THE PEARL
THE PEARL
Sunday, August 11, 2013, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Last week I saw written out in a dream, “Carolyn preach on The Pearl”.
Matthew 13: 45-46: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls; who, when he found one pearl of great price, went out sold all that he had, and bought it.”
I began to pray and ponder what the Lord wanted me to preach on “The Pearl”. I carefully dissected the less than a dozen scriptures on the Pearl. However, the image of the “Pearl” is clear in Matthew 13: 45-46. It is meant to reflect the glory of God’s Kingdom.
Strong’s: Kingdom – “basileia”: “royal power, kingship, dominion, rule; the right and authority to rule over a kingdom; of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah; the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom; a kingdom, the territory subject to the rule of a king; used in the N.T. to refer to the reign of the Messiah.”
Matthew 6:33-34: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Take no thought for tomorrow, for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself…”
Throughout the Bible, the pearl is used in imagery as a standard of excellence, beauty, brilliance, and value.
Job 28: “The price of wisdom is above pearls”.
The Lord spoke to me a few years ago that my understanding was my wisdom. That is mystery in itself.
Moses spoke concerning Bezaleel (Ex. 36: 30-33) The Lord has filled him (Bezaleel) with the Spirit of God, in wisdom in understanding, and in knowledge; and in all manner of workmanship.”
We cannot take any accolades for wisdom, understanding or knowledge, because it is a Gift from the Lord through the Holy Spirit. “God’s grace can do all without our preaching, but our preaching can do nothing without God’s grace.” (Matthew Henry).
The Kingdom of God is supernatural. That is, it goes above and beyond the realm of the natural…the strength and wisdom of man…the ability and intellect of man. This is a supernatural gospel being ministered by a supernatural people empowered by the supernatural God.
The glory of the gospel of the Kingdom of God is so precious that it should not be offered to hostile people indiscriminately.
Mt. 7:6: “Do not give that which is holy to dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you.”
As we have grown in “wisdom”, we have learned to wisely discern the spirits in certain swine circles, not from “fear”, for we know that our Kingdom standing of “righteousness, peace and joy” will shine as a brilliant light into the darkness of scorn, mocking, and persecution by the “swine”. As we respond to the darkness of the “swine” in wisdom and understanding, the brilliant light of the gospel of the Kingdom will penetrate and dissipate the darkness and pain of their soul. The “joy” of the Holy Spirit within us is not to be placed in submission to the power of the darkness.
“It is not everyone who is fit to be reproved. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs”. Our zeal against sin must be guided by discretion, and we must not go about to give instructions, counsels and rebukes, much less comforts to hardened scorners. Throw a pearl to a “swine” and he will resent it. Give not to “dogs” and “swine” (unclean creatures) holy things.” (Matthew Henry)
The pearls of the Kingdom of God are precious ordinances of God. Among the generation of the wicked, there are some that have walked so long in the way of sinners that they have sat down at the feet of the scornful. They despise and hate instruction and are in defiance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We should never submit our “soul” to be trampled on by anyone. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Anyone who purposely and intentionally attempts to cause us pain, are “swine”. That is if we are living in the Spirit of God and not provoking them to wrath.
If Christians are being trampled and attacked by “swine”, then they have made themselves vulnerable and victims to the “swine spirit” in dis-obedience to the “Wisdom of the Kingdom”.
(This does not apply to those who have been chosen and sent as martyrs.) Do not take the “mantle” of martyr on yourselves through a “victim spirit”. That would be another sin of casting your pearls before “swine”. “Those that are full of the Holy Spirit are fit for anything, either to act for Christ or to suffer for him.” (M.H.)
For those of us who have found “The Pearl” of greatest price, the journey cost us all that we had along the way. However, the Lord restored all that was lost to better than before, and then covered it with His glory.
Generally speaking, I can say the people who are called to this “pasture” are on a journey and like the merchant man in Mt. 13, you are “SEEKING”. The journey of life has many twists and turns. At each stage of development, the “seeker” in us is pushing forward to the next stage of life. The “seeker” within us is activated by the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who draws us deeper and deeper into Christ as “deep calls to deep”.
In our twenties, the natural man “seeks” prosperity, a mate, a home, and then a family. We can become comfortable and content in those blessings. The Lord will then pull a “twig” out of our nest and the “seeker” begins to draw us deeper into Christ.
Matthew 7: 7-8: “Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you; for every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.”
When we begin “seeking” the Lord for “more” contentment, happiness, peace, joy, fullness of days, health, love, prosperity, family, more of the Lord, etc. we are like the merchant man seeking goodly pearls. The first message I ever preached (40-years ago) was Matt. 6: 33-34. I had the understanding that the pearl of great price was life’s greatest attainment. However, the journey was not quite as simple as the knowledge and the preaching of that understanding. Like I said earlier, there were many twists, turns, ups, downs, tests, failures, successes, sorrows, and gladness on the journey. I am still on the journey and have not “arrived”.
We must be teachable and ever open to change which is growth. We are continually learning, for Jesus is continually teaching. We must learn to stand still to hear what God is saying today by His spirit. We are all learning together. The truth will always astonish us and will always set us free into liberty.
The Kingdom is not fleshly; that is it is not based upon the natural senses. We in this kingdom are not moved by what we see or hear in the realm of circumstances. The Kingdom demands perseverance, “no man having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
When it seems the battle is at its fiercest and raging all around us that is when we are the closest to the victory.
The Kingdom involves persecution, tribulation and affliction. Again we can see that the half-hearted will not fight the good fight of faith. This walk is for overcomers who are victorious in Jesus.
The Kingdom is to be taken to the whole earth. Matt. 24:14: “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the entire world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come.”
We look around and we know that these are epochal days. We rejoice that we have been brought to the Kingdom for such a time as this. The “Kosmos” is falling apart. The Voice (Word) of the Lord is shaking heaven and earth. Only that which is part of the unshakeable Kingdom cannot and will not be moved. Our Kingdom is going to stand. Like Noah of old, there will be a people who will inherit the earth…a people who will remain after the days of shaking (Heb. 12: 26-29; Mt. 24: 37-41; 1 Thess. 4: 15-17; Rev. 3:2). We shall like Noah, be left to inherit the earth! The word for “remain” is “perileipo” and means “to leave over or to survive” and so points to the remnant of those who are not moved by this shaking of the “Kosmos”. We have been clearly identified and confirmed to be in that number by the vision I had of our church as a “cabin in the cucumber patch” (Isa. 1: 8-9).
We are sent and commissioned to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of the Kingdom of God. To preach the gospel is to persuade men “concerning Jesus”. It is a message that proclaims Jesus to be Lord. The message is one that will produce a people in the earth that are: heavenly in culture, in language, in character, in authority, in message and proclamation; and in life-style.
The final appearance of the imagery of “The Pearl” in the Holy Bible is truly resplendent. In John’s vision of New Jerusalem, each of the twelve gates of the Kingdom of Heaven is made from a single pearl with the dazzling effect reinforced by the street of the city, which is “pure gold, transparent as glass” (Rev. 21:21).
The city = a people = the abode for the fullness of God-Body of Christ = the Lamb’s Wife = the church in Glory and perfection = bride adorned.
The twelve gates = twelve experience which do progressively unfold from Christ. The divine nature from within you.
Each gate = Pearl = pain = great price= that which is costly---not just one experience but many. Pearls are created because of a foreign deposit. This is painful. Pearl oysters are found in clusters and in the depths. One must dive to the depths and search.
The Holy Bible tells us of twelve ways to enter the Kingdom of the abundant, overcoming life style (Jn. 10:10). Each of the gates is a manifestation of the nature of God in each of us kicking hard to be birthed from within. – See teaching on website Bible Studies – The Twelve Gates of Pearl, December 2007 by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom
- By being poor in Spirit – Mt. 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus is not talking about finances, but rather an attitude of “I need you Lord”.
- By being born of the Spirit and receiving a new nature: John 3:3: “Verily, verily, I say to you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
- By being righteous – (part of the divine nature) --- Mt. 5:20:“except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no way enter into the Kingdom of heaven.”
- By seeking--- Mt. 6:33: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and al these things shall be added to you.”
- By being childlike (the nature of a Lamb) --- Mt. 18: 3-4: “Verily I say to you, except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” This, of course, does not mean childish, but humble and teachable, able to receive instruction.
- By being instructed---Mt. 13:52: “Every scribe which is instructed to the kingdom of heaven is like to a man that is in a household which brings forth out of his treasure things new and old.”
- By doing the will of the Father---Mt. 7: 21-23: “Not every one that says to Me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but the that does the will of My Father which is in heaven.”
- By being violent in the will of the Father ---Mt. 11:12: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” Caleb spirit- Numbers 14:24: “My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit within him, and has followed Me fully him will I bring into the land whereto he went; and his seed shall possess it.”
- By purging out the offenses (traps, snares, hindrances)---Mt. 6:22; Mark 9:47: “If your eye offend you, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.”
- By pressing – walking alone at times---“the law and the prophets were until John; since that time the Kingdom of God is preached, and every man presses into it.” The pressing is personal and often very lonely.
- By tribulation (Loneliness, misunderstanding, rejection, crucifixion) ---Mt. 5: 19-12; Acts 14:22. the Lord spoke to me once that the Office of the Evangelist was a lonely walk. We all must continue in the faith---no turning back---keep moving forward.
- By adding to your Faith until you reach the sum (end) of your faith: We keep maturing until we reach the sum, which is a man in the throne with a ministry energized by a nature of love, the nature of God.
There are twelve times in Matthew’s gospel where Jesus says that the “Kingdom of heaven is like…” The number 12 is a Kingdom number, for it denotes Divine Government.
Mt. 13: 45-46: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls; who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”
On our journey, we have found our way through the Eastern gate into the city. It is the Lord who named this ministry, the Eastgate. The gate is made of one large pearl, resplendent of the glory of the Kingdom of God.
Preached by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V. – In my “seeking” and “pressing” in to discover the unsearchable riches of The Pearl, I entered into the labors of Matthew Henry Bible Commentary; Sermon on the Mount by: Dr. Kelley Varner; The Twelve Gates of the City by: K. H. Varner’ The Gates of Pearl Sermon Notes by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom, December 2007