The Kingdom
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
· First Word: Greetings, announcements, prayer, flip to Matthew 13
1. The previous chapter is probably the major turning point in the book. The king had authenticated his power by various miracles. But growing opposition to the king climax when Israel’s leaders concluded that Jesus worked not by divine power but by satanic power. While their full rejection of him did not occur until later, the plot to kill is there. Therefore, Jesus turned to his disciples and began to instruct them specifically
· Attention Getter: In 1994, the nation of Rwanda was torn apart by one of the worst genocides in modern history. In just 100 days, nearly one million people were murdered as ethnic hatred swept across the country. The world looked on in horror—and for many, Rwanda seemed beyond redemption. But in the years that followed, something remarkable happened—something Kingdom-sized. Thousands of Rwandans began turning to Jesus Christ. Entire villages that once harbored hatred began holding public confession and forgiveness ceremonies. Churches became the center of rebuilding, not just buildings—but hearts. One pastor described it this way: “We had no government, no hope, and no peace. But we found a King whose Kingdom was not destroyed. And when His Kingdom came, everything began to change.” Today, Rwanda is one of the most peaceful nations in Africa. The same hills that once echoed with gunfire now echo with worship. The gospel that began in secret, among small gatherings of broken people, has grown into something powerful and unstoppable.
· At first, many Rwandans rejected the gospel message—some mocked it, others ignored it. But the seed still landed on some good soil. Even today, evil still exists in Rwanda—and in every nation. But Jesus reminds us that God will deal with it in His timing. The revival began with a few broken believers meeting under trees and in burned-out buildings. Just a few seeds of faith. Like yeast working through dough, that faith spread quietly until it transformed whole communities. The Church became the treasure worth giving everything for. People risked their safety to preach, forgive, and serve their neighbors. One day, God will separate the false from the true—but until then, we live as Kingdom citizens, spreading His grace wherever we can just like Rwanda.
· Audience Relevance: We want to be part of the kingdom but what does the kingdom look like?
· Transition: Jesus uses parables to teach us a few unknown characteristics about the kingdom of heaven starting with point 1…
Rejection Expected
Rejection Expected
On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying, “Consider the sower who went out to sow. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it. Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown. Let anyone who has ears listen.” Then the disciples came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?” He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them. For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand. Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You will listen and listen, but never understand; you will look and look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown callous; their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back— and I would heal them. “Blessed are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but didn’t see them, to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them. “So listen to the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path. And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. But he has no root and is short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does produce fruit and yields: some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown.”
· (1) The Same day as Jesus was preaching on blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, trees and their fruit, the sign of Jonah, an unclean spirit, and about who is family really is.
(1) This is the first parable in the Gospel of Matthew
· (2) The boat worked as a point of elevation and a wall of separation; sitting on the boat aloud Jesus to project over the crowd and they could not press into him.
· (3-9) Out of all of the soils, only one was fruitful; however, that one soil had an impact of a hundredfold.
1. (11) Jesus’ parables hide the truth from the crowd who are still uncommitted to him, but teach the disciples who know Jesus as the Messiah.
2. (12) Jesus uses parables that will either harden someone’s heart or bring about a positive response
· (15) It says that the root of the crowds not understanding is their hearts.
· (17) The prophets were waiting for Jesus
· (19) This is why it is important to understand like what we talked about Wednesday.
· (21) Trouble and persecution WILL come because of the word.
· (22) You cannot serve two masters so what is growing inside your heart; is it wordiness, or is it the word of God and the love of Christ?
(23) The good soil received the word and started to understand it more and more
· (23) If you hear and understand, you SHOULD be bearing fruit. Are you bearing fruit?
(23) The emphasis of this parable is on the soil. What kind of soil are you
(11) The secret of the kingdom that is revealed here that we do not see in the OT is that a majority of people will not accept the Gospel
Application: 1. Most People will reject the Kingdom
Evil Allowed
Evil Allowed
He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. The landowner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’ “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he told them. “ ‘So, do you want us to go and pull them up?’ the servants asked him. “ ‘No,’ he said. ‘When you pull up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but collect the wheat in my barn.’ ”
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He replied, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all who cause sin and those guilty of lawlessness. They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let anyone who has ears listen.
(25-30) Some versions might say weeds but darnel is the specific type of weed here that has poisonous seeds, making it extremely dangerous to be in the wheat field. Darnel is very similar to wheat in its early ages but it is time and growth that separates the two; the wheat and darnel look nothing alike in FULL GROWTH
· (25-26) Notice that the enemy is not seen but the impact of his presence is noticeable.
· (27) A lot of people find themselves asking “if God is so good, then why is there so much evil?” and it’s because they never see the enemy.
· (42) Are you going to be thrown into the fiery furnace?
(43) The secret of the kingdom that is revealed here that we do not see in the OT is that evil will be allowed to grow for a time
Application: 1. Evil is allowed for in the Kingdom for now
Small Beginnings
Small Beginnings
He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”
(32) Israel was not expecting the kingdom of heaven to have such small beginnings but they failed to listen to what it would grow into. Jesus includes birds to emphasize the size of the final product of the small seed
(32) The secret of the kingdom that is revealed here that we do not see in the OT is that the kingdom has small beginnings
Application: 1. The Kingdom started small
Won’t Stop
Won’t Stop
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds of flour until all of it was leavened.” Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and he did not tell them anything without a parable, so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: I will open my mouth in parables; I will declare things kept secret from the foundation of the world.
(33) Leaven is usually used negatively but here Jesus uses it to describe the unseen growth of the kingdom through the inner transformation of the heart. Just like leaven in dough, it is hard to see whether or not it is there until it is given time
(33) The secret of the kingdom that is revealed here that we do not see in the OT is that once the kingdom is introduced, nothing will stop it from rising
Application: 1. The Kingdom can’t be stopped
The Church
The Church
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.
· (44-45) There seems to be a cost with the kingdom but also great joy
1. (44) This is not saying that you have to buy your way to heaven but rather it is pointing to the extreme value that is hidden within the kingdom of heaven.
2. (45-46) Our first man stumbled upon the treasure and our second man searched his whole life for it, but the reaction upon finding it is still the same. Do you have that joy in your life? Have you found the kingdom yet?
1. (44-46) These two parables are about Jesus and the body of believers, once Israel, the treasure, and now the church, the pearl. Christ came to redeem the Israel, selling all he had to purchase the treasure, as seen in the first parable, and from his pain the church was born, like a pearl created from the pain of a oyster.
2. (44-46) The secret of the kingdom that is revealed here that we do not see in the OT is that the kingdom of heaven flows through the church.
Application: 1. The Kingdom flows through the Church
Sinners & Saints
Sinners & Saints
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind of fish, and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw out the worthless ones. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all these things?” They answered him, “Yes.” “Therefore,” he said to them, “every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom treasures new and old.”
(52) The treasure is the word of God. The disciples of Christ are to realize the value of what God has said in Old Testament and how Jesus is bringing it into fruition in NT
(50) The secret of the kingdom that is revealed here that we do not see in the OT is that all saints and sinners will be collected together
Application: 1. The Kingdom will collect sinners and saints
Conclusion
Conclusion
Think about these seven parables; Jesus explained with the soils and they knew the Messiah would reign but they didn’t know that most would reject. Jesus explained with the weeds and they knew that the kingdom would offer righteousness but they didn’t know that evil would be allowed to grow. Jesus explained with the mustard seed and they knew that kingdom would be massive but they didn’t know that it would have humble beginnings. Jesus explained with the yeast and they knew that the kingdom would be powerful but they didn’t know it would be unstoppable. Jesus explained with the Treasure and Pearl and they knew that God had chosen people but they didn’t know that the kingdom would flow through them. Jesus explained with the fishing net and they knew that God’s chosen would be in his presence but they didn’t know that the worldly would be set for destruction.
Jesus answered a big question with these parables; What happened to the kingdom of God? Daniel describes a statue that represents the kingdoms to come, ending with a divided kingdom that God will bring his own kingdom amid. Don’t you see it? The answer is that the kingdom is here and now! This kingdom will be firmly established at his second coming but until then good and evil will coexist. We are all going before the king but will you be saved or will you be discarded? Let’s pray…
