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THE NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST July 26, 2026 Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto Our Bible Readings – Old Testament: Deuteronomy 7:6-10 Psalm 125 Epistle: Romans 8:28-39 Gospel: Matthew 13:44-52 The Hymn of the Day: Lutheran Service Book 713, “From God Can Nothing Move Me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGNZ3UgOtHk&list=RDIGNZ3UgOtHk&start_radio=1 Sermon – "The Treasure Christ Purchased" Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. When people read these little parables of Jesus in Matthew 13, they often see them as a challenge. "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field." "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls." Then come the conclusions many people draw: "If you want the kingdom of heaven, you must sell everything.” “You must give up enough, surrender enough.” “You must work to make Christ the greatest treasure in your life." At first, that sounds very pious. Yet there is one serious problem. If that’s what Jesus is teaching, then salvation becomes something that depends upon you. How much have you surrendered? Have you truly given everything? Have you loved Christ and sacrificed enough? Suddenly these beautiful little parables become crushing demands of the Law rather than joyful proclamations of the Gospel. And that is not what Jesus intends. For throughout Scripture we learn that sinners cannot purchase God's Kingdom. God purchases sinners. The Bible never suggests that we buy salvation. It repeatedly states that Christ bought us. St. Paul tells the Corinthians, "You were bought with a price." St. Peter speaks of "the Master who bought them." Our Small Catechism confesses that Jesus Christ has "redeemed me, a lost and condemned person... not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death." That language should immediately make us look again at these parables. Who is the One who purchases? And what is being purchased? Jesus says that a man discovers treasure hidden in a field. Filled with joy, he sells everything he has and buys the field. Notice where all the action is. The treasure does nothing. It is hidden. Buried. Passive. Someone else acts. Someone else pays the price. Earlier in this very chapter, Jesus explained one of His parables by saying, "The field is the world." The field has already been defined. So, who is the One who purchases the world? Certainly not us. None of us possesses enough righteousness to purchase God's favour. The Prophet Isaiah explains that even our righteous deeds are like filthy rags before God. Romans tells us that we were helpless under sin. We have nothing to offer. Nothing to buy with. Nothing worthy of God. The Law exposes our complete spiritual bankruptcy. We cannot purchase heaven. We can’t buy forgiveness. We won’t purchase eternal life. But there is One who can. There is One who joyfully gave everything He possessed. There is One who laid aside the glory of heaven. One who humbled Himself unto death — even death on a cross. Our Lord Jesus Christ. He entered this fallen world. He came looking for what was precious to Him. Not because we were shining like polished gold. Not because we were already beautiful pearls. We were hidden beneath the dirt of sin. Covered by guilt. Dead in trespasses. Yet Christ saw what His Father had chosen from before the foundation of the world. The hidden treasure. His Church. His redeemed people. You. Out of immeasurable joy He sold everything. Not literally by visiting a marketplace. But by emptying Himself. By giving His perfect life. By shedding His holy and precious blood. By enduring God's righteous judgment against sin. He purchased the field — the world — with the price of His innocent, holy blood, so that His treasured possession would belong to Him forever. This is pure Gospel. Notice how different that is from saying, "You must treasure Christ enough." Instead, Christ treasures you. That changes everything. For now, your salvation rests, not upon the strength of your surrender, but upon the completeness of His redemption. That fits beautifully with our Old Testament lesson. Moses tells Israel, "The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession." Why? Because Israel was greater than the other nations? Holier? More deserving? No. Moses explained that in Deuteronomy 9:6, “Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.” And that could be said of all of us, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Fortunately, the LORD set His love on us. Everything begins with God's gracious choice, His steadfast love, His faithfulness. That same truth continues in our Epistle. "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Notice once again where the emphasis falls. Not on human achievement. But on God's calling. God's purpose, His eternal plan. Those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. Before you ever sought Him, He sought you. Before you ever loved Him, He loved you. Before you could ever reach for Him, He redeemed you. That’s exactly what these little parables proclaim. The second parable says much the same thing. A merchant searches for beautiful pearls. Finding one pearl of great value, he sells everything and buys it. Again, all the action belongs to the merchant. The pearl contributes nothing to its own purchase. It simply holds great value in the eyes of the buyer. That is how Christ looks upon His redeemed Church. You may not see much value in yourself. The devil constantly reminds us of our failures. Our consciences accuse us daily. So, we see weakness. We see sin. Yet, Christ sees someone worth redeeming. Not because of our goodness. But because of His love. His cross determines your worth. The price He paid tells you how precious you are to Him. The cross forever answers the question, "Am I valuable to God?" You are worth the blood of His own Son. That is not sentiment. It’s the objective reality of redemption. Finally, Jesus tells the brief parable of the fishing net. The Gospel goes out into the world like a great net. People are gathered into the visible Church. At the end of the age there will be a separation. The angels will separate the evil from the righteous. That sounds frightening. And it should. For apart from Christ none of us could stand in the judgment. Yet those who belong to Christ need not fear. The One who purchased the treasure will not lose it. The One who bought the pearl will not abandon it. The One who redeemed you with His blood will bring His work to completion. As the Psalm appointed for today explains, "Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved." Why? Because the Lord surrounds His people, Christian believers. Your security rests not in the firmness of your grip upon Christ, but in His everlasting grip upon you. Dear friends, these little parables are not about the price you must pay. They’re about the price Christ has already paid. They are not a call to earn redemption. They are a proclamation that salvation has already been purchased. We were hidden beneath the dirt of sin. Christ found us. We were spiritually bankrupt. Christ paid the debt. We were lost. Christ redeemed us. We were dead. Christ gave us life. And now you belong to Him — not because of your sacrifice, but because of His. That is why we come again today to His altar. There the Heavenly Merchant continues to distribute the benefits of the purchase He made at Calvary. There He places into your mouth and into your hands the body that was given for you and the blood that purchased your redemption. There He assures us once again, "You are Mine." And because you are His treasured possession, nothing — not death, not Satan, not your own weakness — can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.