The Kingdom of God Is Bigger than You Think

So, the scripture reading comes from the book of Matthew chapter 13.

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

Please follow along on your bulletin or your own Bible.

Starting in verse 24, we read,

He put another parable before them, saying,

The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.

So, when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.

And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him,

Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?

How then does it have weeds?

He said to them, An enemy has done this.

So, the servants said to him, Then do you want us to go and gather them?

But he said, No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.

Let both grow together until the harvest.

And at harvest time, I will tell the reapers,

Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned.

But gather the wheat into my barn.

He put another parable before them, saying,

The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown,

it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree,

so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.

He told them another parable.

The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour,

till it was all leavened.

Then he left the crowds and went into the house.

And his disciples came to him, saying,

Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.

He answered,

The one who sows the good seed is the son of man.

The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom.

The weeds are the sons of the evil one,

and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.

The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire,

so will it be at the end of the age.

The son of man will send his angels,

and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all lawbreakers,

and throw them into the fiery furnace.

In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father.

He who has ears, let him hear.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field,

which a man found and covered up.

Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,

who, on finding one pearl of great value,

went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea

and gathered fish of every kind.

When it was full, men drew it ashore,

and sat down and sorted the good into containers,

but threw away the bad.

So it will be at the end of the age.

The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous,

and throw them into a fiery furnace.

And in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This is the word of God.

Great.

Thanks, Irene.

Sorry we didn't have the scripture up on the slide.

I'm not sure what happened,

but I hope you were able to follow along in your bulletin.

Well, if you don't know me, my name is Kevin,

and we are continuing to work our way through Matthew's gospel.

We are in Matthew chapter 13,

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

and Matthew 13 is the chapter that introduces all the parables that Jesus told.

And last week, Chris started off this section,

and we looked at the parable of the various soils.

And we looked at how God sows the gospel, his seed,

and we looked at how the gospel message is actually unchanging throughout the ages,

but its impact on people, I guess,

is varied depending on how receptive we are to this gospel message.

And that's one of the constant refrains throughout Matthew's gospel,

that this is Jesus, how are you going to respond?

These are the claims of Jesus, what is your response?

Throughout Matthew's gospel, Matthew is constantly asking us,

this is who Jesus is, what are you going to do about it?

And Chris introduced us to a really second, very important theme last week in Matthew 13,

which is that the parables actually serve two functions.

They serve to both reveal and to conceal.

For those that have a heart that are seeking God and the truth,

they illuminate, they open up who God is,

but for those who are too lazy to seek it out,

or too proud or self-centered,

actually the parables have a way of concealing who Jesus is,

and his truth.

In other words,

the parables bring to light those who are looking for it,

but for those who do not, the darkness intensifies.

And that's what Jesus says in verse 12,

he says,

the one who has, even more will be given,

and he will have abundance.

The one who does not have,

even the little that he has, will be taken away.

So that's what we looked at last week.

Now in today's passage,

so Chris looked at one parable,

today we're going to look at six parables, okay?

We're taking a big leap up,

a big jump forward.

And let me give you the big idea for today right up front.

Have you ever wished that you had perfect perspective on something?

You could see the whole picture.

Maybe you're working on a project at work,

and it's a long-term project,

and you're just thinking,

I wonder how this thing's going to end.

I wish I could see in three years' time

how it's all going to end.

Sometimes I feel like that with parenting, right?

When parenting's tough,

I think to myself,

are we raising monsters,

or I just wish that I could see 15 years down the road

and see whether I'm on the right track now,

whether this is just a little bit of pain for much gain,

or whether I'm completely on the wrong track.

I wish I could see the end

while I'm in the middle of it.

Maybe you're working away through your PhD,

or you've got a loved one in a hospital.

You're in the middle of a situation,

and you think,

I wish I could just zoom out

and see how this story ends.

Knowing how the story ends changes everything.

And in these six parables

that we're going to look at today,

Jesus wants to give us some heavenly perspective.

He wants us to zoom out

and see how the story that began all those years ago

is going to end.

He wants us to see the perspective

of the kingdom of God from his perspective,

so that when we're in the midst of it

and it feels like,

oh my goodness, I'm raising monsters,

we can zoom back and see

actually we're on the right track.

Okay, so that's what Matthew wants us to see today.

Now, one of the very first things

that we should notice when I read and read to us

is that all six of these parables

start off the same way.

They all say,

the kingdom of heaven is like,

the kingdom of heaven is like.

Again, I'll tell you,

the kingdom of heaven is like.

Jesus wants to explain

to both the crowds and the disciples

what the kingdom of God is like.

And that's actually one of the things

you have to grapple with,

you have to reckon with

if you're going to understand Jesus at all.

That Jesus Christ unashamedly claims

to be heaven and earth's true king.

Jesus says he didn't just come

to give us some wise advice,

he didn't just come to give us

some to make life all comfortable.

Jesus unashamedly comes and says,

I am heaven and earth's true king.

Either you bow down and you follow me

or you reject me completely.

But don't just tolerate me.

Jesus says,

and the Bible says,

that the world as we currently know it

is actually in a state of rebellion

against heaven's true king.

That's why there's so many problems in the world.

That's what's wrong with the world.

And Jesus came to establish a means,

a way by which rebels can be reconciled

to their king.

Jesus came to open up a way

to offer amnesty to rebels

that we can be united with him

and brought back into his kingdom.

And that's really what a Christian is.

A Christian is someone who has turned

from the kingdom of darkness

to the kingdom of light.

Someone who's turned from the kingdom of self

to the kingdom of God.

Someone who's turned from the kingdom of my way

to the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus comes and he says,

let me tell you what the kingdom of heaven is like.

And he gives us these six parables.

Now, these six parables are actually

in three sets of pairs.

Okay, and so we're gonna look at these three pairs,

these three sets under these three points.

Okay, you know,

we gotta have three points at Watermark,

otherwise it's not a proper sermon.

And so under these three points,

okay, we're gonna look at these six parables.

The kingdom that is like its king,

the kingdom that is unlike its beginning,

and then the way into this kingdom.

Okay, I'm sorry if you can't see,

I'll try that, okay.

The kingdom that is like its king,

the kingdom that is unlike its beginning,

and the way into this kingdom.

Okay, so let's dive over with the first one.

The kingdom that is like its king.

Actually, let me pray for us.

So I was gonna pray earlier and I dived right in.

Let's just ask God to come speak to us.

Heavenly Father, as we come to your word this morning,

we want your perspective on life and eternity

and the kingdom of heaven.

God, we want you to open up our eyes.

God, won't you, through these parables,

reveal the kingdom of God.

Don't conceal it.

God, we come before you this morning

with our hearts wanting to know the truth and light.

God, don't intensify the darkness.

Open up our eyes to see you for who you are,

to see us for who we are in you,

and to see the kingdom of heaven.

God, I pray for those of us

that are discouraged this morning,

that your word will encourage us.

I pray, God, for those of us

that have kicked back and taking life easy.

Won't you come and challenge us this morning?

God, you know where each one of us at.

And so, Holy Spirit, we ask you

to come and be part of our time.

Come and take the words

that are on the pages of scripture

and write them on our hearts.

Come and help us to see the kingdom of God

as you want us to see it.

We ask you, God, this in your awesome

and your gracious name.

Amen.

Okay, so firstly, the kingdom that is like its king.

So, in Matthew's gospel,

Matthew goes to great lengths

to explain that Jesus Christ

is the long-awaited Messiah king.

You remember, in the Old Testament,

King David is the greatest king

that Israel ever had.

And he really established righteousness

and justice in the nation of Israel.

He wasn't perfect.

He made some bad mistakes.

But by and large, during David's reign,

Israel was at its best.

It flourished.

It won its battles.

The borders expanded.

Life was flourishing.

In the nation of Israel under David's rule.

And the Old Testament is constantly saying

that as great as David was,

there is a true and better David that's coming.

One who's going to establish true justice

and true righteousness on the earth.

That's why, a few weeks ago,

Chris looked at that passage in Matthew 12,

where it talks about

when the true and better David comes,

he will not crush a bruised reed.

He will not put out a smoldering wick.

He will establish righteousness and justice

for the Gentiles till the ends of the earth.

That's what the Old Testament is constantly saying.

As great as David was,

don't put your hope in him.

Wait for the heaven and earth's true Messiah King to come.

He will establish justice and righteousness in the earth.

And so when Jesus announces,

the kingdom of heaven is at hand,

people are speculating,

is this the Messiah King?

Is this the one we've been waiting for?

And so at the beginning of Jesus' ministry,

speculation and anticipation is sky high.

People see his miracles,

they hear his teaching,

and they're thinking,

this is it,

the Messiah is here.

But after a little while,

Jesus' claims to bring the kingdom

seems a little underwhelming.

And people start wondering,

is this all there is?

Remember in Matthew chapter 11,

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

John the Baptist,

the guy who originally said,

behold, the Lamb of God

who takes away the sins of the world.

He sends some disciples to Jesus

and says,

Jesus,

did we get it wrong?

Are you really the one

that we've been waiting for?

Or should we start looking for somebody else?

Because your kingdom

is a little underwhelming, right?

I wonder if you've ever felt like that.

Maybe if you like the gospel,

it just feels a little bit impotent.

Why is the kingdom of God

not taken over the whole world,

established itself

as the one true world religion?

Why don't all people accept Jesus

and surrender to him as Lord?

And maybe,

those that do call him Lord,

why do their lives

not look like they surrender to him

as Lord at all?

In other words,

why is there so much wickedness,

so much sin,

so much hypocrisy in the world?

And why is there so much sin

and wickedness

and hypocrisy in the church?

I mean,

it's one thing out there,

but in here?

And why especially after Jesus lived

and died and rose again,

now reigns in glory,

all authority in heaven and earth,

why is the world,

why is the church so messy?

Sure,

Jesus sits enthroned in heaven,

but when is he going to bring

some of that heavenly justice

to earth?

These were the questions

that anyone in the first century

was grappling with.

Remember,

the Roman Empire

was ruthless.

And friends,

maybe some of these

are the questions

that we grapple with ourselves.

Jesus wants to answer that

in the first and the last parable.

Look at the first parable,

the parable of the weeds,

and the last one,

the parable of the net.

In both of these parables,

the good and the bad,

the righteous and the wicked,

the true and the counterfeit,

live side by side,

coexist as it will,

until the end of the age,

until the day that Jesus

brings his judgment.

In the first parable,

God's kingdom is pictured

as a field.

And sown in this field

is this great seed,

and it's waiting

to reap a harvest,

30-fold,

60-fold,

100-fold.

And as the workers

are walking in this field,

the grain field,

they notice weeds

are sprouting out

next to the wheat.

And they go to the master

and say,

what's going on?

How can this be?

We know your seed is not bad.

We know the gospel is great.

How come it's producing

this weed?

And Jesus says,

just wait until the end

of the age.

Jesus says in verse 38,

these are the sons

of the evil one,

meaning those who belong

to the kingdom of darkness.

In verse 41,

Jesus says,

these weeds will be gathered up

out of the kingdom

of Christ's kingdom.

In other words,

these weeds appear to be those

who look like sons

of the kingdom of God,

but they aren't genuinely

part of his kingdom.

They are those who profess

faith in Christ,

but they aren't genuinely saved.

They aren't genuinely born again.

And we see the same thing

in the parable of the net.

God's kingdom is pictured

as this big net

trawling behind,

a trawling boat,

and it brings in this whole

big harvest of fish,

and they pull it up on shore,

and the fish are separated

into two piles,

those that are truly

the ones that they want

and those that are rejected

and cast out.

And the point that Jesus is making

is that within his kingdom,

there always appears

to be those that are weeds

that look like wheat,

those that are good fish,

those that are bad fish

that look like good fish,

those sons of the evil one

masquerading as sons

of the kingdom.

And Jesus' point is

don't let that bother you.

Don't get put off by it.

Don't get perplexed by it.

Don't let the perplexing presence

of evil confuse you

as the true nature

of God's kingdom.

Look at what he says

in verse 41.

He says,

Jesus says that

when the kingdom of heaven

finally comes,

he will bring judgment to bear

not only on the evil in the world,

but all those who even cause evil,

even the temptations to evil.

Jesus says that

a day is coming

when he's going to root out

of his kingdom

that which is masquerading

as truth,

but is actually falsehood.

He says the same thing

in verse 49.

The angels will come

and separate the evil

from the righteous

and throw them

into the fiery furnace.

In that place,

there will be weeping

and gnashing of teeth.

Friends,

you see what Jesus

is doing here?

Jesus is allowing us

to zoom back

and he's giving us

a heavenly perspective.

He's helping us

to see the big picture

and how the story ends.

And Jesus says,

even though now

it can look perplexing

because you look around

and you say,

Jesus,

I thought your kingdom

was meant to come.

I thought you meant to

destroy the evil one.

And yet where I look,

it seems like evil

coexists within us.

Jesus says,

don't be put off by it

because he's going to bring

his judgment to bear

on evil and wickedness

and hypocrisy.

And when that time comes

for his people

to be brought

into his kingdom,

his kingdom

will finally look like

its king.

The king

of the kingdom

of heaven

is utterly glorious,

utterly pure,

utterly blameless.

And in that day,

his kingdom

will finally

look glorious

like its king.

But that day

has not yet come.

Friends,

one of the things

that we must reckon with

if we're going to be

followers of Jesus

is to take seriously

Jesus' words

of his judgment.

throughout the whole

of chapter 13,

Jesus is constantly

bringing gospel grace

and gospel judgment

together.

And as modern people,

we struggle with this

idea of judgment,

right?

We like Jesus,

his and his affirming love,

Jesus and his sovereign grace,

Jesus and his great mercy,

but we struggle with this idea

of Jesus' judgment.

And yet,

Douglas O'Donnell

calls these

his words

of gospel judgment.

O'Donnell says that

Jesus' words

of judgment

are as much part

of the good news

as the gospel

as his words

of sovereign grace.

Think about it this way.

In most countries

of the world,

we have judges,

right?

And we call them

justices,

whether they are

magistrates

or up to the

high court judge.

And the role

and the position

of a justice

is to judge wisely,

to judge accurately,

and to establish

justice in society.

When the justices

rule

in accordance

with justice,

justice flourishes

in society.

And when they don't,

things go horribly wrong.

Well,

the Bible depicts

Jesus as the ultimate

justice.

Our laws are imperfect,

his laws are perfect.

Our justices

are imperfect,

Jesus is perfect.

Jesus is the

perfectly just

justice.

And Douglas O'Donnell

helped me to see this

when he says,

it is good news

that one day

Jesus will come

and judge

the living and the dead.

As good as when

Jesus cried out

on the cross,

my God,

my God,

why have you

forsaken me?

You see what

O'Donnell's saying there?

He's saying that

when Jesus died

on the cross,

he took our sins,

he covered up

our shame,

he allowed that

we who are in

God's kingdom

will no longer

receive his judgment

because it's been

poured out on Jesus.

Jesus felt

the heat and the wrath

of God in his place

so that those

who are in his kingdom

will not.

Jesus died

so that we may

die to death itself.

Jesus covered

over our shame

that we may receive

glory and mercy.

Jesus our Savior King,

glory.

Good news, right?

Is that good news?

I hope it's good news.

Okay, great.

Thank you, Chris.

Good news,

Jesus died on the cross

for sinners like us.

But you know

what's also good news?

That one day

Jesus is going to come

and make all things new.

One day Jesus is going to come

and wipe away every tear.

One day Jesus is going to come

and he's going to root out

every source of wickedness

and evil

and brokenness

in our world.

Friends,

Jesus as judge

is also the gospel

because when you wake up

in the morning

and you look at your phone

and you see breaking news,

five people raped

in some country,

terrorism attacked,

abuse,

murder,

the gospel of Jesus

as judge

is good news

because what it says

is that one day

there is a day coming

when those things

are going to be done away with.

There is a world coming.

Jesus' kingdom is coming

and one day

there will be,

none of those things

will be present anymore

and Jesus will root

those things out

and his kingdom

will be utterly glorious.

Friends,

don't you long

for a day like that?

Just this week

in my devotions

I was reading

Revelation 20

and it talks about

how there's coming

a day when heaven

and earth

will be united

like in marriage.

The two will become one.

We'll be fully united.

God and heaven

and earth,

God and man

together.

And it says that

in that place

there'll be no more tears,

no more agony,

no more mourning,

no more abuse,

no more disapproving parents,

no more judgment,

no more COVID,

no more tears,

no more evil,

no more hypocrisy,

no more people

stabbing you in the back,

no more people

saying one thing

to your face

and acting another way

behind your back.

Friends,

don't you long

for that day?

I long for that day.

This week I wrote

in my journal,

God,

I can't wait

for heaven to come.

For that day

when nothing wrong

with our world

will exist.

When the kingdom

of heaven

will be utterly

glorious and beautiful

like you.

Friends,

Jesus says

that day is coming

when all that is evil

and wrong with our world

will face his perfect justice.

But in order

to establish

a just and glorious world,

Jesus,

the true justice,

will first judge

all that is wrong

with our world.

First in righteousness

the world

and then the church.

the weeds

will be rooted out.

The bad soil

will be rooted out.

The bad apples

will be removed.

Friends,

where will you be

on that day?

Where will you be?

Will you be gathered up

with the sons

of the kingdom?

Will you be discarded

with the sons

of the evil one?

Will you experience

the good news

of this just judgment?

Or will you be rooted out

and shown

for who you really are?

Jesus is wanting us

to zoom out

and to see

the kingdom of heaven

is in this temporary stage

where evil

and righteousness

coexist.

But it won't exist

like this forever.

There's coming a day

where the kingdom of heaven

will look glorious

and beautiful

and majestic

like its king.

That day is coming.

That's good news.

Jesus is coming again.

But maybe,

changing track,

maybe that's not

your objection.

Maybe you

hear the good news,

you struggle

with the kingdom of God

but maybe it's not

because there's so much

wickedness and evil

in the world.

You know your own heart.

You see what you're capable of

and you think,

that's me.

Maybe your problem

is that the kingdom of God

just seems so small,

so insignificant.

It feels like Jesus came

and said,

the kingdom of God

is coming,

repent,

turn,

it's coming.

And it feels like

2,000 years later,

what do we have to show

for it?

Well, look at the second

set of parables.

The kingdom that is

unlike its beginning.

Now, as we look at

verse 31 and 33,

I want you to imagine

yourself as a Christian

in the first century.

Okay?

It's around 80 or 90 AD

and it's about 40,

50 years after Jesus

has come and lived

and died and risen again

and gone to heaven.

You've become a follower

of Jesus.

Maybe some of your family

members have as well.

And you've been given

this new sense of hope

and meaning and purpose

in life where suddenly

you've encountered

the living God,

the Holy Spirit

is inside of you.

You live with this

renewed hope

in the midst of a broken world

and you begin to hear

about these churches

all over the Roman Empire

that are forming.

Your own church

in your small town

has become like family

to you.

And yet,

you marvel

because for all the wonders

of your newfound faith,

you can't help

but also wonder

as you look at the world

around you.

Because compared to

the Roman Empire,

the church still seems

so small,

so insignificant.

Everywhere it looks,

it seems that

from outward appearances,

Caesar's Lord,

not Jesus.

Everywhere you go

in the streets

and everyone's home,

Caesar is revered

and honored

as the great king.

And Jesus,

well,

he's just disregarded.

Everywhere you go,

Caesar's reign appears

and he appears all-powerful.

And as a humble Christian,

you begin to wonder,

is Jesus really

going to win in the end?

It sure seems like

Rome is winning.

Are we,

I know we're growing,

but how are we ever

going to outgrow

the kingdom,

the empire of Rome?

And so,

a little discouraged

and a little disheartened,

you mosey off

to the gathering

of believers

in your town,

maybe the 20 of you

or the 30 of you,

and you go to the

assembly of God's people

on the Lord's day

and you pray

and you sing some songs

and you're reminded

of God's love for you

and you're reminded

of God's suffering

on the cross for you

and you hear from the Bible,

somebody reads a portion

from the Old Testament,

maybe one of Paul's letters

are circulated

to your gathering that week

and you read a portion of that

and then somebody reads

from the Gospels

and there are four Gospels,

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

but your little church

only has a copy

of Matthew's Gospel

and so,

the pastor stands up

and he says,

he reads from Matthew 13

and he says,

listen to the words

of our Lord and Master

and he reads this,

the kingdom of heaven

is like a grain

of mustard seed

that a man took

and sowed in a field.

It's the smallest

of all seeds,

we know that

but when it's grown,

it grows larger

than all the garden plants

and it becomes a tree

and so birds of the air

come and make their nests

in it.

again,

the kingdom of heaven

is like a little bit

of leaven,

a little bit of yeast

that a woman took

and hid in some measures

of flour

until it was all leavened

and he rolls up the scroll

and he puts it away

and he gives you

a simple encouragement

and he says,

brothers and sisters,

remember the words

of our Lord and Savior

that he spoke.

The kingdom of God,

it seems so small,

it seems so insignificant

here in our Roman colony

in the backwaters of Rome,

it appears like nothing

substantial is happening.

Everywhere we look,

Caesar seems to be Lord,

drowned out by the powerful

and the voices

and the prestige around us

but friends,

this kingdom is going to grow.

Jesus promised us

that though it looks

small and insignificant now,

it will reach

to the furthest corners

of the world.

The furthest east

we hear about

the good news of Jesus.

The furthest west

we hear about the gospel

and it will take root there

and it will grow.

It will become a mighty

and a significant force

in the world

and such that people

from every tribe

and nation

and language

and tongue

will come in here

and find refuge

in who Jesus is.

And if he knew about it,

maybe he'd say,

one day there'll be

a city called Hong Kong

and there'll be people there

from China

and Korea

and Singapore

and Africa

and South America

and they will come

and find refuge

in this gospel message.

And as he's talking,

you're thinking to yourself,

hey, our church

has recently preached

through the book of Daniel.

And you remember

how in chapter 2,

Nebuchadnezzar

has this dream

about this mighty statue

and it's the kingdoms

of the world.

But there's this little stone

that's not cut

by any human hand

and it brings down

the kingdoms of the world.

And Daniel says

that the stone grows

and it grows

and it grows

and eventually

it becomes a mighty mountain

that fills the whole earth.

And as you're daydreaming

about this mighty mountain,

your pastor

looks you in the eye

and he says,

don't be discouraged.

Don't be disheartened.

There'll be setbacks,

yes.

There'll be rejection.

There'll be persecution.

Some in our midst

will change their mind

and no longer follow Jesus.

That's okay.

But friends,

the kingdom is advancing.

Jesus promised it will.

It looks small.

It looks insignificant.

Caesar seems like he's Lord,

but don't be discouraged.

The kingdom will come.

Christ's words in his way,

they look like yeast.

They look unnoticeable.

Soon they'll pervade

and permeate the whole world.

The whole earth

will be filled with the glory

and his glorious good news.

Take heart.

Hold on.

Don't be discouraged.

And he ends up,

rolls up his scroll,

says the benediction

and goes home.

Friends,

how do you think

that that little discouraged Christian

in first century Rome

is gonna feel?

He's gonna be encouraged.

He's gonna be built up.

He's gonna be edified.

He's gonna think,

yes, Jesus' kingdom is coming.

It looks small.

It looks insignificant,

but it's coming.

Friends,

God's word is meant to do the same

for you and I today.

Yes,

we walk in the streets

and we think

we see these mighty towers

and skyscrapers

and we think,

is God's kingdom ever gonna come?

There's so much injustice in the world.

Everything's going wrong.

Where's the kingdom of heaven?

Friends,

it's like yeast

that is sown

and it looks small

and insignificant.

It's like a tiny mustard seed.

It looks like,

what's gonna happen?

What's gonna come of this thing?

God's kingdom is growing.

Friends,

I'll ask you,

has Jesus not been remarkably accurate?

Is it not true

that the kingdom of heaven,

though seemingly small

and insignificant

in the first century,

has spread to every corner

of the world?

The 50th story

of a Hong Kong skyscraper

or under some tree

in the African savannah?

The kingdom of God

is going forward.

It's changing lives.

It's giving you meaning

and hope and purpose.

Those that are seeking

where God is

are finding Him.

God's kingdom is growing

and is spreading.

Friends,

the Roman Empire

no longer exists.

It hasn't existed

for 1,500 years.

The Babylonian Empire

came crashing down.

The Egyptian Empire

is gone.

The kingdom of God

is going

and it's growing strong.

It's getting better

every day.

That tiny mustard seed

that Jesus planted

by the shores of Galilee

2,000 years ago

is growing and bearing fruit.

And millions and billions

of people are finding refuge

in the shade.

But there's also

a warning for us here.

There's a warning

because as Christians,

sometimes we can think,

yes,

we'll take the kingdom.

We'll go.

We'll advance

to the end of the world.

All we need is money.

We need power.

We need the politicians

on our side.

If we can become powerful

and influential,

we'll take the gospel

to the ends of the world.

Friends,

Jesus shows us

that often

the way the kingdom advances

is not through politicians,

not through tons of money,

not through power

and positions

and prestige.

It happens

through simple folk.

It happens slowly.

It permeates the city

from the inside out.

You know,

Jesus here says

that the kingdom of God

is like leaven.

You know what leaven is?

Leaven is yeast.

You know,

when you're baking some bread,

I don't know,

do you throw yeast in sourdough?

Where's Karen?

Yes.

Okay.

You know,

you're baking some sourdough

like we all did

during COVID

and you throw

a little bit of yeast

in there

and it makes the bread rise,

right?

It's just a pinch,

just a tiny little pinch

makes the bread rise.

Jesus,

you know,

in the Bible,

yeast

is always used negatively.

Remember how Jesus says,

beware of the yeast

of the Pharisees.

He says,

their teaching,

their man-centered,

self-centered teaching,

if you get a pinch

of that in your heart,

it can ruin you.

It can mess you up,

right?

Beware of the yeast

of the Pharisees.

Paul says in Corinthians,

beware of the yeast

of sin in the community.

There's a bunch of Christians

and some of them say,

oh,

my sin is personal.

It's private.

It doesn't affect you.

Just let me sin on my own.

And Paul says,

that is like yeast.

It's just a little pinch.

You think it's personal and private?

It's going to permeate

the whole community.

Remember the Jews

before Passover,

they've got to remove

any traces of yeast

out of the house.

Yeast in the Bible

is always used negatively.

But Jesus here

deliberately says,

the kingdom of God

is like yeast.

Why is he doing that?

Do you know what he's saying?

He's saying,

the kingdom of God

is not made up

of the most powerful

and the most prestigious.

It's often made up

by those that are abandoned

and sidelined

and marginalized by society.

It's those that the elites

look down upon.

It's shepherds

and scruffy soldiers.

It's prostitutes

and tax collectors.

The kingdom of God

is made up

that those that society thinks

are there's no use for them.

Those the kingdom of God

is going to use.

But the kingdom

is going to be like yeast.

It's going to spread.

My kingdom is going to

change the world.

Friends,

that's the story of the church.

That's the story of this church.

It's the story of anyone

who encounters the grace of God.

It's not the bold.

It's not the impressive.

It's not those

that have it all together.

It's those who recognize

their need for him.

It's those who recognize

their need for amnesty.

It's those who are rebels

that come and say,

God, I've got nothing.

I need your mercy and grace.

Friends,

Jesus is heaven and earth's

true king.

And yet for those

who have rebelled against him,

Jesus says,

don't bring your resume.

Don't bring your credentials.

Don't bring the things

that you think qualify you.

Come empty handed.

Come with your nothingness.

Come with your need for grace.

And you can come to my kingdom.

One last application of this.

Friends, for some of us,

you may look at your family members

and you're longing

for your family members

to come to faith,

to experience the grace

of the gospel.

You've been praying for weeks,

for months, for years.

You've been praying for your mom

and your brother

and your sister,

thinking when are they ever

going to come to faith?

And it seems like

everyone around you,

your home,

money is Lord,

career is Lord,

self-fulfillment is Lord.

Friends, keep on praying.

Keep on sowing

those mustard seeds.

It seems like

the kingdom of God

is insignificant and poor

and nothing is happening,

but that kingdom

is going to grow.

You keep on praying.

You keep on witnessing.

You keep on telling them

about the wonder of Jesus.

Okay.

The kingdom of God,

though it looks like a mess,

it looks perplexing,

one day it's going to look

glorious and beautiful

like it's king.

Everything wrong

is going to be done

and taken out from it.

The kingdom of God

looks nothing like

it's beginning.

Small and insignificant,

but it's growing,

going to take over

the whole world.

Thirdly and finally,

the way into this kingdom.

What does all this mean?

Remember, Matthew asks us,

this is Jesus,

how are you going to respond?

This is who Jesus claims to be,

how are you going to respond?

What are you going to do?

Well, look at the final pair

of parables in Matthew 13.

Jesus says this,

the kingdom of heaven

is like a treasure

hidden in a field,

which a man found

and covered up.

In his joy,

he goes and sells

all that he has

and he buys that field.

Again,

the kingdom of heaven

is like a merchant

in search of pearls,

find pearls,

who,

when finding one pearl

of great value,

went and sold

all that he had

and bought it.

We're going to look

at this more next week,

so we'll just look at it

very briefly here.

What does Jesus say here?

Jesus says that

because he is heaven

and earth's true king,

because he will one day

come to judge

the living and the dead,

because his kingdom

is an eternal kingdom

that is growing

and will never end,

therefore,

joyfully embrace

whatever cost

it requires

and take hold of it.

Jesus says that

to enter the kingdom

is going to be costly.

In fact,

Jesus says,

because he is the king,

it's going to cost you

everything you have.

Jesus is saying

that if you come to him

and say,

Jesus,

I think I've got some change.

Here,

let me,

you can take this,

you can have,

Jesus,

I've got some leftovers,

you can have this.

Jesus says,

then you don't recognize

that he is the king

and this is a kingdom.

When we come to Jesus

with our leftovers,

it means that we still remain

the king of our lives.

Jesus says that

the way into the kingdom

is to recognize

that he's the king

and that he demands

everything.

Everything.

Friends,

some of you may have stumbled

across Jesus Christ

by accident.

You weren't looking for him

and suddenly he barged

into your life

like this man

looking in a field

and suddenly he discovers

the wonder of Jesus.

Some of you may have been

searching for it

all your life.

You've tried pleasure,

you've tried money,

you've tried religion,

you've tried everything

and suddenly you find Jesus.

Either way,

however you discover him,

Jesus is saying

that he won't allow you

to merely tolerate him.

He won't allow you

to merely accommodate him.

Either you hand over

your entire life to him

and you make him king

or you hold on

to your kingdom

and you lose him completely.

Jesus shows

that the kingdom of heaven

is filled with those

who recognize him

for who he is

and to take hold of it

despite the cost,

giving everything they have

because of the all-surpassing worth

of knowing Christ Jesus.

Friends,

to follow Jesus

may mean persecution,

it may mean poverty,

it may mean misunderstanding,

it may mean being maligned,

but it'll be worth it

because to follow Jesus' king

means entrance

into his kingdom

and it means intimacy

and knowing

heaven and earth's

true king.

Friends,

what about you?

How are you responding

to Jesus as king?

Jesus comes to each one of us

and he looks us in the eye

and says,

this is who I am.

How are you going to respond?

I'm heaven and earth's

true king.

Are you going to be part

of my kingdom?

Are you going to hold

on to your kingdom?

Are you willing to give

it all up for me

or are you going to hold

on to your own way?

Friends,

Jesus comes

and he says,

I am heaven and earth's

true king.

Come and follow me.

Come and enjoy

my kingdom.

Let's pray together.

Lord Jesus,

you don't hold

any punches

when you speak to us.

You look us in the eye

and you say,

either you have all of me

or you take none of me.

Lord Jesus,

won't you help us?

Won't you open our eyes

to see you for who you are

and to come

and surrender to you.

Father,

for those of us

that are discouraged

because we look around

the world,

we look around the church,

we see all the brokenness

and we wonder,

what's happening

with the kingdom of God?

God,

won't you open our eyes

to see?

Won't you give us

your heavenly perspective?

Father,

for those of us

that feel like

the kingdoms

of this world

are winning,

won't you help us

to remember

the story of Babylon,

the story of the Roman Empire,

that God,

your kingdom,

though small

and insignificant,

though hidden

and perplexing,

your kingdom

is ultimately,

the kingdoms

of this world

are ultimately

going to become

the kingdoms

of our God.

God,

won't you give us hope

for those

that are discouraged?

Lord Jesus,

come and help us,

we pray.

Friends,

we're going to come

to communion now,

but before we do that,

I want to just

offer anyone a chance,

if you are here

this morning

and you're not

a Christian,

maybe your whole life

you've been searching

for truth,

you've been looking

all over the place,

you've been looking

for meaning

and purpose

and career

and wealth

and various religions,

you've tried Buddhism,

you've tried Taoism,

friends,

Jesus Christ

stands before you

this morning

and says,

I am the eternal king,

I'm heaven and earth

true king,

come and follow me,

come and bow down

before me.

Friends,

how are you going

to respond?

Maybe here this morning

you're not a Christian,

Jesus is inviting you

to enter his kingdom,

to bow down,

to surrender,

to hand over your life,

to no longer

be in the kingdom

of self,

but to transfer

your life

into the kingdom

of heaven.

the way to do that

is to recognize

that you've lived

for yourself.

The Bible calls

that sin.

The Bible says

that the sin

that we do

is the manifestation

of a heart condition

which is orientated

on ourselves.

Friends,

have you been living

for yourself

your entire life?

Have you been living

for your own way

and your own glory?

You may do

all the Christian things,

go to church,

go to CG,

but you may not

be a follower of Jesus.

Friends,

I want to urge you

to hand over

your life to King Jesus.

Don't go another day.

Don't go another week.

The kingdom of heaven

is coming

and in that day

Jesus is going to

root out all rebels

and he's giving us

a chance of amnesty.

He's giving us a chance

to hand over our lives.

Today,

hand over your life

to King Jesus.

The way to do that

is to pray

a really simple prayer.

In your own words,

just to say,

Lord Jesus,

I recognize

that I've lived

for myself.

I recognize

that I've

been the king

of my own life.

I've sat on the throne.

But I recognize

that you

are the true king,

heaven and earth

true king.

I'm sorry

for my sin.

Come and have

your way

in my life.

Friends,

can you say that?

Why don't you pray

that right now?

Jesus,

I'm sorry.

I've lived

for myself.

God,

I want to live

for you.

I want you

to be my lord

and king.

I want you

to forgive me

of my sin.

I want you

to come

and have your way

in my life.

Friends,

Jesus promises

that if you

do that,

he says it'll

be like being

born again.

You'll experience

a whole new life.

For the first

time in your life,

you'll be the person

that God intended

you to be.

You'll be the person

that you were made

to be.

You'll be saved.

You'll be changed.

You'll be his son

or his daughter.

For the rest of us,

we're going to come

to communion.

Maybe the communion

stewards can come

and serve

and get ready

to serve us.

Communion is a time

when we remember

the gospel.

Remember the good

news of the gospel

that Jesus is a savior.

But we also remember

the good news

of the gospel

that Jesus is judge.

As we come

to the communion table,

I want us to take

a few minutes

to examine our lives

and to examine our hearts.

The communion table

really is for Christians,

for those that are

followers of Jesus.

If you're not yet

a follower of Jesus,

I want to urge you

just to pass this by.

Don't come and participate.

This is for those

who have recognized

I was a rebel

but I've handed over

my life to Jesus.

It's a weekly reminder

that though we are not perfect,

though we still live

in this world,

we so need Jesus.

It's a reminder

that our only hope

for salvation

is Jesus' death

on the cross.

It's a time

to examine our lives

where we've lived

for ourselves.

And so I want to ask us

to do that.

Let's look back

on the last week.

Friends,

where have you lived

for yourself?

Where have you tried

to climb back

on the throne

of your own heart again?

Let's bring those moments

before God

as a time of confession,

repentance.

Let's genuinely ask

Him to forgive us.

Let's take a few minutes

to do that.

Let's take a few minutes

to do that.

Lord Jesus Christ,

we come before you

as sinners

that are saved

by grace.

We come before you

not as those

who have it all together,

but those who

desperately need

your grace

to work in our lives.

Father,

thank you

for your assurance

that anyone

who confesses

and owns up

and brings our

sin into light

rather than hiding it

and covering it

will receive

your mercy

and grace.

You say,

Lord Jesus,

that when we take

responsibility

for our sin,

you remove it

as far as the east

is from the west.

Lord,

thank you

for your great assurance

of forgiveness

of sins.

Jesus,

thank you

for dying

on the cross

for us

so that our sin

is covered,

our shame

is removed.

Friends,

if you're a follower

of Jesus,

I want to invite you

to come

and take the elements

from the front

and the back.

Let's come back

to our seats

and I'll lead us

in taking communion

together.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

chakra

Amen.

Amen.