The Kingdom of God

1

• The Kingdom of God
• A biblical study in twelve lectures
• by Steve Gregg
• Lecture 6
• The Cost and Value
• of the Kingdom

2

• Matthew 1344-46
• Again, the kingdom of heaven is like 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.
• Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
  seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found
  one pearl of great price, went and sold all that
  he had and bought it.

3

• Matthew 1344
• Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure
  hidden in a field
• Matthew 1338
• The field is the world

4

• Matthew 1344
• Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure
  hidden in a field
• Exodus 195
• Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice
  and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special
  treasure to Me above all people

5

• Matthew 1344
• he goes and sells all that he has and buys
  that field.
• 2 Corinthians 89
• For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus
  Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your
  sakes He became poor, that you through His
  poverty might become rich.

6

• Philippians 25-8
• Let this mind be in you which was also in
  Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did
  not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the
  form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness
  of men. And being found in appearance as a man,
  He humbled Himself and became obedient to the
  point of death, even the death of the cross.

7

• Matthew 1344
• and for joy over it he goes and sells all
• Hebrews 122
• looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
  of our faith, who for the joy that was set before
  Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and
  has sat down at the right hand of the throne of
  God.

8

• Matthew 1344
• he goes and sells all that he has
• and buys that field.
• Acts 2028
• Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the
  flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you
  overseers, to shepherd the church of God
• which He purchased with His own blood.

9

• 1 Corinthians 619-20
• you are not your ownFor you were bought at
  a price therefore glorify God in your body and
  in your spirit, which are Gods.

10

• 1 Peter 118-19
• knowing that you were not redeemed with
  corruptible things, like silver or gold, from
  your aimless conduct received by tradition from
  your fathers, but with the precious blood of
  Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
  spot.

11

• 1 John 22
• And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins,
  and not for ours only but also
• for the whole world.

12

• Matthew 1345-46
• Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
  merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he
  had found one pearl of great price, went and sold
  all that he had and bought it.

13
From Discipleby Juan Carlos Ortiz

• when we find Jesus, it costs us everything. He
  has happiness, joy, peace, healing, security,
  eternity, everything. So we say, I want this
  pearl. How much is it?
• Well, the seller says, its very expensive.
• But how much? we ask.
• Well, a very large amount.

14

• Do you think I could buy it?
• Oh, of course. Everyone can buy it.
• But didnt you say it was very expensive?
• Yes.
• Well, how much is it?
• Everything you have, says the seller.

15

• We make up our minds. All right, Ill buy it,
  we say.
• Well, what do you have? he wants to know.
  Lets write it down.
• Well, I have ten thousand dollars in the bank.
• Goodten thousand dollars. What else.
• Thats all. Thats all I have.
• Nothing more?

16

• Well, I have a few dollars here in my pocket.
• How much?
• We start digging. Well, lets seethirty, forty,
  sixty, eighty, a hundred, a hundred twenty
  dollars.
• Thats fine. What else do you have?
• Well, nothing. Thats all.
• Where do you live? Hes still probing.

17

• In my house. Yes, I have a house.
• The house too, then. He writes that down.
• You mean I have to live in my camper?
• You have a camper? That, too. What else?
• Ill have to sleep in my car!
• You have a car?
• Two of them.
• Both become mine, both cars. What else?

18

• Well, you already have my money, my house, my
  camper, my cars. What else do you want?
• Are you alone in this world?
• No, I have a wife and two children.
• Oh, yes, your wife and children, too. What
  else?
• I have nothing left! I am left alone now.
• Suddenly the seller exclaims, Oh, I almost
  forgot! You yourself, too! Everything becomes
  minewife, children, house, money, carsand you
  too.

19

• Then he goes on. Now listenI will allow you
  to use all these things for the time being. But
  dont forget that they are mine, just as you are.
  And whenever I need any of them, you must give
  them up, because now I am the owner.
• From Disciple, by Juan Carlos Ortiz (1975),
  pp. 34-35

20

• Matthew 1345
• Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
  merchantwhofound one pearl of great price
• Revelation 2121
• The twelve gates were twelve pearls
• each individual gate was of one pearl.
• And the street of the city was pure gold, like
  transparent glass.

21

• Acts 1422
• they returned strengthening the souls
• of the disciples, exhorting them to
• continue in the faith, and saying,
• We must through many tribulations enter the
  kingdom of God.

22

• Matthew 619-21
• Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,
  where moth and rust destroy and where thieves
  break in and steal but lay up for yourselves
  treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
  destroys and where thieves do not break in and
  steal. For where your treasure is,
• there your heart will be also.

23

• Luke 1412-14
• Then He also said to him who invited Him,
  When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask
  your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor
  rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back,
  and you be repaid. But when you give a feast,
  invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.
  And you will be blessed, because they cannot
  repay you for you shall be repaid at the
  resurrection of the just.

24

• Colossians 31-2
• If then you were raised with Christ, seek
  those things which are above, where Christ is,
  sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind
  on things above, not on things on the earth.

25

• Luke 1433
• So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all
  that he has cannot be My disciple.

26

• Matthew 1921
• Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect,
  go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and
  you will have treasure in heaven and come,
  follow Me.
• Matthew 1927
• Then Peter answered and said to Him,
• See, we have left all and followed You.
• Therefore what shall we have?

27

• Acts 244-47
• Now all who believed were together, and had
  all things in common, and sold their possessions
  and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone
  had need.
• So continuing daily with one accord in the
  temple, and breaking bread from house to house,
  they ate their food with gladness and simplicity
  of heart, praising God and having favor with all
  the people. And the Lord added to the church
  daily those who were being saved.

28

• Acts 432-35
• Now the multitude of those who believed were
  of one heart and one soul neither did anyone say
  that any of the things he possessed was his own,
  but they had all things in common. And with
  great power the apostles gave witness to the
  resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace
  was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among
  them who lacked for all who were possessors of
  lands or houses sold them, and brought the
  proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid
  them at the apostles feet and they distributed
  to each as anyone had need.

29

• Hebrews 1034
• for you had compassion on me in my chains,
  and joyfully accepted the plundering of your
  goods, knowing that you have a better and an
  enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.

30

• Luke 957-62
• Now it happened as they journeyed on the
  road, that someone said to Him, Lord, I will
  follow You wherever You go.
• And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes
  and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of
  Man has nowhere to lay His head.
• Then He said to another, Follow Me.
• But he said, Lord, let me first go and
  bury my father.
• Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury
  their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom
  of God.
• And another also said, Lord, I will
  follow You, but let me first go and bid them
  farewell who are at my house.
• But Jesus said to him, No one, having
  put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is
  fit for the kingdom of God.

31

• But he said, Lord, let me first go and
  bury my father.
• And another also said, Lord, I will
  follow You, but let me first go and bid them
  farewell who are at my house.

32

• Matthew 624
• No one can serve two masters for either he will
  hate the one and love the other, or else he will
  be loyal to the one and despise the other. You
  cannot serve God and mammon.

33

• 2 Timothy 23-4
• You therefore must endure hardship as a good
  soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in
  warfare entangles himself with the affairs of
  this life, that he may please him who enlisted
  him as a soldier.

34

• An American college student had been converted
  to Communism, in Mexico, and wrote the following
  letter to his fiancé, explaining why he must
  break off their engagement
• We Communists have a high casualty rate.
  Were the ones who get shot and hung and lynched
  and tarred and feathered and jailed and
  slandered, and ridiculed and fired from our jobs,
  and in every other way made as uncomfortable as
  possible. A certain percentage of us get killed
  or imprisoned

35

• We live in virtual poverty. We turn back to
  the party every penny we make above what is
  absolutely necessary to keep us alive. We
  Communists dont have the time or the money for
  many movies, or concerts, or T-bone steaks, or
  decent homes and new cars. Weve been described
  as fanatics. We are fanatics. Our lives are
  dominated by one great overshadowing factor, the
  struggle for World Communism

36

• We Communists have a philosophy of life
  which no amount of money could buy. We have a
  cause to fight for, a definite purpose in life.
  We subordinate our petty, personal selves to a
  great movement of humanity, and if our personal
  lives seem hard, or our egos appear to suffer
  through subordination to the party, then we are
  adequately compensated by the thought that each
  of us in his small way is contributing to
  something new and true and better for mankind

37

• There is one thing in which I am in dead
  earnest, that that is the Communist cause. It is
  my life, my business, my religion, my hobby, my
  sweetheart, my wife and mistress, my bread and
  meat. I work at it in the daytime, and dream of
  it at night. Its hold on me grows, not lessens as
  time goes on. Therefore I cannot carry on a
  friendship, a love affair, or even a conversation
  without relating it to the force which both
  drives and guides my life

38

• I evaluate people, books, ideas and actions
  according to how they affect the Communist cause
  and by their attitude toward it. Ive already
  been in jail because of my ideas, and, if
  necessary, Im ready to go before a firing squad.

39

• Philippians 37-8
• But what things were gain to me, these I have
  counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count
  all things loss for the excellence of the
  knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I
  have suffered the loss of all things, and count
  them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

40

• 1 Corinthians 66-7
• But brother goes to law against brother,
  and that before unbelievers!
• Now therefore, it is already an utter
  failure for you that you go to law against one
  another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why
  do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?

41

• Hebrews 1034
• for you had compassion on me in my chains, and
  joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods,
  knowing that you have a better and an enduring
  possession for yourselves in heaven.

42

• Hebrews 1124-26
• By faith Moses, when he became of age,
  refused to be called the son of Pharaohs
  daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction
  with the people of God than to enjoy the passing
  pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of
  Christ greater riches than the treasures in
  Egypt for he looked to the reward.

43

• Matthew 1310-11
• And the disciples came and said to Him, Why
  do You speak to them in parables?
• He answered and said to them, Because it has
  been given to you to know the mysteries of the
  kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been
  given.

44

• Mark 434
• But without a parable He did not speak to
  them. And when they were alone, He explained all
  things to His disciples.

45

• John 1514-15
• You are My friends if you do whatever I
  command you. No longer do I call you servants,
  for a servant does not know what his master is
  doing but I have called you friends, for all
  things that I heard from My Father I have made
  known to you.

46

• Psalm 2514
• The secret of the Lord is with those who fear
  Him, and He will show them His covenant.

47

• Proverbs 332
• For the perverse person is an abomination to
  the Lord, but His secret counsel is with the
  upright.

48

• John 158
• By this My Father is glorified, that you bear
  much fruit so you will be My disciples.

49

• Luke 640
• A disciple is not above his teacher, but
  everyone who is perfectly trained will be like
  his teacher.

50

• Romans 829
• For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to
  be conformed to the image of His Son, that He
  might be the firstborn among many brethren.

51

• 2 Corinthians 318
• But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as
  in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being
  transformed into the same image from glory to
  glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

52

• Luke 1917
• And he said to him, Well done, good servant
  because you were faithful in a very little, have
  authority over ten cities.

53

• Revelation 59-10
• And they sang a new song, saying
•        You are worthy to take the scroll, and to
  open its seals for You were slain, and have
  redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every
  tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have
  made us a kingdom of priests to our God and
  we shall reign on the earth.