Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001370A
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00:00 ♪ [Dramatic Theme Music] ♪
00:07 Announcer :It has stood the test of time. 00:11 God's book, the Bible. 00:17 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:22 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe. 00:38 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw, 00:42 thanks for joining me. ♪ [Whimsical Music] ♪ 00:45 In 2011 a man named Josh Ferrin was exploring the home in Utah 00:51 he and his family had just moved into... 01:00 when he found an old ammo box in a sort of attic space. 01:12 He opened it up and he said he freaked out. 01:20 There was $45,000 in there. 01:25 So what did he do? Well, he contacted the children 01:27 of the man who had owned the house. 01:29 That man was no longer living. And he gave them the money-- 01:34 $45,000.00. Now, some people thought 01:37 he was crazy, but he said it was 01:40 a great opportunity to teach his children to do the right thing. 01:44 Now, he did think of car payments and house payments-- 01:46 who wouldn't? But he said, "I feel so lucky 01:49 that I was the guy that found the treasure." 01:53 And he gave it back. 01:59 Now, there's a story in the Bible, told by Jesus, 02:02 where somebody finds treasure. And he does something 02:05 just a little different. It's a short story; 02:08 it's found in Matthew chapter 13 and verse 44. 02:11 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, 02:16 which a man found and hid. And for joy over it, he goes and 02:21 sells all that he has and buys that field." 02:24 Now, there's a second, similar parable that follows 02:27 right after this one. We'll get to that 02:29 in just a moment. Parables are interesting things. 02:33 Jesus used them to teach lessons and to get people to think. 02:38 Jesus used illustrations or object lessons 02:40 from the natural world to teach spiritual realities. 02:44 People were familiar with seed sowing or flowers or lost sheep. 02:48 And so by using the known and the understood, Jesus could open 02:52 up minds and hearts to understand deep 02:55 and important spiritual truths. And they were lessons 02:59 that would stick. When Jesus said, 03:02 consider the lilies, every time somebody saw 03:05 a beautiful flower, that lesson could be remembered. 03:08 A sower went forth to sow. Now, in that agrarian society, 03:11 people saw farmers sowing seed all the time, so this lesson 03:14 would come to mind again and again. 03:17 And instead of just telling people everything plainly, 03:20 Jesus taught in such a way as to engage a person's thought 03:24 processes, to get a person to really, to really ask questions 03:27 and to look for answers. Parables were an effective way 03:31 of teaching. And Jesus could say in parables, 03:34 teaching things that He wasn't able to say and teach openly. 03:38 The Bible tells us there were spies sent out to follow Jesus 03:42 and to try to trap Him in His words-- to find something 03:45 incriminating in what He said so that the authorities could find 03:47 an excuse to get Jesus in deep trouble. 03:51 Parables gave Jesus the opportunity to say a lot 03:55 without saying too much. Those who wanted to know more 03:58 would be drawn to ask more. Those who didn't want to 04:01 shrugged their shoulders and moved on, and that's what 04:03 they wanted to do. Now today we start an occasional 04:07 series of programs based on some of the parables Jesus taught. 04:11 I'm calling this series "Lessons for All Time." 04:14 Now, let's look at Matthew 13 verse 44 again. 04:19 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, 04:23 which a man found and hid, and for joy over it he goes and 04:28 sells all that he has and buys that field." 04:33 Now, we might wrestle with the ethics of some of that, but in 04:36 Jesus' day there really wasn't any moral dilemma involved. 04:39 There weren't banks then, like there are today, 04:41 and if common people wanted to keep their valuables safe, 04:44 they'd do something like somebody did in this case. 04:47 They might take their treasure and hide it where it wasn't 04:49 likely to be found. Now, by the time this treasure 04:52 was found, it could have been hundreds of years later, 04:54 after it had been hidden. Not even the owner of the field 04:57 knew about it. But we do know it wasn't illegal 05:01 or, at that time, unethical for a person to do what the man in 05:04 this story did. A field worker, maybe he was a 05:06 hired servant. He's out in the field plowing 05:10 when the plow strikes something hard in the ground. 05:13 He investigates. He realizes what he's found. 05:17 And life's about to get interesting for the man. 05:19 So let's consider this parable. First, two thoughts. 05:23 Two thoughts we'll look at right away. 05:25 To begin with, someone had a field that contained something 05:28 incredibly valuable and didn't know. 05:32 Now, that's how it can be with a lot of people, and the Bible, 05:35 this book, this book is life itself. 05:39 The Bible contains the only accurate picture 05:41 of who God really is. It tells the story of how 05:45 God created a perfect world, how sin entered the world, 05:48 how God has done everything He can to save us, 05:52 after we've fallen into sin. The Bible tells us that 05:55 in the beginning God created us, 05:58 and everything else. And then when 06:00 we went off the rails, God went to extreme measures 06:04 to win us back to Himself. Now, it's true, 06:07 you get people-- many people, tragically-- 06:10 who dismiss the Bible. And that's their right. 06:12 People are free to do with the Bible whatever they want. 06:15 But I think people like that are like the man who sold the 06:18 field-- presuming it was a man. They don't know the value of 06:22 what they have, and maybe that's simply because they've 06:25 never really checked it out. If you've never really checked 06:29 out the Bible, if you've never read the Bible for yourself, 06:33 I encourage you to do so. A man in Italy bought a couple 06:37 of paintings in 1975 from a police auction. 06:41 He and another man both bid on the paintings until he bought 06:44 them for the grand sum of right around $32. 06:47 He took them home and hung them on his kitchen wall, where these 06:52 two paintings hung for almost 40 years, 06:55 until his son-- who was taking an art appreciation class 06:59 in school-- noticed something about the paintings. 07:02 The boy discovered that one of them was by a painter named 07:05 Pierre Bonnard and the other was by Paul Gaugin. 07:10 They were both originals, worth $50 million. 07:15 They'd been stolen in London years before, and because 07:18 the original owners had claimed insurance money for them, 07:21 the paintings now belonged to the Italian man. 07:25 He had $50 million hanging on his wall 07:28 for almost four decades. Didn't have a clue what he had. 07:33 Often it's like that with the Bible. 07:35 A lot of people have the Bible within their reach, and they 07:38 don't have a clue about the treasure that's really theirs. 07:43 Now, there's another thought I'd like to consider with you in 07:44 this short parable, and that is this: 07:48 When the man found out that there was treasure 07:50 in the field, he sold all that he had 07:54 and bought the field. We'll look at that more 07:57 in just a moment. 08:00 ♪ [Gentle Melody] ♪ >: In Matthew 4:4, 08:03 the Word of God says, "It is written, 08:05 man shall not live by bread alone 08:07 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 08:11 "Every Word" is a one-minute, Bible-based daily 08:14 devotional presented by Pastor John Bradshaw, 08:16 and designed especially for busy people like you. 08:19 Look for "Every Word" on selected networks 08:22 or watch it online every day on our website, 08:24 ItIsWritten.com. Receive a daily spiritual boost: 08:28 Watch "Every Word." You'll be glad you did. 08:36 ♪ [Rythmic Melody] ♪ 08:40 JB: A red Ferrari recently sold at auction for 08:44 27 and a half million dollars. A car. Not an aircraft, 08:48 not an ocean liner, a car. 08:51 Can any car be worth that much? Careful how you answer. 08:53 You could say no, no car is worth almost 30 million dollars. 08:57 But if someone's willing to pay that much, then that's what 09:00 that car is worth, at least to that person. 09:03 Long ago, God allowed His Son to come to this earth to 09:06 redeem a planet of lost sinners. And what did He pay? 09:10 First Peter 1, 18 and 19: "For as much as ye know that 09:14 you were not redeemed with corruptible things, but with 09:17 the precious blood of Christ." Jesus gave His life for that 09:20 criminal, for the drunk in the gutter. 09:22 For you. Too much? 09:24 In God's eyes, that's how much you're worth. 09:27 ♪ [Every Word Theme] ♪ Don't forget, you are valuable. 09:29 Especially to God. I'm John Bradshaw 09:32 for It Is Written. Let's live today by every word. 09:35 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 09:38 Thanks for joining me. Today, two parables taught by 09:41 Jesus that ask a searching question: 09:45 How much are you willing to give for eternal life? 09:50 Now, something to remember about a parable is that not every part 09:53 of the parable is always used by Jesus to make a spiritual point. 09:56 They're stories, after all. Some parts of the parables 10:00 are just a part of the story. The key points are the ones 10:03 you want to look for. Jesus shared a parable about 10:05 a man working a field when he found treasure hidden there. 10:10 He sold everything he had, bought the field, 10:13 and got the treasure. And here's a key point 10:16 in the story: The man perceived that 10:19 the field had value. So he gave all that he had 10:22 in order to get it. And that's a strong reference 10:25 to the value a person ought to place on salvation. 10:28 Jesus is simply saying to His listeners, if you found 10:31 a treasure hidden in a field, you'd do everything in your 10:34 power to get that field and obtain the treasure. 10:37 Are you willing to do the same for God's kingdom 10:40 of eternal glory? You could only imagine what it 10:43 might have been like for someone experiencing what Jesus was 10:46 talking about in this story. Here you have a poor laborer, 10:49 plowing the field for a wealthy landowner. 10:52 Suddenly the plow strikes a rock buried beneath the soil. 10:56 He stops the oxen, reaches down to dig up the rock. 10:59 And his life is about to change. It had to have been like when 11:02 the archeologist Howard Carter found the tomb of Tutankhamen. 11:05 He said out loud, "Gold. Everywhere, 11:08 the glint of gold." Very few archeologists ever 11:12 find anything remotely like what Carter found, 11:15 even after years of searching. What Jesus described in this 11:19 parable of the hidden treasure was something which probably 11:22 didn't happen to ordinary people in that day very often. 11:25 So the laborer in Jesus' day finds the hidden treasure, 11:30 then he hides it again. Jesus doesn't give many details, 11:33 but we can imagine the man seeking out the owner of the 11:35 field, asking if he could buy the field or at least that 11:39 portion of the field where the treasure was found. 11:42 The owner gives him a price, evidently quite high. 11:44 Because after all, Jesus said the man had to sell everything 11:47 that he had in order to buy it. No doubt the man kept secret the 11:52 fact that he'd found the valuable treasure. 11:56 Now, he starts selling his possessions. 11:57 Jesus said, everything. He doesn't tell his family and 12:00 his friends any details but that he plans to buy the field. 12:04 They think he's crazy. But he knows what he's doing, 12:07 and he won't let anything stop him. 12:10 Eventually he gathers enough funds to buy the field, 12:14 and when he does he walks away a very rich man. 12:19 He says it was worth it. In our world today, there aren't 12:23 many who understand the real value of the gospel treasure. 12:27 It's amazing when you stop and think about it. 12:29 We'll work hard to get stuff-- not necessarily bad stuff-- 12:33 houses and cars and whatever else, without realizing 12:37 what is truly important. Jesus asked this question, 12:41 in Mathew chapter 16 and verse 26: 12:45 "For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world 12:49 and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give 12:53 in exchange for his soul?" In other words, 12:57 what's truly valuable? Nothing wrong with stuff, 13:01 but you've got to have the right stuff for life 13:03 to really be worth anything. Now, the second story Jesus 13:07 told, about the sacrifice of all in exchange for His kingdom, 13:11 is found right after the story of the hidden treasure. 13:14 Again, the kingdom is like a merchant man seeking beautiful 13:18 pearls who, when he had found one pearl of great price, 13:23 went and sold all that he had and bought it. 13:27 That's Matthew 13, verses 45 and 46. 13:30 Ocean pearls were considered a great treasure in the days of 13:33 Jesus. Here's one interesting story 13:35 about pearls. It's from the general time frame 13:37 in which Jesus lived. It comes from the life 13:40 of Julius Caesar. Now, in his youth Caesar was 13:42 captured by pirates in the Aegean Sea, and he was forced to 13:45 spend a number of months with them before the Roman Senate 13:49 could raise enough money for his ransom. 13:51 After the ransom was paid, Caesar was set free, and he 13:55 returned some months later and took the pirates and all their 14:00 treasure into his custody. But then, in a gesture similar 14:05 to what we find in the story from the life of Abraham 14:07 in the Bible, Caesar gave nearly all 14:10 the captured treasure to those city-states and others in their 14:13 vicinity whose wealth the pirates had originally stolen. 14:18 For himself, Caesar only kept a few choice pearls, some of which 14:22 were the color of strawberries. It is said that those pearls 14:26 were priceless, and in the coming years Caesar even gave 14:30 those to certain of his close friends. 14:33 It's easy to imagine that the pearl of great price in the 14:36 story told by Jesus was pretty comparable to one of those 14:40 pearls chosen by Caesar. The lesson in both of these 14:44 short stories is the same. God's kingdom is worth 14:48 everything. The gospel and its promise 14:52 embrace eternal realities. What we have on this earth 14:56 passes with our days, and when we die, 15:00 we can't take it with us. Now, think about this: 15:04 This parable about the pearl is interesting. 15:07 Now, we know that salvation is a free gift. 15:10 You can't earn it, you'll never deserve it. 15:13 It can only be received one way-- 15:15 that's as a gift. But in this story the man 15:20 buys the pearl. It isn't given to him. 15:23 Now why is that? It's true, salvation is free. 15:28 But at the same time, salvation costs you everything. 15:33 Everything. And not simply in the sense of 15:36 everything that you have, but in the sense of 15:38 everything that you are. More in just a moment. 15:44 [Suspensful Melody] 15:52 JB: "But ye shall receive power. After that the Holy Ghost is 15:56 come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me, 15:59 both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria, 16:02 and unto the uttermost part of the earth." 16:07 The uttermost part of the earth seems like an appropriate way to 16:11 describe Mongolia, sandwiched between China and Siberia. 16:18 About 2.5 percent of Mongolians are Christians, 16:22 or to put it another way, Mongolia is 97.5 percent 16:28 non-Christian. 16:31 There's simply very little knowledge of Christianity. 16:35 The Church hasn't made real inroads here, 16:39 and according to the Bible, somehow or other, 16:42 Mongolians will all be given an opportunity to know Jesus. 16:48 It Is Written's "Mission Mongolia" 16:50 is bringing the good news of Jesus Christ 16:53 to the people of Mongolia. People are having 16:56 their health needs met. Those who need clothing to 16:59 protect themselves against the brutally cold winter 17:02 are being helped also. Your support of Mission Mongolia 17:06 will make it possible for It Is Written to send teams of 17:09 missionaries to Mongolia, to share the gospel 17:11 of Jesus Christ. Bibles are needed in the 17:15 Mongolian languages, and your help will make it possible for 17:18 people to own their very own Bible for the first time, 17:22 and learn of Jesus. Other humanitarian needs will 17:25 also be met, as Mission Mongolia provides for many people who are 17:30 being left behind by a society relentlessly rushing forward. 17:35 Don't leave Mongolians in the dark. 17:39 Your help will make it possible for Mission Mongolia 17:42 to introduce people to Jesus. Call now, (800) 253-3000. 17:49 That's (800) 253-3000 to support Mission Mongolia. 17:56 Or visit us online at www.ItIsWritten.com. 18:01 Or you can support this work or learn more about it 18:04 by writing to It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, 18:08 Chattanooga, TN 37401. 18:13 JB: This is It Is Written. Thanks for joining me. 18:16 For someone to truly come to Jesus, that person comes to 18:20 Christ and lays his or her entire life down at His feet. 18:25 And that's where a lot of people stumble. 18:27 They want to be a follower of Jesus, but they don't want to 18:30 surrender their whole life to Him necessarily. 18:33 They'll take the benefits of Christianity-- eternal life, 18:36 mansions in heaven, streets of gold, 18:39 even being thought of as a good person in society-- 18:42 but they don't want to let God be God of their entire life. 18:46 Now, you cannot really come to God in half measures. 18:50 You might have hard it said, God isn't God at all 18:53 unless He's God of all. Now, when Jesus enters your 18:57 life, He becomes Savior and Lord. 19:00 And that is an indescribable blessing. 19:04 The sacrifice of self-- that is the sacrifice 19:07 of our wants, or our habits of self-indulgence, 19:10 even sometimes the sacrifice of practical necessities when they 19:14 clash with the greater good. It's almost entirely unheard 19:17 of in our pleasure-driven, self-focused world. 19:21 Now, think of how much men and women in past ages have given 19:23 for faith in Jesus and the joy of total surrender to Jesus. 19:28 Think of martyrs who gave their lives for Christ because 19:32 continuing to live meant giving up their spiritual integrity. 19:35 Now, it's true today, Jesus isn't really calling 19:38 very many to die for Him. But it's very true that Jesus is 19:42 calling everyone to live for Him. 19:46 And do we truly understand what it means to surrender everything 19:50 for Christ's sake. A lot of people can't imagine 19:53 what it would be like to give up a secret glass of alcohol. 19:56 Some refuse to turn away from videos on the computer which 19:59 press all the wrong buttons. You know, there are a thousand 20:03 things people do knowing that when they do those things 20:06 God is dishonored. But the question has to be 20:09 asked: How important is heaven to you? 20:12 Or, to put it another way, how important is it to you for 20:16 God to come first in your life? It probably pays to remember 20:21 that if sin is so precious that the claims of Christ are turned 20:26 aside, when times come which demand total sacrifice 20:30 we won't have a chance. We'll give in so fast the sin 20:33 and temptation will surprise even ourselves. 20:36 And when we do give in, everything will be lost, 20:39 including eternal life. You see, it's right now that 20:43 we have to prepare for the great trials, 20:45 the future is going to bring. Small tests, small trials in our 20:48 walk with God, are designed by God to prepare us 20:51 for the ultimate surrender of everything. 20:54 It's like, well, school coursework. 20:56 Or Olympic athletes, training. Or somebody training to be a 20:59 Navy SEAL. The small challenges get us 21:03 ready for the bigger challenges. When someone works out 21:06 at the gym they don't try bench-pressing 300 pounds 21:09 right from the word go. You work up to something like 21:12 that a little bit at a time, lifting more and more until 21:15 you've got enough strength and muscle tone to get the 300 21:18 pounds lifted successfully. That's how God leads us in the 21:23 development of a real Christian, surrendered Christian, 21:26 character. It's one step at a time. 21:29 At each step the heart is tested and tried just a little more 21:33 closely. And as we learn to cooperate 21:36 with God and surrender to God, we'll be prepared for the final 21:39 test of the last days and we'll become then part of that 21:42 glorious company who surround God's throne for eternity. 21:47 The principal of total sacrifice is what Jesus was talking 21:50 about in these parables when He spoke about 21:52 the need to give up everything in exchange for salvation. 21:56 Now, let me head something off. I've learned that when you start 22:00 to talk about living a really committed life for God, 22:03 that someone is ready to talk about legalism. 22:06 No! As long as I have faith in God, 22:10 that's all that matters. Well, you can't really 22:13 argue with that, because that's a true statement. 22:15 But here's what faith in God does: 22:18 Faith in God looks at Jesus hanging on the cross. 22:22 Faith in God remembers that God is love and gave everything 22:26 in the gift of Jesus for this world. 22:28 Faith in God realizes that God is truly good, and that what 22:33 He offers to us is the best possible way in life. 22:37 Faith in God does not ask how much do I have to give; 22:41 it asks how much may I give. The Bible says we love God 22:45 because He first loved us. Faith in God rejoices 22:49 in being committed to God. It chooses to do things God's 22:52 way, and doesn't fight against the leading of the Holy Spirit. 22:56 The Bible shows that we give ourselves to Christ to live 23:01 our lives connected to Him. And when you're connected to 23:05 Christ, you're going to want the will of God worked out 23:08 in your life. Heaven's power produces 23:11 obedience in your life, and you'll love to obey. 23:15 The man who bought the pearl, he was happy to give 23:17 everything because he knew what he was getting. 23:20 When you give everything for Jesus, when you lay down your 23:23 life totally for Him, now that, that'll bring you joy. 23:28 Jesus emphasized this when He told the story of the Good 23:31 Samaritan to a lawyer one day. The lawyer asked Jesus, 23:34 "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 23:37 And here's what Jesus said when he responded. 23:40 "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" 23:44 Now the lawyer answered and said, 23:46 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 23:50 with all your soul, and with all your strength, 23:53 and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." 23:58 And He, Christ, said to him: "You have answered rightly. 24:01 Do this, and you will live." That's Luke 10, verses 25 to 28. 24:06 Now, really, this is just too radical for a lot of people. 24:10 The people in Jesus' day wanted to wear the crown, 24:12 but the cross was too heavy for almost all of them. 24:15 Everything we have. Our talents, our material 24:19 resources, our intelligence, our physical and mental energy, 24:22 everything should be consecrated to God's service. 24:26 When give ourselves totally to Jesus, Jesus gives Himself 24:31 totally to us. And it's then that we obtain the 24:35 pearl of great price. ♪ [heartfelt underscore] ♪ 24:38 How much are you prepared to give in exchange for eternal 24:40 life with Jesus? How much are you prepared to 24:43 surrender for eternal joy in God's presence? 24:48 The glitter, the luster, the pleasure of this world 24:51 may satisfy for a while, but it won't last. 24:56 Eventually, like Solomon says, the evil days come and we have 25:00 pleasure no longer. But God's kingdom of selfless 25:04 love and service for others will bring joy forever. 25:09 And that's worth the price of everything. 25:13 Now, there's something I'd like to offer you today. 25:15 I've got a special, free offer that I really hope you will get. 25:19 It's a brand-new resource from It Is Written. 25:22 It's this study called "As Good As It Gets." 25:27 And I'd like to send it to you free. 25:29 Here's all you do in order to get 25:31 "As Good As It Gets." Call us now at (800) 253-3000. 25:37 That's 1 (800) 253-3000. If you're not successful in 25:42 getting through the first time you call, please do call again. 25:46 (800) 253-3000. Or, write to us at 25:51 It Is Written, Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401, 25:58 and I'll be sure to send you a brand-new resource, 26:02 "As Good As It Gets" right away. 26:05 This resource will show you the value of 26:07 the pearl of great price. It'll discuss really that hidden 26:11 treasure, and you'll want to get it, and this study guide will 26:14 encourage you in that way. So do call (800) 253-3000 or 26:20 write to It Is Written, Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401 26:24 And there's something else I'd like to share with you, 26:25 and that is this: You know that It Is Written 26:28 is a faith-based ministry. We rely on the kindness, 26:31 on the gracious gifts of people just like you to keep 26:35 It Is Written in ministry. If you give to support It Is 26:38 Written; to support the work of sharing Jesus around the 26:41 world-- this broadcast goes around the world-- to keep It Is 26:45 Written on the front lines, lifting up Jesus in ministry, 26:48 sharing Christ and the gift of salvation, please call that same 26:52 number or write to that same address. 26:55 And I'd appreciate that greatly. I'm glad you've joined me today. 26:59 Before we go I'd like to pray with you. 27:01 Let's pray together now. Our Father in heaven, 27:04 I thank You today for that treasure, Jesus. 27:08 For the Pearl of Great Price, our Savior and our Lord. 27:11 And we realize together that in order to have a successful 27:14 relationship with Jesus, we must give our entire lives to you. 27:18 Please take our lives, and allow us to live in a truly committed 27:21 way. Right now there's somebody who 27:24 realizes now is the time to surrender to You. 27:27 Come close to that one. Give that person the assurance 27:30 of eternal life and the experience of surrender to You. 27:34 We thank You today, and we pray in Jesus' name. 27:38 Amen. ♪ [Musical Interlude] ♪ 27:52 ♪ [Theme music] ♪ JB: Thanks for joining me today. 27:54 I look forward to seeing you again next time. 27:56 Until then, remember, It Is Written: 27:59 Man shall not live by bread alone, 28:02 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 28:05 ♪ Theme Music Swells] ♪ |
Revised 2016-01-18