Notes: Matthew 13

God's friends don't walk away
So who am I, the truly lost or the saved?
Can my life be His, my death be cost
... and am I worth the cross?

Times like these, we need Jesus. This morning at church our pastor spoke from the parables in Matthew 13:44-50 - the hidden treasure, the valuable pearl, and the kingdom of God as a fishing net when the good and the bad catch will be saved or destroyed. Here are my notes.

- A king will come and deliver us from destruction. This includes my private sins and public fears!

- The kingdom of Heaven's importance is greater than it seems

- The kingdom of Heaven's value is greater than *anything else* (sin, lust, evil, meanness, money, perfectionism)

- The kingdom of Heaven's gain is greater than its cost

- Even the best, most important thing we could do must come after following Jesus (reference: Matthew 8:18-22, when a potential follower asks to first bury his dead father, and Jesus answers, "Let the dead bury their own dead")

- Does Jesus come before.... my family? job? study? future? my visions? salary? gifts? thoughts? attitudes? preparations? health? interests? There is NOTHING more important than Jesus, nor is His importance relative.

- Can I think of anything more important than spending eternity in Heaven with Jesus?

- Don't hold onto some supposed freedom, like our unwillingness to make an effort, our apathy, our human relativism, or members of our proverbial seashell collection.

- Jesus paid it all when He went through the fiery furnace for us! He paid the ULTIMATE COST to ensure our salvation.

- "I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Saviour" (quoted from the movie Amazing Grace)

- And He loves me, despite the fact I fail Him everyday.

- 2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich."