Making Wise Investments (Part 3): The Pearl of Great Value

Making Wise Investments (Part 3): The Pearl of Great Value

In the previous lesson, we considered the value of the truth – the word of God – and why we should buy it and not sell it. In this lesson, we will consider something so valuable that Jesus talked about the wisdom in one selling everything that he owned in order to buy it. The thing which He said was so valuable was the kingdom.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46).

What Is the Kingdom?

Many today are looking for a future, yet-to-be-established kingdom that Christ will set up when He returns. But this is not how the Bible describes the kingdom. Jesus came in order to “set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44). Did He fail to do what He planned to do? Certainly not! Those who believe that Jesus is going to set up a physical kingdom believe that He must do it when He returns because the Jews rejected Him from being their king the first time He was here. The Jews certainly did reject Him in the end; but if Jesus’ purpose was to establish a physical kingdom, John records a time when the people were willing to “take Him by force and make Him king” (John 6:15). Besides this, He had the authority to call down “more than twelve legions of angels” (Matthew 26:53). If Jesus’ mission was to establish a physical kingdom on the earth, He could have done so without the support of even one human follower.

But Jesus’ kingdom is not physical, but spiritual in nature. He told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). This kingdom is the church (Matthew 16:18-19). It is the body of the saved (Acts 2:47; Ephesians 5:23) – all those who have been “rescued…from the domain of darkness, and transferred…to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13).

The Importance of “Seeking”

The Bible repeatedly emphasizes the importance of seeking. Jesus said, “Seek, and you will find” (Matthew 7:7). The Hebrew writer said that God “is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). We cannot sit back idly and wait for God to reveal something to us – He has already revealed everything we need to know. “Everything pertaining to life and godliness” has been revealed “through the true knowledge of Him who called us” (2 Peter 1:3). “All Scripture is inspired by God” and is able to make “the man of God…adequate” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). But we must be “diligent” in “handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

The Scriptures provide us with a picture of the kingdom of God that Jesus called the “pearl of great value” (Matthew 13:46). We must be diligent in searching the Scriptures to learn about His kingdom and then be diligent in our quest to find it.

How Do We Know When We Have Found It?

If we are looking for something, it is important that we know what we are seeking. The man in Jesus’ parable sold everything he owned in order to obtain the precious pearl. He did this because of the great value attached to this pearl (which represented the Lord’s kingdom). We should have the same desire today. But it is vital that we find the Lord’s kingdom (church, cf. Matthew 16:18-19) so that we do not waste everything on a cheap counterfeit. We need to be able to identify the Lord’s kingdom (His church).

Universally, the kingdom is the body of the saved (Acts 2:47; Ephesians 5:23). Who are the saved? Many will try to lead you into a counterfeit church by proclaiming a different or incomplete plan of salvation than the one shown to us in the Scriptures. How are we saved? Not by faith alone (James 2:24). Not by claiming Jesus as Lord (Matthew 7:21-23). Those who are saved are those who believe (John 8:24), those who repent (Luke 13:3), those who confess (Romans 10:9-10), and those who are baptized (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21). Baptism is the entrance into the kingdom as God adds these individuals to the church (Acts 2:41, 47).

Locally, there are congregations made up of those who are saved. How do we identify a local church of Christ?

  • Name (symbol of allegiance) – The church belongs to Christ (Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28); therefore, it wears His name. The churches in the first century were not aligned with larger religious groups/denominations (as is the case with the Baptists, Methodists, etc.). They were simply “churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16).
  • Organization – The New Testament describes local churches as being made up of “overseers and deacons,” and “saints” (Philippians 1:1). Elsewhere Paul mentioned “evangelists,” “pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11). Specific qualifications are given for elders (overseers/pastors) and deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9). But beyond the local church, we read of no other organization in the New Testament – either a confederacy of churches (each church was autonomous; cf. 1 Peter 5:2) or a collective body of Christians engaged in some spiritual work.
  • Work – The local church has been given two regular, on-going works: evangelism (1 Timothy 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 1:8) and edification (Ephesians 4:12, 16). Under certain, specific circumstances, the local church is also authorized to engage in benevolence for needy saints (Acts 4:34-35; 11:29-30; 1 Timothy 5:3-16). But nowhere in the New Testament has the local church been authorized to involve itself in the “social gospel” – entertainment, recreation, and other ways in which so many churches today try to cater to the desires of men.
  • Worship – The Lord expects us to worship acceptably – “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). What are we to do in our assemblies? We must do what we see the first century church doing – singing and praying (1 Corinthians 14:15), preaching (1 Corinthians 14:26; Acts 20:7), observing the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:20-34), and taking up the collection (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). We do not find authority for instrumental music, plays, testimonials, and other acts that are commonly found in the assemblies of the churches of men.

We seek the kingdom by doing what is necessary in order to gain entrance into the kingdom (belief, repentance, confession, and baptism). After doing that, we must become part of a sound congregation so we can meet with others and can all encourage one another and serve God together (cf. Acts 9:26; Hebrews 10:25).

The Value of the Kingdom

According to Jesus’ parable, His kingdom is worth more than all that we have or could hope to have. This is why the man was willing to sell “all that he had” in order to obtain it (Matthew 13:46). It is worth more than all the “fine pearls” (Matthew 13:45) this man was seeking because he gave up his search once he found this “one pearl of great value.

The kingdom is valuable because it was purchased with the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28). Peter described this as “precious blood” that is more valuable than “perishable things like silver or gold” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Jesus’ blood is precious because it alone is able to “cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14). The kingdom was valuable enough that it was worth it for Jesus to shed His blood on the cross in order to purchase it.

Paul showed the value of the kingdom in his willingness to suffer for it. He told Timothy, “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen” (2 Timothy 2:10). Who are the “chosen”? They are those who are saved and in the kingdom. He emphasized the need for Christians to be willing to suffer for the sake of the kingdom as well. As he went about preaching the gospel, he taught, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Why would anyone be willing to suffer, and encourage others to suffer, for the kingdom? It is because he understood how valuable of a treasure the kingdom was.

What We Need to Give Up

The man in Jesus’ parable sold all that he had so that he might obtain the “pearl of great value” (Matthew 13:46). It cost him something. If we are going to become a part of Christ’s kingdom – the church – it will cost us something as well.

The primary thing we must give up to be part of Christ’s church is any tie that we might have to the churches of men. This will not always be easy. It certainly will not be popular. For years people have been told, “Join the church of your choice,” as if every church is right before God. The reality, though, is that there is only one right church – the church that Jesus built (Matthew 16:18) and purchased with His blood on the cross (Acts 20:28). Jesus said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted” (Matthew 15:13). Any church that was not built by Christ will not stand. If we are part of another church than His, we will not be saved since He is “the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:23).

Besides giving up the churches of men, which may be most obvious, we must also be willing to give up anything that might hinder us from entering the kingdom, such as preconceived notions, prejudice, pride, relationships, the fleshly desires often fulfilled by the “ministries” of the churches of men, etc.

Conclusion

The denominational world has brainwashed people into thinking that “one church is as good as another” so you can “join the church of your choice.” What we ought to do instead is find the Lord’s church – the “pearl of great value” (Matthew 13:46) – and become a part of it. No matter what the cost – even if we must sell everything as the man in Jesus’ parable – it is worth it. It is only in Christ’s church that salvation is found (Acts 2:47; Ephesians 5:23).


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