This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Matt 13:44-46.

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. In the New Testament, the word Love appears about 200 times, and it is always ‘agape’ love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for human beings. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. This agape Love of God ignites love in the heart of the believers. It also helps them to love their ‘neighbors’ as they love themselves. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. It is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Agape love is a sacrificial love that saves, unites, and heals. It is the love of God that we see through the cross of Jesus Christ. This love saves and restores humanity in the face of sin and death. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. When we love others, we do it expecting nothing in return from them. Love trusts God alone to respond and reward the sacrifice. It is the Spirit filled lives of the Christians, their love for God and for one another that is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was like that in the early church, during the time of the Reformation and it is the same during all the revivals in the history of the Church! Selah!

LOVE’S TREASURE

“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. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matt 13:44-46).

These are twin parables. They resemble but each has its own individuality. What is common to both? In each one, a man found something very expensive. Each man sold all he had to buy what he has found. Each man rejoices in its complete purchase.  The two parables show two attributes of the Kingdom of God: It is extremely valuable, and it is always victorious. The secrets of the Kingdom are deep, hidden bellow the surface of this world. Only Christ can open your eyes to see, to find, and to appreciate them. Christ is the man who finds the treasure and the pearl. He sells everything He has to buy them. The Church (the believers chosen by grace) are the treasure and the pearl. The treasure is made of many gold coins. The pearl is only one, to be placed on the crown of the King of kings. Both parables show the effort and reward of love.

The parable of the treasure hidden in the field

The field is the world. It is the system of men who live like there is no God. In the world, there is corruption, sadness, and failure. In the midst of this desert, a man finds the oasis of a treasure. The treasure is the Church made from many coins, or many believers. The man hides the treasure back into the field. He does not buy only the treasure. He sells all He has to buy the whole world. The value of the world is the treasure it contains. Both the believers and the world are bought by Christ. He is the Man who found the treasure. Christ is the creator of the world and the redeemer of the believers. He sold all He had in heaven to buy His Bride. He is the owner of the world, but His special interest is in the Church, the chosen believers. “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1Pet1:18,19). We were bought at the Cross. The price paid was the Blood of Jesus! We are “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” (Heb 12:2). This joy Jesus saw ahead was the Church, the believers, His siblings, His Bride.

The most expensive treasure was found in the UK. A daily worker called Terry Herbert, bought a metal detector for 2,5 English Pounds. He was hired to work as a daily farmer. He used his metal detector and discovered a box filled with gold coins. It contained a total of 5,1 Kg of gold, 1,4 Kg of silver coins and 3500 pieces of jewelry. It was estimated that it has been buried since the 7th century. It is estimated at 7 million $. The royal family took possession of the treasure, and it is now displayed in a museum in the UK. Mr. Terry was given 3 million $.     

The Parable of the Pearl

This parable is similar with the one above but with a difference. In the Parable of the Treasure, the man stumbles upon a treasure. In this Parable, the man is ‘a merchant’ who is actively looking for beautiful expensive pearls. He is ready to sell everything he has to buy the most beautiful Pearl he can find. He knows the difference between a genuine pearl and a fake one. He appreciates the true pearls. 

Many interpret this parable that Christ is the Pearl of Great price. This cannot be true. Because sinners do not seek for God. “There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God” (Rom 3:11). Sinners are not ready to sell all they have to ‘buy’ Jesus. When the rich young ruler came to Jesus, He wanted to know what ‘he still lacks’ to gain eternal life. 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.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Matt 19:21-22). This is the truth; sinners are not ready to sell their possessions to find Jesus.

The true interpretation is that Christ is the Merchant Man who is seeking for His Church, for us, the true believers. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk 19:10). It is the shepherd who seeks for the lost sheep, not the other way. Lastly, Christ cannot be purchased by anything man has. He is God’s Gift to men, sent to die to save them from eternal death. Eternal Life is not bought with money. Salvation is by Grace alone, thru faith alone, to the glory of God alone!

The most expense pearl in the world is called La Pelegrina (The Pilgrim). It was found by a slave. Because of this, his master gave him his freedom. It was sold in 2011 for 11,8$.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Eph 5:25). Remember this: Christ Loved the Church. The Pearl is only one. That is the Church. The Treasure is made of many coins. These are the individual believers. We shall never know how much it costs our Lord to buy the Church. “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” (2 Cor 8:9). Christ brought the Pearl so that He can be glorified in it. There are many precious stones in the earth: diamonds, rubies, etc. But none of this is the product of a living organism. The oyster is injured by a grain of sand. The oyster covers the foreign body with a substance she produces. This is how she makes a beautiful pearl. The pearl is made in the secret place. Only Christ sees you as you were made in your mothers’ womb. The Pearl is made gradually. It takes pain and patience to produce beauty. A pearl symbolizes pain that produces praise. The Church is formed from the injury of Christ at the Cross. When Christ died, He went deep into the ocean of hell to find the Pearl. He has drawn us out of many waters. “He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me” (Ps 18:16, 17). Worship the Lord!