The Mystery of the Kingdom

The Plan of the Kingdom

How would the kingdom of God come if Jesus kept things secret?

The Gospel was not intended to be hidden, but to be spread by those who receive it.

Jesus was speaking in parables for a time, but there would come a time when the Gospel would be carried forth by his followers.

Jesus is the Light - (ESV) Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus shines His light through us - (ESV) For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

A Word of Exhortation - Shine your light!

The Gospel was not intended to be hidden, but to be spread by those who receive it.

Jesus was speaking in parables for a time, but there would come a time when the Gospel would be carried forth by his followers.

Shine in your actions. (ESV) “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

(ESV)

(ESV) “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Shine in your words. (ESV) “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

Shine through the Gospel -

14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

Live as a Steward of the Gospel.

Pay attention to what you hear, listen to the truth.

Share freely what the Lord has given.

The Pattern of the Kingdom

A Word of Encouragement

We spread the seed, we trust God to do the work

A Word of Encouragement: God’s work may seem slow, but it comes steadily.

The Sower’s responsibility is to sow freely.

We are dependent upon the Lord, but the seed bears fruit in His timing and His working. “he knows not how”

D. Lyman converted with the encouragement a SS teacher Edward Kimball while selling shoes in Boston, Mass. He had been a Unitarian and had denied the divinity of Christ, but his uncle gave him work on the condition he attend Mr. Vernon Congregational Church. April 21, 1855.

A Word of Encouragement: God’s work may seem slow, but it comes steadily.

Trust God’s purposes and plan. Stay in the Word!

The Permanence of the Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God has a small start, an unlikely start.

It begins with death and burial (the sacrificial death of Christ).

From that burial comes new life.

It spreads surely:

The Mustard Herb could grow to 10-20 foot tall near the Jordan river. It was pervasive and took over. Pilany the Elder said that once it took hold it was impossible to remove.

The Kingdom of God spreads surely. Once the message takes hold, the gates of hell cannot prevail against it! It may go through periods of suffering and trial, but God’s purpose will surely come to pass.

An example of the spread of the Gospel.

Kimball led Moody to Christ. Moody later encouraged a student named J. Wilber Chapman in Chicago in 1870 by helping him come to assurance of salvation. Chapman became an evangelist and latter brought a young preacher named Billy Sunday to work with him.

In 1924, Sunday preached a revival in Charlottle, NC. From those meeting a group of men formed called the Charlotte Businessmen’s Club with the goal of hosting regular evangelistic meetings. 10 years later (1934) this group brought in an evangelist named Mordecai Ham who preached and among those that accepted the Lord that night was a 16 year-old young man named Billy Graham.

The Gospel Prevails!:

(ESV)

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.