Disciples Must Be Kingdom Focused

Welcome back to our study of the Gospel of Mark, which I’ve been calling “Lessons in Discipleship”. Now, just to make sure we are all same page let me clarify something upfront. When we talk about discipleship we are talking about following the Lord Jesus Christ over the course of our lives. We are talking about learning from the Master, and as we learn and grow in Him, the more we become like Him. To keep it simple, let’s put it this way. Discipleship is a lifetime process which requires us to be students of God’s word. We need to be students who learn and also apply God’s word to our lives. Discipleship involves commitment, obedience, and perseverance. So, when I talk about discipleship in this series, I’m not talking about how a person receives eternal life; I’m talking about how a person grows in the grace and knowledge of Christ our Lord. Here is a saying that I keep repeating.

Eternal life is a free gift, but discipleship is costly

What I need everyone to understand is that we receive eternal life, we are born again, the second we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for that life. In other words, that is when the word of God produces new life in us. This is when our plant springs up and begins to grow. This rebirth happens in an instant, and comes by faith alone in Christ alone. Discipleship on the other hand is the process by which we keep our plants healthy. Simply put, discipleship deals with the growth process, not the rebirth process. Eternal life is given to us much like our physical life was given to us. We did nothing to be born into this world. It was a gift given to us. In the same way, we receive eternal life as a gift.

Here is the net net. As we talk about learning, following, and committing our lives to the Lord, we are talking about the growth process. We are talking about what is necessary to live victorious Christian lives that honor God. This is discipleship truth. Now here is why this is important. If we take the demands of discipleship and make them a requirements to receive eternal life, then we have added works to grace. In other words, we start promoting a works based salvation, which is a false gospel. This is why we absolutely must understand eternal life is received freely by grace through faith. It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.

OK, now that we understand we are talking about discipleship and growing in Christ, we can move forward with today’s lesson. And today I want to discuss an extremely important aspect of discipleship which deals with our focus. You see, in order to remain fruitful in this life we need to be focused on the coming kingdom. Paul puts it this way.

2 Corinthians 4:18 NKJV

18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Paul’s point here is that believers shouldn’t let this world capture their focus. Because when this world steals our focus we let the cares of this world choke out our spiritual lives, which makes us unfruitful. This is a major point in the parable of the soils. We can let the cares of this world steal our focus and make us unfruitful disciples. In order to avoid this pitfall we must be focused on the life to come, or the kingdom to come. This is what Paul means, when He says, we look to the things which are unseen for “the things which are not seen are eternal”. Here is a good point to walk away with.

Don’t waste all of your time, energy, and talents on temporary things you can’t keep.

Here is an even simpler way to put this. Don’t waste your life on temporary things. This is what the world is designed to do. This satanic world system is designed to steal your focus away from God so that we focus on ourselves, and all the benefits this world offers. Or in Paul’s language, this world is designed to keep you focused on the things that are seen. That can be money, relationships, hobbies, sinful pleasures, you name it. Let me put it this way. The satanic system is designed to keep your focus on the world, but as believers we must look past this life to the coming kingdom. This is a perfect segue into the title of today’s lesson.

Disciples Must Be Kingdom Focused.

Simply put, if we as believers are only worried about this life, the cares of this world choke our spiritual lives and make us unfruitful. The antidote for this is obviously to shift our focus from this life to the next life. We must shift our focus from the world to the coming kingdom. And the question that we all need to answer is...

How do I shift my focus to the coming kingdom?

Saying we need to shift our focus is easy. Right. It is easy to understand in theory that we need to be less focused on ourselves and the world, but how do we put that into practice. What are the steps we take to focus more on the coming kingdom. Well, the short answer is we need to be learning about it. You see, when we are in our Bibles learning about the next life and the coming kingdom, then we more we focus on it. That is what we are going to do today. We are going to learn about the coming kingdom.

Now, before we get into our text for today, which is about the kingdom, we need to nail down a few facts about the kingdom. Across the different branches of Christianity there are different ways people understand the kingdom. I don’t have time to get into that this morning, we can save that from a Wednesday night, but here is what we need to understand for today. We are looking for a literal coming kingdom. Jesus Christ is going to come again in power and glory, and at that point He is going to establish a literal kingdom here on the earth. The Lord Jesus Christ will rule on the throne of David in Jerusalem. We need to understand this. Man’s eternal destiny is not to float around in heaven playing a harp with a pair of angel wings. No we will be citizens of the Lord’s kingdom here on earth. Man’s destiny is not to inhabit heaven forever. There will a brief period of time where believers will be with the Lord in heaven until He comes again to the earth to rule. At that point believers will be with Jesus on earth in His kingdom. Ok. Two more quick points about the kingdom and then we will be ready to get to our parable for today.

Man will enter the Kingdom on one condition, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Disciples who endure in faithfulness (in this life) will co-reign with Christ for eternity.

We absolutely must understand this. If we follow the Lord Jesus Christ’s example of obedience and suffering in this life, we will be given the opportunity to reign with Christ in His kingdom to come.

Let me show you one place in the Bible which clearly teaches this.

Revelation 3:21 NKJV

21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

This is what we have been learning in the parables for the last two weeks. Our lives as Christians require perseverance and obedience. It requires looking to the next life, and most importantly it requires that we take heed (pay close attention) to the Lord’s teaching so that we continue to grow. We learned that mankind will respond in different ways to the message of the coming kingdom. What are the different ways?

Unbelief (soil of the wayside)

Stony (stumbles under persecution)

Thorny (choked by the cares of the world)

Good soil (reaps a harvest)

Ok, so that is where we have been, now let’s get to today’s text which will close out the parable section of Mark’s Gospel. So, let’s begin our deeper study of the text we read at the beginning of the service. Beginning at verse 30.

Mark 4:30 NKJV

30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it?

So as the Lord makes perfectly clear this parable is about the kingdom of God. For many years, I mistakenly made this parable about the church, but it isn’t. This parable is about the coming kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not about the church. No one in this audience had a clue what the church was. That mystery would be revealed later. This parable was spoken to the Jewish nation that was rejecting their King, and it refers to the kingdom promised to the nation of Israel. In other words, this is a parable that describes the literal coming kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Once we realize that, the parable becomes easier to understand. So, Jesus says what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? Let’s talk about the word picture right here. This is the Greek verb τταραβάλλω.

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. παραβάλλω

Paraballō - to put something beside something else for the sake of comparison.

So, the Lord is saying what can I use to help you picture the Kingdom of God. What parable (comparison) can I use to describe what the Kingdom of God is going to be like. Simply put, the Lord is going to compare the kingdom of God with a mustard seed. Moving on to verses 31-32

Mark 4:31–32 NKJV

31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

Ok, again we have another head scratcher. What on earth is Jesus point here? Let’s see if we can break this down into bite sized pieces. First, let’s talk about the size of the mustard seed. The mustard seed that Jesus was referring to here was the black mustard seed. This is the smallest seed that the farmer planted in the field. It is so small it takes roughly 20,000 seeds to equal one ounce. In fact, in first century Israel it became a proverb for something extremely small. So, here is the first question we need to answer.

Why would the Lord make a comparison between the smallest seed planted and the Kingdom of God?

What on earth do these two things have in common? Let me tell you. The Lord is drawing a comparison between the mustard seed and the insignificant or “small” beginning of the Kingdom. In other words, this small mustard seed is being compared with the seeming insignificance of Jesus’ ministry. I mean think about it for a minute. Here is a poor carpenter’s son. He is from this little town of Bethlehem, and was raised in Nazareth. Apparently, Judeans did not have a favorable view of Nazareth. When the disciples first encountered Jesus, Philipp is running to get Nathaniel and he says to Him, “Hey we have found Him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote about, Jesus of Nazareth”. And when Nathaniel hears about this do you remember what He says to Philip? Let’s look at John 1:46.

John 1:46 NKJV

46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Here is the where I’m going with this. By the world’s standards, everything about Jesus was small and insignificant. The place He was born. The place He was raised. The poor family He was born into. You see, at first glance no one could imagine anything great coming from Jesus’ ministry. He was rejected by the religious authorities, and His own family thought He had gone crazy. Not to mention the Lord had surrounded Himself with out of work fisherman, and of all things a tax collector, the most despised traitors in Jewish society. So, when we add all this up we see the reason the world rejected Him. From the world’s viewpoint there is no way this ministry would ever amount to anything.

But get this. Someone would get the same idea when they first glanced at a mustard seed. Anyone who looked at a mustard seed and didn’t know what it was, wouldn’t think it could ever amount to anything. They would think the seed was too small and insignificant, but let’s look back at our parable and see what Jesus teaches about the growth of the mustard seed.

Mark 4:31–32 NKJV

31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

Look at what verse 32 says, “but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches that the birds of the air may nest under its shade”. Let’s talk about the incredible growth of the mustard seed for a minute. The mustard seed has spectacular growth, and it is an annual plant. The amazing thing about this plant is that within a few weeks of planting it can grow to a height of upwards of 10 feet or more. This makes it the largest of all the herbs or annual plants. So, here is a major takeaway from the parable.

The Kingdom of God is like the mustard seed in that its beginning was small and insignificant, but the day will come when its glory will surpass all the kingdoms in the history of the world.

This is what is being pictured by the parable. Notice Jesus says, “it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs”. You see, the kingdom of God will be greater than all the other kingdoms in the history of man. In the same way the mustard seed grows and becomes greater than all the herbs of the garden. And there is such a powerful lesson tucked away in here for us if we are willing to hear it.

Look for God in the small things

You see, we tend to get the notion that unless we have these spectacular ministries that are reaching thousands then are aren’t having an impact for the Kingdom. This parable teaches us that God uses the smallest, tiniest, most insignificant beginnings, but the end result are beyond anything we can imagine. Please don’t get the mindset that God needs us to be famous, or the smartest, or the most well spoken. God needs us to believe in Him, rely on Him, hear His word, and apply it to our lives. Don’t look for God in huge crowds or mega churches. So, often the teaching that comes from those places is tragically flawed. Look for God in those moments when you teach your children about Jesus. Look for God in those moments when you encourage your brother or sister who has stumbled into sin. Look for God as you study the Bible with ten our your brothers and sisters in Christ.

God didn’t come in the flesh as a King, He came as a poor carpenter. He sowed mustard seeds as He preached the good news of the coming kingdom. The world rejected that preaching and Him because it seemed too small and insignificant to ever amount to anything, just like the mustard seed. But oh Church the day is coming when the seed that was sown will turn into the most glorious kingdom the world has ever seen. He came as a poor carpenter the first time, but make no mistake He is returning as a King the second time. Amen. The lamb is coming back as the Lion. And oh what a day that will be.

So, the parable of the Mustard Seed teaches the disciples something.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed teaches the disciples not to be discouraged by how insignificant their work and preaching seems to be.

You see, the original disciples were going to be despised and rejected by the world just like Jesus was. In the eyes of the world, these disciples were as small an insignificant as a mustard seed. But they were to look past their present suffering and watch for the coming kingdom. They were to remain faithful in the face of opposition and suffering so that when the glorious kingdom did come; they would reap eternal benefits and rule with Christ in eternity.

Legacy, this is the same message that speaks to us. The world may ridicule you, it may see you as small and insignificant. You may become discouraged and think that your your work isn’t amounting to anything, but oh it is. You see, soon that mustard seed will sprout, and become greater than all the other herbs. Soon, the Lord Jesus Christ will appear to establish His Kingdom, and He will reward those who faithfully served Him. He will reward those who gave up this life for His sake. Again, I’m talking about eternal rewards in the Kingdom, not entering the Kingdom. Whosoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will enter that kingdom, but only faithful servants will reign in that Kingdom.

Let me point out one more detail our passage and then we will move on.

Mark 4:31–32 NKJV

31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

Verse 32 says, “but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

Let’s talk about the “birds” in this parable. Jesus says, the plant shoots out large branches so that the “birds of the air may nest under its shade”. Before we try and decode what these birds symbolize. Let’s get talk about the picture this paints. To me, the fact Jesus mentions “the birds nesting under its shade” indicates that this is a place of safety for the birds. We might even say that the plant becomes a place of safety and blessing for the birds of the air. And the birds of the air also indicates that there were multiple species of birds there.

So what we have here is a picture of a grown mustard plant which was not only taller than the other herbs, but it was also large in that it had thick foliage and large branches for birds to nest under its shade. Not to mention, this mustard plant also produces many seeds for birds to eat. So, this small seeds grows into a safe habitat where a variety of different birds would not only find safety and shelter, this was a place that would provide nourishment.

This is also a picture of the Kingdom of God. This shows us that even though this is the kingdom promised to the nation of Israel, ultimately it would be a place of safety and blessing for gentile people as well. Remember, whosoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life will be in this kingdom. In other words, many types of birds will nest in the shade and safety of the Lord’s kingdom.

And I wouldn’t blame you if thought I was stretching this parable a little bit, but I want to show you an OT passage in Ezekiel that expresses this same truth. Listen to how Ezekiel describes the Kingdom of God.

Ezekiel 17:23 NKJV

23 On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell.

This is also a parable in the OT about the Kingdom of God, and look at the similarity. “It will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar.” Now listen carefully to this part. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell.

Legacy, the Lord Jesus Christ is returning at any moment, and He is going to establish His kingdom on earth. It will be the greatest most glorious kingdom that has ever been. It will eclipse all other kingdoms, and it will be an eternal one. As Christians, we must live our lives in light of this truth. We must be diligently working as servants of the King preparing for His return. As we live out our lives here on earth we will face opposition as we serve the Lord. People will mock us. They will scoff at our beliefs, and they will continue to mock and ridicule our Lord. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking our work is small and insignificant. God works in the small things. God takes the small, the insignificant, the forgotten, the broken, the least likely to succeed, and works His eternal purposes through them. Our job is to believe in Him, listen to Him, learn from Him, obey Him, and He will produce His fruit in us. He has not only made us citizens of the Kingdom through faith in His Son, but the coming King wants us to share in His reign. We must not trade eternal rewards for temporary worldly pleasures. Simply put...

Disciples Must Be Kingdom Focused

Ok, let’s tackle our last two verses which concludes the parable section of Mark’s Gospel.

Mark 4:33–34 NKJV

33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

Let’s me make a final point as I work to close. Notice what word we see in verse 33. It is the word hear. Mark says Jesus “He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.” We learned last week that this word occurs 14 different times in this parable section of Mark. In other words, Jesus places a huge emphasis on people hearing His teaching. And in the context of this passage this means to listen, hear, pay careful attention to, and also respond. In other words, As believers walk in obedience and study the Word of God, the Holy Spirit gives them more understanding. This is exactly what is happening in this passage. Look at verse 34. It says, “And when they were alone, he explained all things to His disciples”. The word explained here is a rare word in the NT. It only occurs twice. The Greek word means to interpret or to untangle something. I love this definition. You see, Jesus was interpreting or untangling these parables to His disciples. These disciples weren’t just the twelve they were the willing learning who were going the extra mile to “hear” what Jesus was teaching them.

Let me make my point.

As believers walk in obedience and study the word of God, the Holy Spirit gives them more understanding.

This was true of the disciples in Jesus’ day, and it is true of disciples today. How we “hear”, meaning how we study the Word of God, will determine the success of our Christians lives. The effort we put into hearing, listening, paying careful attention to, and obeying the word of God will make us fruitful disciples. It will make us disciples who are willing to stay the course in the face of opposition and suffering. It will cultivate the soil of our hearts so that we enjoy the fruits of our labor when the Kingdom comes. It will make us disciples who are focused on the coming kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Final takeaway, this “Parable of the Mustard seed” teaches us not to be discouraged by how insignificant our ministry work seems to be. The kingdom promised to Israel is coming and its glory is beyond our comprehension. As church age believers we will be in that Kingdom, and we are told to live our lives in light of this fact. If we live focused on the coming kingdom and faithful serve the coming King, we will be greatly rewarded when the Lord returns.

Disciples Must Be Kingdom Focused

Let’s pray.