pain/cope of sensing that such a prize is out of reach.

In this parable the hidden treasure and the priceless pearl represent ZanzooKHt. They represent joy.

The represent the state of being that all of us chase with all of our might for all of our life but often never actually obtain.

It’s the thirst that is never quenched. The hunger pain that is never satiated. The work of beauty that our eyes never get to behold.

In these parables both men FIND THAT JOY and Jesus says THAT is the Kingdom.

The Kingdom is a Treasure

The Hiddenness of the Kingdom

But that treasure is hidden.

It’s never in plain view. That’s why Lewis said our pursuit of joy is often so frustrating.

We have these experiences that awaken us to it’s reality. But they are almost always incomplete and fleeting in their affect.

He described them as a ray of sunshine that illuminated the world or warmed the human skin but traced back to a source that you couldn’t fully see or understand.

Such is the joy of the Kingdom according to Jesus.

It’s treasure but it’s buried.

It’s a pearl of great price but it’s hidden down deep in the ocean.

Having Eyes to See

The reason the Kingdom is Hidden in THIS world is because the values of this world push other things to the surface.

When the Apostle Paul described the joy of God’s Kingdom he likened it to a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Not much has changed since he wrote those words.

Jesus emphasizes this point when he describes his reasoning for preaching in parables.

Between the parable of the soil and it’s explanation he reminds his disciples,

Matthew 13:11 CSB

11 He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them.

Matthew 13:13 CSB

13 That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand.

Matthew 13:16 CSB

16 “Blessed are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear.

Then he makes a similar point in between his parable of the wheat and weeds and the explanation of that parable to his disciples.

Matthew 13:34–35 CSB

34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and he did not tell them anything without a parable, 35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: I will open my mouth in parables; I will declare things kept secret from the foundation of the world.

You’ll never find the treasure if you don’t have eyes to see!

It hidden from the eyes of many because they’re looking for all the wrong things in all the wrong places.

1 Corinthians 2:14 CSB

14 But the person without the Spirit does not receive what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually.

2 Corinthians 4:4 CSB

4 In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

The reason the Kingdom is Hidden in THIS world is because the values of this world push other things to the surface.

ON LOOKING & LEAVING

So if the Kingdom of God is a treasure but the treasure of the Kingdom is hidden then how on earth are we to possess this incredible joy?

The parable answers that question as well. I’ll put it under two headings.

You’ve got to look for treasure where it can be found.

You’ve got to leave behind whatever it takes.

Joy in the Looking:

First, Advent Joy is found in looking. Look for treasure where it can be found.

Based on these parables the discovery of God’s kingdom isn’t so much on HOW you go about looking but WHERE you go about looking.

Remember, the first man seems to find the treasure totally by accident.

He was just going about his day, doing his job and BAM he hits treasure even though he’s not looking for it.

The second man finds the pearl after years and years of trading pearls for value. He knew how to look and what to look for but he didn’t know the location until it came upon him.

What does this mean? It means we’ve got to stop looking for joy in the places where it isn’t. By God’s design the treasure of his Kingdom has been hidden.

It’s untraditional in it’s location and scope.

This is why Jesus emphasized the condition of our heart if we want to receive the kingdom.

Unless you know where to look and have eyes to see, you’ll never find it.

Finding Value

It reminds me of when I was a little kid and how I found value in all the wrong things for all of the wrong reasons.

My first memory of getting in serious trouble was selling my “Hee-Man” action figures to a friend of mine at school. (I got in trouble because he was jacking money from his dad to afford my overpriced play dolls)

The point is I placed value on something that wasn’t really valuable.

It’s value was based on my perspective more than it’s inherent worth. I don’t know about you but I don’t value things today in the same way that I valued them as a kid.

As you get older, hopefully, your perspective begins to change and you begin to assess value with greater and greater wisdom.

If you want the treasure of the Kingdom then you’ve got to start looking in the right places.

The Kingdom of this world promotes the discovery of joy in big houses, nice cars, wealth and personal influence.

Which makes the values of the kingdom seem mundane and unimpressive.

Jesus was born “in a manger” to a “teenage virgin” from a “poor family.” He grew up to be a “carpenter.” He wasn’t even all that attractive.

God’s kingdom is full of the ordinary. The weak, the foolish, the despised of this world.

That’s why many people never really come to comprehend the value of God’s Kingdom.

C.S. Lewis actually describes this dynamic in his book Screw Tape Letters.

One of the ways that Wormwood is to undermine the faith of the new Christian is by taking him to CHURCH.

“Take him to church. Help him focus on how disappointed he is with the people there. On how out of tune they are when they sing, how he would usually avoid them in public, their odd clothes, unattractive appearance, sloppy thinking and silly talk.”

The idea is that in seeing the foolishness of these people he might likewise think their religion is foolish too.

Kingdom Value

That’s why you can’t focus on the externals of the kingdom only.

The Kingdom isn’t about “eating and drinking but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 14:17)

The value of the kingdom is not in the attractiveness of it’s citizens in terms of their talents, abilities, worldly influence and power.

The value of the kingdom is the love that is shared between those who have received it.

The value of the kingdom is the forgiveness of the king for those who don’t deserve it.

The value of the kingdom is the presence of the king who is infinitely better than any competitor or alternative in this world.

Paul told the Corinthians who were shying away from God’s truth in preference of the worldly values like fancy rhetoric and human approval. He reminds them,

1 Corinthians 4:20 CSB

20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

If you’re looking for the wrong things then you’ll look in the wrong place.

Joy in the Face of Jesus

But if you’ll begin looking in the RIGHT PLACE then you’ll find what you’re ultimately looking for.

And the right place is the person of Jesus.

The signposts of joy trace back to the face of Jesus.

Earlier I quoted the apostle Paul describing how the God of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. How is that blindness lifted?

According to Paul it’s through the preaching of Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6 CSB

6 For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

As the old hymn writer sang: turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

To use the illustration of C.S. & joy think of the pleasures in this life as a ray of sunlight warming your skin.

If you look away from the ray and trace it back to the source you’ll find that it traces back to something beyond this world.

Something infinitely better that even the greatest things in this world.

JOY IN LEAVING:

But once you see the treasure that is in the Lord Jesus Christ, how do you receive it into your life? That’s the second point of the parable.

To obtain the treasure of the Kingdom, you’ve got to leave behind whatever it takes.

In both cases, the men who discover the treasure come to obtain the treasure by selling everything that they have to buy it.

Jesus’ point in repeating that phrase is not to suggest that the kingdom can be bought. It can’t. There are a host of other passages that speak to that issue.

Rather, the men sell everything that they have because receiving the kingdom requires a dying to self.

It’s requires an act of total surrender and reckless abandon.

Not every person who becomes a Christian does so by selling everything that they have and giving it to the church. In fact, I don’t know a single person for whom that was the case.

But every person who receives the joy of kingdom MUST RELEASE the object of joy they were holding onto before Jesus.

This is why Jesus told the rich young ruler, “Sell everything that you have and give it to the poor. Then come and follow me.”

He didn’t say that to everybody. He didn’t even say that to other rich people. He said it to THIS GUY because for THIS GUY money was his idol. Money was his joy.

And you can’t have a counterfeit joy and true joy at the same time.

True joy will not tolerate competition or substitutes. Jesus is either Lord OF ALL or he is not Lord AT ALL.

Idolatry & Adultery

One of the metaphors that the Bible often uses to describe this dynamic is the illustration of marriage.

Our relationship to Christ is likened to a marriage. Engaging in idolatry is an act of spiritual adultery.

The problem with adultery isn’t our desire to be happy and/or sexually satisfied. Those desires are God-given and perfectly normal.

The problem with adultery is seeking to satisfy those good desires in the wrong way or with the wrong person.

In other words, the problem is the desire but how you satisfy it. It’s not the sex but with whom it is.

In the same way, God does not reject us because of our pursuit of joy. He CREATED us with that desire. What God rejects is trying to satisfy that desire in someone or something other than himself.

As John Piper famously phrased it, “God is MOST GLORIFIED in us when we are MOST SATISFIED in him.”

Surpassing Joy

THIS is the Christian life. It’s not following a bunch of rules and regulations. It’s not a code of ethics. It’s a SURPASSING JOY that is fully and finally found in the LORD!

Which means becoming a Christian doesn’t entail the end of happiness for your life.

That would be like saying your wedding day results in the termination of your love. I can promise you NOBODY made that vow on their wedding day.

“I swear before God and everyone here today that I renounce all my desires for love, sex and romance. I give it ALL UP so that I can spend the rest of my life with you.” (said no spouse EVER.)

What you’re saying on your wedding day is “I’ve waited so long to satisfy my desires to love and be loved and I now I am committing my life to spending that love on you and you alone.”

That’s what our heavenly Father wants for us in Christ. He wants our joy to be found in Christ alone!

There’s maybe no better passage that illustrates this than the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:8

Philippians 3:8 CSB

8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ

What does he consider “dung?”

It’s actually an impressive list.

Philippians 3:4–7 CSB

4 although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; 6 regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. 7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.

EXPULSIVE POWER

Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) called this the “Expulsive Power of a New Affection.”

Loving not this world or the things in this world cannot be achieved through mere will power or duty.

It’s not a duty one performs it’s a delight one prefers. It’s an affection before it’s a commitment.

He used the illustration of air in a beaker. You can use a pump to suck the air OUT or you can use WATER to fill the container IN.

When it comes to joy and the human heart - obedience to Christ must flow from delight and not duty. It’s waters overflowing not a pump bleeding us dry.

Nature hates a vacuum. An empty breaker will fight and fight to get air back in that container. It hates being empty. It demands content. So it is with the human heart.

It’s futile to suck sinful pleasures out of the human heart with the pump of fear if we do not put better pleasure in their place. It’s the constitution of our nature.

Joy Displacing

That’s why, in the parable, Jesus says it was “from his JOY” that he went and sold all that he had. (Mat 13:44)

Until this man found the treasure of the kingdom he was enjoying “all that he has.” Then something happens. He discovers a reality that awakens a new affection.

This new affection expels the old affections. His enjoyment of “all that he has” loses its dominion because of “the expulsive power of a new affection.”

Our joy in Christ - and ONLY our joy in Christ - has the power to displace misplaced affections for this world.

The power at work to drive out the old affections (the love of the world) is a new power. This power is “from his joy.”

And it’s not just a power from somewhere. It’s a power from someONE.

Have you received that person in your heart? Has the Holy Spirit opened your eyes this morning to your need for Christ and His open invitation to you to come?

If not, his invitation is on the table this morning.

Maybe you’ve received that joy this morning but you’ve allowed worldly counterfeits to creep back in and dislodge your love for the Lord.

Maybe obedience is started to fill like the duty instead of a delight. Would you turn your eyes upon Jesus this morning?

Would you allow who He is and what he has done to displace unholy affections in your heart that are keeping you from being fully obedient to him?