The Priority of Sacrifice in the Kingdom

1. The Priority of Sacrifice in the Kingdom Matthew 13:44 - 46

2. Challenges in Understanding the Text • What did the disciples understand? • “Do you understand all these things?” “Yes,” they said, “we do.” (Matthew 13:51) • Our challenges today • An accurate understanding of the context • Balance in the interpretation

3. What is most precious in life and how do we get it?

4. The Kingdom of God is the most precious in life and the only access to it is total commitment

6. “Total commitment is the channel to God’s best and biggest blessing flows” – Chip Ingram

7. Total Commitment • Freewill • Courage • Sacrifice

8. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

9. Freewill • Self-determination • Voluntarily • Joyful response

10. Freewill Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means ‘son of encouragement’), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet. (Acts 4:36 – 37)

11. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

12. Courage

13. Current News Four foreigners; An Egyptian, South African, a Korean and a Swede who was travelling on a US passport, have been arrested in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on suspicion of being Christian missionaries.

14. Courage For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18)

15. Courage But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, the weak things of the world to shame the strong. (1 Cor. 1:27)

16. Courage • David vs. Goliath (1 Samuel 17) • Queen Esther

17. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

18. Sacrifice But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. (Phil 3:7 – 8)

19. The Calling of Matthew As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him (Matt. 9:9) (Mark 2:14), (Luke 5:27)

20. Total Commitment • Freewill • Courage • Sacrifice

21. Psalms 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.