Matthew chapter 13. Look, beginning with verse 45.
Matthew 13, verse 45. Again, the kingdom of heaven
is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls. who, when he had
found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had,
and he bought it. Now, the Lord willing, I want
us to look at this passage of Scripture this evening, and I want us to have a Bible study.
I want us to see four lessons here. from this merchant man. First, he seeks. Second, he finds. Third, he sells out. And fourth, he buys. He purchases. I'll warn you in
advance, there's a number of scriptures. I told you we're
going to have a Bible study. There's a number of scriptures
I want us to turn to this evening. First, he's seeking. This merchant man, his mind is
set on seeking. Turn to Matthew. Hold your place
there, but turn to Matthew chapter 6. In verse 33, Matthew 6, 33, our Lord says,
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and
all these things shall be added unto you. Turn back to the Old
Testament, turn to 1 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles chapter 16. Verse 11, 1 Chronicles 16 verse
11. Seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and His strength. Seek His face continually. Psalm 105, the 105th Psalm. Look at verse 4. Again, what do we read? Seek
the Lord. Seek the Lord and His strength. Seek His face forevermore. In the book of Proverbs, Proverbs
8.17, it says, I love them that love Me, and those that
seek Me early shall find Me. Isaiah 55 verse 6 says, Seek
the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Seek Him. Seek Him first. Seek Him continually. Seek Him
forevermore. Seek Him early. Seek Him when
and where He may be found. That's what God's Word instructs
us to do, to seek Him. You know, back there in Matthew,
at the birth of our Lord, What did those wise men do? What do
we read that they did? They sought the Lord. I remember
Brother Henry preaching a message from that years ago and he said,
wise men still, that was the title of it, wise men still seek
the Lord. David said this back in the Psalms,
he said, I sought the Lord. And he heard me, and he delivered
me out of all of my fears. Oh, that we would seek the Lord. Turn back to our text here in
Matthew 13. The kingdom of heaven is like
unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who when he had found. That's the second point. He seeks
and he finds. Isn't that the whole purpose
of seeking something? Isn't that the whole purpose
of looking for something with the intent of finding it? Don Fortner told a story years
ago of a farmer that sold his crops It was late in the evening
and the bank was closed and that man, he took all that money and
he stuck it in his billfold for safekeeping and he lost it. A whole year's worth of crops. That money was lost. And as you can guess, he went
back and he looked and he looked and he looked until what? Until
he found it. Imagine any of us in here losing
$1,000 out in the parking lot. I'm just convinced we would turn
every car upside down out there until we found it, wouldn't we? How diligently, how diligently
would we seek after it? This man, this merchant man,
he's seeking goodly pearls. And he finds it. He finds that
pearl. And when he found it, he said,
I've got to have it. I must have that pearl. Again, turn with me to a few
scriptures here. Turn to Deuteronomy chapter 4. Deuteronomy chapter 4. Look at verse 29. But if from thence thou shalt
seek the Lord thy God, oh what a promise, Thou shalt find him
if you seek him with all your heart, if you seek him with all
your soul. Turn to Proverbs 8. Proverbs
8. Look at verse 17. He says, I love them that love
me, and those that seek me early, there it is again, shall find
me. Isn't that all the more reason
to seek him? Has the Lord laid it on your
heart to seek Him? This promise is written over
and over in God's Word. Turn to Jeremiah, the book of
Jeremiah 29. Look at verse 13, Jeremiah 29. Verse 13, ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search
for me with all your heart. Turn back to Matthew, turn to
Matthew 7, Matthew chapter 7. These are the words of our Lord
Himself. Look at verse 7 of Matthew 7. He says, Ask, and it shall be
given you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened
for you. For everyone that asketh receiveth. Why don't men receive? Because they're too proud to
ask. Why don't men find? Because they
don't need anything. Scripture says this, he that
seeketh, findeth. To him that knocketh, it shall
be opened. In Acts 17, we read, that they
should seek the Lord, men should seek the Lord, if happily they
might feel after Him and find Him, though He be not far from
every one of us. What are all these verses saying? They that seek, they that seek
diligently, they that seek with all their heart, they that seek,
shall find. Turn back to Matthew chapter
13. Again, verse 45, again, the kingdom
of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who
when he had found one pearl of great price, he went and he sold
all that he had and he bought it. This man sells out. Nothing, nothing means more to
him than this pearl and he must Have it. This pearl that he sought,
this pearl that he found, he sells out and he says, I have
to have it. Just name your price. Whatever
it is, I've got to have it. Nothing else matters. Everything
he has is nothing when compared to this pearl of great price. Again, he sells everything. Turn
with me again to just a few more scriptures. Turn to Matthew chapter
4. Look beginning with verse 18
of Matthew 4. And Jesus, walking by the Sea
of Galilee, He saw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew
his brother, casting a net into the sea. They were fishers. And he said to them, follow me
and I will make you fishers of men. And look what they did. Straightway they left their nets,
they left their occupation. They left everything. They left
their nets and they followed him. Turn to Luke, Luke chapter 5. Here's another account here,
Luke chapter five beginning with verse four. Now when he had left speaking,
the Lord had left speaking, he said unto Simon, launch out into
the deep and let down your nets for a drought. And Simon answering
said unto him, master, we've toiled all night and we've taken
nothing. Nevertheless, nevertheless, at thy word, I'll
do it. I'll let down the net." And when
they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes in
their net break, and they beckoned to their partners. that were
in the other ship, these other men that were out fishing, and
that they should come and help them. And they came and they
filled both ships so that they began to sink. And when Simon
Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees saying, depart from
me, for I am a sinful man. Oh Lord, for he was astonished,
and all that were with him, and the draught of fishes which they
had taken. And so was also James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear
not, henceforth you're going to catch men. And when they brought
their ships to the land, You think about this. Again, this
was their occupation. This is what they did for a living.
When they brought their ships to the land, it says, they forsook
all and they followed him. Their ships, their nets, they left everything that was
theirs behind and they followed him. Turn to Acts chapter 20. Acts
20. Look at verse 22. And now, Paul says, now behold, I go bound
in the Spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall
befall me there, save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every
city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move
me. Neither count I my own life dear
to myself. so that I may finish my course
with joy in the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus
to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Is it safe to
say that Paul had sold out? He said, none of these things
move me. He said, I don't even count my
own life dear to me for the sake of the gospel. Turn to another passage with
me, turn to the book of Philippians. I told you we were gonna turn
to a bunch of scriptures, I warned you. Turn to Philippians. Philippians chapter three. beginning with verse one. Finally, my brethren, rejoice
in the Lord. To write the same things to you,
to me, indeed, is not grievous, but for you it's safe. Beware
of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision, for
we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and
rejoice in Christ Jesus, and we have no confidence in the
flesh." And Paul says, though, I might also have confidence
in the flesh. Listen to his resume here. He
said, if any other man thinketh he hath whereof he might trust
in the flesh, I more. Circumcised the eighth day of
the stock of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, A Hebrew of the
Hebrews as touching the law, a Pharisee concerning zeal, persecuting
the church, touching the righteousness which is of the law, blameless. But what things were gained to
me? Those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, I count all things,
but loss. For the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but done, that I may win Christ."
Paul said, I've suffered the loss of everything. Everything
I own, everything dear to me, And he wasn't complaining about
it, was he? He said, I counted all but done. My desire, that one I must have,
who is it? It's Christ. It's none other but the Lord
Jesus Christ, and nothing else matters but Him. Remember what our Lord told Martha? One thing, one thing is needful. Nothing else matters. Sold out
for one, and that's Christ. And Christ alone, not Christ
in a profession, not Christ in some so-called good works, not
Christ in anything. Christ and Christ alone. He said, I count all things but
loss. This merchant man, he seeks,
he finds, he sells out all for this to buy that one pearl of
great price. Everything he had. It was immediate. It was final. You know, when
a man seeks the Lord and the Lord's pleased to reveal him
to that man, he seeks nothing more. He'll
continually seek the Lord, but there's nothing else that matters. And there's no buyer's remorse
involved either. This is a transaction never regretted,
never looked back on. Isaiah 55 1, just listen to this,
let me read it to you. How could we ever afford such
a thing? Isaiah 55 verse 1 says, ho, everyone that thirsteth,
come ye to the waters. He that hath no money, Come. Buy. Eat. Come buy wine and milk without
money and without price. All by His grace. All by His free and sovereign
grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. Seek. Find. Sell. Purchase. I'm confident that
is good instruction for us. To seek the Lord, to seek Him
with all your heart. Oh, and to find Him. How many
times do we read, those that seek, what's the result? They find. To sell out for Him,
that nothing else would matter. All to know Christ and be found
in Him. Paul said, I don't even count
my own life dear to me. But quickly, give me just a few
more minutes here and let us consider this passage of Scripture
in light of what Christ has done for His people. The kingdom of heaven is likened
to a merchant man seeking goodly pearls who when he found one
pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and
he bought it. Turn with me to the book of Luke.
We read this to open the service. Luke chapter 15. First we see here that he seeks.
He seeks. Look at this passage. It says,
What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them,
doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go
after that which is lost? He doesn't wait until the sheep
is willing to return. He doesn't wait to see if he
makes an attempt to come back. No, my friends, that sheep is
lost and it will stay lost until the great shepherd of the sheep
goes and seeks after it. He seeks after that which was
lost. and He finds. He finds. The Lord Jesus Christ didn't
come into this world to attempt to find men. He didn't come into
this world to attempt to do anything. What He came to do, He accomplished. He came to do it and He did it. He seeks until He He continues until the work is
finished. He seeks until he finds it. And he finds them. He finds his
sheep all over the place. He finds them in the temple. He finds them in the tombs. He
finds him along the roadside begging. He found Zacchaeus up
in a tree. Remember that woman at the well?
She came there at a time when she didn't think anybody else
would be there, did she? Lord knew she would be there.
The Lord drew her there, and he found her there. How about
the eunuch? He was sitting in a chariot.
reading Old Testament scripture, he found a jailer there in the
prison. Wherever they are, he finds them. He finds some of them as young
men. He finds others in old age, some
even near death. But rest assured, if there he
is, he will find them. Not one will be lost. He seeks
till he finds. And when he finds it, he lays
it on his shoulder rejoicing. I ask you this, did he sell out for that which he purchased? Our Lord gave everything. He gave his life, blood. Greater love hath no man than
this, that he lay down his life for his friend. All that to purchase his people. He said, I laid down my life
for the sheep. Were you bought? Scripture says
we're bought. We're bought with a price. Therefore
glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
You're his. And those that he sought, those
that he found, Those that he sold out for, again, he paid
the purchase price. Those that he purchased, there he is. He is. And when he cometh home, he calleth
together his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them,
rejoice with me, for I have found My sheep. Huh? My sheep which was lost. There he is. Where he is. Huh? He calls them my sheep. Eternally his. Never to perish. Never to be
plucked out of his hand. Aren't we thankful that he seeks, that he finds,
that he sells out, that he purchases. And what he purchases is his. All right. Isaac, come lead us
in a closing hymn.