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Heaven Like Treasures and Pearls

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[Matthew 13:44~46]
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.
When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

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Jesus told people what the kingdom of heaven would be like if there was an opportunity.
He explained with parables so that people could understand them better.
A parable means, for example, to explain something so that people can understand it better.

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Today we will look at two parables that Jesus spoke about the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like [treasure hidden in a field].

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A long time ago, there was no place like a bank or safe to keep your important things as safe as they are today. In war-prone areas, keeping valuables at home puts you at risk of losing them altogether. So people would dig deep and hide their treasure somewhere in the field that only they could know.

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At that time, there were often cases where the person who hid the treasure could not retrieve it due to war or an accident. So, the treasure hidden in the field is buried for a long time without anyone knowing.
Then, when a treasure is accidentally discovered by someone, it becomes the property of a recognizable person.

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A man was working in someone else's field. One day while digging, he accidentally found a treasure chest hidden deep in the ground. He was the only one who knew that the treasure was there.

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But he can't take the treasure right away. Because the field was not his field.
The man hastily hid the treasure back in its original state.

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The only way he can have the treasure hidden in the ground again is for him to become the owner of the field. This man sold what he had to make money to buy a field.
He didn't hesitate to sell everything he thought was valuable until he found the treasure. Because nothing was more valuable than the treasure hidden in the field.

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The man bought the field with the money he sold everything he had.
And he had the treasure hidden in the field. Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field this man has found. This parable makes us realize that a person who has found the treasures of heaven by faith in Jesus must live and value heaven more than anything else he has.

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Jesus told another parable about the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like [a merchant looking for fine pearls].

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There was a merchant who bought and sold pearls.
This man's wish was to find the most precious pearl in the world.
Wherever he heard of good pearls, he rushed to buy them.

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One day the pearl merchant found a truly fine pearl that made him doubt his eyes.
The pearl was a mysterious and beautiful pearl that he had so desperately wanted to find.
But the pearl was so expensive that he could not buy with the money he had.

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The pearl merchant did not want to miss out on rare pearls that are difficult to meet once in a lifetime. He needed a lot of money to get the pearls.
He returned home to get money to buy the pearl, and he sold everything he owned.

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He bought the pearl with the money he made by selling all his possessions.
The pearl merchant who got the pearl was overjoyed.
The pearl merchant was able to sell all of his possessions and buy pearls because he knew that pearls were worth more than all he had.

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It is clear why Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to [a merchant looking for fine pearls].
Jesus was saying that the kingdom of heaven is as valuable as pearls, which the merchant wanted even if he sold everything he had.
Jesus showed people that the kingdom of heaven is a valuable thing that a person must have even if he sells everything he has.

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The surprising fact is that we received this heavenly kingdom for free.
How could we receive heaven for free? It is because Jesus paid for our sins on the cross and paid for it with the life of Jesus in order to give us the kingdom of heaven.

Those who know the value of the kingdom of heaven try to own it even if they sell all their possessions. But Jesus has freely given us such a kingdom of heaven.
We should know and cherish the kingdom of heaven as something of value that cannot be bought even if I sell everything I have in this world.
We should always remember the grace of Jesus, who paid the price for us with the life of Jesus to give us the kingdom of heaven.
The only way we can repay the grace of Jesus is to live uprightly by following the example that Jesus lived on this earth.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)