When I was a child I really wanted an Action Man. Some of my friends had one and I wanted one too, so I saved up all my pocket money until I had a pound which is what they cost back then in the late 1960’s.
I remember being really excited the day I was going to get it. I got dressed and put the pound note in my pocket although we weren’t going into town for a couple of hours.
I remember giving the pound note to the man in the shop and he giving me in return a box with a brand new Action Man in it dressed in the uniform of an English private. I was overjoyed. At last I had an Action Man. It had cost me all my pocket money but as far as I was concerned I had the better part of the deal. The shop keeper had a bit of paper but I had something that would give me hours of fun
The parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl both involve people finding things they want very much – one some treasure hidden in a field and another an exquisite pearl.
Because they want these things above everything they are prepared to sell everything they have to get them and as far as they’re concerned they have the better part of the deal.
I think Jesus is saying here that this is how much God wants us to desire Him and His Kingdom. That if we really want to know Him we will be prepared to let go of our attachment to worldly distractions – whatever these may be - to find Him.
But the rich young man when he heard this, became very sad, because he was very wealthy.
He wanted eternal life but not enough to let go of his attachment to his wealth. His wealth was still more important to him than finding God.
As God says In Jeremiah Chapter 29; “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Its not that wealth or worldly attractions or ambitions are bad. It’s just that if our hearts and minds are fixed on them they can get in the way of finding God.
Although the parables are very similar the first man stumbles across the treasure in the field unexpectedly, while the merchant finds the pearl after a time of searching.
Thus it is with the kingdom of God. Some people are converted quite suddenly while others come to faith after a great deal of searching. Both though find something of great value that they are willing to give up everything they own for.
Indeed what price can we put on the salvation of our souls. What price can we put on eternal life and the promise of heaven. What price can we put on a relationship with the Creator of the universe. These things have an eternal value which far far outweighs money in the bank or some other temporary earthly attraction.
Years ago I read a sad story about a wealthy aristocrat who was worth £40 million pounds but who’d lost the use of his legs in a hunting accident.
I remember thinking I bet he’d give all his money just to get the use of his legs back.
Jesus offers us something far far more valuable than the use of our legs yet so many of us struggle to let go of earthly attractions which may hinder us from receiving his kingdom.
As Jesus said; “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
The man who buys the field and the merchant who buys the pearl make very wise decisions. They recognise the true value of what they’ve found. If we think seriously about the value of the eternal salvation that Jesus offers us, we’ll see that temporal worldly distractions are insignificant by comparison.
The parable of the net is a very straight forward parable and it echoes the message of the parable of the weeds which occurs immediately before today’s reading in Matthews gospel.
Some fishermen catch lots of different fish in a net. They collect the good fish into baskets but throw away the bad ones. Jesus tells us quite straightforwardly that this is how it will be at the end of the age when he returns to judge us all.
Angels will separate the wicked people from the righteous people and throw them into the fiery furnace.
Just to ensure that his disciples have understood what he’s said he asks them directly have you understood these things?
Equally Jesus might ask us today have you understood these things?
The gospels make it very plain indeed that both heaven and hell exist.
The gospel message is good news but there is also bad news.
If there was nothing to be saved from it would not have been necessary for Jesus to come to
earth to save us.
Several years ago I really struggled with the concept of hell and became quite upset about it. For a couple of weeks I questioned God about the wisdom of hell and actually grumbled to Him about it. I wanted him to speak to me about it.
One evening I went to a Christian meeting with this very much on my heart. At the end of the meeting there was the opportunity to be prayed for so I went forward hoping that God would help me.
A young couple who prayed for me were very kind but really couldn’t help me.
I went to walk out of the building feeling disappointed that God hadn’t helped me. As I was walking out a young man I’d never met before approached me. He said to me – you’ve been grumbling to God haven’t you. I admitted that I had. He then said you came here tonight wanting an answer from God didn’t you. I agreed this was true.
He said here’s your answer and gave me Psalm 131 to read.
It’s a very short Psalm so I’ll read it to you
My heart is not proud, LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
My answer was that I was concerning myself with things that were beyond my understanding, and I was actually being very proud. Here was me a mere ant with extremely limited understanding questioning Almighty God about judgement.
The reason I mention this episode is that as humans our understanding of things like heaven and hell are very limited. God tells us certain things but there is much he doesn’t tell us that really we don’t need to know and in any case would probably be beyond our understanding.
He doesn’t tell us for instance how he will judge those who have never heard of the gospel or Jesus or those who are too young or mentally unable to understand it.
Ultimately judgement is God’s job not ours. He is the one who can see into our hearts, and He is the one who is perfectly just. Whatever judgements He eventually makes will be perfectly correct just as
He is perfect.
However we do need to take seriously what God does tell us which is that those who hear the gospel and steadfastly reject or ignore the salvation that Jesus came to offer will one day go to hell.
Such people commit the unforgiveable sin which by the way is not abortion or suicide or murder. The unforgiveable sin is rejecting or ignoring Jesus’ offer of salvation. Why is it unforgiveable – because it involves rejecting or ignoring the only one who can save us.
Of course if God had his way every person would be saved. The bible tells us that God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth and that Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn us but to save us.
God loves you tremendously and wants to save you but he will never force you to accept his offer of salvation. That’s upto you.
So assuming we do want to be saved, how can we make sure we’re the good fish this parable speaks about and not the bad fish? and how can we be sure that we are going to be saved?
I think there is a lot of misunderstanding generally about how God will judge us. Lots of people think that as long as they perhaps go to church now and again and don’t do anything too terrible, perhaps give a bit of money to charity they’ll be fine.
They believe that God keeps a list of their good deeds and as long as the credit side looks fairly positive St Peter will let them in through the pearly gates.
They equate being a good fish with being a good or a kind person.
But this is not at all what the bible teaches.
The bible teaches us that we all have what it calls a sinful human nature that we inherited from Adam.
This sinful human nature is what causes us to sin – to lie to cheat to steal to hate to commit adultery to murder and so on.
The root of our problem isn’t so much our sin as the nature that causes us to sin. The sins we commit are a symptom of our sinful natures.
No matter how apparently good or bad a person may appear we all share this sinful nature.
Most of us can appreciate that Jesus came to pay the price for our sins on the cross but he came to do more than that. He came to make it possible for us to have new natures and to one day be free of our sinful natures.
Did you know that when you became a Christian, in God’s eyes you died and were re-born as a new person.
Paul tells us in Romans chapter 6; “We know that our old self was crucified with Christ so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin, because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”
Christ didn’t only take our sins upon the cross he took our old sinful selves which were crucified with him so that we could be re-born as new people and freed from the ultimate control of sin in our lives.
So when you became a Christian for a split second the old you died and a new you was brought to life. Christ’s work on the cross became a reality in your life.
As Paul puts it – “You died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; The old has gone, the new has come.”
And here lies the symbolism at the heart of the baptismal service.
The old sinful human being is laid to rest in the water – dead and buried forever and the new creation comes up out of the water, holy and made righteous.
Now there are fundamental differences between the old person and the new person.
The old person was entrapped by their sinful nature, a sinner in God’s eyes and in desperate need of salvation and forgiveness.
The new person however has been saved and forgiven and has become a saint in God’s eyes.
He or she will still retain their sinful nature until the day of their death when it will pass away, but they now also have a new nature which the bible calls Christ in you.
This is the nature to be like Christ which comes from the Holy Spirit who is now living in them and it is now the more powerful nature in the person’s life.
Thus Paul tells us a bit later on in his letter to the Romans . “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. “
There is very good news for the new person. For instance Paul tells us that if we have been united like this with Christ in his death we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
The new person is heaven bound and Holy in God’s eyes as the Holy Spirit is living in them.
He or she will still continue to sin until the day of their death and will face a bit of an inward battle between their sinful nature and their new nature but the Holy Spirit will help them in this battle.
When the new person dies their sinful nature will die with their old physical body and they will be resurrected with a new imperishable body and enter heaven free from sin and the desire to sin. They will become perfect for ever just as Christ is perfect.
So going back to the good fish and the bad fish, the good fish are those with the Holy Spirit living inside them those who have been re-born as children of God and the bad fish are those without the Holy Spirit living inside them, those who remain trapped by their sinful natures.
Good deeds and being a nice person are not the criteria for judgement. What counts as Paul says is being a new creation.
So figuratively speaking how do we become Good fish?
By recognising our predicament. By recognising that we do have sinful natures and by genuinely wanting God to save us, to make us new people with His Holy spirit living in us.
Like the pearl merchant and the man who finds treasure hidden in a field, we then need to recognise that what Jesus has done for us on the cross is infinitely more valuable than our worldly treasure and ambitions, and to invite the Holy spirit, the spirit of Jesus into our lives wholeheartedly.
Lets close with a time of prayer.
Lord Jesus thankyou that you love every person here today and that you have died on the cross for every person here today.
Thankyou that you have made it possible for each one of us to be forgiven and to become new people with your Holy Spirit living within us.
Quietly in your heart thank Jesus for dying for you personally
If there is anything in particular you want forgiveness for confess it to him now
And now in your own words invite the Holy spirit, the spirit of Jesus into your heart and life so that you may be forgiven and made new.
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