The Worth of Christ — E.A. Johnston

The Necklace That Hid a Priceless Message

Years ago, there was an Englishman who traveled frequently to India for business purposes. His main business took place in the city of Calcutta. It was there, while shopping in an Indian bazaar, that he purchased a necklace for his little girl.

He would often bring his 8-year-old daughter trinkets back from his travels. On this particular trip to India, he bought his daughter a pretty jade necklace at an inexpensive market bazaar. After she wore it a few days, the metal clasp broke, and this Englishman took it to a London jeweler to be repaired.

The next week, the man returned to the jeweler to pick up the necklace for his little girl. The jeweler emerged from a back room with the necklace, and with an excited look on his face, he said, May I ask you, sir, how much you paid for this jade necklace?

The man replied, I believe I paid twenty pounds for it, nothing more. The jeweler smiled and said, Look into this magnifying glass. See the letters carved on each piece of jade? It is French lettering.

When you lay these 78 pieces of jade side by side, they form a love letter, written from Napoleon to Juliet. This jade necklace is worth well over half a million pounds. It is a fortune. Listen, friends.

Scripture as God’s Love Letter

The Bible is comprised of 66 books, and they form a love letter, God's love letter to us, about his beloved son. The Bible is worth reading. We should immerse ourselves in it daily and feed upon its rich treasures.

The Treasure Hidden in the Field

The title of my message today, friends, is The Worth of Christ. My text can be found in Matthew's Gospel in chapter 13. You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in verses 44 through 46.

Let me read us this striking passage to us at this time. Here now is the word of God, and may the Spirit of the Lord be pleased to attend the reading of his holy word. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field.

The witch, when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. I will pause here, friends. There is an eccentric out in Arizona, a man who's hidden a box of treasure containing gold and Indian artifacts that's worth two million dollars.

He buried it somewhere in Colorado, they say, and he's written a cryptic poem, which if you can crack the code of that poem, it's the map that leads you to that treasure. No one has found it these many years, and several people have died searching for it.

It'll probably never be found, and the man will die with its secret location forever hid and buried with him. But Jesus here in our text speaks about a treasure that can be found. The gospel is the field which this treasure is hidden.

He is that treasure of an estimable value. Let's continue with our text. 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.

Christ as the Pearl of Great Price

Listen, friends, Jesus is worth selling all for, and losing all for, so he can be gained. The worth of Christ is inestimable. In the book of Revelation, we find a great assembly, 10 ,000 times 10 ,000, and thousands of thousands.

The Worthy Lamb and the Glory of Christ

The text reads, saying with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. The worth of Christ, friends, should be contemplated by each of us, who is not worthy to be a recipient of his grace, but who was saved by grace.

Christ Is Worth Everything

Listen, friends, if Christ is worth anything, he is worth everything. Let our lives be spent for him and his glory, for Jesus is not only worthy, he is worth it. Let us pray.