In this sermon, the preacher discusses the great purpose of God, which is to display His government in the world. However, due to the rebellion of mankind, the man whom God placed in dominion is incapable of fulfilling this purpose. The preacher emphasizes that despite the brokenness and failure in the world, nature still reflects the order and beauty of God's government. The sermon then focuses on the parable of the treasure hidden in a field, highlighting the importance of Christians displaying the glory of God's government in their lives and seeking righteousness and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Open your Bible at Matthew chapter 13. And just one verse at the moment. Matthew chapter 13. And at verse 44. Matthew 13 and verse 44. Again, reading, I understand from the authorized, the kingdom of heaven is like to treasure hid in a field, the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof go and sells all that he has and buys that field. Now, no need, I think, to remind you where we are. First four parables. First four. The sower and the seed, the wheat and the tares, the mustard seed and the lemon. That's the first four we've studied. There the Lord was telling the multitude, the crowd, what would be the outward development of his kingdom between his first and second advent. And we've seen there the battle, the conflict with evil and little apparent success. He was speaking to those, of course, who are not in the kingdom, to the crowd, who always were judged by what they see. And it appeared to be fruitless. You remember three quarters of the seed was fruitless, the damage caused by the tares among the wheat and the unnatural development of the kingdom, like the mustard seed into a great big tree and the corruption of the kingdom by the evil influence of lemon. It's all been rather a dark story, depressing. And you may think negative. Much to give most people, everybody in fact, ground for thinking something's gone wrong. Something about Christianity must have failed. But there's another side to the picture. And it's that we're coming to think about today and tomorrow. Because the Lord is speaking now, verse 36 was the turning point, where he left the crowd, sent them away and went into a house and taught his disciples, who were judged not by what they saw, but by what they believed. And he would have us know how he is working in the world today, what he's doing. And he likens the kingdom of heaven to treasure hid in a field which a man finds and hides again. And for joy at finding it, he goes and sells all he has and buys the whole field. This parable and the next one tell us what we mean to Jesus. They're very, very precious. That we don't have an inheritance in him simply, but he has something very special in us. They tell us, these two parables, the kingdom and the pearl of great price, tell us what we mean to Jesus. Now, there are some things here in this verse which we've seen before. The field, well, the field is the world. We've heard the master say. The man, well, that's always been the savior himself. Now, read the verse again with those two things explained, and we're left to discover what is the treasure and what is meant by the hiding of it and the purchase of the whole world. Now, let's begin then with this. What's the definition of the treasure? What is that treasure? I have to ask myself and ask you the question, what is it that there is in the world upon which God has set his heart? Something hidden, unrevealed? What's God's purpose throughout all history? What's he see that impels him to sell all he has to realize it? Well, for what was the world created? It was for the display of the government of God. Just get that down. The world was created for the display of the government of God. And the treasure in this parable, that on which God has set his heart, is nothing less than the realization of that purpose in the world and in human life, to display the glory of the government of the Lord. That's what God's aim is for the world, and it's his aim in all of our lives, for the display of the government of God. That somehow this world should one day display the glory of his government. That's the hidden treasure. And that hidden treasure suddenly becomes exposed as its display in your life and mine. That's what God is after today in every one of us, to display the government of Jesus. Now let me just give you one or two verses. Let's look them up quickly and see if you can be the first to find them. A couple of them in the Old Testament. Ready? Psalm 2, verse 8 and 9. Find it, somebody, and read it to me. Read it to us. Psalm 2, verse 8 and 9. Who will be first in the reading of it? Excuse me, just a little louder and slower. You're lecturing at the moment, come on. That's it. What version is that? I thought so, yes. Pardon me, ma'am. Right. Colossians 1, 16 through 18. Colossians 1, 16 through 18. For created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been created by him and for him. And he is before all things and in him all things, all together. He is also head of the body, the church, and he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself might come to the first place in everything. Very good. Thank you. Lovely to hear you in English. Very good. Hebrews 10, 5 through 8. Hebrews 10, 5 through 8. Firstborn, when he was going into the world, he said, sacrifice nothing that I would not, for the body of Christ that you serve me. And for nothing, he sacrificed, for sin that I would not commit thither. Then he said, I go, I come, for the fun of the good of the citizens, to do thy will for us. Following that, he said, sacrifice nothing, and for nothing, and nothing for sin that I would not, make a hospice at their end, for the sacrifice of us. Then he said, he go, I come, to do thy will for us, to take away the burden, that he had established, and to sacrifice. Finished? Thank you. Very good. Good to hear you speaking in Irish. Excuse me. Finally, Revelation 21, verses 2 through 4. Revelation 21, verses 2 through 4. And I saw the holy city, near Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and he shall dwell among them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be among them. And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall no longer be any death, there shall be no longer any mourning, or crying, or pain, for the first things have passed away. Amen. The great purpose of God, to display the government of God in this world. That's the treasure on which God has set his heart. But the snag of it all is this. Have you got those verses down? There are lots more, but those are just one or two. Hebrews 10, verse 5 through 8. I could give him many more, but I won't take the time. He would find them. But here's the snag. In order that that purpose may be fulfilled, the man whom God placed in dominion, to fulfill it, is incapable of doing so. Because he's rebelled against the God who made him, created him, and he's the actual cause of the whole territory being in the mess it is. He's failed. Got that? In nature, around us, the world reveals the order and beauty of God's government in the flower, the grass, the harvest, winter and summer. Everything sings to his glory. Isn't it lovely to begin to hear? Oh, did you hear this morning the cuckoo? Oh, that's very unique for Britain. You'll hear it in May, April and May, June, and off it goes in July. There's a wonderful beauty and order about it all. But the very being who ought to be displaying the glory of God, the government of God, has sold out to the enemy. Romans 14, 17. The kingdom of God is righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit. Where are these displayed in human life? In human life today. That's the treasure of the parable, hidden, unrevealed, but the restoration of the joy of his government in human life. Wherever a Christian goes, he's to display the glory of the government of Jesus. The treasure defined, the treasure found. You notice in our text, in this verse, that the man found the treasure. What does that suggest? Surely this, oh yes, get this down. I'll go slow. Ready? God looked through all the confusion of sin and saw the chaos of ruin. But he also saw the possibility of restoration, of recovery. He saw the ruin caused by sin in human lives and the possibility of total recovery. He saw through the rebellion which has existed to the restoration of harmony, to the restoration of harmony. In other words, God saw through the kingdom as it was to the kingdom as it ought to be. And he knew that where ruin reigned, R-E-I-G-N-E-D, where ruin reigned, order might prevail. And he sees that in your life and mine. It's only our understanding of that that can give strength for Christian service. Only that I see the tremendous possibility behind all the suffering and sin and problem of everyday living, that God's purpose for that life can be realized. And it's just absolutely tremendous to know that every one of us here, I don't care how bad a mess we've made of it and how at failures we feel ourselves to be, behind all that chaos and ruin and mess, God sees the possibility of complete restoration. The treasure found. But notice this, the treasure hidden. The man who found the treasure hid it again. So says our parable. And that's exactly what Jesus did. He brought the kingdom into full view in his own life. He displayed that kingdom in his own life. But he was rejected and people refused to come to him. Therefore, he shut the door against them. And Matthew 21, 43, he hid the fact of the kingdom from the wise and the prudent and revealed it to babes. Matthew 21, 43, and also Luke 10, 21. Jesus never reveals the secret of his kingdom to curiosity, only to those who have a childlike faith. So today the kingdom is hidden, except to those who are willing to be just like little children. Now get this, because the principles of the kingdom are being realized in Christian lands, or should be. But are rejected by the world. One day, the king will come again and rule himself. Meanwhile, oh, and this is the thing, important, the treasure is hidden, but revealed and realized in Christian living. And if you're a child of God, the world must see through you the kingdom life. Let me give you just an example of what that kingdom life is. You see it in Matthew chapter 5. If you would mind turning that for a moment. Matthew chapter 5, the Sermon on the Mount. Kingdom living. I remember preaching at Moody Church for 40 Sundays on this. My, I got into trouble, because I was bringing the people under the law of God. Instead of the grace of God. The king, this is not for this age. This is for the millennium. That's what you call being dispensational. If you don't understand that, well, don't worry. But it means that the kingdom is not for this age. It's for, you know, the future. I happen to disagree and preach and just enjoyed it. I don't know about anybody else, but I enjoyed it. You see, listen, you want to know what kingdom living is? Here you are. Those three, happy or blessed. Happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Happy are those who are hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Happy are the merciful, for they should obtain mercy. Happy are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Happy are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. Happy are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are you when men revile you, persecute you, utter all kinds of evil against you, falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. That's kingdom living. Let me just give you one phrase concerning each one of those, and leave them, leave you to think them through. I'll speak them slowly. Here is a portrait of a kingdom life. Verse three, which says, happy are the poor in spirit, better be humble than self-confident. Better be humble than self-confident. Got that? Verse four, happy are those who mourn, better be sensitive than thick-skinned. Better be sensitive than thick-skinned. Got that? Verse four. Verse five, happy are the meek, better be gentle than push yourself. Right? Six, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, better be ambitious for goodness than for promotion. Blessed are those, it says, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they should be satisfied. Better be ambitious for goodness than promotion. Verse seven, blessed are the merciful, better be kind to the needy than cultivate the rich. Better be kind to the needy than cultivate the rich. Verse eight, blessed are the pure in heart, they shall see God. Better be open and honest than pull strings to get things done the way you want them. Give you that again. Better be open and honest than pull strings to get things done the way you want them. Verse nine, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Better to calm things down than to stick up for your own point of view. Better to calm things down than to stick up for your own point of view. Verse nine. Verse ten, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Better be an underdog than fight the system. Better be an underdog than fight the system. Now, you've got those because, oh, I would love this, but you wouldn't. I'd love each one of you just to write something concerning your own position on each one of those things. For instance, how ridiculous. Blessed, happy are those who mourn. Why? That can't be. Oh, but it is. You know a church, every one of you know a church. In every church, there are different kinds of people. There are people who sit at it, and chat in it, and do all sorts of things in it. But in every church, there are some who weep for it, some who pray for it, some who are concerned about it, and some who say, Lord, I won't let you go except you bless me. Some who are really concerned. And they're the people who count. There are only a few of them, but they're there. Better be humble than self-confident. Oh, I mustn't. Now, I mustn't allow myself to get diverted. Come on back. Where are we? Matthew 13. But what I'm saying to you is, there is kingdom living. And anybody who lives like that is going to be in for a hot time. He's not afraid to be different. He doesn't stand for Christian entertainment. No, he's concerned about Christian revolution. He's not ashamed to be different. And nobody could be neutral about Jesus when that kind of person is around. He won't be pious, he won't be narrow-minded, but he'll live as Jesus would live. The treasure hidden but revealed in Christian living. The treasure purchased. Our parable tells us that the whole field was purchased at the price of all he had in order to realize the treasure. And it was purchased with joy. He bought the whole world, and the whole world is waiting to be claimed. He sold all he had, and Jesus emptied himself. That was his estimate of the worth of the treasure. That's what he thought about you and me. Hebrews 12 too, he despised, or rather, he endured the cross despising the shame. And he did it for the joy that was set before him. What was that joy that Jesus had that was the strength of all his suffering? John chapter 4, 34. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. The joy of leading back to God those who had wandered away. And let me just go slow for the next sentence. Calvary was essential because they'd got to come into the ruin caused by sin. And rebellion. A new dynamic power. And that could only come through the laying down of his life. The selling of all he had. Only that way could human nature be possessed by divine nature. Let me give it yet again. Calvary is absolutely essential in the mind of God. For they had to come into the ruin caused by sin and rebellion. A new dynamic power. And only through the laying down of his life, the selling of all he had, could human nature be possessed by divine nature. Jesus bought the field. Got that? At such a cost, who did he buy it from? Did he buy it from the devil? No, the devil had no right to possess it. The devil would very gladly have settled for a much cheaper price than the cross. All through the Old Testament, Satan had one objective. Keep Jesus from Calvary. And he made a pretty good job of it. He nearly succeeded sometime, read through the book of Esther, and see how near he got to keeping Jesus from the cross. That was his motto in those days. His motto now, oh yes, he has one now, keep everybody from hearing about Jesus. Making a pretty good job of that. Pretty good job of that. In the average evangelical church in the United States and Canada, of the total number on the church roll, members, 10% don't exist. 15% never come to church, can't be found. 25% are never seen at any church activity. 50% have no missionary interest. 75% never attend midweek service or prayer meeting. 90% have no family worship. And 95% never win anybody for Christ. That's shattering. That's the Western world, not the Eastern. Western, Britain and the States. That statement is made in a recent issue of Christianity Today. 95% never win anybody to Jesus. If the Holy Spirit were withdrawn from the church today, everything would go on as usual. Nobody would know any different. If the Holy Spirit were withdrawn from the New Testament church, everybody would shut down. The treasure, hidden. No, Jesus didn't buy it from the devil. Just jot down in your notes, Matthew chapter 4. I don't think, uh, no, in fact, I'm quite sure. I'll leave that for the next session. Jesus just jot this down before we finish this morning, first session. He bought a treasure at a cost in the sense that if any of us rescue anything precious at the cost of suffering, we've bought it at great price. Let me repeat that. Jesus bought it at a tremendous cost in the sense that if any of us rescue anything precious at the cost of suffering, we say it was bought at great price. You know the story of the mother who had a little child and, uh, the little child couldn't bear being picked up by her mother because her hands were all bad, wounded, and they looked ugly, awful, and the child wouldn't let her mother take hold of her. But when she got older, her mother said, well now, you want to about my hands? When you were a little girl, about seven or eight months old, you fell into the fire. And, uh, you would have died if I hadn't dashed in and put my hands right in where you are and grabbed you out of it. And my hands have never been the same and never will be. And the child looked at her mother's hands and said, my mother, what wonderful hands they are. And she was never afraid after that. She'd been bought at a cost. You want to know what it cost Jesus to buy us? You look at his hands and then we know. He's bought us at such a price. You're his treasure. And he longs for the day when you and I reveal his government in our lives to other people. And I'm not ashamed. We'll continue from that point in, well, you know when. I think I do too. Have your coffee, bless you, and enjoy it. See you later.