Walking Through Sorrow into Joy

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This message takes a look at the sorrow Jesus experienced through the final days and weeks of his earthly ministry and relates it to the text in Heb. 12:2 which speaks about the "joy that was set before him." In the Lenten season, this message attempts to encourage believers to follow in the steps of Jesus and realize that all sorrow is nothing compared to the joy that awaits.

Written Excerpts:

Hebrews 12:2 ^(NKJV)  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Introduction:

Before I begin the sermon I want to share a story I saw on the internet a few weeks ago.

Headline: “Lottery winner sues, says she was too young to handle money.”

The story is about a 17-year-old who says winning Britain jackpot ruined her life. To me, this seems to illustrate how twisted our world has become for some people to really think it is the government’s fault (or lottery commission) that a jackpot winner foolishly blew through millions of dollars and is now destitute.

The title of my message today is, “Walking through Sorrow into Joy,” but this lottery story seems to illustrate someone who “walked straight through hilarious joy right into sorrow.”

Today is the second Sunday of Lent. I felt the Lord leading me to present a message today related to this season when we are thinking about the path Jesus walked toward his crucifixion and subsequent resurrection and ascension.

When we study the messages, stories and actions of Jesus leading up to his voluntary sacrifice, we can gain plenty of insight into the kind of people we need to be. One of the subjects related to the journey Jesus took prior to his crucifixion is the subject of suffering and sorrow.

A few years ago on Palm Sunday I preached a message called, “The Weeping King.” It was a sermon based on the story of Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem as he descended the Mount of Olives on the “Triumphal Entry.” He clearly was expressing intense sorrow over what the future held for a city and a people who had been given so many opportunities and privileges.

That was not the only time we read about his sorrow. Listen again to the passage that was read earlier: Mark 14:32-34 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray." And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch."

I can’t even begin to comprehend the depth of sorrow Jesus must have been feeling that night in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judging by the kinds of statements He made to His disciples during the Last Supper and even before, His sorrow had to include the realization that His closest followers didn’t really understand the truth about His mission.

But that night couldn’t have been the end of sorrow for the Savior. The ordeal he endured the next day with the sham of a trial, the flogging, and the crucifixion all would have produced sorrow upon sorrow. Yet, I’m certain the deepest sorrow of all was the sense of abandonment when he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

The primary text that I want to discuss with you this morning is found in Hebrews 12.

Hebrews 12:2    looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I want to talk a little while about the meaning of this phrase when it says Jesus endured the cross, despised the shame all because of the joy that was set before him.

Endured the cross – I think we all have heard numerous descriptions of what it was like to die on the cross. It was an excruciating death.

Jesus endured, persevered to the end – death.

Despised the shame - This is not [merely] the shame of dying a criminal's death but the shame of dying the death of a criminal who was accounted as accursed by God by his executioners (Galatians 3:13 ^(NKJV) Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"); so also Phil. 2:8. "Despising (the) shame" does not mean that the shame was a small thing, but that, in comparison with the joy, Christ scorned to consider it. (Lenski New Testament Commentary)

This author is stressing the point that the shame Jesus despised was the “scandal” or “curse” that was associated with crucifixions. And, as he stated, it doesn’t mean that He merely viewed it as a small matter, but He actually scorned it; wouldn’t even consider it. Why? Because He knew the joy ahead.

For the joy that was set before Him – "The joy lying before him" is the glorification that followed the sufferings plus his kingship over all believers.... During his entire humiliation, especially when he was foretelling the cross, Jesus referred to his resurrection and the enthronement with his Father. (Lenski New Testament Commentary)

In the past I’ve read that some believed the phrase should have been translated, “…instead of the joy that was set before Him,” implying the same as Philippians 2 where “He did not consider His equality with God as something to be held onto, but humbled Himself to death, even death on the cross.” But here the sentence structure reads, “The joy that lay before Him” (not behind Him).

The joy that spurred Him on to endure the cross, the shame and the intense sorrow was based on His anticipation of the return to glory with the Father and to sit in authority and honor at His right hand. Jesus willingly walked the road of sorrow through each and every day that led up to His painful death and abandonment because He knew “joy was coming in the morning.”

(Psalm 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.)

Application to believers:

When Jesus calls us to follow Him, it includes sorrow in one form or another. There may be suffering, there may be rejection, and there may be other sources of sorrow that we have to face. These are all things that He told us to expect. But as we walk with Him through the valleys of sorrow, let us never forget that sorrow is not the end. Remember that Jesus walked through all His sorrow with His eyes focused on the coming joy.

Tyndale Commentaries - The linking of joy with suffering in this verse echoes a constant New Testament theme. Indeed on the eve of his passion Jesus spoke of his joy and of his desire that his disciples should share it.

John 15:9-11 ^(NKJV) "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 17:13 ^(NKJV) But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

Jesus knew the absolute joy and delight that awaited Him because He had shared the glory of the Father before coming to live among men. He also promised that His joy would remain in us and fill up our joy.

Sorrow is a normal part of life. And the Bible tells us that suffering rejection, persecution and opposition is a normal part of the Christian life. As we make every effort to walk in the steps of Jesus, let us keep our focus on the joy that is coming.

Yes, we certainly have a taste of that now as we fellowship with Christ and with His people, but there is coming a day when the joy will be “out of this world!”

Let us close the service by singing the hymn: All for Jesus

Enter Here

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This sermon is the sixth and final message in a series of sermons on the Kingdom of God. The theme of this message deals with the point of actually becoming a part of the Kingdom. It speaks about attitudes and choices that are necessary to enter through the only door to the Kingdom - Jesus Christ.

Written Excerpts:

John 3:3 (NKJV) Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Introduction:

On 5 different Sundays now I have been preaching sermons about the Kingdom of God. I admit that I haven’t presented them in any type of logically consistent order, but I have been sharing various principles about the Kingdom of God primarily through the parables of Jesus. Today, I am going to conclude our series. There is probably much more that can be said about the Kingdom of God, but we have discussed a number of aspects taught in Scripture so we can save whatever remains for another time in the future. In our message today we are going to be looking at parables and comments of Jesus that speak about the way someone actually enters the kingdom of God. 

Friday morning I went to the Grove City High School to purchase a couple of tickets for the boys’ basketball district championship game up at Edinboro Univ. I’ve been in GCHS numerous times for ball games or other functions, but every time I’ve been there was a time when the school was expecting the general public, so the doors were unlocked and I just walked in. On Friday, however, it was during normal school hours and the doors were locked. Besides that, I didn’t know for sure which door would be closest to the main office, because I’d never had the opportunity to go to the office before.

I tried one set of doors, but couldn’t get in and didn’t see any intercom or other means of speaking with people in the office, so I tried another set of doors. Thankfully, this was where I found a little sign that indicated where I could find the buzzer to call into the office. After contacting the office on the intercom, the door was unlocked and I was able to enter. My search didn’t take that long, but it could have been even shorter if there had been a rather large sign that said, “Visitors enter here!”

This story of my little journey into the high school kind of illustrates a point regarding our topic today: There is only one door to enter the kingdom of God, (that is Jesus Christ) but there are numerous signs (instructions, conditions, steps) that lead us to the correct door.

With the help of God’s Spirit, I want to talk to you today about the various conditions that Jesus gave for those who wish to be a part of the Kingdom of God.

I looked up a number of Scriptures that clearly spoke about “entering the kingdom.” I knew we wouldn’t have time to discuss all of them, but I want to emphasize a few of them this morning.

I.    To enter the kingdom we must have a childlike spirit.

Mark 10:15 ^(NLT) I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

Here Mark writes with a “double negative” so allow me to reword it as a positive statement. “Anyone who receives the Kingdom of God like a child will certainly enter it.” Meaning?

Lenski New Testament Commentary - The statement is astonishing in every way. We should think as, alas, so many did and do think that a babe must receive the kingdom as an adult does, but absolutely the reverse is true. The child is the model and not the [adult]. It is the unassuming humility and unquestioning trustfulness of the child that make it the pattern for all adults.

Another writer (Tyndale Commentary) adds the trait of guileless faith (i.e. trust without deceit, or deviousness).

A person does not find the door to the Kingdom in a spirit of pride, privilege or persistent doubt. We do not find the door when we’re preoccupied with our own importance and “goodness.” “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

We do not find the door if we allow persistent doubts control our decisions.  (Doubts do have a way of driving a person to seek after the truth, but eventually there must come a time to step forward in trust before the door to the Kingdom may be entered.)

II.  To enter the kingdom we must have a willingness to surrender competing affections.

Mark 10:23-25 ^(NKJV) Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

The context of these statements includes the story of the rich young ruler who came to the Lord asking what he needed to do in order to “inherit eternal life.”

The word used for “riches” in this context is a word that literally means “matter,” “things” or “possessions.” It was most commonly used to refer to riches/wealth because of the wealth needed to have great possessions. (Notice it says in v. 22 the man went away sorrowful because he had “great possessions,” although that is a different word.)

He came to the Lord and asked, “What must I do?” But Jesus wanted him to understand, “Who must I be?”

In order to enter the Kingdom of God, I must be someone who has surrendered every other idol, every affection, and every ambition in order to be fully committed to following the Master. In this man’s case, his wealth was the one thing that prevented his total commitment to the Lord, so Jesus tells him what he must do – sell out and give to the poor.

Kyle Idleman – Like this man, most, if not all, of us will sooner or later be forced to choose between following Jesus or keeping something else that we love.

Mark 9:47 ^(NKJV) And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—

It’s better to live without something we think is essential than to fail to enter the kingdom of God and be lost for eternity.

Important to notice that Jesus did not say it was impossible for a rich man to enter. When asked about it, He replies, “With men it is impossible, but not with God, for with God all things are possible.” People sometimes think that they will never be able to make the kind of commitment that Jesus requires, but God’s grace makes it possible!

III. To enter the kingdom we must experience a spiritual birth.

John 3:3-5 ^(KJV) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

In this conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus instructs him about the necessity to have a spiritual birth. I would describe this as what actually takes place in the heart and life of a person who has found the door to the Kingdom (Jesus Christ) and has stepped through the door. There is a dramatic spiritual transformation that takes place as that individual places his or her trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. Without that, “he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

1 Cor. 5:17 If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away and behold all things are become new.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ^(NKJV) Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

Immediately after giving this description of those who will not inherit the Kingdom of God, Paul immediately says, “and such were some of you, but you were washed… sanctified… and justified… by the Spirit of our God.” In other words, they had experienced a new birth! They had experienced a transformation by God’s grace.

Conclusion:

As we bring this message to a close, let me add this final thought:

Entering the Kingdom of God was never presented by Jesus or the Apostles as something that would be stress-free, without opposition and suffering or without cost. In Acts 14 we have an account of the Apostle Paul being stoned and “left for dead.” But he was revived and a short time later we read these words about him and his preaching partner, Barnabas.

Acts 14:21b-22 ^(NKJV) … they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."

Jesus never gave the impression that entering the Kingdom was easy, but He repeatedly assures us that it is worth every sacrifice and the eternal rewards in His Kingdom far out-weigh any worldly pleasures. The eternal joy is immeasurably greater than eternal hopelessness and pain.

If you haven’t stepped through the door into the Kingdom by trusting in Jesus; if you haven’t truly been born again by the Spirit of God, then I urge you to come to Christ today.

Let’s all stand and sing the closing hymn: Jesus, I Come

The Great Separation

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This is the fifth sermon in a series of messages on the Kingdom of God. This message references the parables of the Kingdom of God in which Jesus describes the separation that will take place between the tares and the wheat; the good and bad fish; and the wise and foolish virgins.

Written excerpts:

Matthew 13:24-30, 47-50 ^(NKJV) Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' "

⁴⁷ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 25:1-13 (NKJV)  “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Introduction:

This is now the 5^th sermon in a series we have been doing regarding the Kingdom of God. We have already covered a number of topics related to the Kingdom:

·    The Old Testament basis for the Kingdom and other details such as: kingdoms have a sovereign ruler or king, the king rules over a dominion or realm, & the fact that God’s kingdom is both present and future;

·     The values of the world vs. the values of the Kingdom;

·     The infinite value or worth of God’s Kingdom and our investment in it; and

·     The ever-expanding growth of the Kingdom.

Today we are going to examine another feature of the Kingdom of God. This feature includes the sobering fact that there is a day of reckoning and judgment coming.

The parables we are discussing today about the kingdom of God each stress the truth that there is a great separation coming when there will be a division between the wheat and the weeds, the good and bad fish, and the wise and foolish virgins.

I would like to summarize the content of each parable and then draw a few conclusions for us to ponder.

Parable of the Tares (Weeds)

Not a parable about true and false believers in the church.

Jesus is talking about the world (v.38) with good seeds (true believers, “sons of the kingdom”) and the weeds (sons of the wicked one).

(Weeds were identified as “darnell” by most commentaries because it so closely resembles wheat in early growth.) The weeds look just like the wheat until it came time for the heads of grain to form, then it became apparent that they were weeds. (Just like people who haven’t been truly born again and filled with God’s Spirit can still imitate Christian behavior to some extent.)

“Enemy sowed the weeds.” In that region it was a crime to purposely sow weeds into someone’s crop field. The “sons of the wicked one” are not only headed for destruction themselves, but are used by the “wicked one” in an attempt to hinder/ruin the good seed or “sons of the kingdom.”

The owner allows both to grow together until the time of harvest when the weeds will be gathered and burned, but the wheat will be gathered in storage.

Jesus compares the harvest to the time when God will send angels to harvest the wicked and the righteous from the world. There will be a final separation with quite pronounced differences in their final lot (fire, weeping and gnashing of teeth vs. shining forth in glory).

Parable of the Fishing Dragnet

Tyndale Commentaries - The net is the large ‘dragnet’ which is drawn between two boats or by ropes from the shore, collecting all fish and other creatures within the area covered, which must then be sorted out to remove the bad, i.e. those unsuitable for eating. The reference, as in the weeds, is not primarily to a mixed church, but to the division among mankind in general which the last judgment will bring to light.

Jesus says this dragnet describes the separation of the wicked from the just. The wicked will be cast into the fire with wailing and gnashing of teeth. He doesn’t mention what happens to the just, but it is assumed that they are rewarded as indicated in the previous parable.

Parable of the Ten Virgins

This parable is not given at the same time as the two we’ve just discussed, but it was included in a later discourse by Christ about His second coming.

Lenski New Testament Commentary - These [virgins] were friends of the bride who went out from their homes with the necessary lamps, not to the bride's home, but to a place that was conveniently near. When the groom brought the bride out of her home, these virgins came forward and joined the procession with their lighted lamps and had their part in the feasting and the joy of the wedding in the groom's house…. In this parable the bride and her special attendants and the companions of the bridegroom are not mentioned because the [point of comparison] deals only with the bridegroom and with the action of these virgins.

The number ten is not accidental but symbolical. It denotes completeness. Thus we have Ten Commandments, ten talents (25:28), ten pieces of silver (Luke 15:8), ten servants, ten pounds, ten cities (Luke 19:13-17), an instrument of ten strings (Ps. 33:2), at least ten families needed to establish a synagogue, and ten persons for a funeral procession. These ten virgins represent all the followers of Christ during all the ages….

Lamps without oil are the forms of Christian life that are without the substance of this life; lamps together with oil are the forms that are vitalized by the true Christian life. Compare 5:14. We may call this oil spiritual life, faith with its works, even the Holy Ghost as some do. We prefer to think of faith and its works as being the flame of the lamp, the grace and the power of Christ in his Word as the oil, and the outward forms of Christianity as the lamps. We have the exposition in 2 Tim. 3:5: "Having the form of godliness but denying the power thereof." We must have both.

I won’t try to interpret all the points of the parable, except to offer these few observations:

1. At the end of the story, there is a final division between the wise and the foolish, similar to the separations that occurred in the previous parables. The wise get to go inside with the wedding party but the foolish are left on the outside, forbidden to enter.

2. The virgins were described the same in every way except in the level of readiness when the bridegroom finally came.

They were ready at the beginning, but they were not ready when the crucial time came to go meet the groom.

Those who did not remain ready due to a lack of oil, were shut out of the celebration with finality.

3. What does it mean to be ready with fresh oil? The condition of readiness appears to be further expanded with the next parable in the chapter (vv. 14-30).

Lenski New Testament Commentary – [The structure of the sentence in the original language indicates that] Jesus is still speaking of "the kingdom of the heavens" (v. 1) and is adding another resemblance….

In the parable of the Pounds [Lk. 19] we have ten slaves and ten pounds, to each slave one pound. The one pound given to each slave is the Word and the Sacraments which belong alike to each of us and can never be divided. In the present parable the number of the slaves is not important. The point stressed here is the diversity, one getting more, another fewer talents. This very diversity helps us to explain the talents. They are our abilities and gifts, of which each of us has his personal and different share. We may think of the spiritual gifts, but we must include the natural (sanctified as they ought to be by grace) faculties of mind and of body, position, influence, money, education, and every earthly advantage and blessing. They come to us from the same Lord as a sacred trust to be employed in his service….

In this he is a picture of all those in the church who for any reason refuse to use the gifts of Christ in his service.

The point of the parable seems to be that it is not enough to believe the gospel (as all ten virgins and all three servants would seem to represent), but we must be continuously ready for the coming of the bridegroom by using (investing) our gifts in the service of the Lord.

You might have heard this statement before: “Going to a church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going into a garage makes you a car.”

A more appropriate analogy might be this: “Going to church and saying you’re a believer doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going into a fire station and saying you believe in fighting fires makes you a real firefighter.”

To be a firefighter, you must actually fight fires. You certainly need the special training and the correct qualifications, but you’re still not a firefighter until you actually go out and help put out fires.

We are not really Christian until we have embraced certain beliefs, and we actually practice the instructions of our Lord.

Failure to invest our gifts and abilities in the service of the Lord would not only make us like the one servant who buried his talent, but it would also make us like the foolish virgins who did not buy enough oil to keep their torches lit when it was time to go meet the bridegroom.

The sad consequence is… separation from all those who are ready.

Conclusion:

We have taken a look at three specific parables today, plus a brief glance at a fourth one.

The common theme in all three has been the concluding scene involving separation between the good and the bad; the righteous and the wicked; or the wise and the foolish.

These parables reveal the truth that Jesus not only offered love & grace to his listeners but he also warned of coming judgment – a day when there will be final distinction btw true & false, right & wrong, and between “kingdom accepter and kingdom rejecter.”

These parables reveal the same truth that is revealed at the end of God’s revelation – separation is final.

See Rev. 20:11-15 ^(NKJV) Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

I want to close the service today by asking you the question that is asked in our closing hymn: There’s a great day coming… are you ready for that day to come?

Bigger than You Think

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This sermon is the fourth one in a series of messages on the Kingdom of God. This message speaks about the growth and expansion of God's Kingdom around the world.

Written Excerpts:

Mark 4:26-29 ^(NKJV) And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

Matthew 13:31-33 ^(NKJV) Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

Introduction:

We’ve been looking at various Scriptures that relate to the kingdom of God. We have been talking about some of the different ways the kingdom is described and what that means for us as we try to bring our lives into harmony with kingdom principles.

Today we continue by looking at three brief parables that describe the advancement of God’s kingdom.

Have you ever been amazed by the phenomenal growth of something that seemingly had very humble beginnings?

I did a casual search on the internet recently looking for large corporations that had very small starts. It shouldn’t have surprised me, but it seems like most, if not all, major companies in our economy today had very small and insignificant beginnings. I can’t tell you how many different corporations got started in someone’s garage!

In some cases, the small start-up companies were predicted to fail, or at least stay much smaller. For example, Thomas Watson, Chairman of the Board of IBM in 1943 said, “I think there is a world market for about five computers.”

In the lessons that we’re going to look at today, Jesus seems to be telling us that the Kingdom of God is much the same way – small beginnings, but very large ending with phenomenal results.

I would like to take a little time to review each parable, then analyze them together to gain some insight and inspiration for our spiritual benefit.

I.    Reviewing the Parables

There are a few things I want to point out in these stories that are of special interest.

A. Parable of the Growing Seed

There are a few comparisons between this parable and the parable of the sower which is recorded at the beginning of the chapter, although they are not to be understand as the same thing. In the “parable of the sower” the main point is the condition of the soil. Perhaps it could even be called “the parable of the soils.” In this story, the main point is what the seed does in the soil.

In both stories, the seed is the Word of God. The word, “earth” in this parable corresponds to the “good soil” in the earlier parable.

Lenski New Testament Commentary - In the [earlier] parable the sower is Christ, and we may take it that in this parable "a man" who casts seed on the earth is again Christ. But some feel a difficulty in thinking that Christ sleeps and rises night and day and does not know how the seed grows. [But the difficulty is removed if we understand that] … Jesus … is … compar[ing] himself to “a man” who scatters his seed and trusts that seed to grow of its own power. Of course, the fact that he commissions the sickle, namely in the judgment, seems quite in order [with Christ’s authority and role].

Once the seed gets into the “good soil” then it does what seeds were designed to do. It grows, and grows, and changes and produces…

Is. 55:11 ^(NKJV) So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

A single seed becomes a plant then the plant produces fruit. The seed sown in the field becomes a field of grain. It grows and produces until time for the harvest (the end of time.)

Tyndale Commentaries - … it illustrates the nature of the reign of God in the human heart: it suggests the Christian doctrine of ‘growth in grace’ (2 Pet. 3:18); and it inculcates a continued trust in God, who will give a harvest in due time (Gal. 6:9 and Phil. 1:6).

Philippians 1:6 ^(NKJV) being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

B. Parable of the Mustard Seed

One writer (Tyndale Commentary) explains that the growth of the kingdom was still difficult for the disciples to grasp, but they were all familiar with the mustard seed.

Lenski New Testament Commentary - In this parable we again have a seed, not of wheat or barley as [implied] in the preceding parables, but of the mustard plant... The kingdom is like a kernel of mustard because, like it, the rule of Christ's grace among men has a phenomenal growth from the tiniest beginning….

This parable pictures the kingdom in its visible growth. A number of thoughts are directly involved and necessarily implied. The entire power of this kingdom is divine. It is a living organism, and its life and its power are undying—all other growths of earth have the germs of decay and death in them

This particular plant starts out as one of the smallest seeds and grows into a rather large bush/small tree. But it is big enough for the birds of the air to find shelter and rest.

God’s kingdom on earth starts out very small and insignificant – a single baby born in Bethlehem, visited by despised shepherds; grows into adulthood and gathers a small band of followers from different backgrounds; but has grown literally around the entire world – impacting people of all nations and all kinds of socio-economic status and political power.

C. Parable of the Leaven

I remember when I was very young I used to read this parable or hear it read and think that it was talking about a person trying to hide something but it becomes visible or known anyway. No, it is about the baker intentionally putting leaven or yeast into the meal so that it will permeate the whole batch and cause a reaction to take place that will ultimately change the whole batch.

Lenski New Testament Commentary - Leaven or yeast … is used extensively in an evil sense to portray something that corrupts. Jesus uses it thus in Luke 12:1…. It is impossible to use leaven in this sense when picturing the kingdom. This time leaven pictures the good power of Christ's rule of grace which secretly yet effectively produces its beneficent results.

Just like yeast changes the composition of the meal so that it expands and can be baked into delicious bread, so the kingdom of God expands and permeates the world and changes its composition.

Lenski New Testament Commentary - Here again ye see divine power; again it is wholly spiritual, and, while it operates altogether invisibly, produces any number of tangible effects, every one of them being wholesome. The gospel cannot but succeed, and the one work of the church is to preach, teach, and spread it in the world. The parable teaches faith, patience, hope, and joy.

II.  Analyzing the Parables

Traits about all three of the parables.

A. Paltry Beginning

In all three of these parables, the beginning is small. A small seed(s) in two of them and small amount of leaven or yeast in the third one.

None of these, in themselves, seems very significant.

B. Phenomenal Growth

In all three stories, there is incredible growth.

Seed, plant, ear, harvest (implied whole field ready to harvest).

Seed, growth into tree.

Leaven, penetrates, permeates and profoundly affects the whole.

Sometimes we fall back on Jesus’ teaching about the narrow road and the broad road to reinforce our idea that the kingdom of God will not be that big. (Strait is the gate and narrow is the way… and few there be… wide is the gate and broad is the way… and many there be…) The number is few in comparison to broad way vs. many in comparison to the narrow way, but consider these verses about the numbers in heaven:

Rev. 5:11 ^(NKJV) Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,

Daniel 7:9-10 ^(NKJV)  "I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened.

C. Praiseworthy Result

Whole field of ripened grain ready to harvest for the good of many, many people.

Large bush/tree for the benefit of man and birds.

Large batch of dough ready to provide food for the hungry.

III. Applying the Parables

A. Do not despise the little things. Planting of the seed (God’s Word) is simply that. There are a lot of little things we can do to plant a little seed. (The seed is truly planted by the Lord, but He uses us (His people) to spread the seed (Word)).

 Sometimes I have found myself neglecting the little things I can do just because I’m convinced that what I can do won’t really matter.

B. Learn to trust God for the development and growth of the seed that has been planted.

1.  This doesn’t remove our responsibility to pray for the development and pray for success, etc.

2. It doesn’t eliminate our responsibility to counsel, teach, disciple, etc. But it does relieve us of the responsibility of effectiveness.

3.  It doesn’t mean we can be shoddy and half-hearted in our effort, but we only do what we can do.

4. It does relieve us of any anxiety about how my efforts to plant the seed and spread the Word will work out. It’s not my responsibility.

5.  Illustrated by ways that God uses the most unlikely things to ultimately increase the kingdom. God is working in ways we would never imagine.

C. Give God the glory for the triumph of His kingdom wherever it spreads, which is all through the world.

Conclusion:

The Kingdom of God is WAY bigger than we think!

Let’s close the service by singing the hymn:   Little Is Much When God Is in It

Faith When It's Dark

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This is a message that was given as our congregation was reeling from the tragic deaths of an elderly couple in our church who perished in an automobile accident this past week.

Written Excerpts

Hebrews 11:1-3 ^(NKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

It might be easier to understand the last phrase of that verse if we say it like this, “The things which are visible were made from things that are invisible.”

Someone has said something like this, “Faith is not really faith until it has been tested in the dark.”

If it is the middle of the day, the sun is out and I can readily see all my surroundings, it is pretty easy to tell if I’m on the right road and if my path is obscured or open. But in the dark, it requires a lot more trust and faith to walk the path I’m on when I cannot see all my surroundings.

The same principle is true in our spiritual walk.

Some reminders about faith:

1. Faith is an unwavering conviction in the reality of the unseen.

v. 1  faith is (=) substance of things hoped for and the evidence of the unseen.

“substance” – the very essence of something; basic composition of a thing; or its reality.

“Evidence” – that by which something can be proved; normally a legal term.

The Hebrew writer is saying that faith is the inner conviction that the things which cannot be seen, because they are in the realm of thoughts and ideas, are real nonetheless.

For some people, it may seem like I’ve just described a fantasy, a dream or an imagination. But, it becomes true faith when it passes from the realm of fantasy and wild imagination into the realm of conviction; to the point of being willing to “stake my life on it.”

It has reached the point of a conviction that I am willing to stake my life on when it becomes the basis for choices and decisions that will affect my future well-being.

When the Bible tells us that God called Abraham and he left his kinfolk and his home to go to a place he didn’t physically know existed, Abraham’s faith became a conviction that caused him to make a life-changing decision. It caused him to make a decision that affected the entire course of his life and his descendants’ lives.

When the Bible tells us that we are spiritually lost and headed for hell without hope, and it tells us that Jesus Christ came for the purpose of dying in our place so we do not need to be lost, and it tells us that we can be saved and live eternally with God, those are all ideas or propositions that require belief or faith that will produce a response using a deliberate choice.

We choose to accept those propositions as more than wild imaginations and fantasy, but truths and realities. We make decisions throughout our lives that we have not only staked our futures on, but we have staked our eternal destiny upon as well.

2. If faith is linked to realities that we cannot see but we’re choosing to stake our whole life and eternal destiny on, then that same faith can sustain us when all the outward, visible things seem contrary.

In other words, “We’re in the dark.”

Faith is what enabled Job to say, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”

We know that Job was confused and even angry about what all was happening to him and his family. We certainly know that Job was kept “in the dark” about how and why the things were happening the way they were. But in spite of all his doubts, questions, and anger, he still is remembered for saying: “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” And, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”

Conclusion:

Someone has said, “The teacher is always silent during a test.”

When God seems silent, when it seems we’re walking in the dark, and when our world has caved in around us, let’s make a commitment to keep trusting in God. Amen?

Let’s sing the chorus listed in our bulletin, My Faith Still Holds  

What's It Worth to You?

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This is the third sermon in a series of messages on the Kingdom of God. This message speaks about the infinite value of God's Kingdom and about the sacrifice we must make in order to enter the Kingdom.

Written Excerpts:

Matthew 13:44-46 ^(NKJV) "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Introduction:  If any of you are consumers of reality TV you may be familiar with American Pickers, which is an American reality television series on the History channel. Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz travel the back roads of America looking to buy “rusty gold.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this show, but I assume by the descriptions I’ve read that these men hope to discover and acquire some rare hidden treasure in someone’s pile of junk that will end up being worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

I had a friend over in Ohio named Larry that liked to dabble in antiques or anything he thought could be turned into a profit. One of his areas of interest was antique postcards. He told me one time about stopping at a roadside antique shop in a small town where he was able to buy a shoe box of postcards for only $5. That shoe box of several hundred postcards contained 50 old postcards with Coca Cola advertisements on the front of them. Larry was offered $500 for those 50 postcards. He did not sell, and later discovered in an appraisal catalog that the cards had a potential value of $50 each or $2500!

These stories highlight the fact that it is not unusual for people to discover they have a valuable treasure which they acquired quite by accident and with very little investment.

Our Scripture lesson for today’s message is about two cases in which a person finds a rare treasure of inestimable value and proceeds to sell off all his possessions in order to acquire the invaluable treasure. Jesus tells the stories to describe what the Kingdom of God is like for the person who truly understands its value.

Transition: Today I want to discuss these two very brief parables told by Jesus in order to learn more about the Kingdom of God, which we had started exploring a few weeks ago.

I.    Parable background settings

Lenski New Testament Commentary - The practice of hiding great treasure, such as gold and jewels, was far more frequent in ancient days, especially in the East, due to war, changes of rulers, and the like. Trench reports that men of wealth often divided their wealth into three parts: one for doing business, another part converted into precious stones with which to flee, if necessary, a third part to be buried in a safe place. Thus it could happen that someone died, and with that all trace of the buried hoard was lost until by accident another stumbled upon it. That is the situation in this parable.

Tyndale Commentaries - Valuables such as coins or jewels were often hidden in a jar in the earth (cf. 25:25, the parable of the talents), and discoveries of such treasure trove were a favorite theme of popular stories.

The man who found the treasure was probably a laborer working the field for the owner, who probably would not have known of the buried treasure. He re-hides the treasure with the anticipation of doing whatever is necessary to acquire it. In order to acquire the field with the treasure he must sell everything he owns. But he does so with JOY!

The next parable…(v.45-46)

Lenski New Testament Commentary - "Again" introduces this as a second comparison.… the likeness consists in the actions: what is done by the man regarding the treasure, and what the merchant does regarding the pearl. There was evidently a difference between "a man" mentioned in v. 44, a mere ordinary peasant or laborer, of whom the world has a large number, and this rich merchant, whose profession it was to inspect and to buy pearls in foreign cities, a man such as the world has but few.

Tyndale Commentaries - Pearls were highly valued in the ancient world (see Jeremias, PJ, p. 199 for the fantastic prices they could fetch). The action of the merchant (a substantial trader, not a local retailer), while more economically improbable than that of the finder of the treasure, immediately catches the imagination.

Lenski New Testament Commentary - In order to appreciate this point one must know the esteem in which pearls were held by the ancients, sums almost incredible being paid for a single pearl when it was a perfect specimen of its kind. Great skill was required to gauge the value of a pearl, noting its defects in shape, tint, smoothness, etc.

When he finds “ONE” pearl of great price, he does exactly like the man in the first story – he sells everything (implies all the pearls he has already bought), and purchases the valuable pearl.

II.  Lessons to learn

A.  The value of the kingdom.

“treasure;” “one pearl” – words that convey great worth that is greater than what can be imagined.

Lenski New Testament Commentary - The term "treasure" is comprehensive, so that we may think of all the precious things in the kingdom: righteousness, pardon, peace, etc., all that is spiritually priceless.

Romans 14:15-17 ^(NKJV) Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The treasure is an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ that produces salvation from sin (righteousness), peace with God and joy in the Holy Spirit. Nothing else compares with this!

B.  The discovery that is made.

One writer suggests that the men in these two parables represent the seed that fell on good soil back in the parable of the sower that was mentioned earlier in the chapter. In both stories, the farmer and the merchant make their awesome discoveries quite by accident in the ordinary course of their daily routine. Both the farmer and the merchant immediately recognized the value of their discovery and did not delay in seeking the means to acquire it.

Some believe it is noteworthy that the “treasure” and the “pearl” were not blatantly obvious (i.e. they were “hidden” in some degree), yet they were not impossible to find. This coincides with Jesus’ words, (Matthew 13:13 ^NKJV) “Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”

Parables were nothing more than neat stories to the people who had no desire to search for meaning and truth, but to the ones seeking truth, God provides revelation.

Lenski New Testament Commentary - As regards the reality the field brings out the thought that God did not hide his treasure far off in the heavens where no human being could even come near it but in a common, lowly place, where it could, indeed, be found, but certainly not by the earthly wise, proud, and self-sufficient. (see 1 Corinthians 1:27 ^(NKJV) But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty)

 “God hides himself from intellectual [dabblers], but reveals himself in Christ to those who humbly seek him.” ― John R.W. Stott, Why I Am a Christian

C.  The sacrifice joyfully made.

Lenski New Testament Commentary - Scriptures know of two extraordinary ways of buying: one is, without money or price, (e.g. Isaiah 55:1 ^(NKJV) "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.); the other is to give up … all that would prevent our possessing them.

The kingdom cannot be bought in the same sense that the pearl was bought, but the point of the story is the amount of sacrifice and commitment the merchant was willing to make in order to acquire it. To both of these men, it really wasn’t considered a sacrifice because they realized that what they were getting was so much more valuable than all they gave up!

This is exactly the opposite attitude from the man who came to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” When Jesus told him he lacked one thing, “Sell what you have and give to the poor,” the man went away full of sorrow because he had “great possessions.” He was unwilling to separate his life from his heart’s treasure – his possessions.

Conclusion:

We’ve been talking about two stories told by Jesus that illustrate the great value of the kingdom of God/heaven. However, the value is only known to those who have the capacity to recognize it.

What is it worth to you to have righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit?

What is it worth to you to have eternal life with Jesus rather than eternal suffering separated from God?

Are you more like the farmer and the merchant, or are you more like the rich young ruler?

What’s the kingdom of God worth to you?

What’s a relationship with the King of kings worth to you?

I hope you feel the same as I do this morning. I know “I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today!”

I know this morning that I want to know more, more about Jesus!

Let’s sing the closing song:   More About Jesus 

Eating With Gladness

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This message was given on Jan. 29, 2017 for the worship service in which the Lord's Supper was shared at the close of the sermon.

Written Excerpts:

Acts 2:46 ^(NKJV) So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart

Introduction:

I have been doing a study for the last two weeks in our Wednesday night Bible studies on the topic of happiness, joy, blessedness, gladness, etc.

Interestingly enough, the study is the first of several I hope to do in a series I’m calling, “Christian Myths.”

Myth: God’s primary purpose for me is to make me happy.

Well, here we have a reference to some of the activities of the brand new group of Christian believers and it specifically mentions the fact that they did what they did “with gladness.”

“Gladness” – exultation, extreme joy… (Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament) It appears 5 times in NT; trans. 3 times as gladness, 1 time as joy and 1 time as exceeding joy. (Strong’s)

Now, I do not have the time to review what we’ve talked about the last two Wednesdays, but let me simply say that gladness and happiness are not the primary objectives of a Christian, but they are the byproduct of a life that is devoted to worship and service to Christ.

Transition: For a little while this morning I want to point out several observations from Scripture in an effort to help us understand why these Christians were so happy doing what they were doing.

I.     Their whole world had been revolutionized.

Life and vocations changed

Learned so much from the Master

Discouraged and confused by death

Revived by his resurrection

Filled up with the Holy Spirit

II.    They had been actively nurturing their new faith.

v. 42 - 46

“Continued steadfastly” - means "to adhere with strength" to something,

To what?

The Apostles doctrine – teaching

To fellowship – sharing with each other as one body even in the teaching and in everything.

To breaking of bread – common meals, love feasts, Lord’s Supper

To prayers – the people spent time praying for each other but mostly that their witness would be effective and opposition would break down.

III.  They were obeying the words of the Lord.

They were no longer sitting around behind closed doors worrying about what the authorities were going to do next, as they did after the crucifixion.

They were spreading the good news, healing sick people, helping those in need.

They were remembering and celebrating the love feast, and the Lord’s Supper.

Conclusion:

The phrase in our text says, “…they ate their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.”

The word “meat” or “food” probably means more than the Lord’s Supper but it more than likely included the Lord’s Supper.

As we partake of the Lord’s Supper here with one another today, let us do it with a heart of gladness. Let us do it with joy and rejoicing, not only for what Christ has provided for us through His sacrifice, but for all that we have enjoyed through following His will and keeping His word.