Hidden Treasures -- FPC sermons excerpt

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. A merchant in search of fine pearls. A net thrown into the sea, with the goal of catching fish beneath the waves (Matthew 13:44-50).

The kingdom of heaven is a treasure. Often a hidden treasure.

How many of your have ever purchased anything on eBay? I once bought a couple of knives to complete a set, but many people are looking for more precious items. Sometimes, people are surprised and shocked by the value of their finds:

A man named Morace Park, a British antiques dealer, paid $5 for an old film container. When he opened it, he found a never-released Charlie Chaplain moved called “Zepped,” worth $60,000.

An insect specialist named Richard Harrington paid $30 for an insect encased in amber. But this was no ordinary bug. It turned out to be a previously unknown and now extinct species of aphid, one that lived 40 to 50 million years ago.

Then there is Philip Gura, an American literature professor. He paid $481 for a photograph of poet Emily Dickinson. No big deal, you might say. Well, in fact it is a big deal. His photograph of Dickinson is only the second photo known to exist. If authentic, it will be priceless.

Kent Devey, a British insurance worker, paid $25 for a used BlackBerry on eBay. When he turned it on, he found that it contained the phone numbers and email addresses of 50 major celebrities, from Natalie Portman to Kevin Spacey.

And finally, the magazine mental_floss (November-December 2010) reports that Maria Ariz, a community nurse from New Jersey, paid $16 for a pair of jeans. You might think that this is the end of the story, but no. When she wrote the seller to ask about other sizes, the two fell in love. They have now been married for seven years.

Treasures. Hidden treasures. Buy an old film container, and find a Charlie Chaplain film. Buy a pair of jeans, and find a husband.

Jesus is always saying that the kingdom of heaven is small, and seemingly insignificant, like a mustard seed. But once planted, it grows into the greatest of shrubs and provides a hospitable home for the birds of the air (vv. 31-32).

Or it is almost invisible, like yeast. But when added to flour it has a powerful effect, and causes a loaf of bread to rise (v. 33).

He describes the kingdom of heaven in the parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl, and the net. And he concludes this section by saying that some of these treasures are new and some are old. If we are going to be trained for the kingdom of heaven, Jesus says, then we need to be like “the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (vv. 44-53).

So what are your treasures? Are they small but powerful? Unattractive, but valuable? Old or new? Are they hidden in a field … or on eBay? Our treasures say a lot about ourselves and what we value, and Jesus says elsewhere that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

Exactly what is your treasure? And where is your heart?

Jesus invites us to be on the lookout for the kingdom of heaven, because it will probably be small, unattractive, hidden from view, old and dusty. But when we find it, we will be like the people in the parables who will pay anything to have it, because it is priceless.

This leaves us with the question: Where is the kingdom hidden today? Is it within our sight? And do we grasp its value?