Is Jesus Christ Worth Everything? | Matthew 13:24-58
Series: All!
Scripture: Matthew 13:24-58
Title: “Is Jesus Christ Worth Everything?”
Bottom line: If you understand gospel GROWTH and gospel JUDGMENT, you will understand gospel GAIN—why fully embracing Jesus and his kingdom is like finding a hidden treasure that’s so great that it’s worth selling all you have (or even giving your life) to get.
Discussion questions for group and personal study.
Reflect and Discuss
1. How is persevering faith different from works-righteousness?
2. What would you say to someone whose only evidence of salvation was a momentary decision?
3. What encouragement might come to persecuted believers from the parables of the Mustard Seed and Yeast?
4. What do the parables of the Weeds and the Net have to teach us about the final judgment? Why is it sometimes difficult to discern who is and who is not part of the kingdom?
5. How could you use the parables of the Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price to respond to someone who said, "I want to follow Jesus, but I don't want to make drastic changes in my life"?
6. What wrong conceptions of the kingdom has Matthew 13 corrected for you?
7. If you knew that knowing Jesus Christ was worth everything, would you sell everything and follow him?
Final Questions (optional or in place of above)
What is God saying to you right now?
What are you going to do about it?
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Intro
Ticket for speeding in a blind school zone.
Weeds in your yard?
Sean O’Donnell gives us 3 themes that he says connect here in chapter 13. He also says that when we understand gospel growth and gospel judgment we’ll understand gospel gain and how that affects how we live in our world today.
Bottom line: If you understand gospel GROWTH and gospel JUDGMENT, you will understand gospel GAIN—why fully embracing Jesus and his kingdom is like finding a hidden treasure that’s so great that it’s worth selling all you have (or even giving your life) to get.
Q. What do I want you to know?
A. Gospel Gain: That Jesus is worth any and everything in your life. Nothing is worth more than knowing and following Jesus Christ. He’s the ultimate win!
Q. Why?
A. Because of the way his kingdom works.
Tender hearts lead to rescue from kingdom of evil.
Tender hearts lead to fruitful living.
Tender hearts lead to growing & gain.
Q. What do I want you to do?
A. Sell all and exchange it for Jesus.
Q. Why?
A. Because he’s more than worth it.
Bottom line: If you understand gospel GROWTH and gospel JUDGMENT, you will understand gospel GAIN—why fully embracing Jesus and his kingdom is like finding a hidden treasure that’s so great that it’s worth selling all you have (or even giving your life) to get.
Outline (David Platt’s outline)
REVIEW
I. Four Questions
A. What is a parable?
1. A practical story
2. Often framed as a metaphor
3. Illustrates a spiritual truth
B. How do we understand parables? 3 Principles
1. Listen from the hearer's perspective.
Put yourself in their shoes.
1st c. Jews vs. 21st c. Americans.
What would they hear? How would they respond? How would they feel?
2. Look for the main point. Usually 1–2 or 3 max.
3. Let the truth change your perception. I.e. Let it change the way you think about something through story.
C. Why do we have parables?
1. Jesus was revealing truth to those who were believing the mysterious (secrets)--this was evidence of God's mercy.
Why do we have parables?
“Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given to you to know, but it has not been given to them.”
Secrets or mysteries in the OT revealed in the NT.
What’s not secret: God would send the Messiah to usher in a kingdom.
Secret: What kind of Messiah God would send, how that Messiah would conquer
Not through political struggle (political scheming)
Not through brute force (military)
but through sacrificial love (cross)
Therefore, for those who were trusting that Jesus was promised King/Messiah, the parables helped them understand what kind of king he was and what kind of kingdom he was ushering in.
HEARING/BELIEVING WAS EVIDENCE OF GOD’S GRACE AND MERCY.
2. Jesus was concealing truth from those who were denying the obvious-this was evidence of God's judgment.
JESUS WAS CONCEALING THE OBVIOUS
Despite the many miracles (not to mention the signs).
Despite the many teachings.
NOT HEARING/BELIEVING WAS EVIDENCE OF GOD’S JUDGMENT.
3. 2 Purposes based on 2 kinds of audiences
First 4 parables told to the crowds.
Last 4 parables told to the disciples.
D. What is the kingdom of heaven?
1. The redemptive rule or reign of God in Christ
2. A present reality: The King is here, and His kingdom is advancing.
3. A future realization: The King is coming back, and His kingdom will one day be complete.
II. Eight Parables
A. The parable of the Sower (aka Soils) (13:1-9, 18-23)
The sower is the son of man and the seed is the message of salvation (aka good news of the kingdom).
The soil is the human heart.
Some in Jesus’ day rejected/rebelled.
Others casually responded to him.
The problem of rejection is not the seed nor the sower but the human heart.
Jesus points to 4 different heart-responses to the message of salvation:
Pathway/Packed soil = hard heart = seed sits on top and never enters the soil; birds eat. This is a lack of understanding prevents reception of the message. No fruit.
Rocky/Hard-pan soil = shallow/superficial heart = seed hits the soil, takes root and sprouts but due to the layer of rock beneath, the roots can’t go deep. When the sun comes out the plant withers. This is how a person falls away when the troubles of life test their faith. It withers. No fruit.
George Whitefield, 18th c. Evangelist during the first great awakening when asked how many were saved at one of his sermons would say, “We’ll see in a few years.”
Emma - we waited years after she professed Christ as VBS (4 yrs old) to see the fruit over time.
Good soil surrounded by thorn bushes = distracted/divided heart = The person falls away after hearing and responding due to the deceitfulness of wealth and worries in this life. Result is, once again, no fruit.
Good soil = Fruitful heart -
Hears the word
Understands the word
Believes the word
Obeys the word bearing fruit that will last (John 15:16). 30, 60 & 100X.
LOL
Listen to the word.
Obey the word. (Bearing fruit)
Leading others to listen to and obey the word. (Bearing fruit)
THIS WEEK
B. The parables of the Weeds and the Net
C. The parables of the Mustard Seed and Yeast
D. The parables of the Treasure and the Pearl
E. The parable of the Homeowner
II. Two Primary Applications
A. Humbly and joyfully receive the message of the kingdom.
B. Confidently and urgently spread the message of the kingdom.
C. The Lord’s supper is where we
Look back at when we received the message.
Look up to the one who gave us a message worth hearing.
Look ahead to sharing this message with others until he returns.
Conclusion:
Bottom line: If you understand gospel GROWTH and gospel JUDGMENT, you will understand gospel GAIN—why fully embracing Jesus and his kingdom is like finding a hidden treasure that’s so great that it’s worth selling all you have (or even giving your life) to get.
Herod illustrates a hard heart. And Jesus drives home the point that a hard heart leads to unfruitfulness, the broad road, and weeping and gnashing of teeth—where God carries out his holy wrath and justice.
What is God saying to you? What are you going to do about it?
Pray
References/Bibliography:
“Preaching the Word” Commentary, Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Edited by Kent Hughes
“Matthew” by RC Sproul
“CSB Christ Chronological,” Holman
“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)
“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)
“Exalting Jesus in Matthew” by David Platt (CCE)
Outline Bible, D Willmington
NIV Study Bible (NIVSB)
ESV Study Bible