How Much Do We Want the Kingdom?

You will remember at Pentecost, I was both in Waco and in San Antonio, we talked about what it means to be converted and going on to perfection. And our spiritual development is greatly affected on how strong our feelings are. So I'm going to talk about feelings today.

I'm going to show you this from the Scripture. So all the guys are like, oh really? Yes, gentlemen, yes. This is important. It's not just our feelings about our calling, but actually our feelings about all of the promises that go with the calling are very important to make it through this dark age. We place value on what we have or what we want to buy by drawing comparisons. So in trying to help us genuinely grasp how incalculable the value of our calling is, Jesus employed a very vivid comparison. He said in Matthew chapter 13 and verse 44, Matthew 13 44, let's turn there.

This is going to be our pivotal Scripture for this sermon. This is a parable to show us how valuable the kingdom of God is and all the promises that God made. And he said in verse 44, again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man found and hid. And for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. He is 100% committed to buying that treasure, to getting that treasure. So he will risk everything that he has to get that treasure.

Now why would you do that? Would you do it if you hadn't actually seen the treasure? If you didn't know what the treasure was? Let's say you have a house and a car and clothes and you're doing okay. You could do better, but you're doing okay, sort of like we are now in life, right? We have our ups and downs, but we're okay. And someone says to you, just sell everything that you have and buy this field and dig somewhere around over there and you might find some treasure.

Would you risk everything that you have for that? No way! You'd be an idiot! That's not what this parable said. This guy found the treasure. He saw it. He knew what it was. It was very clear in his head. This was treasure! And he hid it in the field and then he went and he bought that field by selling everything that he had. He was all in. What would your emotional state be if you had just found such a bonanza? I googled treasures found in the world and this is an article called, Seven of the Biggest Treasure Troves Ever Found by Mental Floss UK. So I want to go through just three of these seven treasures.

Think to yourself, would you sell everything you had if you knew where this treasure was located? Treasure number one, the Hoxhord. No, I'm sorry, the Hoxhord. Hoxhord. Treasure number one, quote, having lost his hammer in a field, farmer Peter Watling called his friend with a metal detector to help him find it. Instead, he found treasure. Inside an oak chest was a collection of silver spoons, gold jewelry, and coins, all dating back to the fourth and fifth century CE.

Watling called in help and archaeologists managed to find all sorts of treasures buried in the same field, including Roman ladles and serving bowls. The Hoxhord was brought into the British Museum and thought it was so valuable that the museum had to call in funds from donors like the National Art Collection Fund just to afford it.

And as for the errant hammer, that's now in the British Museum too. This was found in 1992 and its value was 3.8 million dollars. Think about all of your assets right now. You found that treasure. Hey y'all, welcome, welcome. Would you sell everything that you had? Everything that you had? Not the dog. Nobody would want our dog anyway. In San Antonio, I gave this sermon and I said I would sell the dog. I paid for that comment dearly. Not the dog, but everything else, including the cat.

Would you sell everything you had for 3.8 million dollars? I don't know that I would. I don't know. You know, that's pretty good, but I've got four kids and I've got a lot of stuff I'd like to do too. 3.8, that would go far, but let's try treasure number two.

The Schroeder treasure. Back in 1985, an old building in the Polish towns of Schroeder Schlosska was being demolished ahead of renovation works when a vase was found beneath the foundation. Inside were more than 3,000 silver coins dated back to the 14th century. A couple of years later, when another building nearby was knocked down, even more artifacts were uncovered, including lots more gold, silver coins, and an array of jewelry, including a gold crown and a ring bearing the head of a dragon. Although there's clearly a lot of treasure there, experts have struggled to put an exact value on it because nothing else quite like it actually exists.

This was found between 1985 and 1988 and its approximate value, $120 million. Okay, I'm in! Right? Sold! You can have everything I have for that field because I'll buy that treasure, right? How about treasure number three? The Caesarean sunken treasure. I'm sorry, Caesarean. Either way, it's a medical term or somewhere off the coast of Israel. Take your pen. I'll take the one off of Israel. Scuba divers exploring a seabed near the harbor of Caesarea National Park, Israel, thought they'd stumbled across a child's toy when they found the first gold coin.

But when they saw how many coins there were, they looked more closely at the engravings on them and they realized they had found something pretty significant. They reported their find to the Israel Antiquities Authority and returned with metal detectors to search the area more thoroughly. In the end, nearly 2,000 coins were recovered. The coins were of several different denominations and had been minted at different times, sometime between the 10th and 12th century.

You can see it, well, skipping down a little bit. And so, no one's attached an exact value on the find except to say that it's so valuable, it's essentially priceless. It was found in 2015 and the value is priceless. In other words, if you had this treasure, there is nothing on the planet you couldn't buy or couldn't do. You want that island? Fine. You've got it. You want a small country? You've got it. Anything you wanted, you could have if you owned this treasure. The lesson that Jesus was trying to convey to us in that brief parable, which is repeated again and again in God's Word, it is summed up in one word.

And it's about a feeling. And the word is rejoice. The word is rejoice. In other words, be happy. Be happy. How do you feel about your Christian walk, about life? Are you happy? Rejoice. You know, we make decisions based on our feelings. Before I was a minister, before I was a business owner, I was in corporate sales, business to business sales. It would put me on an airplane. I would go check into a motel. What a boring life. When you're alone, you think, oh, motel, how awesome it is to travel. It's boring. You're alone. Stuck in a motel room with four walls around you.

It's absolutely monotonous. And you go into somebody's boardroom, and you present your product or service that your company is selling to another company. And they're going to have all of these logical buying questions that you have to answer. And there's this whole skill set as to how to answer those questions and give value propositions and all that. But you know what it comes down to? Whether they're buying a vacuum cleaner or a multi-million dollar contract, it comes down to if they want it or not.

It comes down to a feeling. I was literally trained. My company spent millions of dollars in research and training to train salespeople because they always buy from people that they like. What? No, no, no. It's the best value. It's the best price. It's all of those combined. Yeah. That plays into it. I mean, if they like you but you're giving them a bad deal, it's true they won't buy it. But if you're pretty close and you're a little bit more expensive than somebody else but they want you, they'll buy from you. We move on emotion. We make decisions on emotions.

We might think that we're logical and we are, but don't forget God created our feelings. He did. And we will find a way to justify anything we want. The question is, do we want the kingdom of God? Is it a treasure buried in a field where we're willing to sell everything we have to get what we want? A priceless treasure. Or is it to us, you know, just not that worth it? I see young people growing up in the church, they have to ask themselves this question.

I had to ask them myself that question when I was growing up in the church. There's all these commands. God gives us commandments. Commandments on top of commandments, statutes, and judgments, which to a teenager is just another way of saying, commandment, something I have to do or not do. Why does God give us commandments? John 15, verse 8. This is after supper at the very last Passover before Jesus was crucified, and you know that He was pretty intent because He was about to die. A very horrible death. He was going to be tortured, He was going to be ridiculed, disrespected, and then killed. And He says this in John chapter 15, verse 8.

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit. So you will be my disciples, as the Father loved me, I have also loved you, abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. Just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love, these things I have spoken to you, why? Why do we have to keep the commandments that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full?

Why does God tell us to not kill and steal and take somebody else's spouse and covet other people's things so that you will be happy? So that you will realize that there's a treasure buried in a field and all you got to do is sell everything you own and go buy that field. All in total commitment. God's intent for us is that our joy may be full.

His intent for us was never to be cruel, ever! Remember Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 10? I'll read this from the New Living Translation. Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 10 will read through verse 14. Verse 10. This is what the Lord says, You will be in Babylon for seven years, but then I will come to you and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope.

In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me with your whole heart, you will find me. I will be found by you, says the Lord. I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. There be treasure in that field. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and bring you home again to your land. What greater gift can God give than peace, especially peace of mind? No conflict. That's what the kingdom of God really offers. Oh, yes, there will be all things. God gave all things to Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is going to give them to us. So what's not included in all things? Talk about priceless. All things includes the entire universe. Oh, there will be literal treasure, but that's not the greatest gift of the kingdom of God. The greatest gift is peace of mind. Remember Proverbs 17 in verse 1, better to eat a dry morsel with quietness, or in other words, with peace, than a house full of feasting with strife. It's better to be dirt poor and have peace than it is to be as wealthy as you possibly can imagine and have strife. And that's what this world offers, is one human mistake after another causing conflict. One, you know, you have what I don't have and I'm going to get it. From the time we wake up to the time we go to bed, and you better go to bed late and make sure they're not, you know, up after you or they'll take your stuff. But not in the kingdom. It's that peace that you will find only in the kingdom.

But can you have it now also? I suggest to you that we can. The kingdom of God can be inside you as far as peace of mind is concerned now, if our focus is on the fact that even when things go wrong, we found treasure and we buried it in the field and the rest of our life is spent selling everything we have so that we can buy that field. And if that's our perspective, when we wake up in the morning, we're strong. We have so many sick and so many troubled. Where does that peace come from? You know that young man in Florida that some of us knew, he just, he was, you know, almost seven feet tall, indestructible as some men are, and he ran across a road on an ATV and a car was coming that he didn't see around a blind corner. So he swerved to miss it and rolled, and the ATV rolled over on him and he died.

Young man died.

Right?

And so we can be very troubled by the things that happen. People get sick and they get annoyed and they get healed and we get very happy. They get sick and they get annoyed and they die.

And we think, oh no, how can this be? And we're not realizing the fact that they are healed. Their very next thought is in the kingdom of God. They wake up whole and complete. They're good.

And in some cases, if they were converted, if they were one of the chosen ones, they're really good because they wake up a spirit being.

And they had treasure buried in the field. They're good. We're the ones who were left behind. But even that's okay because God's not finished cooking us yet.

Where does our peace come from? John 16.

This is later in the evening, but we're still in that Passover night before Jesus was captured and tortured. And he says in verse 31, Jesus answered, Do you now believe, indeed the hour is coming, yes now has come, that you will be scattered each to his own and will leave me alone? Yes, there are troubles in our life. Christians have troubles.

God did not promise that we wouldn't have trial. We wouldn't have sickness. We wouldn't have financial trouble. We wouldn't have people trouble. And you will leave me alone, he said, and yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken to you, that in me, Jesus says, you may have peace.

You can have peace of mind right now by trusting in the salvation of Jesus Christ and knowing that there's treasure buried in the field. And your job the rest of your life is to sell everything that you have. Not sure if I said that yet or not. Probably will say it again.

In the world you will have tribulation, Jesus said, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. And that is our ace in the hole. That's it.

Jesus Christ has overcome the world. Nobody can whoop him. And he's on your side. You're good!

The key phrase there is, be of good cheer. That's a feeling, by the way. That's a feeling.

When you face your trials, be of good cheer.

God's doing something good with you. You're in the process of selling everything that you have.

Christ has overcome the world. If peace comes through Jesus Christ, how do we attain it? Well, it's the first thing that he said.

Believe.

Believe him. Trust him.

Doubt is your enemy to peace. It's an enemy of faith, but you know what? It's also an enemy to peace of mind. Doubt in your mind, doubting God and doubting Jesus Christ, create incredible peace. And that anxiety tears you apart.

Just drives you out of your mind, so to speak.

So those who are true believers are those who have peace. Those who keep and walk in the truth, that's what brings joy. 3 John, 3 John, Chapter 1, Verse 3.

3 John, Chapter 1, Verse 3.

For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in truth. Truth.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth. What creates joy? Well, the Apostle John was the people that followed him were keeping the truth, because he knew that if you obey God, you will have peace, and you will have joy. You will rejoice. To maintain that joy, we need a comparison of our calling and the benefits that go with it, firmly set in our daily focus. And that's the purpose of this sermon.

Every day of your life, do you wake up and realize that no matter what you face today, you have a treasure hidden in a field that is priceless. And the only thing you need to be concerned about today is selling everything that you have to get that treasure.

Our focus needs to be on selling. Everything we have are a total commitment to God.

And you know what? To us, it's been revealed exactly what that treasure is going to be. It's not a mystery. To us, we know.

That it's going to be everlasting life, all things, and peace with all people. Those people who do evil will be gone. Those people who refuse to cooperate with God will no longer be with us. And we will have an eternity of abundant peace.

And that is priceless. So what is it that can shake you out of remembering every day?

That you have a treasure buried in a field. What worry? What concern can shake that in you? Let's notice the Apostle Paul, his attitude towards his personal trials. Now Paul, let me tell you what. That guy knew trials.

I mean beaten, shipwrecked, snake bitten, eventually executed on behalf of Jesus Christ. But before he was, he wrote, or Luke recorded in Acts chapter 20 and verse 22. Acts 20 verse 22.

Paul said, And I see now I go bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there. Except, now Paul knew something bad was going to happen.

That the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.

He knew he was going to prison.

Did that stop him from going to Jerusalem?

No.

But none of these things move me.

Is that our attitude?

Do things move us? Be honest, because you don't have to answer me. You only have to answer yourself. Do troubles move you?

They've moved me before.

They shouldn't, but they do. But notice Paul's attitude. None of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself. My life doesn't even matter, because he had a treasure waiting in a field.

And he knew, the second he goes to sleep and breathes his last, he's got treasure.

He'll be resurrected in the future.

To him, it'll be an instant. And he will have attained his treasure.

Nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish the race with what?

With joy!

Okay, the Apostle Paul knows he's going to go to Jerusalem, and he knows he's going to end up in prison, and he goes to Jerusalem, not even anxious, but with joy.

Now, he had to know there was a treasure buried in the field. He had to know the kingdom of God was coming, and it was very real to him. And the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God, he was simply about his business that God gave him to do. And he did it with joy. Paul's focus was on buying that field.

It wasn't on himself. It wasn't on the immediate. He was actually willing to even give up his life for God to attain that treasure. He knew that the treasure was priceless.

You know what? He also knew there was enough to go around.

Not only was the treasure priceless, but there was enough to share with everybody, and that was his job. When he received the word that the church in Corinth had lost its focus, and they were filled with contentions and divisions, like Mr. Stetter was talking about in the sermonette.

Their church service was in chaos. They didn't have an orderly church service like we do right now. Some people were holding service over there. Other people were speaking in tongues over there. Some people were up here singing. They were all doing their own thing and not getting along with anybody.

And so he sent the letter of 1 Corinthians, really a corrective letter.

And you know what? That church, that congregation, accepted the correction.

They made changes. And their acceptance of his correction and their renewed commitment to the way of life that he had taught them brought this response in the second letter. Let's go to 2 Corinthians now and see Paul's response.

There's enough treasure to go around. Now he, 2 Corinthians 1, verse 21, Now he who establishes us with you in Christ has anointed us as God, who also sealed us and has given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. Moreover, I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth.

Not that we have dominion over your faith, but we are fellow workers of your joy, for by faith you stand.

So Paul understood that he wasn't their Lord. Jesus Christ was their Lord. He was their brother. And he fully realized that there was treasure in a field, so to speak. The kingdom of God was priceless. And his entire focus was to make sure that they had that joy as well.

How are we doing in that department, brethren? How are you and I doing?

Do we wake up every morning with joy? Are we happy?

Or are we kind of bummed out? Are we kind of, you know, looking around going, wow, there sure are a lot of people in the hospital. There sure are a lot of financial trials. There sure is a lot of... Take your pick.

There's enough of it to go around. It's a dark world.

Or do you have joy?

What is your focus?

That's the same thing that Jesus said the night before, his torture and crucifixion. He said that we must believe. Paul compliments the church in Corinth, saying, by your faith, you stand.

Faith and obedience lead to nothing other than joy and peace. God is not harsh. God doesn't want to punish you with His commandments and His way and is making you different and stand out, where everybody else in the world doesn't, you know, bother with rules and regulations, and they're all tolerant and you're not.

And you have to be different.

Why?

Inner peace for your joy.

It's not for bad for you. It's so that you have hope in the future. And notice that that faith in context, which is confidence in what God has promised. Remember, we move based on what we want. We move on feelings. This isn't a sermon about logic, about reason. This sermon is about how do you feel when you wake up in the morning, about life. How do you feel when you go through your day, when your boss chews you out?

How do you feel?

Now, when you're going through a rough time, it's not a sin to feel bad, and that's not what I'm saying. King David did that all the time. You want to have an interesting study? My granddad said something very wise. Proverbs is about the beginning of Christianity, and Psalms is about the finish. Because Psalms is about how a mature Christian deals with his feelings. And you watch David, he's like, I'm surrounded on all sides, and they're killing me, and I'm weeping in my bed, but you will rescue me.

And every single time, in every psalm, you will pull me out. You know, many troubles are the righteous, but the Lord delivers us from them all, he says. So, if you want to do a study on how to work through negative feelings, read the Psalms.

That's what they do. It's King David writing down how he worked through going through some trouble.

And King David knew that there was treasure buried in a field. So, faith, confidence in what God has promised, is essential. But it's also essential that we sell, in other words, dispose of, all that would stand in your way in acquiring that field, where the real treasure is stashed. Here's an example. In the original parable that we read, the man sold everything that he had, and nothing would stand in his way of acquiring the treasure. Let nothing stand in your way, or in anybody else's way. The Apostle Paul, in Romans chapter 14, talks about a squabble over vegetarianism, where people were actually dividing, like Mr. Stetter said in the sermonette, over something small.

Some people would eat meat, some people would only eat vegetables. Today we have that too. We have vegetarians, and we have vegan, where vegetarians will eat dairy and vegetables, but not meat. And vegans won't eat anything, animal. And then you've got the meat-eaters, who, like the double cheeseburger, or the triple cheeseburger, you know, to go with their ribs.

But do you let anything stand in the way of your joy? Is there anything that stands in the way of selling everything that you have to buy that field? And what God is looking for is, do you let anything stand in your brother's way? Or do you get this?

Romans 14 verse 15. As he's talking about the quarrel between the meat-eaters and the vegetarians, he says in verse 15, Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love.

Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore, do not let your good be spoken of as evil.

Okay, in the Bible it says that certain meats are clean to eat.

Do not let that be spoken of as evil. Don't use the law unlawfully.

For example, we have a potluck. And I know we have some people here that don't eat meat, and we have some people here that don't eat grain, and we have some people here that don't eat who knows what.

Don't let your food choices get in somebody else's way. You're not walking in love when you're doing that. I definitely have strong opinions on food. Look at my profile. You can tell.

Apostle Paul says in verse 17, The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy.

I go to delis. I just want some coleslaw. Right? So I order coleslaw, and I get a nice bucket of coleslaw, and I'm going to eat it. And what do they put in the coleslaw? Bacon. Who puts bacon in coleslaw?

Some people just can't let it go. I mean, I like meat, but honestly. Okay, I'll have some broccoli salad instead, because I can't eat this coleslaw. Sure. Bacon!

It's in the broccoli. Everything they had had meat in it.

Right? We can't be that way. We have to give to others, make sure others' preferences.

We have to sell everything we have, brethren, but we have to make sure that other people, their joy counts as well.

Right? And nothing gets in their way of going into the kingdom of God.

For the kingdom of God is not of eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. In other words, you're not going to make anybody angry if you make sure that other people, you know, their needs are met too. Their preferences are met too. In fact, you can give them preference over yours. Look at this appeal to rejoice.

Remember the key phrase I mentioned in John 16? Be a good cheer.

I have overcome the world. Notice how God and Jesus Christ help us to have good cheer or rejoicing. And notice how this is through the entire Bible. This message is threaded through the entire Bible. You know, have you seen those tapestries that have real gold woven in them? And it will go all the way through, and it's just beautiful. This is one of those strands of gold woven through the entire Bible. Psalm chapter 5 verse 11.

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in you. Let them ever shout for joy, because you defend them. Let those also who love your name be joyful in you. For you, O Lord, will bless the righteous with favor. You will surround him with a shield.

So let me ask you a question. Who is it that loves God's name?

Because he said, let those who love your name be joyful. Who is that?

Well, remember that evening that Jesus Christ had that we read from twice already? Let's go back to that evening. Let's roll back a little bit back to dinner in John chapter 14.

John 14 and verse 21.

Who is it that loves God's name? Who will have joy? John 14, 21. Who is it that loves God's name? Who will have joy? He who has my commandments and keeps them.

Is he who loves me?

Doesn't get more black and white than that. He who loves me will be loved by my father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.

John also wrote in 1 John chapter 5 verse 3. Not only is it that we love him, as Jesus said in John chapter 14, but it's that God loved us first by even giving us the commandments.

He said, for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. Even in trials, we can have joy.

Notice Psalm 30 verse 4.

Psalm 30 verse 4.

Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holy name. For his anger is for but a moment. And his favor is for life.

Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Now in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. Lord, by your favor you have made my mountain stand strong. You hid your face, and I was troubled. I cried out to you, O Lord! And to the Lord I made supplication. What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit? When you're in a trial, it is not wrong to say, Help! I'm in distress!

You know, we don't want to have a certain veneer of fake Christianity, where we always pretend to be happy, even though we're miserable inside. If you're miserable inside, take it to God! That's what David did every time.

Help! I'm miserable! Where are you?

What good am I dead? I can't sing praises to you, dead! Help me!

I mean, David did eventually die, but God pulled him out of the fire many, many times.

Many times.

Will the dust praise you? Will it declare your truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me. He knew he didn't deserve it.

But listen to how bold he's going to God and asking for help, even though he didn't deserve a shred of help.

Even though he was saying, Have mercy on me. I know I don't deserve it.

He was bold!

Hey, will the dust sing praises to you? It won't. I will. That's pretty bold. Right? What do you have to have to have that much boldness before the creator of the universe?

Absolute trust.

David absolutely trusted God. You can't absolutely trust anybody on this planet. But you can absolutely trust God, can you not?

And when you do, you go before Him, not disrespectfully. There was no disrespect in this plea whatsoever. But it was bold.

And he said, Lord, be my helper. Verse 11. You have turned my mourning into dancing. You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness. All the psalms end this way. No matter how troubled it starts out, David eventually realizes, Hey, I've got treasure buried in a field.

All I've got to do is sell everything I have. All I've got to do is be completely committed to God.

And I'm going to buy that treasure.

Verse 12. To the end that my glory may sing praise to you and not be silent, O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. That's confidence. That is confidence in God. That psalm puts James 1 into perspective.

The carnal mind mocks the book of James because James tells us to have faith by works, to control our tongue, to control our temper, to control our lust. And he tells us this in chapter 1. And don't forget that psalm that we just read.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Now the carnal skeptic mind is going to say, what a plastic veneer that you're putting over trials.

Smile through a trial!

That is not what James was saying. Remember the psalm that we just read in Psalm chapter 30. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. That goes right along with what David said, which was, God's anger lasts for a little while.

Right? But living in his peace is forever.

Put that in perspective. How can you count it all joy when you fall into various trials? Because some of them are pretty big trials.

Some of them, eventually, one of them will end your life. We all die. Think about it.

Reason. Eventually, we all die.

How do you count it all joy?

Because in the morning, there's laughter. When we're resurrected, we're happy.

Verse 3, knowing the testing of your faith produces patience. It's pain with a purpose.

But let that patience have its perfect work. That you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. So what should our perspective be? Like Psalm 30 said, his anger is but for a moment, but his favor is for life.

Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. What joy? What morning?

You know, your life can feel like the weeping that David wrote about. The weeping at night. But the kingdom of God is what is forever. Joy comes by believing in God and Jesus Christ that a better day is coming. And notice that this theme is repeated over and over in Scripture by the men who went through some really hard trials before you and I were ever even born.

Romans chapter 5 verses 1 through 5. This is a biggie. Romans 5 verses 1 through 5.

The Apostle Paul, even though he was not with Jesus Christ when Christ was on the earth, he was trained by Jesus Christ later in the desert.

But he knew this parable, the treasure buried in a field parable. Notice in Romans chapter 5 he says, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into grace in which we stand.

Do we just stand through life? Is that your job? Just to make it through? Greet your teeth and stand, folks. No. Notice what he said. Grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. There is a hope in the future.

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulation, knowing that the tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance character, and character hope. And hope does not disappoint. Why does hope not disappoint? Because I've hoped for a lot of things that have been disappointing. So why does Paul say hope doesn't disappoint? Well, the next part is pretty critical. Hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That was given to us. And that is why hope does not disappoint. Paul was saying, yeah, you're going to go through trials in life, but you're going to make it through. You know why? Because there's a treasure buried in the field. Luke 6, verse 22.

Luke 6, 22.

Blessed are you when men hate you.

That pretty much describes what goes on in this life. When they exclude you. No, you're not one of us. You're not part of us. You don't belong here. You're not welcome here.

When they revile you, they laugh at you. They mock you.

Blessed are you when that happens.

Blessed are you.

When they cast out your name as evil.

Those Sabbath keepers. Those law keepers.

Those Christians who think they're Jews.

For the Son of Man's sake, if you do all of that because you are in the church and you are trying to follow God, you're doing it on His behalf.

Rejoice in that day, leap for joy.

For indeed, your reward is great in heaven. For in like manner, their fathers did to the prophets.

Wow!

Some of the worst criticisms that we get are from our relatives or people who are close to us. Or it used to be close to us, and then we join the church.

And they make... So, you know, and I think that they're just trying to help us. I remember one of our relatives, put together a family directory, and I won't say which one it was, because I still like the person to this very day. But, you know, we're the family directory to keep the family together, and they knew that we were Christian, but kept the Sabbath. So what did they do? They put little symbols over each extended family member's name, and our symbol was the Star of David, with the Jews in the family.

Yes, yes.

Family can be very biting. And very cutting. And when that happens, rejoice in that day. When that happens to you.

Great is your reward in heaven.

1 Peter chapter 4. I mean, this is throughout the Bible. I'm just showing you. This is the thread that's just woven through. 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 12. And all of this is about how you feel.

It's not about how you reason.

1 Peter chapter 4 verse 12. Beloved, do not think it strange, concerning the fiery trials which try you. Oh, and we do this, too! Why did Peter write this? Because every time we go through a trial, we go, Am I really a Christian? Has God abandoned me? Don't be alone. King David said it all the time. Where, why have you hidden your face from me?

And Peter is saying, hey, don't do that. 2 Peter chapter 4 verse 12. Do not think it strange, concerning fiery trials which try you, as though some strange thing has happened to you, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's suffering. Oh, what a perspective!

We suffer a little bit. He suffered a lot, and we suffer a little bit. But as we do, we join Him.

That when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. That's an emotion.

If you are reproached for His name, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

On their part, He is blasphemed, but on your part, He is glorified.

But let none of you suffer, as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters.

Don't get bitter and start lashing out at other people, Peter says.

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed.

Well, you must not be a Christian, because God's letting that happen to you.

And they will mock you in your trial.

They will take your trial and go, oh, you were diagnosed with what? Clearly, you're not a follower of God.

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. You're just being molded and shaped. You're just in the process of selling everything that you own, so that you can buy a field. Because in that field, a field is a treasure that's priceless.

Why are you so happy in a trial? Because I'm going to buy a field.

Try that on somebody someday.

God did not call us to fail.

You're not going to fail.

Your health may fail. Your finances may fail. Your life may fail. But you are called to succeed. Jude.

It's only one chapter in Jude, so Jude 1.

Verse 24.

This is so encouraging. And notice the emotion that's put into it. God suggests that our emotions be well, that we be at peace. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you faultless before His presence, the presence of His glory, with exceeding joy to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty and dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. In other words, God is going to keep you from failing.

Yeah, okay. If it was up to us, it would be a risky venture. But it's not.

We've already seen the treasure. It's a sure thing. We put it in the ground, and we sell everything that we have.

There is supposed to be joy in your heart during your lifetime. This is not supposed to be a bummer of a life.

You may be treated badly. You may be in poor health or poor finances or whatever. But you're supposed to be happy. Christians are not supposed to be full of doom and gloom.

But a Christian puts a trial into perspective of a treasure that's buried in a field.

Let's go back to that parable, Matthew 13, verse 44, where Jesus said, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field hidden in a field which a man found and hid, and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and he buys that field.

So what should we do about this sermon?

We're supposed to be about making ourselves ready.

We're supposed to be about, every day, becoming fully committed to God.

We're not supposed to be buried under self-pity, anxiety, which is caused by doubt.

But we're supposed to be making ourselves ready.

Revelation chapter 19, verse 7.

Revelation 19, verse 7. And give him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready. Are you ready?

And to her it was granted to be a raid in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, Right, blessed are those who are called to the marriage, supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are true sayings of God. What an awesome way to end that phrase. In other words, this is a sure thing.

This is a sure thing.

This sermon is not so much about obedience, although we talked about obedience. And it's not so much about faith, although it requires obedience and faith to come to what we talked about. This sermon is about how we feel every day, because we're supposed to be seeking first the kingdom. Well, guess what it is that human beings seek?

They seek what they want. And wanting is a feeling.

And we're supposed to want the kingdom of God.

And so that's why Jesus Christ gave that parable, to encourage us, brethren, this is something that you want. Count everything else and even your own life as less than a treasure that you found that's buried in a field.

Now, all you got to do is go and sell everything that you have. It's that simple.