The secret of the kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom.
Mark 4: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.” 9 Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ ” 13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
John 18: 36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world…
Mark 4:14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”
· Along the path
o The path is not the place of growth, it’s beside the field, the good soil, not plowed, not fertilized, not prepared for growth.
o But it can be!
· Rocky places
o Hard place, difficulties, a shallow existence, no depth. People that are having a hard time welcome a quick answer, but they don’t have the lifestyle of permanent change and growth.
o When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away
· Among the thorns
o Why would you sow your seed there?
§ These are things that we don’t want to remove because they are too painful to attack. To pull out.
§ Worries of this life
§ Deceitfulness of wealth
§ Desire for other things
Galatians 6: 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
· You will reap what you sow
o This is a Biblical principle that the Kingdom of God hangs on.
o Are you saying that everything in my life is a product of what I have sown?
o NO!
· You will ALSO reap what others have sown
o We are connected people, Husbands and wives; the body of Christ and people affect other people by their decisions and choices.
· You will reap what no one has sown (Things out of your control)
o The curse of the earth, aging, weather conditions,
· Do we only think about these scriptures in the negative? WE WILL REAP WHAT WE SOW! Finances, health, love, joy, peace, all good things that you sow right?
· Yes, but there is another way of the Kingdom that God wants us to see and live in.
Isaiah 55: 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
But we don’t have to be controlled or only live in a natural world. We are the people of God. There are HIGHER WAYS and HIGHER THOUGHTS.
Romans 8: 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Which Law? The law of sin and death!
Romans 7: 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
· Unless we have a higher law we will never overcome the lower one. There are natural laws like the law of Gravity. You can overcome this one by using the laws of thrust and lift. (Flying) But this doesn’t do away with the law of gravity does it?
Romans 8: 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 John 4: 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
The right seed (you don’t like the harvest check the bag of seeds)
It has to be sown (It does no good in the bag)
The right soil (A heart full of faith in God’s love)
The right receptivity (Hearing the word)
There is a way of living that even though we live in a fallen world we can rise above the normal everyday things by getting hold of God’s “Higher ways and thoughts”. Planting them into a heart that is ready for growth, water them with more of the Word and see our lives rise above it all.
Mark 4: 21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”