The Impact of the Kingdom of God

Introduction

Do you struggle with discouragement? Do you ever have times that you wonder if you have lived your life in vain? Let’s be honest. There are times we think the other side is winning. We know the world is not getting any better. Let’s make it more personal.

Lord, I have vision, I have purpose I sense your direction, but at every turn I have health setbacks. I can not accomplish the bucket list of items I sense you want me to complete for my time here on earth. Lord, it seems things are traveling at a snail’s pace. I can’t seem to do those things for the people that are halting me and needy of me and requiring more of me. Exactly.

Is my life really making a difference for the kingdom? This morning I pray that as we study these two parables and warnings Jesus offers that you are encouraged. My prayer is that God affirms you are making a difference. You are valuable to His kingdom and He wants to do great things in you and through you.

Turn in your bibles this morning to Luke 13:18-30.

Luke 13:18-30

Luke 13:18–30 NKJV

18 Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.” 20 And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” 22 And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. 29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”

Prayer

Message

You may remember from our last time in Luke that Jesus healed a woman with a bent over back disorder on the Sabbath and created a stir in the synagogue.

Jesus addressed the synagogue ruler and called those in his camp hypocrites for exercising a greater focus on the law than love for their fellow man. This encounter gave rise to Jesus describing what the Kingdom of God is compared to. In other words, He used the situation to correct a deeper understanding of what the kingdom of God is really all about.

Then Jesus said in our opening verse this morning in Luke 13:18, “what is the kingdom of God like?”

That’s what we want to answer this morning.

One thing we do not know is whether Jesus shared these parables in the synagogue or left and He shared these parables with those that were following Him after the synagogue scene.

What we do know is that Jesus used the scene as a teaching moment. He clearly understood that the scene in the synagogue revealed that there was a distorted understanding of the kingdom of God prevalent among the religious of the day.

Last week I shared that the Kingdom of God is mentioned in Luke’s gospel 33 times.

The Kingdom of God was at the heartbeat of what Jesus was about in His time here on earth.

The word kingdom in the Greek is the word:

A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible 932. βασιλεία

932. βασιλεία basilĕia, bas-il-i´-ah; from 935; prop. royalty, i.e. (abstr.) rule, or (concr.) a realm (lit. or fig.):—kingdom, + reign

When we think of the Bascilica in Rome, the word for the building means kingly or royal. The church is highly significant and been chosen by the Pope for greatness.

For example:

In Mark 1:14–15 “14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.””

Jesus was specific in Luke 4:43 and stated that was the purpose for which He came.

Luke 4:43 “43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.””

This morning we will look at what the kingdom of God is like. What do we compare it to? What does it resemble? How is the kingdom of God manifest in the church and in our personal lives?

According to Jesus, we learn that the kingdom of God can be compared to a mustard seed and leaven (yeast).

Luke 13:18–20 NKJV

18 Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.” 20 And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?

This morning’s parable was recorded in the synoptic gospels: Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32.

Jesus climactically gave illustration to bring home the theme of the kingdom of God.

Luke 17:20–21 “20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.””

In a nutshell, the kingdom of God is present with you when you allow Jesus to rule and reign in your life. The kingdom of God is not an event to come or a certain locale but the Kingdom reigns in the heart of His believers.

There are three focal words I want us to concentrate on in our time together this morning as we unpack how Jesus describes the Kingdom of God.

The first word I want us to focus on is :

Meagerness

We tend to think that our engagement in the kingdom of God is of meager or meaningless consequence. We tend to think we have little to offer or what we contribute will make little if any significance. Can this church that is so small and in such a secluded locale make that much impact for the kingdom?

Jesus shared parables that used simple concepts that the every day people of the Palestinian region could understand. Jesus came to earth as God incarnate to minister to all walks of life. Jesus did not use illustration that spoke to a royal or elitist group even though the message was for them as well, but He communicated where everyone found His teachings understandable.

Notice in our parables this morning that Jesus did not speak of the Cedars of Lebanon which were quite large nor did He use a parable about large mountains like Mt. Sinai. He chose very small miniscule examples that would produce great impact under proper cultivation.

That should give you and me hope. God can take the meager, the meaningless, the insignificant and accomplish great things in us and through us. Amen.

He shared two parables about a mustard seed and about leaven. Both parables speak to the fact that in the origin of what seemingly is meager or insignificant, with God in it, great things than come about for His glory.

The mustard seed was the smallest seed familiar to the people of Palestine. And yet, being the smallest seed, this mustard bush normally was 4-5 feet at best. Here Jesus describes the mustard bush growing abnormal to tree size of 8-12 feet in size and forging a full canopy of branches and leaves. Furthermore, the tree would become home to the birds of the air to make their nests.

By the way, do you have any birds pecking about you for spiritual food? Have you made your tree home to those seeking?

The kingdom of God began from meager means. Jesus Himself began His ministry from meager means. He was born into a peasant Jewish family. He was born not in a palace but in a manger stall in Bethlehem. He lived in Nazareth and we read in John 1:46 “46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”” In a modern day vernacular we could call Him a redneck or a hick from the sticks preacher.

Jesus was the son of a carpenter and served in that capacity until age 30. His public ministry only lasted 3 years. He banned with a group of renegade disciples that were fishermen and tax collectors. The religious elite labeled Jesus as hanging around the wrong crowds. They said He hung around sinners and tax collectors.

Furthermore, His ministry was predominately in the Northern Galilean region of Israel. Jesus was an itinerant country preacher. As His days were coming to a close and the religious elite wanted to kill Him, he did not arrive in Jerusalem on a white stallion, but on a donkey. Jesus died a criminal’s death by being crucified on a cross.

And yet today, we know that there are millions upon millions of followers of Christ today that have accepted the gospel, the good news and believe upon Jesus and He reigns in their heart. And all the people said, Amen.

King David’s beginnings came about from meager or meaningless origin. He was the ruddiest of his brothers and he was a shepherd boy. His dad, Jesse, did not even think to present him to Samuel when Samuel would prophesy him as King. He became King of all Israel.

Jesus described the kingdom of God like a mustard seed. Jesus shared further:

“which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nestled in its branches.”

And then Jesus shared of the leaven.

Luke 13:20–21 “20 And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.””

In both cases, the mustard seed and the leaven in and of themselves are very small and insignificant. But the parable teaches that when you incorporate the involvement of the man or woman spoken of in the parable great things take place. Jesus is represented in the man that works the garden and the woman represents Jesus working with the leaven.

The garden and soil along with the meal in the leaven represents the workings of the Holy Spirit. The culmination of the kingdom of God at work in us through Jesus and the Holy Spirit in conjunction with our Heavenly Father can accomplish great things.

I can not overcome the health struggles. Jesus can. I can’t seem to get my marriage going in the right direction. Jesus can. I can’t seem to fix the family dynamic where it needs to be. Jesus can. I can’t seem to grow my Sunday School class. Jesus can.

Magnitude

The second focal word is magnitude. The parables speak to the magnitude of good that comes from Jesus’ rule in our lives. The small mustard seed planted in the ground and worked in the garden can grow exponentially to produce a tree of 8-12 feet tall, but holds life within its branches by being home to the birds that build their nests there.

Many of you may remember in your first exposure to chemistry in school the placing together of baking soda carbonate with vinegar. You take a small amount of baking soda and a small amount of vinegar and when you place those two chemicals together the end result of expansion will bubble out of the crucible.

Commentators share that the amount of leaven described added to the three measures of meal (50 lbs of flour) would feed 150 people. In other words, these simple, insignificant ingredients added together can grow exponentially to feed a large number of people.

Dearly beloved, please listen. In the obscurity and the simplicity of your everyday life, with your everyday limited abilities, in the everyday minimum amount of people you come in contact with, if the man and woman of the parables of Jesus Christ are in the mix of your life, great things can be accomplished in His power and His involvement.

Why is this message so important to us today? There are times we become discouraged for many reasons. We can become discouraged in our own spiritual walks and we feel we are not progressing in the kingdom. Other times, we become discouraged in the church because we want to see more numerical growth.

Notice an important detail to the parable, the mustard seed was planted in the man’s garden. We do not read of fine details of how deep the seed was to be planted in the soil. We do not read of any fertilization measures that brings about the growth. We do not read of any watering methods to insure the fastest growth. The important detail is the man and his garden.

The story of the leaven does not give detail to how long the leaven and meal were to sit in open air. How long they were to be mixed together. After they sat and the yeast began to take affect, how long they are in direct or indirect fire or what temperature to reach. None of those details were mentioned. So then, what is important? Again, the key details, the woman’s involvement and the meal.

Why is this important? It’s important from several vantage points. Firstly, there is no great list of details for you to be fit for the Kingdom of God. You are not called on to be good enough to be used of Jesus. There is no requirement to rid some lesser areas or weak areas to be used of God. There is no clean up process that you must go through before God can use you. Yes, you must answer His call and ask for Him to forgive you of your sin but at that moment you commit that act, you are a vessel to be used of God. Once you accept Christ, you gain entrance to the kingdom of God.

Secondly, we think we must manufacture growth tools, strategies, programs if you will to reach people for Christ in His church. If we will focus on Jesus, His reign and rule here at Mt Zion and work in His garden, see where He is working and get there. If we will live lives of obedience to His call, God will bring the increase.

The other important detail of the parable of the mustard tree is that you can see the growth in the heightening of the tree. There are many times we are blessed to witness someone that accepts Christ, that follows in believer’s baptism and becomes a pillar of the church and what a glorious sight to behold. And then there are other times.

The parable of the leaven reveals that there are times we wonder if we are making a difference in our families, our marriage, our children, our workplace and in our neighborhood and we wonder by our walk and witness, am I making any difference? Leaven works without us seeing its action. It is subtle in its affect

Leaven is like the Bible describes the Holy Spirit. We can not see the wind, but we see the evidence of the wind. There are times that our lives seems as leaven in that we see no outward bells and whistles to measure God’s effectiveness in our lives and the lives of others. God in His perfect timing will bring about an individual that you have a cup of coffee with to share how you have impacted them in their walk in Christ.

The truth is for most of us we have ministries like leaven. Our progress is subtle and God in His perfect timing will encourage us with testimony, maybe not of 100’s or 10’s, but in your son or daughter, or your sister or brother, or your spouse,or your neighbor and they thank you that you have been an example of Jesus in their life.

Momentous

Read again Luke 13:22-30

Luke 13:22–30 NKJV

22 And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. 29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”

The third word in closing to describe the kingdom of God is momentous. There is an exactness and a momentous time to respond to His invitation. Jesus was addressing the same group as He had just addressed in the synagogue. The Jews lived in the laurels of their past. They were physically birthed as Jews. In the spiritual realm, they were blue bloods by physical birth.

Several years ago Jane and I went on a cruise to the British Isles. I was introduced to the life of royalty as we toured Edinburgh Scotland. We were able to tour the ship called the Britannia which was the ship the royal family, specifically Queen Elizabeth traveled on.

From that experience I learned vivid detail about the late Queen Elizabeth. I saw the pomp and circumstance that she administered on a daily basis. Royal life for her consisted of entertaining daily dignitaries and changing clothes some seven times a day. I could go on. The point is I knew Queen Elizabeth, but guess what, she did not know me.

Jesus writes these words to challenge the Jews of that day and to challenge us today. The Jews thought by the fact they were birthed as a Jew that they were in right relationship with Yahweh God.

Jesus told Nicodemus, “you must be born again.”

Jesus described in this parable one who knew everything about the Master, knew the people associated with Him, had eaten and socialized in the midst of the synagogue, knew all of the songs and words recited in service, but when the time came and their day was no more, they missed the invitation to truly know the Master. They had not accepted Jesus as the Messiah and Lord of their lives.

Jesus draws us a picture of looking through glass or a gate and the individuals on the outside can see all the people of familiarity on the other side, but yet there is a barrier to admission into the Master’s house.

Today, there are many that are disillusioned in the same way. They think because they attend church, come to Easter or Christmas service or put a $20 in the offering plate that they are somehow alright in God’s eyes. Others think like the Jews, because I am born into a Christian household then I’m okay. My grandfather was a preacher and my dad or uncle was a deacon in this church. That makes me fit for the kingdom and I’m okay.

My children can not be saved by me. I can not be saved by Jane’s actions nor can she be changed by my actions. Only Jesus saves. “You must be born again.”

Oh listen to me dear friend today. There is hope for you today because as meager, meaningless and insignificant you may feel you are, if you give your life for Jesus and allow Him to rule and reign in your life, God can do mind blowing things in you and through you.

Only the Lord can do it, but you can look back one day and say “I can not believe all that the Lord has done in my life over these years.”

While all that is true, the other important truth is the kingdom of God is momentous. Great things can happen for you, but you must answer in the Lord’s timing. Jesus said to enter through the narrow gate. Oh dearly beloved, there is only one gate. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one enters but by me.” There are not multiple ways to Jesus.

Secondly, the time is momentous because if you miss the moment, you will miss life eternal.

Dearly beloved, if you never have received the gift of life found in Jesus, answer in this momentous time this morning.

Let’s pray.