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09 - The Pearl - Christ's Object Lessons · Philosophy and Faith

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  Speaker 1: Chapter nine. The Pearl based on Matthew thirteen, Verses forty
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  Speaker 1: five and forty six. The blessings of redeeming Love are
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  Speaker 1: Savior compared to a precious pearl. He illustrated his lesson
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  Speaker 1: by the parable of the merchantman seeking goodly pearls, who,
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  Speaker 1: when he had found one pearl of great price, went
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  Speaker 1: and sold all that he had and bought it. Christ
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  Speaker 1: himself is the pearl of great price. In him is
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  Speaker 1: gathered all the glory of the Father, the fullness of
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  Speaker 1: the Godhead. He is the brightness of the Father's glory,
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  Speaker 1: and the express image of his person. The glory of
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  Speaker 1: the attributes of God is expressed in his character. Every
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  Speaker 1: page of the Holy Scripture shines with his light. The
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  Speaker 1: righteousness of Christ, as a pure white pearl, has no defect,
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  Speaker 1: no stain. No work of man can improve the great
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  Speaker 1: and precious gift of God. It is without a flaw.
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  Speaker 1: In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
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  Speaker 1: He is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification
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  Speaker 1: and redemption. Footnote Colossians two, verse three, First Corinthians one,
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  Speaker 1: verse thirty, end of footnote. All that can satisfy the
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  Speaker 1: needs and longings of the human soul for this world
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  Speaker 1: and for the world to come, is found in Christ.
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  Speaker 1: Our redeemer, is the pearl so precious that in comparison
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  Speaker 1: all things else may be accounted loss. Christ came unto
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  Speaker 1: his own, and his own received him. Not the light
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  Speaker 1: of God shone into the darkness of the world, and
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  Speaker 1: the darkness comprehended it not footnote John one, Verses eleven
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  Speaker 1: and five, end of footnote. But not all were found
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  Speaker 1: indifferent to the gift of Heaven. The merchantman, in the
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  Speaker 1: parable represents a class who were sincerely desiring truth. In
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  Speaker 1: different nations, there were earnest and thoughtful men who had
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  Speaker 1: sought in literature and science, and the religions of the
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  Speaker 1: heathen world, for that which they could receive as the
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  Speaker 1: soul's treasure. Among the Jews, there were those who were
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  Speaker 1: seeking for that which they had not dissatisfied with the
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  Speaker 1: formal religion. They longed for that which was spiritual and uplifting.
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  Speaker 1: Christ's chosen disciples belonged to the latter class, Cornelius and
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  Speaker 1: the Ethiopian Eunuch to the former. They had been longing
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  Speaker 1: and praying for light from heaven, and when Christ was
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  Speaker 1: revealed to them, they received him with gladness. In the parable,
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  Speaker 1: the pearl is not represented as a gift. The merchantman
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  Speaker 1: bought it at the price of all that he had.
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  Speaker 1: Many question the meaning of this, since Christ is represented
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  Speaker 1: in the scriptures as a gift. He is a gift,
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  Speaker 1: but only to those who give themselves soul, body, and
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  Speaker 1: spirit to Him without reserve. We are to give ourselves
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  Speaker 1: to Christ, to live a life of willing obedience to
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  Speaker 1: all his requirements. All that we are, all the talents
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  Speaker 1: and capabilities we possess, are the lords to be consecrated
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  Speaker 1: to his service. When we thus give ourselves wholly to him, Christ,
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  Speaker 1: with all the treasures of Heaven, gives himself to us.
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  Speaker 1: We obtain the pearl of great price. Salvation is a
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  Speaker 1: free gift, and yet it is to be bought and
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  Speaker 1: sold in the market of which divine mercy has the management.
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  Speaker 1: The precious pearl is represented as being bought without money
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  Speaker 1: and without price. In this market all may obtain the
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  Speaker 1: goods of heaven. The treasury of the jewels of Truth
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  Speaker 1: is open to all. Behold, I have said before thee
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  Speaker 1: an open door. The Lord declares and no man can
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  Speaker 1: shut it. No sword guards the way through this door.
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  Speaker 1: Voices from within, and at the door say come. The
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  Speaker 1: Saviour's voice, earnestly and lovingly invites us. I counsel thee
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  Speaker 1: to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that
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  Speaker 1: thou mayest be rich. Footnote Revelation, chapter three, verses eight
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  Speaker 1: and eighteen, and a footnote. The Gospel of Christ is
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  Speaker 1: a blessing that all may possess. The poorest are as
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  Speaker 1: well able as the richest to purchase salvation, for no
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  Speaker 1: amount of worldly wealth can secure it. It is obtained
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  Speaker 1: by willing obedience, by giving ourselves to Christ as his
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  Speaker 1: own purchased possession. Education, even of the highest class, cannot
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  Speaker 1: of itself bring a man nearer to God. The Pharisees
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  Speaker 1: were favored with every temporal and every spiritual advantage, and
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  Speaker 1: they said, with boastful pride, we are rich and increased
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  Speaker 1: with goods, and have need of nothing. Yet they were
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  Speaker 1: wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked. Footnote
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  Speaker 1: Revelation three, verse seventeen, and a footnote. Christ offered them
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  Speaker 1: the pearl of great price, but they disdained to accept it,
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  Speaker 1: and he said to them, the publicans, and the harlots,
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  Speaker 1: go into the Kingdom of God before you. Footnote Matthew
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  Speaker 1: twenty one, verse thirty one, and a footnote. We cannot
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  Speaker 1: earn salvation, but we are to seek for it with
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  Speaker 1: as much interest and perseverance as though we would abandon
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  Speaker 1: everything in the world for it. We are to seek
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  Speaker 1: for the pearl of great price, but not in worldly
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  Speaker 1: marts or in worldly ways. The price we are required
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  Speaker 1: to pay is not gold or silver, for this belongs
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  Speaker 1: to God. Abandon the idea that temporal or spiritual advantages
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  Speaker 1: will win for you salvation. God calls for your willing obedience.
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  Speaker 1: He asks you to give up your sins to him
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  Speaker 1: that overcometh. Christ declares, will I grant to sit with
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  Speaker 1: me in my throne, even as I also overcame and
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  Speaker 1: am set down with my Father in his throne. Footnote
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  Speaker 1: Revelation three, verse twenty one, and a footnote. There are
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  Speaker 1: some who seem to be always seeking for the heavenly pearl,
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  Speaker 1: but they do not make an entire surrender of their
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  Speaker 1: wrong habits. They do not die to self that Christ
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  Speaker 1: may live in them. Therefore they do not find the
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  Speaker 1: precious pearl they have not overcome unholy ambition and their
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  Speaker 1: love for worldly attractions. They do not take up the
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  Speaker 1: cross and follow Christ in the path of self denial
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  Speaker 1: and sacrifice. Almost Christians, yet not fully Christians. They seem
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  Speaker 1: near the Kingdom of Heaven, but they cannot enter there.
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  Speaker 1: Almost but not wholly saved means to be not almost
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  Speaker 1: but wholly lost. The parable of the merchantmen seeking goodly
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  Speaker 1: pearls has a double significance. It applies not only to
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  Speaker 1: men as seeking the kingdom of Heaven, but to Christ
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  Speaker 1: as seeking his lost inheritance. Christ, the heavenly merchantman seeking
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  Speaker 1: goodly pearls, sought and lost humanity the pearl of Christ.
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  Speaker 1: In man defiled and ruined by sin. He saw the
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  Speaker 1: possibilities of redemption. Hearts that have been the battle ground
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  Speaker 1: of the conflict with Satan and that have been rescued
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  Speaker 1: by the power of love are more precious to the
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  Speaker 1: Redeemer than are those who have never fallen. God looked
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  Speaker 1: upon humanity not as vile and worthless. He looked upon
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  Speaker 1: it in Christ saw it as it might become through
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  Speaker 1: redeeming love. He collected all the riches of the universe
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  Speaker 1: and laid them down in order to buy the pearl,
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  Speaker 1: and Jesus, having found it, resets it in his own diadem.
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  Speaker 1: For they shall be as the stones of a crown,
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  Speaker 1: lifted up as an ensign upon his land. They shall
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  Speaker 1: be mine, Saith, the Lord of Hosts, in that day
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  Speaker 1: when I make up my jewels. Footnote Zechariah nine, verse
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  Speaker 1: sixteen and Malachi three, verse seventeen, and a footnote. But Christ,
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  Speaker 1: as the precious pearl, and our privilege of possessing this
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  Speaker 1: heavenly treasure is the theme on which we most need
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  Speaker 1: to dwell. It is the Holy Spirit that reveals to
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  Speaker 1: men the preciousness of the goodly pearl. The time of
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  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit's power is the time when, in especial sense,
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  Speaker 1: the heavenly gift is sought and found. In Christ's day,
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  Speaker 1: many heard the Gospel, but their minds were darkened by
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  Speaker 1: false teaching, and they did not reckgnize in the humble
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  Speaker 1: teacher of Galilee the scent of God. But after Christ's assension,
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  Speaker 1: his enthronement in his mediatorial kingdom was signalized by the
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  Speaker 1: outpouring of the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost,
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  Speaker 1: the spirit was given Christ's witnesses proclaimed the power of
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  Speaker 1: the risen Savior. The light of heaven penetrated the darkened
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  Speaker 1: minds of those who had been deceived by the enemies
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  Speaker 1: of Christ. They now saw him exalted to be a
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  Speaker 1: prince and a savior, for to give repentance to Israel
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  Speaker 1: and forgiveness of sins footnote Acts five, verse thirty one
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  Speaker 1: and a footnote. They saw him encircled with the glory
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  Speaker 1: of heaven, with infinite treasures in his hands to bestow
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  Speaker 1: upon all who would turn from their rebellion. As the
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  Speaker 1: apostles set forth the glory of the only begotten of
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  Speaker 1: the Father, three thousand souls were convicted. They were made
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  Speaker 1: to see themselves as they were sinful and polluted, and
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  Speaker 1: Christ as their friend and redeemer. Christ was lifted up.
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  Speaker 1: Christ was glorified through the power of the Holy Spirit
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  Speaker 1: resting upon men by faith. These believers saw him as
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  Speaker 1: the one who had borne humiliation, suffering, and death, that
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  Speaker 1: they might not perish but have everlasting life. The revelation
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  Speaker 1: of Christ by the Spirit brought to them a realizing
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  Speaker 1: sense of his power and majesty, and they stretched forth
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  Speaker 1: their hands to him by faith, saying, I believe then
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  Speaker 1: the glad tidings of a risen Savior were carried to
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  Speaker 1: the uttermost bounds of the inhabited world. The Church beheld
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  Speaker 1: converts flocking to her from all directions. Believers were re
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  Speaker 1: converted sinners united with Christians in seeking the pearl of
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  Speaker 1: great price. The prophecy was fulfilled. The weak shall be
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  Speaker 1: as David, and the house of David as the Angel
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  Speaker 1: of the Lord. Footnote Zechariah twelve, verse eight, and the footnote.
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  Speaker 1: Every Christian saw in his brother the divine similitude of
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  Speaker 1: benevolence and love. One interest prevailed, one object swallowed up
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  Speaker 1: all others, All hearts beat in harmony. The only ambition
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  Speaker 1: of the believers was to reveal the likeness of Christ's
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  Speaker 1: character and to labor for the enlargement of his kingdom.
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  Speaker 1: The multitude of them that believed were of one heart
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  Speaker 1: and of one soul, with great power gave the apostles
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  Speaker 1: witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great
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  Speaker 1: grace was upon them all, and the Lord added to
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  Speaker 1: the church daily such as should be saved. Footnote Acts
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  Speaker 1: Chapter four, verses thirty two and thirty three and Chapter two,
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  Speaker 1: verse forty seven, and a footnote The Spirit of Christ
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  Speaker 1: animated the whole congregation, for they had found the pearl
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  Speaker 1: of great price. These scenes are to be repeated and
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  Speaker 1: with greater power. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on
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  Speaker 1: the day of Pentecost was the former reign, but the
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  Speaker 1: latter reign will be more abundant. The Spirit awaits our
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  Speaker 1: demand and reception. Christ is again to be revealed in
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  Speaker 1: his fullness by the Holy Spirit its power. Men will
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  Speaker 1: discern the value of the precious pearl, and with the
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  Speaker 1: Apostle Paul, they will say, what things were gained to me?
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  Speaker 1: Those I counted loss for Christ, yea doubtless And I
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  Speaker 1: count all things but loss for the excellency of the
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  Speaker 1: knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Footnote Philippians, Chapter three,
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  Speaker 1: Verses seven and eight. End of footnote end of chapter nine.