There is Treasure Buried in a Field

Our spiritual development is greatly affected on how strong our feelings are, not only concerning our calling, but also for all the promises that go with our calling. And I emphasize the word feelings. Major corporations have spent billions, not millions, billions of dollars to determine how people make buying decisions. How do people buy into something? Let me tell you what. You can use all the logic in the world.

The vast majority of people do not move until they want to move. And wanting is a feeling, not a fact. Wanting is an emotion, not a question. People make decisions. People change their lives. People go one way or another based on how they feel. Now, a lot of people can remove feelings from an equation, and I'm one of those people.

If there's an emergency and I don't know why this is, my feelings turn off. They completely compartmentalize. I remember one time I was in a near accident, and my wife and her friend were in the car. And we were trucking along in the right lane, and there was a shrub and a driveway beyond the shrub, and a car didn't pull out and look, just pulled out, right in front of us.

And of course, both the ladies went, ahhhh! Because feelings were right out there. My feelings completely shut off. I didn't feel anything. I simply calculated that there was nobody to my left, pulled the car over, and braked. Just stopped the car. Then, afterwards, my heart started pounding. But while I was in the emergency, there were no feelings at all. That's kind of a male thing, I suppose. But that doesn't mean that's the way I make my decisions. Don't fool yourself. You may be a very logical person.

You may be able to come up with all the calculations as to why you should make this decision over this one. By this house, over this house. By this car, over this car. By this dog, over this dog. It comes down to which one you want. You will rationalize, or you will be able to rationalize, whatever doggy you want to buy. And that's the doggy you're going to buy. Billions of dollars report into that.

Our feelings are important and should not be ignored. So, our spiritual development is greatly affected on how strong our feelings are. Not only for our calling, but for the promises that go with them. And I want to talk about promises today. We place value on what we have or what we want by drawing comparisons and trying to help us generally grasp how incalculable the value of our calling is.

Jesus employed a very vivid description. And so we're going to base our whole sermon on this one parable today. Now, I have a decision to make here. We've got two waters. One's little and one's big. Now, if I reason it out logically, I'll go with the small one, so I don't have to go to the bathroom right away. But I want the big one. So I'm going to go with the big one, because I really am thirsty and I can't rationalize that, you know. I am thirsty and I'm sure I'm going to need more water. I'll just have to hold it.

Matthew 13, verse 44. Matthew 13, verse 44. We're going to base today's sermon on this parable. Again, Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. Oh, right! Buried treasure got my attention. Which a man found and hid. So it's not like it's the promise of treasure that he's not quite sure if it's there or not.

He found it! He can't claim it, because he didn't find it on anything that belongs to him. But he knows it's there. He knows what's in the box. It's a treasure chest. And he found it. So what does he do? He hides it in a field. So he can't carry it into town. Then it'll be lost. Right? So what does he do? He buries it. Then he thinks to himself, how am I going to get that treasure? Put yourself in the situation.

What would you do? So, for joy over it, if he goes and he sells all that he has, and he buys that field, he sells everything. He goes all in. He buys the field. And now he owns the treasure. Oh, look what I found! A treasure. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that was buried in a field, and then the guy sold everything to buy that field.

I want to read you just by way of illustration from an article. What would your emotional state be if you had just found such a treasure? I googled treasures in the world, and I found this article. Seven of the biggest treasure troves ever found by Mental Floss, UK. Treasure number one. I'm not going to read all seven. I'm just going to read three of them, because it gets redundant after a while. But imagine you are a farmer. Treasure number one, the Hoxney horde. Quote, having lost his hammer in a field, farmer Peter Watling called a 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 other treasures buried in the same field, including Roman ladles and serving bowls.

The horde was brought by the bread of the British Museum. Though it was so valuable, the museum had to call in funds from donors, like the National Art Collections, to fund enough to afford it.

And as for the errant hammer, that's now in the British Museum, too. This treasure was found in 1992, and it was worth $3.8 million. Imagine you lose a hammer, and you come up with $3.8 million. Ask yourself, think about your bank account right now. What would you do for $3.8 million? Wow. You know what? I've got four kids. I want more.

Treasure number two. The Schroeder treasure, back in 1985, an old building in Polish town, 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 dating back to the 14th century. A couple 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 really exists. This was found between 1985 and 1988, and the approximate value was $120 million. Imagine if you owned that little group of buildings. You're going to tear it down and put in a housing complex, and you decided to retire instead. Because $120 million!

Think about your bank account. What would you do with the promise of $120 million? Not some empty, wild-eyed adventure that might lead to $120 million, but actually $120 million. Would you sell everything you have? I know I would. House, car, dog. Okay, sorry, honey. No dog. Okay. I'll buy you a new dog! I'll go buy that dog back! $120 million! You find it, would you bury that in a field, sell everything you had, and go buy that field?

I know I would. I might not part with the dog, but that cat. Ugh. Treasure number three. The Caesarea sunken treasure. Scuba divers exploring the 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. When they saw how many coins were there, they looked more closely at the engravings on them and realized they had found something pretty significant. They reported their findings 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 from several different denominations and had been minted at different times, sometime between the 10th and 12th centuries. As far and sorry and so far, no one has attached an exact value on the find, except to say it's so value it is essentially priceless.

It was found in 2015 and the value is priceless. In other words, if you had that, you could buy anything you wanted on the planet at any time and you could do it over and over again. What a find that would be. The lesson that Jesus was trying to convey to us in a brief parable is repeated again and again and again in God's Word.

God does not leave us short on how many times he explains the promise that he has for us. It is in the Old Testament, it is in the New Testament. It is stated in a parable very simply by Jesus Christ that we just read, but it's stated by almost all of the Apostles as well. How do you feel? We have deaths, we have illnesses, we have cancer, we have a lot of us have cancer, we have that young man in Florida who was in the church, flipped on his ATV and died.

He just died. And I hear a lot of people, a lot of us, say, you know, Satan's really on the attack right now. Things are getting rough, they say, and they start to feel the heat of the trials that we go through. What's your perspective on that? What should your perspective be on that?

Rejoice. Why does God want us to keep his commandments? Why does God want us to go on to perfection, to be converted and grow up like Jesus Christ? So we can all be miserable? Are the commandments commandments of misery? No. Our feelings that God created, that he invented, that he himself has, he wants us to be joyful, happy. Even though those are not the same exact thing, he wants us to be both. He wants us to rejoice. John 15, verses 8 through 11. This is the Passover just before Jesus becomes the Passover. This is the meal where he explains he's going to go away, but he's going to come back. He's very intent, and he says in Matthew 15, verse 8, By this my father is glorified, that you bear much fruit. And that's what we talked about at Pentecost last week. You will be my disciples. As the father loved me, I have 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, abide in his love. Why? Why do we go through this growth process and have these trials and still have to keep his commandments? Read on. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full, that you might be happy inside, have this peace of mind, even though we're in this world where all these bad things happen. It's a dark world. It's an evil world. The Christian view is joy. God's intent for us is that our joy might be full. You might have financial trouble. You might have marital trouble. You might have health trouble. All of us have trouble. We all do. Jeremiah chapter 29. I'm going to read this from the New Living Translation. Jeremiah 29 in verse 10. This is an interesting passage. It's a letter to Nebuchadnezzar, but in it it talks directly to the children of Israel. It's a letter to King Nebuchadnezzar, but in it they step out of the... you know, God steps out of talking directly to Nebuchadnezzar and says something to the children of Israel and listen to what God says his intent is.

Verse 10. This is what the Lord says. You will be in Babylon for 70 years. You're going to have trouble. 70 years, ironically, is about the span of our life. Isn't that interesting? But then I will come and do for you all good things. I have promised. There's a promise. It's not a wild adventure that if we go on, we might... there's a 10% chance we might score some treasure. It is a promise.

And I will bring you home again. And for you and me, that's the kingdom of God. For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not disaster. To give you a future and a hope. This is Jeremiah 29. We are now in verse 11. Very good. Verse 12. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, sell everything you have, 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. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you, and I will bring you home again into your land. Your land being the kingdom of God. What greater gift can God give than peace? Think about it. If you have everything you need, except you fight with everybody all the time, what's it worth?

There's a proverb about that. I don't have time to go to it. You can be the wealthiest man on the earth. If there's nobody to share it with and nobody to love you, you have no peace. Oh, you know, in the end, God's going to give us all things. Talk about a priceless treasure.

What's not included in all? All things He will give to us. That's a treasure. The greatest of all of those things will be peace. It is that peace that we look for that's priceless. But I ask you, does that peace only come in the kingdom of God? No. Can that peace come to you now? According to the Scriptures, the answer is yes. But how can that be? Because you're not perfect. The people around you are not perfect.

And there's always going to be conflict. How can you have peace? This is one of the things we're going to discuss in the men's and women's study tonight. God does not judge you on how other people treat you.

You are judged on how you treat other people. Your peace is your choice. And that's what we're going to talk about today in the sermon. Your feelings towards the promises of God. And how those will guide your path and motivate you to move. We have so many sick and so many troubled. Where does that peace come from? Here it is. A little later in that evening, let's move to John 16.

We were just in John 15 before we were in Jeremiah. Let's go back to that same evening and in John 16, verse 31, towards the end of that chapter. Jesus answered them, Do you now believe? And he just said that we are the children of God. And he said, do you believe that? Do you believe that you are a child of God?

And then he said, indeed the hour is coming. Yes, it's come. That you will be scattered in each to his own and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone. What happens when you're alone? Brethren, when you're alone, you're not alone. And Jesus Christ understood. And now we're supposed to understand this. He didn't say this in vain. He didn't say this so he would think, oh, how quaint. The Passion of the Christ. Let's read that and feel the mo... No! This was written so that we learn. He says, yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.

These things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace. How do we have peace? In Jesus Christ, how do we have peace in Jesus Christ? He says, in the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. And that is the key to this whole sermon. That is the key to the parable that he said about the man who buried the treasure. He overcame the world. Without that, this discussion is moot. But with that, this discussion has real teeth. The world does not have to get to you.

You're going to have tribulation in the world. He said it. He said it right there. We're going to have problems. We are. But be of good cheer. The key phrase, be of good cheer.

Christ has overcome the world. If peace comes through Jesus Christ, how do we obtain it? Well, he said it at the beginning of the passage we read. Believe! Those who are true believers are those who are doers.

And those who keep and walk in the truth. That's what brings joy. You see, Jesus Christ has overcome the world. And so what do you do? You obey. You don't understand. Well, let me go get some understanding, and then I'll obey. No, no, no, no. You obey, and then you will understand. If you want peace, just do it. And you will have peace, and you will understand.

How do you believe in Jesus Christ? Start by obeying. And then you will understand what he's talking about to have peace in a world where there is none. 3 John, the third epistle of John, not the Gospel, 3 John, chapter 1, verses 3 and 4. John says, For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you.

It's kind of warm when I unbutton my jacket.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. There is a parallel between obedience and inner joy.

Now, in this case, it was the Apostle John who had the joy of knowing that the people that he taught were going to find peace.

To maintain that joy, we need a comparison of our calling, of the benefits that go firmly established in our mind every day.

The benefits, priceless treasure buried in a field, priceless treasure buried in a field.

We forget that.

Simple parable that Jesus said, and I know we do. I do it.

Like, oh, can't believe that broke too. Can't afford that.

Man, who cares?

There's a priceless treasure at the end of the road.

Get cracking.

Be happy.

Have peace.

Our focus needs to be on selling everything we have, a total commitment in our lives so that we can buy that field with the hidden treasure.

You know, to you and me, it has been revealed the reality of what that treasure is.

We've gone to the Feast of Tabernacles, a lot of us, year after year, decades. I've gone for nearly five decades of Feast of Tabernacles.

I have a vivid picture of not only the Millennium, but the Great White Throne Judgment.

You know, uncles and dear friends who really messed their lives up, let's just say.

They were hard, angry people, or they were drunk all the time.

But, you know, when you were a kid, you really liked them.

They took you on their Harley and made you feel really cool and awesome.

They were full of life, and then they die, badly usually.

And you know you're going to see them again, and this time it's going to go better for most of them.

Much, much better. That alone is priceless.

And you're worried about your car breaking down, or your air conditioning in the building not working, or...

How long is this sermon going to be?

Notice Paul's attitude towards his personal trials.

This is interesting, because this is an exact parallel of the parable that Jesus spoke.

Paul took the parable to heart of burying the treasure. Acts 20, verse 22, Acts 20, 22. And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulation await me. I know I'm bound for pain, Paul says, but none of these things move me.

I am not moving off of my course.

I know I'm going to go to my death, and I will not change my course. Why not?

Nor do I count my life, dear, to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy. Where does that joy come from? He had a treasure buried in a field that the people who were persecuting him didn't know about. But he knew about it, and they're probably taken to themselves. You idiot! You walked right into us.

And he's thinking to himself, I regret that I have what one life to give, so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus Christ to testify to the gospel of grace. Paul's focus was on buying that field containing the treasure. And you know what? Not only for himself, but he was willing to share it with other people, because he knew, oh, there's plenty of this to go around. I'm going to tell, it's like what Mr. Petty said, the gospel, one starving man telling other starving people where to find food. And that was Paul's focus. He knew the treasure was priceless. He knew there was enough to go around. And when Paul received the word that the church in Corinth had lost its focus and was filled with contention and division, he wrote a very corrective letter called 1 Corinthians to them.

And you know what? That congregation in Corinth accepted his correction. Then 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 his second letter, 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 21. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 21.

Now he who establishes us with you in Christ has anointed us in God, who also has sealed us and has given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. It's not a chance deal. It's a guarantee.

It comes from the creator of the universe. You can't get a more solid guarantee. Not even the United States government can give you a solid guarantee like God can. Not even the Swiss government can give you a guarantee like God can. Moreover, I call God as witness against my soul.

If I'm lying, in other words, may God strike me down. This is how confident Paul's feelings were and the promises that God had made. That to spare you I came no more to Corinth.

Not that we have dominion over your faith, but our fellow workers of your joy.

You and I, brethren, the Apostle Paul said, are supposed to be happy with life. Not happy with sin. Not happy with this dark world that we live in.

But happy with the promises that God made for us in the future.

For by faith you stand. He finishes that. And that is the same thing that Jesus said on the night before his torture and crucifixion. He said that we must believe.

He said, do you believe these things? And here Paul is saying, it's your faith that makes you stand.

What is he talking about? In context, he's talking about it's your confidence in what God has promised. That's what's essential. I didn't plan on it, but you can jump down Hebrews 11 and verse 6.

If you want to please God, you have to believe that he is and the rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

That's essential to have confidence in what God has promised.

But it's also essential, as a part of that first parable that we read, that we sell, that we dispose of, all that would stand in the way of acquiring that field, where the real treasure is stashed. Here's an example. In the original parable, we read that a man sold everything that he had, and nothing would stand in his way from acquiring that treasure. Let nothing stand in your way, anyone's way. Don't let anything stand in your brother's way that you're doing. This treasure is so valuable that you don't want anybody to trip up. Notice Romans chapter 14 and verse 15 in this context, the context of the joy that we have in the promises that were made.

Romans chapter 14 and verse 15. Paul is addressing some people who are vegetarians or vegan, and they get highly offended if you eat any animal product at all. Even if God said it was clean, they say nay nay. So how are we to treat them? To ridicule them and tell them how weak they are. Well, Paul said they're weak, but there's no ridicule. In fact, the opposite. Romans 14 and 15. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, they're eating a salad, you're eating beef stroganoff.

Chicken alfredo, chicken parmesan, shishkebabs.

And they're grieved by it. That treasure is so important to you. You don't want them to miss out on their treasure. Your joy is so complete inside you. You want to make sure everybody's joy is complete. You will actually put down the shishkebab and pick up your fork and eat a salad, which to most of us is just a promissory note of something better to come.

Right?

You no longer walk in love if you're just chomping down on a double cheeseburger and you're offending somebody that will walk away from God because how could a Christian kill and eat a cow? I'll tell you how, but no.

Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.

Therefore, do not let your good be spoken of as evil. Yeah, it's okay to eat a double cheeseburger once in a while. But not to offend somebody?

You know, in modern context, there's all these diets going around that everybody has to do.

I try to bend over backwards to let people have their diet the way they want it.

Oh, granted, I'm not afraid to tell people, you know, they're absolutely wrong about their diet.

It's unbiblical. But after I've said it, and I've done my part, I've done the Watchman's part, as it says in Ezekiel, and I've warned them, you know what? After that, I'm going to try as hard as I can to fulfill their dietary requests.

Because there's a treasure!

And who cares if one night when they come over, I have to eat carrot sticks? Mmm.

Therefore, do not let your good be spoken of as evil.

For the kingdom of God is not of eating and drinking. But listen to this. Righteousness, or doing what God commands you, and then peace and joy.

Give other people an easy way to go. Because there's something inside you that says, you know, today is a really crummy day. But I feel good. I feel good.

Because I got a treasure buried in a field nobody else around me knows about. And it's priceless.

And it means that when I open that treasure up and start to spend it, when I actually receive that treasure, not only will I have all of my needs taken care of, completely and forever, I will have peace. And that gives me peace right now. 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. You know, not too many people will give you a hard time for helping other people not have a hard time. Look at this appeal to rejoice. Remember the key phrase that I mentioned in the verse, the last verse of chapter 16 of John? Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Notice how God and Jesus Christ help us have good cheer, help us have joy. They help us rejoice, even when you don't feel like rejoicing so much, all of a sudden you remember you got a treasure buried in a field. Psalms chapter 5 verse 11, this is throughout the Bible, the benefits of being with God, the whole Bible. We leave the Garden of Eden and immediately we're promised something, aren't we? Satan will bruise his heel, but he will bruise Satan's head.

Right out of the chute we're promised, a Savior will come, right? And throughout the rest of the Bible it's just replete with these promises. Psalm chapter 5 verse 11, Psalm 5, 11, let all those rejoice who? Who put their trust in you? It's all about having confidence that God's going to give you the promise. You trust Him! This is a trust sermon. It's kind of a trust and obey sermon. Let them ever shout for joy. Ever shout for joy? Yeah, always, because you defend them. I know this is going to work out. How do I know it's going to work out? Because God said it's going to work out. I trust Him, I obey Him, He protects me. Yeah, but you had this diagnosis, and this happened to your bank account, and this happened to your car, and your house, and your family. And God's going to work it all out. That's not optimism. That's reality. That's being realistic.

You have a treasure buried in a field, and you're in this life. You're in the process of selling everything you have to buy that field. That's what this life's all about. That's what this life is all about. It's selling everything you have to buy that field, because that field has something in it that is priceless. Let those who love your name, what a key phrase, let those who love your name be joyful in you, for you, O Lord, will bless the righteous with favor, and you will surround them with a shield. Who loves God's name? Who are those people? Well, let's go back to that evening where Jesus Christ was around the table before he was crucified, but let's roll back a couple hours ahead and go to John 14. Or who knows how long it took. It could have been multiple hours. It could have been 30 minutes. John 14 and verse 21, he says, who loves God's name? He who has my commandments and keeps them. It is he who loves me. Hey, there's your definition. Who rejoices people who love God's name? Who loves God's name? People who keep God's commandments. Simple. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself in him. You will be provided for and protected and guided all of your life, and you will even have peace in this lifetime.

Peace when you face the most horrible things. Peace that other people around you will not get.

What? Are you on drugs?

Nope. I have a treasure buried in a field, you see, and I'm in the process of selling everything that I have to get that treasure. So, yeah, this is bad, but it's going to get better, and that makes me happy. 1 John 5 and verse 3, this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. So not only is it those who love God keep his commandments, but God started the whole process off by loving us to give us his commandments. In other words, his commandments aren't punishments. His commandments are love.

His commandments lead to peace and joy, even trials. When they come along, we can have joy.

You know that young man who died on the ATV from Florida?

I was talking to Eddie Duncan about that. He made a great comment. Great comment!

Eddie said, well, God healed him.

But you're right. From that young man's point of view, he's going to be resurrected. Perfect. Whole.

I cannot imagine a flaw in a resurrected body. God does good work.

From our point of view, we don't look at eternity. We don't look at time the way God looks at time.

We see, oh, what a tragedy. And it is from our point of view.

From a human perspective, what a tragedy.

I remember when a 19-year-old girl was killed at a summer camp in the Living Church of God just a couple of years ago. A boating, freak boating accident.

A boat just ran her over. 19 years old. She was from Australia.

God healed her.

Oh, she died instantly. But her next thought is in the Kingdom of God, for she was baptized.

Pretty cool. She had a treasure buried in a field.

And she was starting the process of selling everything she had.

And God said, that's good. You did good. Welcome.

Some of us just have to work a little harder at overcoming the things we, I guess, that we overcome. Okay. That's fine, too. You know why? Because there's a treasure buried in a field.

And we're just in the process of selling everything that we have.

Hey, you have that perspective, and life seems a lot more manageable.

Notice Psalm 30 and verse 4.

Listen to the perspective of a very wise King David.

He had gone through a lot before he wrote this psalm, because this was at the dedication of the house of, I believe, his palace. So he had gone through horrible things already in his life before he wrote this psalm. Psalm 30 verse 4.

Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of his. Hey, that's you.

And give thanks at the remembrance of his holy name.

Every time you think of God, you should go, wow, thank you for this life. Thank you for my family. Thank you for everything I have.

For the church, for your word, for the hope, and for that treasure that's buried in a field.

For his anger is but for a moment. Oh, yeah, we get our spankings.

His favor is for life. Weeping may endure for the night.

All right, you're getting a spanking and you're going to bed.

But joy comes in the morning. Good morning!

Let's go to Disney or wherever.

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, nothing I did, nothing I deserved, I didn't earn it.

You have made my mountain stand strong.

What is your mountain? It's your kingdom.

What is your kingdom?

Well, that's the treasure that's buried in a field that's waiting for you.

You hid your face and I was troubled.

And 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? It is okay to ask God to release you from a trial, to be merciful on you from a trial.

One of our members up in Waco, our elderly members, who's going through her own health trials, has a daughter diagnosed with a possible rather large cyst on her ovary.

And several doctors were convinced it was cancer.

And we all prayed, and the daughter, in faith in God, even though she doesn't go to church anymore, requested an anointed cloth.

It didn't even get to her. I get a call this week. Oh, it's benign. There's no cancer there. Three or four doctors were sure it was cancer. They've seen this before, and that's a deadly cancer. I mean, that's one of the deadly cancers, okay? Not that it's not beatable, it is. That's a tough one. Nope, it's not cancer. She'll still have to have an operation, but it's not. You can cry out to God, and He will intervene. So He's not saying, don't cry out to me. He's just saying, this life is not about being healed every time. You know?

Having every single blessing that you want now. Because this life is about selling everything that you have, and that's what you're going to do. This life is about selling everything that you have, not literally. You need to save for your children and your grandchildren. But it just means personal commitment, being all in. This life is about being all in so that you have that treasure that's buried in the field.

What profit will there be in my blood when I go to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it declare your truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me. Lord, be my helper. You have turned for me my morning into dancing.

You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness. To the end that my glory may sing praise to you, and not be silent. In other words, brethren, you are not just called for yourself. And when God intervenes, you are supposed to praise His name to other people.

You are supposed to proclaim His truth to other people, and not be ashamed of the truth of God. But literally just have the trust in God to say what you believe. As tactfully as you can, I try to be tactful when I tell people. I get into a conversation with people that are not in the church. They'll ask me, you know, I'm Catholic, what are you? Well, I'm Christian. What does that mean?

Hey, you know what? I try to be as tactful as possible. But at some point, if they are asking for both barrels, I have no problem giving them both barrels. I just do. Just let them have it. Why? For this very reason right here. Because there's a treasure buried in a field. And if they really want to know, I'm going to tell them. There's a treasure buried in a field.

I'm going to tell them, I don't believe people go to heaven and hell when they die. I believe God's going to resurrect everybody. Muslim, atheist, tribal people in islands somewhere. They're all people. God's going to bring them all up. He's going to give them all a chance. That's interesting. It's not interesting. It's treasure. He says, Oh Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

That is the Christian perspective in life. In life. I will give thanks to you forever. And if somebody asks you, you tell them. Now they may not actually be asking you. You know, if they say, Hi, how was your day? You know, they're not asking you, Praise the Lord! Let me preach the gospel to you. But if they're asking you, then you need to praise the Lord. Share the treasure! That psalm puts James 1 into perspective. Morning only lasts the night. The weeping, it only lasts through the night. And then in the morning, joy comes. Because when you wake up from death, there be treasure.

James tells us to have faith by works, to control our tongue, our tempers, our lusts. And he tells us this in Chapter 1. James 1, verse 2. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. From a carnal human perspective, that sounds absolutely stupid. It does. That sounds ridiculous. Did you hear what he just wrote? My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into trials.

When your house burns down when you're diagnosed with cancer. When you get into an automobile accident. When you get into custody battle, or your grandchildren are in a custody battle. What? Count it all joy? Are you high? No. You're Christian. And there's a treasure buried in a field. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Let patience have its perfect work. That you may be perfect and complete and lacking nothing. Why would you want to lack nothing? Why would you want, as Paul says in Hebrews 6, to go on to perfection?

Why would you want to grow up? Because there's a treasure buried in a field. And it's priceless. And your entire life is about selling everything that you have to get that treasure. So what should our perspective be? Like Psalm 30 said, His anger is but for a moment. His favor is for life. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

What joy? What morning? Sometimes our life just feels like the weeping at night, as King David wrote. But the kingdom of God is forever. Joy comes by believing God and Jesus Christ that a better day is coming. And the entire Bible is replete with that. And notice that theme is repeated over and over again. And so we're going to just walk through the repetition of that theme. Romans 5, verse 1. The Apostle Paul. Romans 5, verse 1.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. You can have peace right now. Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, the hope of the treasure to come.

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations. Knowing that tribulations produces perseverance and perseverance, character and character, hope. Now, hope does not disappoint. And it would if we relied on anybody else but God. Our hope would absolutely fall short. But our hope is in God and Jesus Christ. And hope does not disappoint when you're in that category. Because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit that was given to us. Now, we already read many things from Jesus Christ, but in Luke 6, verse 22 and 23, Luke 6, we're going through a whole list of these promises of a better day to come.

Luke 6, 22. Blesser you when men hate you, when they exclude you, when you don't get that job, and revile you and cast out your name as evil for the Son of Man's sake. Because you keep the Sabbath, because you're not part of their group, rejoice in that day and leap for joy. Yeah, that's right. You know what? It hurts. It does hurt. And there is weeping, and King David said that in Psalm 30.

There is weeping. It is okay to go, wow, that's a bummer. And then you think it through and you go, but a better day's coming. Hey, I just took one on the chin for Jesus Christ. I bet you there's a reward out there. For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers also did to the prophets. What about Peter?

The entire Bible is full of this, brethren. It's full of the perspective that your feelings matter. And how you feel about life is how your life direction will go. And so the apostles instruct us, feel this way. 1 Peter 4 verse 12, Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as though some strange thing has happened to you. So how do you feel about it? But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's suffering. You are a member of the team, a member of the very family of God.

That when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. A better day is coming. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you. There's a reward in that. There's a reward when someone thinks you're weird, excludes you, hates you, despises you, doesn't invite you to the family reunion. There's a reward in that. It's reposed by then, blessed are you, for the Spirit and glory of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let no one, let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed.

If you suffer because you're doing wrong, you deserve it. If you suffer because you are doing the right thing for God on behalf of Jesus Christ, your treasure is incalculable. But let him glorify God in this matter. Brethren, God did not call us to fail. He did not intend us to fail, and He didn't call us just to suffer.

That suffering is only for our character. I'm going to rationalize again. I needed that big drink. I didn't need the little one. We do that. We make decisions on what we want, on how we feel, and how we feel about the Kingdom of God is important. And we must feel that God is on our side. We must feel that God is not against us, even in trials. Jude 24 and 25. Jude 1, if you will. 24 and 25. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling, God's got you. And to present you faultless before the presence of His glory, going on to perfection. With exceeding joy to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty and dominion and power, both now and forever.

Amen. God wants you to walk through. He does not want you to stumble in this life. He does not want you to suffer in this life, yet just enough to give you character. And He will keep you from falling down. He will keep you from being hurt. He will even have mercy when He's building character in you, so that you may have exceeding joy. God did not call you to fail. He called you to be happy. He did!

So be happy! Matthew 13, where we started, verse 44. Again, Jesus said, Matthew 13, 44, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid. And for joy, joy! His life was happy! He went and sold everything that He owned, and He was happy about giving up everything. Why? Because He was a lunatic?

No. Because He actually knew what the treasure was. And we know what the kingdom of God is going to be. For joy over it, He goes and sells all that He has, and He buys that field. Brethren, we must make ourselves ready. Revelation 19, verse 7. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give Him glory. Not a bunch of attitude, because we're going through a trial.

Not a, why me, why me. That's not the Christian perspective. The Christian perspective is, thank you. I can't wait to get that treasure. Be glad and rejoice, and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come. And His wife has done what? Made herself ready. Sold everything for that treasure. 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. And 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 the true sayings of God.

So how do you feel about life? Does it kind of bum you out once in a while? That's okay. Bums all of us out once in a while.

All of the apostles got bummed out. King David got bummed out all the time, and he wrote about it. He would write songs about it to help us through it. But every single time, every single time, His feelings were down. He remembered there was a treasure buried in a field. And He got out of those doldrums. And He had joy, and He had peace. Brethren, our feelings of how we feel about this life and where we're going directly impact how we will grow. Don't let yourself stay in the doldrums. All bummed out all the time. But remember that there's a treasure waiting for you, buried in a field. And this life is going to have its bumps, because it's all about selling everything you have to gain that treasure.