By: Elisabeth C. Tunstall
Matthew 13: 45-46
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto 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.”
Time to Review To review, you have learned what a parable is and that Jesus Christ, our Heavenly Teacher, would often teach in parables when He walked on this earth. This week we will continue to study the pearl as you see in the scripture above. Lets go over what key words represent again.
BREAKING IT DOWN
1. Kingdom of Heaven All of God’s Children 2. Merchant Man represents a child of God 3. Pearl - the word of God, which is found in the Bible 4. Goods the Merchant Man Sold - represents the cares and sins of this world
THE MERCHANT MAN
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Now consider this. When the merchant man sold all that he had, he made a sacri ce so that he could have the pearl. What is a sacri ce? It is giving up something you really want for something else that is MORE IMPORTANT.
GOD IS #1 The things we do for God are considered HOLY. This may include singing praises, studying your bible lesson or going to church. These are the most important things in our life and must come FIRST.
WHAT IS A PARABLE?
The things we do for ourselves that DO NOT DISOBEY THE COMMANDMENTS, are common. This may include going on vacation, birthday parties, going to school, going to work or spending time with family and friends.
WHEN COMMON THINGS BECOME A SIN
Sometimes, common activities can become a sin if we are not careful. For example, a birthday party by itself is not a sin but common. But if you go to a birthday party on the Sabbath day, it is a sin. What commandment would you break if you did this? Spending time with friends is not a sin but is common. But if you go to a Christmas Party to hang out with your friends it becomes a sin.
MAKING SACRIFICES
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Now a birthday party is fun and enjoyable. To be honest, Christmas seems fun. Who wouldn’t want to have gifts and eat yummy food. This is where the sacri ce comes in. In order to serve God we have to stop doing things that we may actually enjoy if it causes us to sin or disobey His commandments. It’s not always easy. It’s not always fun. You may feel sad or frustrated. That’s ok. All saints have to make sacri ces. You are not alone.
ETERNAL LIFE IS THE GOAL
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However, though sacri ces may not always feel good, the reward we get from serving God is far better. That reward is eternal life. Amen
YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Write a 2 page essay called “Making a Sacri ce for God.” Be sure to do the following: Due: Sabbath, January 10, 2025 1. Your rst sentence should be “I give glory to God” 2. De ne what a sacri ce is. 3. Give examples of what holy activities are. 4. Give examples of what common activities are. 5. Give one example of how you made a sacri ce to obey God. 6. How did that sacri ce make you feel? 7. Interview one adult in church or at home and ask them about a sacri ce they have made to serve God. Make sure they are ok with you talking about their sacri ce in your paper.
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8. The last word of your paper should be “Amen.”