Participants: Mike Leno
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000044
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00:29 A Pearl diver named Rambhau lived on the coast of India.
00:34 His profession, his life work was to go out 00:38 off the coast of India and dive for pearls. 00:41 And he was good at it, too. 00:43 He could hold his breath so long. 00:44 He could dive so deep, 00:46 and he knew just what kind of oyster to look for 00:50 that would give the best pearls. 00:51 Now the goal of every pearl diver 00:53 is to find the perfect pearl. 00:57 Well, Rambhau had a son and as the son grew older 01:01 he was taught by his father to dive for pearls. 01:04 As he got older he got better and better and better. 01:08 And after a while Rambhau's son was the best pearl diver 01:12 in the coast--on that part of the coast of India. 01:15 He could hold his breath so long. 01:17 He had the deepest dive. 01:20 And he was trained by his father 01:22 to find the best oysters that would produce the best pearls. 01:27 You see, as Rambhau's father used to say, 01:30 there's a big difference between the pearls 01:33 with defects in them and they lack 01:36 a lot of luster and brilliance 01:38 but the perfect pearls don't have any defects 01:41 in them at all and they shine with a luster 01:44 that completely outshines all the inferior pearls. 01:49 Well, few years went by 01:52 and Rambhau's son became better and better. 01:56 And he would keep on looking for the perfect pearl. 02:00 And one day he was diving very deep, 02:03 had been down a very long time. 02:06 And he looked down at the ocean floor below him 02:09 and he saw just the kind of oyster 02:12 that he was looking for. 02:14 He knew that inside that oyster shell 02:17 had to be the best pearl that he'd ever seen. 02:21 The problem was he'd already been down 02:24 so long that he was almost ready to pass out. 02:27 And yet, there was the perfect pearl 02:29 just within reach and so with a kick of his feet 02:32 he nosed down further 02:33 and grabbed for that oyster shell. 02:37 Unfortunately Rambhau's son had been down too long. 02:42 As he reached the oyster that he just knew 02:45 had to have the perfect pearl in it, 02:48 he passed out and he drowned 02:51 before he could ever reach the surface. 02:54 His father was so grieved by the death of his son 03:01 that he would never even 03:02 talk about his son for years afterward. 03:07 Matthew 13, talks about 03:13 the pearl of great price. 03:16 "Again, the kingdom of heaven 03:19 is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 03:23 When he found one of great value, 03:25 he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." 03:30 People will pay anything. 03:32 They will sacrifice anything. 03:35 Even risk their own lives 03:37 in order to get the perfect pearl. 03:40 And that's why Jesus could use 03:42 the pearl to represent the gospel, 03:46 the good news of His kingdom. 03:50 Unfortunately there are more than 03:54 one version of the gospel. 04:00 In previous sessions together we have talked about the gospel 04:03 and how there have been 04:05 different false teachers in the past 04:07 that have taught a perverted version of the gospel. 04:11 Let's review those. 04:14 The false gospel includes things like this, 04:19 "You are uncertain about being saved. 04:22 You deal with this insecurity by working harder 04:25 in order to be worth saving." 04:27 The true gospel on the other hand means that 04:29 "As a believer in Christ you are assured that you have salvation. 04:33 You do not need to work hard to be worth saving." 04:37 The false gospel says that 04:38 "Personal behavior is controlled from the outside, 04:41 motivated by law, rewards and punishments." 04:45 The true gospel says, that 04:46 "Behavior is controlled from the inside 04:48 and motivated by love." 04:51 The false gospel says that 04:52 "You have to make personal sacrifices 04:55 in order to win God's favor." 04:58 The true gospel says, 04:59 "God's love wins your love and loyalty 05:03 therefore you would sacrifice anything 05:05 that came between you and the true Gospel." 05:08 The false gospel says, 05:10 "Salvation is based on the kind of person you are." 05:13 The true gospel says, 05:15 "Salvation is based on the kind of person God is." 05:20 The true gospel is so valuable 05:23 and so necessary that it requires 05:25 that we give up all other 05:27 perverted versions of the gospel. 05:31 You can't have a modified true gospel. 05:33 If it's modified it's not true any longer. 05:36 It has to be perfect, just like the perfect pearl 05:39 that Rambhau and his were looking for. 05:42 It has to be without defect 05:44 and it has to have the greatest brilliance. 05:47 The true gospel can not be perverted by any human ideas. 05:52 It is God's and God's alone. 05:55 It has to be authentic. 05:56 It can't be manufactured or cultured by human beings. 05:59 It can only come through faith in Christ. 06:03 As the parable suggests once we know about this pearl, 06:08 and once we know where it is, 06:10 all other things can and will be given up in order to get it. 06:15 Not because God is requiring some strenuous pilgrimage 06:19 but because out of love that is one from the heart of God, 06:22 we want what He has to give. 06:26 Like the Indian pearl diver 06:27 we know that the gospel is worth risking everything for. 06:32 As the martyrs down through history have witnessed, 06:36 even death itself is not too high 06:37 a price to pay for the true gospel. 06:42 Jesus had several different groups of people 06:46 who followed Him in His ministry. 06:49 The first group is what I would call the crowd followers. 06:55 Now these were the people who just-- 06:58 they saw the crowds of people following Jesus 07:01 and it seemed like a great thing to do, was popular, 07:04 Jesus was fun to listen to and they just joined right in. 07:08 It was a popular thing. 07:10 Jesus was a great person 07:12 and they liked being in His presence. 07:15 But maybe they didn't fully catch on 07:19 to all the implications of what Jesus was saying. 07:22 And Jesus would tell these kinds of people, 07:24 things like, make sure you count the cost before you get in. 07:30 Be doers not just hearers. Things like that. 07:34 The second group of people, who followed Jesus, 07:38 were those who opposed Him. 07:40 And they usually followed Him 07:41 because they were trying to catch Him in saying something 07:44 that they could accuse Him for later. 07:47 These were the people who defended the old ways. 07:50 These were the people who defended the landmarks 07:54 that had been given to them. 07:56 These were the people who 07:58 depended on the law for their salvation. 08:03 Jesus would tell those kinds of people things like, 08:06 you can't put new wine in old wine skins. 08:10 In other words, the ideas inherent in the true gospel 08:14 cannot be held in the old wine skins of your old traditions. 08:20 He would say things like, to the rich young ruler, 08:25 give away all your riches, all your advantages, 08:29 and give it to people who haven't earned anything 08:32 and then come and follow me. 08:35 There was a third group of people. 08:38 And these were the people-- 08:41 maybe they weren't the smartest, 08:42 maybe they weren't the most brilliant all the time, 08:44 although some of them like Nicodemus were very sharp. 08:49 These were the people that recognized 08:51 that Jesus had something that they needed. 08:55 Jesus was giving something away that was so valuable. 08:59 It was like the pearl. 09:02 It was like the treasure in the field 09:06 and they would do anything to get it. 09:10 This group of people is illustrated one time by a story 09:14 that is told in the Second Chapter of Mark. 09:18 Four friends of a paralyzed man 09:23 heard that Jesus was in town 09:25 and they thought what a wonderful thing 09:28 it would be to take their paralyzed friend, 09:30 and I don't know if he was a quadriplegic 09:33 or paraplegic or exactly what, but he was paralyzed 09:37 and couldn't get around by himself. 09:39 And they thought what a wonderful thing it would be 09:42 to take their friend to Jesus. 09:43 You see they recognized that Jesus had something 09:45 so wonderful that crippled people could be healed. 09:50 Sinners could be forgiven. 09:52 And so they wanted their friend to get in on this. 09:56 Well, they picked him up-- 10:01 the four of them carried him over to the house 10:04 where Jesus was speaking to people. 10:07 But unfortunately the crowd of people 10:09 all around the house was so thick 10:11 and so big that they couldn't just carry him in the door. 10:19 But like the pearl diver they knew 10:21 that Jesus had something that was worth fighting for. 10:24 They knew that Jesus could give something that was worth-- 10:29 trying something even a little bit unusual. 10:32 And so they carried their paralyzed friend up the stairs 10:37 and up onto the roof of the house 10:39 and many of the houses in those days were built 10:42 so that you could climb the stairs up onto the roof. 10:47 But of course what were they're going to do then? 10:49 They couldn't just throw him down. 10:53 Well, what happened next made biblical history 10:57 because as Jesus was talking to the people 11:00 suddenly there was a skylight in the sealing 11:04 and they looked up and there were these four friends 11:07 digging through the roof. 11:09 And when they had a hole that was big enough in the roof, 11:12 here came this paralyzed friend in a blanket with ropes on it, 11:17 they let the poor fellow down 11:18 and clear all the way down to the floor 11:20 and he landed right in front of Jesus. 11:25 Jesus looked at that paralyzed man 11:27 and He realized what he and his four friends 11:30 would have gone through just to get there. 11:32 And He realized what an exercise of faith 11:36 this was for them to realize 11:37 that He had something so valuable 11:39 that they would risk social disapproval 11:43 and even danger to the structure of the house 11:48 to get their friend right there in front of Him. 11:54 Jesus realized what many of the Pharisees 11:57 and his opposition in the house were thinking. 12:01 And He was about to heal the man 12:04 and He realized what would happen. 12:08 And so He decided to make a lesson out of this moment. 12:15 It was a teachable moment. 12:17 And so He said, which is harder to do? 12:21 Forgive someone's sins 12:24 or said rise up-- or say rise up and walk. 12:28 Well, this confused the opposition 12:30 because both were equally hard 12:33 and of course only God could forgive sins 12:37 but then only God could heal a person too. 12:40 And so while their little minds 12:42 were stewing over that question Jesus said, 12:45 to show that the son of man has power 12:48 and authority to forgive sins, 12:50 "Take up your bed and walk." 12:54 The paralyzed man got up under his own power 12:57 and left the house knowing not only that his legs 13:00 and all of his limbs were whole 13:03 but knowing that his soul was whole, too. 13:06 He had been the recipient of the pearl of great price. 13:09 He had been the recipient of the gospel. 13:12 And he and his friends had done everything in their power 13:15 to find it and to grab a hold of it. 13:20 Unfortunately not everyone desires the true gospel. 13:25 The Book of Galatians was written by Paul 13:29 in the face of an enormous crisis. 13:34 It was a crisis over the gospel. 13:37 He had taught the Galatians the true gospel, 13:39 the gospel that by grace through faith 13:45 God's people would be justified, 13:47 that they would receive salvation 13:49 not by the works that they did 13:51 but because of understanding of the true gospel 13:54 they knew that God had already saved their sins 13:57 because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, 14:00 they would know that. 14:02 But the false gospel was to take a mixture of grace 14:07 and forgiveness along with works. 14:10 And so it was a false gospel. It was a modified gospel. 14:14 It was a gospel of faith plus works. 14:18 And so in order to counteract that crisis 14:21 Paul wrote the Book of Galatians. 14:26 In Galatians 3:1-6, He becomes very direct. 14:31 He says, "You foolish Galatians Who has bewitched you? 14:35 Before your very eyes 14:37 Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 14:41 I would like to learn just one thing from you. 14:43 Did you receive the spirit by observing the law, 14:46 or by believing what you heard? 14:49 Are you so foolish? 14:51 After beginning with the spirit, 14:53 are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 14:57 Have you suffered so much for nothing, 14:59 if it really was for nothing? 15:01 Does God give you His spirit and work miracles among you 15:05 because you observe the law, 15:06 or because you believe what you heard? 15:09 Consider Abraham, 'He believed God, 15:12 and it was credited to him as righteousness."' 15:19 The true gospel has always been misunderstood and opposed. 15:25 And see our human nature many times 15:28 does not want to accept a gift. 15:31 It just sounds too good to be true. 15:33 And this is especially true for those of us 15:35 who perhaps have been in the church all of our lives 15:38 and have become leaders in the church. 15:40 Why preaching a gospel that is so easy 15:45 just doesn't sound right. 15:47 Where is the law? 15:48 And so when we feel like we're not emphasizing 15:52 duty and accountability enough. 15:55 We start mixing and modifying the true gospel of Jesus Christ. 16:01 In the days of Martin Luther 16:03 there was another crisis over the true gospel. 16:08 Martin Luther as he looked at the traditions 16:11 that had been built up in the church that he belongs too. 16:15 He realized that the gospel of Jesus Christ had been perverted. 16:19 This came home one day as he was reading the scriptures. 16:24 And he came to the place 16:27 where Paul said that just shall live by faith. 16:32 And Luther talked to himself if that's really true 16:35 then why am I doing all these pennace? 16:37 Why am I encouraged by indulgences of all things? 16:42 And so he started preaching the true gospel. 16:46 Well, the Roman Church at that time fought back. 16:53 And it all came to that great confrontation 16:57 in the Diet of Worms where Luther stands there 17:02 in the midst of the assembly being accused of heresy 17:06 and finally simply saying, I can do no other. 17:13 Well, in the years following, 17:19 the Roman Church decided 17:20 that maybe it was time to reform a little bit. 17:24 And so what became known as 17:26 the counter reformation took place within the Roman Church. 17:30 And in the mid 1500's they had 17:33 what was called the Council of Trent. 17:37 And the Council of Trent basically defined 17:41 what the Roman Church's understanding of justification 17:48 and a number of other things 17:49 having to do with the protestant reformation. 17:53 What was Rome's answer 17:55 to the gospel being preached by the protestant reformation? 17:59 Rome's answer was to mix the gospel again. 18:04 Basically, Rome said that you have to have faith 18:07 plus works in order to be justified. 18:11 Now, who among us has not wonder at a times, 18:14 am I good enough to go to heaven? 18:16 Am I good enough to be in God's kingdom? 18:19 It's our human nature to ask questions like this. 18:24 The answer always has to be no. 18:26 we know that-- just intuitively, 18:29 we know that we're not good enough 18:32 but the solution we often use is to try harder, 18:36 to obey more laws, 18:37 be stricter on ourselves in order to feel worthy. 18:41 But the only solution, the only gospel, 18:45 is that Jesus' worth is our worth. 18:49 If we accept Jesus, we accept His worth as our own. 18:54 One of the arguments that the Church of Rome had 18:56 against the protestant reformers 18:58 was that they made salvation too easy. 19:01 The pope and his theologian said 19:03 that a combination of keeping the law, faith and penance 19:07 when you did something wrong was necessary for justification. 19:11 They held out little confidence that a person could know 19:15 whether or not they were saved. 19:17 In spite of texts like 1 John 5:13, 19:20 "I write to you so that you that believe 19:22 in the name of Jesus Christ 19:24 that you may know that you have eternal life." 19:28 The Bible never says that you have to be in doubt 19:30 over your salvation. 19:31 That's because our salvation is in God's hands, 19:34 in Christ's hands, not ours. 19:36 And of course that doesn't eliminate 19:38 the possibility of choosing something else later. 19:42 God never forces the will. 19:44 Predestination is a biblical concept 19:47 but it was never meant to be perverted to mean 19:49 that once you are saved you can never choose anything else. 19:53 You can loose your salvation if you choose to. 19:57 But God is not interested in our attempts to earn salvation. 20:02 He is interested in convincing us 20:05 that we have salvation already. 20:09 That is the pearl of the Kingdom. 20:13 And once we realize the value of that pearl 20:16 we will do anything to get it. 20:20 For those who oppose Jesus, they don't care. 20:23 For those who are just following Jesus 20:25 out of the whole popular moment type of the thing, 20:29 they don't get it. 20:30 They don't understand how valuable it really is. 20:32 But for those who really understand 20:34 the value of that pearl, we will do anything to get it. 20:40 The knowledge of what that pearl is 20:43 will change your life more completely 20:46 than any intensified effort to keep the law ever. 20:53 David Morse, was an American missionary to India. 21:00 He moved to the coast of India and as providence would have it, 21:06 he became friends with a pearl diver named Rambhau. 21:13 Many an evening he spent with Rambhau. 21:16 They became fast friends. 21:18 And they used to visit long into the evening. 21:23 And they would talk about Jesus Christ. 21:26 And Rambhau became a friend of Jesus Christ. 21:29 He believed in Jesus Christ. 21:34 But when it came to accept Jesus Christ as his savior 21:39 it was like the missionary hit a brick wall. 21:42 You see, Rambhau believed in Jesus as a person, 21:48 as a good person, as a wonderful teacher 21:52 but he had a hard time even grasping the concept 21:56 that this Jesus, this Christ, 21:58 wanted to give him salvation as a free gift. 22:02 Rambhau had the same problem that many of us have. 22:04 We believe in Jesus. 22:06 We've read the stories in the Bible. 22:07 We know what a wonderful person He is. 22:10 But when it come to accepting salvation as a free gift, 22:14 well, that just sounds a little too good to be true. 22:18 And so as David Morse and Rambhau would talk 22:22 late into the night, Rambhau would say, 22:27 "You know, your Christian way to heaven is too easy for me. 22:31 I cannot accept it. 22:33 If ever I should find admittance to heaven in that manner, 22:37 why, I would feel like a pauper there, 22:40 like a beggar who has been let in out of pity. 22:44 I may be proud," said the old pearl diver. 22:47 "But I want to deserve, I want to earn my place in Heaven 22:52 and I am going to work for it." 22:55 Nothing the missionary could say seemed to make any difference. 22:59 Well, their friendship went on and time passed. 23:04 One day, Rambhau showed up at the missionary's door. 23:10 "Why, come on in," said the missionary. 23:11 "No," said Rambhau. 23:13 "Please follow me, come to my house tonight." 23:16 And so he followed him. 23:20 Ushered him into the house and sat down 23:23 and Rambhau looked at the missionary and said, 23:27 "Sahib, in a week's time, 23:32 I start working for my place in Heaven." 23:35 The missionary looked somewhat quizzical and Rambhau continued. 23:39 He said, "I am leaving for Delhi, 23:41 and I am going there on my knees." 23:47 "Oh, Rambhau, you're crazy. It's 900 miles to Delhi. 23:53 And the skin will break on your knees, 23:55 you'll get an infection, 23:56 you'll get blood poisoning or leprosy 23:58 before you even get to Bombay." 24:01 "No," said the pearl diver. "I must go to Delhi. 24:05 And the immortals will reward me. 24:08 The suffering will be sweet 24:11 for it will purchase Heaven for me." 24:14 "Rambhau, my friend, you can't," said the missionary. 24:18 "How can I bear to let you do this 24:21 when Jesus Christ has suffered and died 24:24 and purchased your salvation already?" 24:27 But the old man could not be moved. 24:31 "You are my dearest friend on the Earth," Rambhau said. 24:35 "Through all these years you've stood by me and now," he said, 24:39 "I want to give you something." 24:42 And he disappeared for a moment 24:43 and he came back with a strongbox with a lock on it. 24:50 And before he opened it he said to the missionary, 24:55 "I once had a son." 24:57 "Rambhau, I didn't know that. You never spoke about your son." 25:00 "Yes, I had a son. He was a pearl diver. 25:04 He was the best pearl diver. 25:05 He could hold the longest breath. 25:07 He had the deepest dive. He could find the best pearls. 25:11 But he died trying to dive for the best pearl." 25:19 Rambhau took the lock and opened it with a key, 25:23 unlatched the strongbox, threw the lid back. 25:29 He reached inside and drew out a small package 25:31 wrapped in a cloth. He unwrapped it. 25:37 "Sahib," he said to the missionary. 25:40 My son found the perfect pearl 25:46 but in getting it, it took his life. 25:49 And now he said, as he lifted the cloth off of the most 25:54 brilliant pearl the missionary had ever seen. 25:56 He said, "I want to give it to you. 26:00 I'm going on my journey, I may never return. 26:02 I want to give it to you." "No, I can't do that." 26:05 And suddenly the missionary realized what was happening. 26:09 And he realized that here was a teachable moment. 26:13 And so he said, "Oh, I'll buy it. 26:16 I can't take it from you as a gift but I'll buy it." 26:20 And he said, "I tell you what, I'll give you $10,000 for it." 26:25 Rambhau said, "Oh, no, I can't do that. 26:27 This is worth more than--" 26:30 "Oh, I'll give you $15,000 for it. 26:31 And if that's not enough I'll work hard 26:33 the rest of my life to try to earn enough to pay for it." 26:36 "Oh, no," said the pearl diver, 26:38 "I can't let you do that. 26:40 This cost the life of my son. It's priceless." 26:46 And the missionary said, "My friend, 26:50 what I've been saying to you is the same thing 26:53 you have been saying to Christ. 26:58 It was the price of God's only son 27:03 that purchased your salvation, that is a free gift. 27:07 You can't earn it. 27:08 It's worth far more than anyone could ever earn 27:11 in several lifetimes, a 100 lifetimes and more." 27:19 The old pearl diver was quite for a moment 27:23 and suddenly he nodded. 27:26 The truth came home. 27:30 The pearl of infinite price 27:35 had cost the life of the son of God. 27:39 There was no way, not even going 900 miles on your knees 27:44 that can purchase that. 27:47 He bowed his head and did the only thing 27:50 that any of us can ever do 27:52 in the face of such a great price and sacrifice. 27:55 He accepted salvation as a free gift. |
Revised 2014-12-17