He Gave His Life for You

Now, let’s go back to our parables. The man that wanted to buy the field to get the treasure, the merchant who wanted to buy the pearl. And you remember in each case it cost him all he had. I want you to think now of Jesus, the one who bought the field and the one who bought the pearl. And to buy them cost Him all He had. He died with nothing. He was buried in a borrowed burial robe and in a borrowed tomb. And on His way to the tomb He had poured out the last drop of His lifeblood. It cost Him everything. Why did He pay that? What was His motive? To redeem us. He redeemed the world not because He wanted the world. What did He want? The treasure in the world. What was the treasure? God’s people.

And He gave all He had to buy one pearl. What did we compare the pearl to? One redeemed soul. Let’s ponder on that for just a little while. I don’t believe we take nearly enough time to ponder on the love of God. I believe God has called me to His service. I believe that Jesus shed His lifeblood to redeem the world. I believe there’s a treasure buried in the earth that God gave His life for. Jesus bought the field but it’s our responsibility to dig out the treasure. We could never have paid for the field but we can dig out the treasure. That, I believe, in a certain sense is our ministry. That’s what motivates me to proclaim the truth to the Soviet Union, to Communist China, to Southeast Asia, to Central and South America and countless other places. Because I believe that I have a part to play in digging the treasure out of the earth.

I believe it’s lain in the earth a long, long while and it’s become in some ways stained and corroded. And we have the responsibility to clean it, to purify it and to make it a treasure worthy for our Lord. That’s the way I see the ministry of the gospel. It’s going into the fields and recovering the treasure for which Jesus died.

But when it comes to the pearl, I think it’s important to make it very, very personal. I would like each one of you just for a few brief moments to think of yourself as that pearl. Picture that merchant who’s paid everything he had for one pearl. Now he owns the pearl. And he holds it in the palm of his hand and he looks down at it and he says, “You’re beautiful. You’re the most beautiful pearl I’ve ever seen in all my merchant days. You cost me everything but I was glad to pay it. You’re mine. I don’t regret the price I paid for you.”

Now, if you want to go out of here tonight feeling important, valuable, cared for, significant, just picture yourself for a moment in the palm of the Lord’s hand. Picture Him looking down on you and saying to you, “You’re mine. You cost me everything I had but I don’t regret the price I paid. You were worth it. In my eyes you’re beautiful.” Could you just picture yourself that pearl for a moment? Can you make it very intimate and very personal? Don’t think of anybody at the moment, not the preacher nor the people, but just think of Jesus. See yourself as the soul for whom He died. Consider the price that He paid. Every drop of His precious blood. And remember that the life is in the blood. In the blood of Jesus is the very life of God the Creator. There is more power in one drop of the blood of Jesus than in all the kingdom of Satan. There’s the very life of God Himself in that precious blood. It cleanses from all sin. It sanctifies. It makes us pure and holy. Not by works of righteousness which we have done but solely by the virtue of His blood we become accepted in the Beloved. We’re the object of God’s peculiar affection. We’re His special treasure.

Just for a moment just let the Holy Spirit make this real to you. Just let God show you by the Holy Spirit how much He loves you.

Now I want to pray for all of you.

“Heavenly Father, we just want to thank you tonight collectively and individually for the great love with which you loved us. Even when we were dead in trespasses and sins. Even when we were buried under the soil and stained you loved us so much you gave the blood of God, the life of God to redeem us. Thank you, Lord.”

Shall we just say quietly to the Lord, “Thank you, Lord”? Thank you, Lord.

There are some of you here tonight who probably never have personally thanked God for the death of Jesus on your behalf. You’ve perhaps known about it as a doctrine of the church, you’ve heard people speak about it but you’ve never made it personal. Just for one moment I want to ask all of you to bow your heads reverently. And then I want if there are any here tonight who would like to say “I want to thank God for the first time tonight that Jesus died for me, that He shed his blood for me. I want to appropriate it personally.” Would you just slip your hand up for a moment and we’ll pray for you. Anywhere in this auditorium, you want to say, “God, I thank you. I thank you.” God bless you, sir, I see your hand. God bless you, young man; God bless you, young lady; God bless you, madam there. Oh, there are so many hands going up. There must be thirty hands or fifty hands going up over this auditorium. Brothers, let’s just keep praying for a moment. I think the Spirit of God is going to break through. We prayed for a breakthrough of the Holy Spirit. Why shouldn’t we begin to receive it tonight?

Now, if you raised your hand I want you to do one more thing and that’s all. I want you to stand up right where you are sitting. I’m going to lead you in a personal individual prayer. Each one of you that raised your hand. Don’t be embarrassed, just stand up. This young lady here in front, stand up. You’ll never be ashamed of standing up for Jesus. Right across this auditorium, in the gallery, wherever you may be. You just want to talk to God tonight personally and say, “God, I want to thank You that You gave Your Son. Jesus, I want to thank You that You died for me, that You loved me that much. And I want to give myself to You tonight. That’s all I can do.” There’s nothing else you can do, just give yourself to Jesus Christ tonight. Would you who are standing just say very briefly this prayer after me sentence by sentence? Just pray audibly, you don’t need to pray very loud but loud enough to hear yourself. Say these words:

“Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that you’re the Son of God and the only way to God. That on the cross you died for my sins and you shed your blood to redeem me. And I receive your blood now as the redemption price to redeem me and to cleanse me. I thank you Lord Jesus and I give myself to you. From tonight onwards I belong to you Lord Jesus. Help me to live for your glory. In Jesus’ name.”

And all God’s people said amen.