Jesus the preacher

Mark Dell

“Good morning, my name is Mark Dell, Senior Pastor here at Legacy Bible Church. I would like to welcome all of you here today. And I would also like to welcome those who are listening online too as we know people listen online if they can’t make it or if they haven’t made it yet. We look forward to meeting you soon.

Jab 1 Jab 2

Jab 3

We are looking at Jesus the preacher this week in our Life of Jesus series, and when you think about Jesus teaching you wonder, what did He teach?

You might be tempted to think that he spent most of his time teaching about love, or about mercy, or about forgiveness. But that wouldn’t be accurate. The thing that Jesus talked most about was the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of Heaven.

He says that The Kingdom of God has come near. What is the Kingdom of God?

Jesus doesn't really define the kingdom of God, He only talks about it in parables.

He says that The Kingdom of God has come near. What is the Kingdom of God?

And sometimes when we think of Kingdom of God we are thinking of a place. Many times we think of Heaven, and that would be true, but there is more to it than that. Sometimes we hear the Kingdom of God or The Kingdom of Heaven and we identify ourselves as Christians who are part of this kingdom. But idea of the Kingdom of God isn’t necessarily about a group of people, or a specific place but really is is about a domain. It is about the sovereign God who rules.

So the idea is this. God has come and God has won and now we are living in the Kingdom of God. But life isn’t perfect and so sometimes we think of the Kingdom of God as Heaven. But honestly, the Kingdom of God is really both. It is the idea of the now and the not-yet. And it’s hard.

Jesus doesn't really define the kingdom of God, He only talks about it in parables.

John the baptist struggled with the same thing when he was in jail and he got a message to Jesus. The story is in “Hey should we expect another?”

John remembers when Jesus got baptized and knows who he is, and John was the forerunner to the Messiah. So, Why am I in Jail?? Aren’t I part of this kingdom? Thats a great question isn’t it? If the kingdom is here then why am I in such trouble? Why do I hurt? Why does my marriage stink? Why are my kids so bad? Why do I hate my job? Why do the ones I love hurt me so bad? These are all questions about the Kingdom.

If the kingdom of God has come, why does my life not seem to reflect it?

We really struggle in this life because what do I do with the bible that I read and believe in this hand and the newspaper that I hold in my other hand that symbolizes what is going on today?

And sometimes when we think of Kingdom of God we are thinking of a place. Many times we think of Heaven, we think of a distant future and that would be true, but there is more to it than that.

Sometimes we hear the Kingdom of God or The Kingdom of Heaven and we identify ourselves (as Christians) who are part of this kingdom. But idea of the Kingdom of God is not necessarily about a group of people, or a specific place or even a time

It really is about a domain. It is about the sovereign God who rules. Think of the Kingdom of God with one word. “REIGN”. As in, the King reigns over the country. That’s the type of reign we are talking about.

So the idea is this. God has come and God has won and now we are living in the Kingdom of God. The victory has happened and we are living in the light of that victory. Jesus said the Kingdom of God has come! Praise God, Hallelujah!

What do we do with that? What do we do when we know that God’s Plan has been revealed through His Word and implemented, executed ultimately through a plan in which His Son, Jesus Christ came into the world to pay for the sins of the world?

But wait. Life isn’t perfect, and everything isn’t always working out. I don’t always feel good.

We mistakingly can think of the Kingdom of God as Heaven because there is no way that we can be living in victory while hurting in this fallen world.

But honestly, the Kingdom of God is really both. It is the idea of the now and the not-yet. And it’s hard.

John the baptist struggled with the same thing when he was in jail and he got a message to Jesus. The story is in “Hey should we expect another?”

How do we deal with this strange thing because we believe what God says in the Bible, that His Kingdom has come and we want to know what that means?

Because when we look at the newspaper, when we turn on the news, when we read news articles about the world that we live in we don’t really see how the Kingdom has come.

There’s a tension isnt there?

John remembers when Jesus got baptized and knows who he is, and John was the forerunner to the Messiah. So, Why am I in Jail?? Aren’t I part of this kingdom? Thats a great question isn’t it? If the kingdom is here then why am I in such trouble? Why do I hurt? Why does my marriage stink? Why are my kids so bad? Why do I hate my job? Why do the ones I love hurt me so bad? These are all questions about the Kingdom.

If the kingdom of God has come, why does my life not seem to reflect it? If the King is in control then why doesn’t it seem like He is on the throne?

We too really struggle in this life because what do I do with the bible that I read and believe in this hand and the newspaper that I hold in my other hand that symbolizes what is going on today? If we were to be honest we would say that there isn’t much good news that shows up in the newspaper.

What do we do with that? What do we do when we know that God’s Plan has been revealed through His Word and implemented, and executed ultimately through a plan in which His Son, Jesus Christ came into the world to pay for the sins of the world?

How do we deal with this strange place we are at because many of us believe what God says in the Bible, that His Kingdom has come and we want to know what that means?

Because when we look at the newspaper, when we turn on the news, when we read news articles about the world that we live in we don’t really see how the Kingdom has come.

There’s a tension isnt there?

Right Hook

Why would Jesus talk so much about the Kingdom coming when even in his life would struggle so much, struggle all the way till he dies on a cross?

is a chapter full of what are called the mystery parables. They are parables that start out for the most part, “The Kingdom of God is like..”

You see that is what Jesus talks about most while he preaches. He talks about the Kingdom of God.

But you know that wasn’t always the case. As a matter of fact, Jesus, by today’s standards of preaching would be looked at as not really that effective.

You see Jesus taught the truth. And sometimes the truth angered people. And you see that the more time Jesus spent preaching, the wider the gap became for people who accepted his message and those who rejected it. The words He said challenged people.

John 6:60 ESV

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

John 6:66 ESV

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

they didn’t like what he said so they took off.

Jesus didn’t necessarily give the crowds what their tickling ears wanted to hear. No, Jesus told them the truth.

You might be tempted to think that he spent most of his time teaching about love, or about mercy, or about forgiveness. But that wouldn’t be accurate. The thing that Jesus talked most about was the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of Heaven.

He says that The Kingdom of God has come near. What is the Kingdom of God?

Because You cant know anything about Jesus if you don’t know the kingdom of God

Jesus was a preacher Whatever he preached it got people excited, even the demons. And we have this idea about how Jesus preached and we imagine in our minds a bunch of people standing around and ooing and ahhing to everything that Jesus says which eventually leads to thunderous applause and scores of people giving their lives to him.

But you know that isn’t the case at all. As a matter of fact, Jesus, by today’s standards of preaching would be looked at as not really that effective.

You see Jesus taught the truth. And sometimes the truth angered people. And you see that the more time Jesus preached, the wider the gap became for people who accepted his message and those who rejected it.

In the book of John chapter 6 Jesus talks about being the bread of heaven and that people needed to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

John 6:60 ESV

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

Whatever he preached it got people excited, even the demons.

John 6:66 ESV

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

angered people

they didn’t like what he said so they took off.

Jesus didn’t necessarily give the crowds what their tickling ears wanted to hear. No, Jesus told them the truth and when Jesus taught he did teach about love, he did teach about mercy but the thing that he spent most of his time preaching was about the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of Heaven.

He says that The Kingdom of God has come near.d What is the Kingdom of God?

Jesus doesn't really define the kingdom of God, He only talks about it in parables.

The Kingdom of God has come near

Because You cant know anything about Jesus if you don’t have the kingdom of God

what is the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven?

Jesus does not define the kingdom of God, He only talks about it in parables.

Jesus was a preacher which meant that he taught. He talked and taught about the Kingdom of God.

And when we think of Kingdom of God we are thinking of a place. Many times we think of Heaven, and that would be true, but there is more to it than that. Sometimes we hear the Kingdom of God or The Kingdom of Heaven and we identify ourselves as Christians who are part of this kingdom. But idea of the Kingdom of God isn’t necessarily about a group of people, or a specific place but really is is about a domain. It is about the sovereign God who rules.

Matthew 13:1–9 ESV

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

We are looking at which is a chapter that holds what are called the Mystery Parables.

Pretty neat little fact is that Jesus stops teaching in the synagogues and now begins to teach outside. Its significant.

And now he begins to really teach in parables. He talks about the Kingdom of God and he begins many of the parables of this chapter with “The Kingdom of God is like...”

Matthew 13:24–30 ESV

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

Matthew 13:18–23 ESV

“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

And so when we read these parables we begin to get a better idea of what exactly the Kingdom of God or Heaven is.

Let’s look at a couple of scriptures from Matthew where Jesus describes this Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 13:1–9 ESV

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

First we know that the 1 Kingdom is exclusive . 9

English Standard Version Chapter 13

And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

Jesus began using the parables really to the fullest here in this point of his ministry. We will see the majority of his ministry leave the synagogues and out to the hillsides and the country where the people were.

He explains later to his disciples what this means. The sower, the planter is Jesus, throwing out good news, the good word. The four soils represent four different types of people. One person doesn’t really receive the seed at all, the good word is snatched up by the birds which represent the enemy. Other soil is so shallow that it recieved the good news but it didn’t take because there was no root. The person who has cares and worries that drive them away from God instead of to Him.

The other soil is full of thorns. The seed cant’ grow because there is too much competition. Money, success, ambition, plain selfishness, relationships. All these things which could be good things can also keep you from a close relationship with God.

The last soil is the good soil which means deep roots, strength. And it means bearing fruit. It means production, expansion, growth.

And that could be in part personal sanctification, where we are becoming more and more like Jesus but i think there is more to it. Bringing others to Christ, discipling others.

But Jesus is saying that most people don’t get there. Most people don’t get to the fruit bearing thing. They are living off of a shoot that has no roots. So when trouble does come, and it will they will not be able to stand.

It’s an exclusive Kingdom that is open to us. Reading this parable we understand that not only does the kingdom grow but that the 2 Kingdom is difficult.

Reading this parable we understand that not only does the kingdom grow but that the Kingdom is difficult.

English Standard Version Chapter 13

24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

And Jesus talks about all the different results of where the seed would go.

And notice that Reading this parable we understand that not only does the kingdom grow but that the Kingdom is difficult.

We are looking at Jesus the preacher this week in our Life of Jesus series, and when you think about Jesus teaching you wonder, what did He teach?

You might be tempted to think that he spent most of his time teaching about love, or about mercy, or about forgiveness. But that wouldn’t be accurate. The thing that Jesus talked most about was the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of Heaven.

He says that The Kingdom of God has come near. What is the Kingdom of God?

Jesus doesn't really define the kingdom of God, He only talks about it in parables.

And sometimes when we think of Kingdom of God we are thinking of a place. Many times we think of Heaven, and that would be true, but there is more to it than that. Sometimes we hear the Kingdom of God or The Kingdom of Heaven and we identify ourselves as Christians who are part of this kingdom. But idea of the Kingdom of God isn’t necessarily about a group of people, or a specific place but really is is about a domain. It is about the sovereign God who rules.

So the idea is this. God has come and God has won and now we are living in the Kingdom of God. But life isn’t perfect and so sometimes we think of the Kingdom of God as Heaven. But honestly, the Kingdom of God is really both. It is the idea of the now and the not-yet. And it’s hard.

Matthew 13:31–32 ESV

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

John the baptist struggled with the same thing when he was in jail and he got a message to Jesus. The story is in “Hey should we expect another?”

John remembers when Jesus got baptized and knows who he is, and John was the forerunner to the Messiah. So, Why am I in Jail?? Aren’t I part of this kingdom? Thats a great question isn’t it? If the kingdom is here then why am I in such trouble? Why do I hurt? Why does my marriage stink? Why are my kids so bad? Why do I hate my job? Why do the ones I love hurt me so bad? These are all questions about the Kingdom.

If the kingdom of God has come, why does my life not seem to reflect it?

We really struggle in this life because what do I do with the bible that I read and believe in this hand and the newspaper that I hold in my other hand that symbolizes what is going on today?

What do we do with that? What do we do when we know that God’s Plan has been revealed through His Word and implemented, executed ultimately through a plan in which His Son, Jesus Christ came into the world to pay for the sins of the world?

How do we deal with this strange thing because we believe what God says in the Bible, that His Kingdom has come and we want to know what that means?

Because when we look at the newspaper, when we turn on the news, when we read news articles about the world that we live in we don’t really see how the Kingdom has come.

There’s a tension isnt there?

Jesus tells this parable to address the fact that yes, there are going to be difficulties in life. Why do bad things happen to good people?

Why do innocent kids get shot up in a high school? Why can’t our government get along? Why do we have a drug crisis in this country? Why does the porn industry make more than Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NFL combined?

Why is there racism? Why

That parable Jesus gave them tells us why. The good seed in this parable are called the sons of the kingdom. And so the sower (Jesus) plants these seeds but when no one is looking the enemy, the devil plants seeds of his own which happen to look an awful lot like the first seeds.

The weeds are a particular plant called darnel. It was actually a poisonous weed that could harm you. This kind of stuff actually happened in the first century. To plant darnel with someone else’s wheat as an act of revenge would have been punishable by Roman Law. Darnel looked exactly like the wheat. You couldn’t even tell the difference between them until you got to the point of harvest. If that did happen they would hire women to painstakingly pick the darnel heads out of the wheat. If someone were to plant a bunch of it with the wheat the roots would entangle and you would kill both plants if you tried to pull them up.

So we know that there is an enemy alive and well. We talk about it enough that I hope you think about it before I say it.

In this world the kingdom has come but in a sense it hasn’t come yet. The kingdom really is difficult. There is a patience that has to be involved in all of this. Because what does it say at the end of the parable? The weeds will be gathered and burned and the wheat will be taken away into the barn.

That is the hope that we have. We have to continue to look ahead to the harvest. We have to look forward to the end. When you look at the end of this book you will see that God wins. You see that.

But there is a life that we live right now that requires patience because the days are evil. Bad seem to grow along with good and for now we have to put up with it until the harvest time.

So the Kingdom is exclusive, the Kingdom is difficult.

But they

The Kingdom is valuable.

Matthew 13:31-Now to explain a couple of things. Prior to this in the chapter, Jesus already told the disciples that the field represents the earth. The sower is Jesus himself. The seed is the good news. The message of Christ.

The Kingdom is valuable.

Matthew 13:44 ESV

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Matthew 13:18–23 ESV

“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

We may look at this story and shake our heads a little bit. But what is really going on here has to do with the purpose of the parable. There were no banks that the average person could keep their money and so most people buried their money to protect it.

Sometimes they lost it, sometimes they moved or died and no one knew about it. But this story is about the fact that the man found something so worthwhile that he would sell everything he had so that he could have that treasure. Now understand also that the literal Jewish law of the day really was finders keepers. They had fancier way of saying it but the reality was that if you found it and picked it up it belongs to you.

So the kingdom of God is valuable. So valuable that the wise man is willing to give everything up for this treasure. The story behind this story is

Pearl

Matthew 13:45 ESV

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,

Matthew 13:45–46 ESV

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

MThis is an interesting thing.

The Kingdom is valuable. There is nothing that we have that we are better off with than of the Kingdom of God in our lives which would be for us, today, surrendering all we have, all we are, all we will be to Jesus.

The kingdom of God is worth it.

It is worth it even though it may be exclusive.

The wheat grows and is harvested.

So being in the kingdom of God, I want to focus on two things:

Advancing—letting God have more of us

Producing—something to show for our relationship with Christ.

What are you doing to advance the Kingdom of God? In your life? In the life of others?

I guess that I should say that in order to advance the kingdom you need to be part of the Kingdom. And to be part of the Kingdom means that you surrendered your life to the call of Jesus.

That you received him and that you are new. If you haven’t done that you can do that. You can give your life to him today! I pray Lord that you would speak to someone today!

All those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus have a part in the Kingdom of God. Gods Kingdom advances through us. This is why Jesus says to “Go, Go and make disciples”. Go and Make. There is an effort that takes place. It takes time to make disciples. It takes commitment to make disciples. It takes the love of someone else to make disciples.

What are you doing to advance the Kingdom of God which you belong? And there are different ways, different degrees of how we do that.

One way to advance the Kingdom of God in your life might mean what you share on social media. Putting it out there that you are a follower of Christ. And this is good, don’t get me wrong. This is good, Christians should be using every possible medium for getting the word out.

I will warn though. If you are going to put something on social media about God or about Jesus, make sure you represent. Make sure you are acting like a Christian with your other posts if you are going to identify yourself as a follower of Christ.

Here are a couple of reasons why. If you put it out there that you are a fully devoted follower of Christ then you probably don’t want your next post to be something that doesn’t represent Jesus very well.

If you are identifying yourself with Jesus then you want to make sure that what the world sees about you doesn’t conflict with what the Bible says about the way we are supposed to live.

If you put something out there that doesn’t represent Jesus well then you could very well be communicating to someone else that sinful behavior is okay and that you are sending a message that you can be a Christian and take part in something that is clearly sin. The message can get mixed up.

And the other part of that is that if you cant have both of your feet in two different worlds.

You can’t live part of your life as a Jesus follower and another part of your life as a heathen because it means you are cheating on Jesus. If you are a member of the Kingdom of God then you don’t belong in the world and if you are in the world when you are supposed to be a kingdom child then you are two timing Jesus.

We are Kingdom Folks. And that is a great, great privilege. That is a great thing. You get Jesus in your life. You get real peace. The kind of peace that you cannot get anywhere else. You have peace. You have joy, you get patience, you get kindness, you get goodness, you get faithfulness as fully devoted followers of Christ.

Galatians 5:20–22 ESV

idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Galatians 5:22 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

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And we want that to happen to those who we are in contact with. We want the ones we love to be part of this great joy that we experience. We want to because Jesus did it for us. We want to have those we love along for the ride. We want them to experience the great things we have experienced too.

What are we doing to advance the Kingdom? The Kingdom that is here already and the Kingdom that is to come? The Kingdom of God.

Do you have to give something up? Do you have to take something on?

Have you talked to someone about Jesus?

Invite them with the easter invitations we have.

And I know that we talk about these things often but listen. Advancing the Kingdom of God in your life doesn’t happen overnight. You don’t have to be frustrated if you aren’t where you would like to be in your walk.

Advancing the Kingdom of God in your life happens little by little.

Remember the game Risk? It was that war strategy game where you conquer kingdoms one by one and advance until you achieve world domination I guess.

But you don’t conquer the world in one day. It takes little victories here and there. Small victories that bring the Kingdom of God closer to your life.

When Joshua brought Israel into the promised land they didn’t just walk in and set up shop. They didn’t cross over the Jordan into a vast land for the taking. They had lands to conquer. They had kingdoms to take over.

It didn’t happen overnight. It happened one at a time.

So you advance the Kingdom of God in your life with little victories.

I guess that I should say that in order to advance the kingdom you need to be part of the Kingdom. And to be part of the Kingdom means that you surrendered your life to the call of Jesus.

angered people

That you received him and that you are new. If you haven’t done that you can do that. You can give your life to him today! I pray Lord that you would speak to someone today!

love is not the core message

the more time Jesus preached the wider the gap became for people who accepted his message and those who rejected it. That is getting bigger. You see that. People hear some new popular person but as time goes on you find out what they are really about and you aren’t sure you like them as much.

The parables highlight the difference between light and dark.

All those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus have a part in the Kingdom of God. And most of the time, Gods Kingdom advances through us.

The Kingdom of God has come near

This is why Jesus says to “Go, Go and make disciples”. Go and Make. There is an effort that takes place. It takes time to make disciples. It takes commitment to make disciples. It takes the love of someone else to make disciples.

What are you doing to advance the Kingdom of God which you belong? And there are different ways, different degrees of how we do that.

You cant know anything about Jesus if you don’t have the kingdom of God

One way to advance the Kingdom of God in your life might mean to tell others what Jesus has done for you. Maybe it is on what you share on social media. Putting it out there that you are a follower of Christ. And this is good, don’t get me wrong. This is good, Christians should be using every possible medium for getting the word out.

what is the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven?

Kingdom can mean future and now!

I will warn though. If you are going to put something on social media about God or about Jesus, make sure you represent. Make sure you are acting like a Christian with your other posts if you are going to identify yourself as a follower of Christ.

If you are identifying yourself with Jesus then you want to make sure that what the world sees about you doesn’t conflict with what the Bible says about the way we are supposed to live.

Jesus was a preacher which meant that he taught. He talked and taught about the Kingdom of God.

jesus does not define the kingdom of God, He only talks about it in parables.

Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God in judgement repentance and salvation.

If you put something out there that doesn’t represent Jesus well then you could very well be communicating to someone else that sinful behavior is okay and that you are sending a message that you can be a Christian and take part in something that is clearly sin. The message can get mixed up.

What are you doing to advance the kingdom of God

And the other part of that is that if you cant have both of your feet in two different worlds.

You can’t live part of your life as a Jesus follower and another part of your life as a heathen because it means you are cheating on Jesus. If you are a member of the Kingdom of God then you don’t belong in the world and if you are in the world when you are supposed to be a kingdom child then you are two timing Jesus.

We are Kingdom Folks. And that is a great, great privilege. That is a great thing. You get Jesus in your life. You get real peace. The kind of peace that you cannot get anywhere else. You have peace. You have joy, you get patience, you get kindness, you get goodness, you get faithfulness as fully devoted followers of Christ.

Galatians 5:22 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

And we want that to happen to those who we are in contact with. We want the ones we love to be part of this great joy that we experience. We want to because Jesus did it for us. We want to have those we love along for the ride. We want them to experience the great things we have experienced too.

What are we doing to advance the Kingdom? The Kingdom that is here already and the Kingdom that is to come? The Kingdom of God.

Do you have to give something up? Do you have to take something on? Is there a treasure that you have found in Jesus but have to sell everything to buy that field? Maybe you have to give something up today. I would pray that you listen to the Holy Spirit and get on that.

Advancing the Kingdom. Have you talked to someone about Jesus? Because look the Kingdom of God advances through people. The seed that fell on the good soil reaps a harvest up to 100 fold. Have you represented Jesus? Can you do that this week?

Look, you can represent jesus by inviting someone to church. I have made it easy on you. I have a bunch of easter invitations and you can grab a bunch of them.

Invite them with the easter invitations we have.

Start reading your bible, pray more, tell others about Jesus. Trust in Jesus in every circumstance.

And I know that we talk about these things often but listen. Advancing the Kingdom of God in your life doesn’t happen overnight. You don’t have to be frustrated if you aren’t where you would like to be in your walk.

Advancing the Kingdom of God in your life happens little by little.

Jesus uses the parable of a sower. When the sower plants those seeds he has got time before there is a harvest. Lots of time. It doesn’t happen overnight, most of the time.

Remember the game Risk? It was that war strategy game where you conquer kingdoms one by one and advance until you achieve world domination I guess.

But you don’t conquer the world in one day. It takes little victories here and there. Small victories that bring the Kingdom of God closer to your life.

When Joshua brought Israel into the promised land they didn’t just walk in and set up shop. They didn’t cross over the Jordan into a vast land for the taking. They had lands to conquer. They had kingdoms to take over.

It didn’t happen overnight. It happened one at a time.

So you advance the Kingdom of God in your life with little victories.

Tell your neighbors about your hope. I know it might seem hard but you are planting seeds. Seeds that usually take a long time to grow. How are you advancing the Kingdom of God?

Legacy Kids Volunteers. I know you get frustrated because the work that you do with these kids doesn’t seem to make much of an impact but you are planting seeds.

The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 No Despair (Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23 Contd)

The folklorist and short-story writer H. L. Gee tells this story. In the church where he worshipped, there was a lonely old man, old Thomas. He had outlived all his friends, and hardly anyone knew him. When Thomas died, Gee had the feeling that there would be no one to go to the funeral, so he decided to go, so that there might be someone to follow the old man to his last resting place.

There was no one else, and it was a wild, wet day. The funeral reached the cemetery; and at the gate there was a soldier waiting. He was an officer, but on his raincoat there were no rank badges. The soldier came to the graveside for the ceremony; when it was over, he stepped forward and before the open grave swept his hand upwards in the manner of a royal salute. H. L. Gee walked away with this soldier, and as they walked, the wind blew the soldier’s raincoat open to reveal the shoulder badges of a brigadier.

The brigadier said to Gee: ‘You will perhaps be wondering what I am doing here. Years ago, Thomas was my Sunday School teacher; I was a wild lad and a sore trial to him. He never knew what he did for me, but I owe everything I am or will be to old Thomas, and today I had to come to salute him at the end.’ Thomas did not know what he was doing. No preacher or teacher ever does. It is our task to sow the seed, and to leave the rest to God.

Do you know that the smallest acts of kindness. The time spent praying for others, the soft answer to someone can influence others and advance the kingdom of God?

Here is another question on the heels of that story. How has someone else advanced the kingdom of God in your life? Who made an impact on you in your walk with the Lord? I want to challenge you this week. Maybe write a quick note to that person who was used by God to make you the person you are today. Who is that influence who advanced the kingdom of God in you? Send them a note, a phone call, a facebook post. Do it this week. You will encourage someone who may need to hear that this week.

How are you advancing the Kingdom Of God in your life? Because as a follower of Jesus you have a part to play in all of this. Jesus calls you to.

Jesus was a great preacher who preached about the Kingdom of God. What would possibly keep you from surrendering to that Kingdom TODAY?

Jesus the preacher

INTRODUCTION (10 minutes)

EXPLANATION (10 minutes)

APPLICATION (10 minutes)

Jesus the preacher

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INTRODUCTION (10 minutes)

EXPLANATION (10 minutes)

APPLICATION (10 minutes)