Month: June 2018

THE MERCHANT DID NOT FIND A “FAIR” PEARL OR A PEARL OF MODERATE PRICE BUT A PERFECT PEARL OF GREAT PRICE

“Who, when he had found one pearl of great price…”

On three occasions I have researched the quality of a precious stone. One of those occasions was the purchase of my wife’s engagement ring. It was during this time that I learned about the quality and characterizes of diamonds. What makes them sparkle. What makes them valuable. What makes them desirable. Like the quality of a pearl, the better the cut, brilliance, and blemish free surface of a diamond, combined with its size, the more valuable it would be. I learned quickly that I could buy my future wife a large diamond if I was okay with the fact that it looked foggy and did not reflect light. Alternatively, I could afford a diamond that was almost perfect in cut and brilliance if I didn’t mind the fact that it was very small. Ultimately, I settled for a diamond of a fair size that had minor imperfections and whose moderate price I could afford.

This is quite the contrast to the pearl that the Merchant finds and buys. He does not find a pearl that is perfect but small, or imperfect but large. He does not find a pearl that is categorized as “fair”. He does not settle for the moderately priced, moderately brilliant pearl. Rather, he finds the one pearl, the perfect pearl, the ideal pearl, the pearl by which all other pearls may be measured, and he buys it. This purchase is not of moderate price like the diamond I bought my wife. This pearl is of great price. It will take everything this merchant has to acquire this one perfect pearl. For the merchant, however, the value of the things that he will give up are nothing to be compared with the value of the one pearl of great price. For you see – that which is perfect is beyond value. Its value is far above rubies, gold, silver, diamonds, and treasure. That pearl which is perfect is a priceless treasure. Every wise man would quickly acquire it no matter the cost.

Sometimes the Christian is chastised by the world for wasting what could be a fun life. For those who do not have the priceless treasure of the one perfect pearl, the Christian looks to have nothing at all. But the Christian has something the world cannot understand.

The Christian has something that is perfect beyond words. The Christian has a pearl, has one pearl, and that pearl is perfect. Here are words even the world can understand. The man with the most money in his generation has yet to enjoy his riches beyond the closing of his eyes to sleep the sleep of death. No man has ever brought his worldly wealth with him though all the world has tried. But the Christian’s treasure is Jesus Christ Himself who leads His people from this life through death and too life forever with him. He does not just give peace now but no peace later. He is the Prince of Peace, He has conquered death, He has prepared places for His people in Heaven, He has reconciled the Christian to God with His own blood. He is the perfect treasure. He is the one perfect treasure. No one and nothing else has done, can do, or will do what He has done, is doing, and will do. What can be possibly compared to this pearl Jesus Christ? He is the perfect treasure. He who has Christ, has treasure without comparison. And he has treasure that will lead him from this life to the next.

My friend, do you, this very day, have the priceless treasure? Are you trusting in the one perfect pearl of great price or have you settled for foggy treasures of the world that will soon disappear? None who have Christ have ever lacked. None who have Christ are ever poor. Take hold on Him by faith and with repentance unto life and you too shall have the one perfect pearl of great price that shall never leave you or forsake you but will be your God even through death.

Ben Stahl, Elder

THE MERCHANT COUNTED ALL HE HAD PREVIOUSLY, AS NOTHING, AS TRASH,COMPARED TO THE GAIN OF THIS PEARL

“…Who…went and sold all that he had…”

Jim Elliot was a missionary who died bringing the gospel to tribes in Ecuador. He is credited with saying, “He is no fool who sells that which he cannot keep to buy that which he cannot lose.”

The apostle Paul said, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ.” (Philippians 3:7-8)

What is it about all the good things of the world that a gospel missionary would advocate selling and the apostle Paul would refer to as dung? What is it about the Merchant’s wealth that would allow the Merchant to sell all that he had in order to buy the one pearl of great price? Certainly it had to do with the perfection of the pearl. But it also had to do with the worthlessness and transience of the merchandise the Merchant possessed.

Remember Revelation 18 and the remarkable vision that is seen of John. As he sees the end of the world, he sees merchants. They are not the Merchants of the Kingdom of Heaven but rather merchants of the Earth. And these merchants of the Earth are weeping. Why? Because their merchandise is worthless. They have no more buyers. For in one hour, their great riches came to nothing (vs. 11-19).

I read recently that after a positive earnings report, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos saw his net worth increase more than $6 billion in one hour. $6 billion! Can you even fathom what that kind of money looks like? The estimated wealth of the United States is well in excess of $60 trillion. To say that is a lot of money is perhaps the understatement of the year. And yet, the day is coming when this money, all of it,  will sprout wings and fly away. It will vanish like the wind. It will evaporate like the dew of morning. In one hour, there will be none to give it any value. None will buy it. The treasures of this world are fleeting and yet they are relentlessly pursued by the world.

The Merchant in the Kingdom of Heaven is no longer making the pursuit of these treasures his goal. Rather he is selling all of these temporary treasures to buy that which is eternal. He sees truly that the pleasures and riches of the world are fleeting and are vanity. One thing is not vanity and that is Jesus Christ – knowing Him and the power of His resurrection. Making Christ our own because Christ has made us His own. This is life eternal, even Jesus Christ. And this is that thing which the merchant pursues.

In comparison to Jesus Christ, who was delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification, in comparison to having Christ as our savior who reconciles us to the Father, the treasures of the world, the riches of the world, are but utter foolishness and worthless. Trusting in them is among the greatest deceits and follies. The merchant in the Kingdom of Heaven has departed from those things. He trusts not in the treasures of the world but puts his faith, hope, trust, love, desire, and foundation in the one pearl of great price, Jesus Christ, who has never, will never, and can never let down, forget, or deceive one of his own.

Dear Friends, do you this day, like the Merchant in our parable, consider all things as dung that you might gain Christ? Are you this day like the preacher of Ecclesiastes who found all things to be vanity except one thing – to fear the Lord and keep His commandments? The world will tell us it is a foolish thing not to pursue all the wealth, riches, and pleasures that it has to offer. Is it foolish to give up what no man has ever kept through death in order to gain that which no man, who after taking possession, has ever lost?

Ben Stahl, Elder