The Growth of God's Kingdom

Introduction: Setting the Scene

How would you describe your everyday experience as a Christian? Most of the time, it doesn’t feel like THIS…on Sunday mornings like we have here. It’s great that we can do THIS on Sunday mornings even during lockdown - People coming to hear what God has to say in the Bible, and so on. 2 But so often, our Christian experience can feel small. Maybe you’re the only Christian on your street, or where you work, or in your family. Maybe you come to Hope groups on Wednesday nights, but your group just feels smaller compared to others! Maybe you’ve been in a church BEFORE coming to Hope, OR at some point you may move on from Hope Church…3 And wherever you end up, your local church has less than 10 adults. Maybe you’re here and you wouldn’t call yourself a Christian, and you are surprised to find even a few plucky Christians still soldiering on. How do you feel about belonging to something small? Or to put it another way, how SHOULD we feel about belonging to something small? That’s the question we’re going to think about.4 How should we feel about belonging to something small? In some cases, belonging to something small can be quite fashionable these days. Some of you might be really into those small independent coffee shops, rather than those massive multi-national chains like Starbucks. I’ve got to say – every time I visit you guys, I always enjoy treating myself to a Solomon’s coffee just around the corner.5 It can feel good to part of something small in this way – Maybe that’s your thing. Or maybe some of you like a really good underdog story – It’s something that happens a lot in our culture – Supporting the underdog in football for example. Back in January, Sheffield United, who have been at the bottom of the Premier League all season BEAT Manchester United at Old Trafford. 6 Up until then, Sheffield United hadn’t won a game all season, which meant that everyone; including the pundits, mass media, and Man Utd fans LIKE ME were NOT expecting Sheffield to win at Old Trafford – The odds were stacked against Sheffield – About 5,000-1 – And so, when they beat Man Utd 2-1, they grabbed so many headlines and caused social media to go wild! 7 And although sports commentators are supposed to remain neutral, if you watch back the highlights on YouTube when any underdog team wins a match, their voices are so much more HIGH PITCH, EXPRESSIVE, and quite frankly more HAPPY – Underdog stories create good coverage, and therefore more money for the media industry. Generally, we love it when an underdog does well. 8 And I say GENERALLY, because it’s a lot easier to support them when they are at arm’s length – When it doesn’t really affect you, or cost you. What about when it’s your neck on the line? It’s easier to feel excited about something SMALL…when it’s at arm’s length, but what about when it’s you? I wonder what odds would you give for Hope Church Vauxhall becoming something really BIG?9 Would you give it 5,000-1? How should we feel about being part of something small? Well, that’s why we need to dive into this morning’s Bible passage in Matthew 13. It’s a passage that’s right in the MIDDLE of a chapter of teaching from the Lord Jesus about the advance of his kingdom. Indeed, this whole series in this section of Matthew that you guys are going through is called 10 KINGDOM TALES! Tales that reveal the secrets about God’s kingdom. And this week’s passage is no different. And the first thing we need to see this morning is that God grows his kingdom from tiny beginnings.

Point 1: God’s Kingdom grows from tiny beginnings (V31-33)

Look down on V31! 11 He (that is Jesus) told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.’ It’s an illustration form the garden isn’t it.12 But being in London, I am guessing that not many of us have gardens – if you do, then good for you! Anyway, mustard seeds are tiny - Jesus describes them as the smallest of seeds. Now, we’re NOT going to have an argument on whether or not there are other seeds around that are smaller – Jesus is not giving us a lesson in gardening, but in the advance of his kingdom.13 And so, I thought I’d bring in a mustard seed for us. Can you see how big that is? Mustard seeds are TINY – Less than 1 millimetre! But they grow into these great big trees – The picture is clear isn’t it – From a tiny start – Massive growth! And the language of this parable is deliberately vivid of several OT passages; that speak of prosperity and success in terms of this lavish bird sanctuary of a tree. 14 Larger than all the garden plants, it becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. That image crops up a few times in the OT part of the Bible. You might recognise it from Daniel 4! If you don’t remember Daniel 4, then basically there’s this king – And he dreams about the greatness of his own kingdom – It’s described as a great tree15 – The Babylonian empire where the birds of the heavens came to nest upon it – And that tree, that represented the Babylonian empire effected the rest of the world at that time. But in the king’s dream, that tree came crashing down because the king was too proud to learn that he is not ultimately in charge. There you go – That’s Daniel 4. 16 But I think Jesus in this parable is making us think back to Ezekiel 17, especially V22-23, which I’ll read out for us. In Ezekiel 17, the Lord is describing the downfall of the great kingdom of Egypt, and tells his people not to rely on them – But then, the Lord goes on to say something AMAZING in V22 about his own people, who appear and feel so small and insignificant. Ezekiel 17V22 –17 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. 18 Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree (that’s Egypt) and make the low tree grow tall (the people of God). I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. And so, with Ezekiel in mind, you can see the language that Jesus is using in this parable in Matthew 13 –19 Language of something small, but then grows into a great big tree, where all the birds come to make their nests in its branches. But back then in Ezekiel 17, it was a CEDAR tree. And it makes sense for birds to make nests in the branches of a cedar tree, because these are massive trees. But for a mustard tree to grow THAT BIG, and to support a load of birds making their nests in its branches –20 That’s practically unheard of! It’s a jack and the Beanstalk EXPLOSION of growth. God grows his kingdom into a MASSIVE kingdom…from tiny beginnings – That’s what the Kingdom of heaven is like. The second parable makes the same point, but from the kitchen. Look down at V33! Jesus told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed…21 into about 60 pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.’ And now, we’re in the great British bake-off TENT aren’t we. And Paul Hollywood is leaning awkwardly over some poor cook, while she’s trying to make some bread. He says to her – What are you baking for your showstopper? – And then she says, well I’ve got some yeast to make some bread – Standard so far…22 And so, he says to her, HOW MUCH FLOUR are you going to use with that yeast? – And she says 60 POUNDS – 60 QUID! Now, to put this into perspective – Here’s a loath from our bread maker at home. To make this loaf requires 0.8 pounds of flour. I wonder if any of you can guess – How many loathes of bread will 60 pounds of flour make? HANDS UP! It’s 75 loathes of bread! IT’S LOADS OF FLOUR! 23 And so, you can just imagine Paul Hollywood looking at this bake-off contestant and saying to her – MATE WHAT ARE YOU ON? What do you think you are going to do trying to mix yeast into 60 pounds of flour? Now, the parable doesn’t tell us how much YEAST she uses – But it’s not meant to serve as a baking recipe. The point is SOMETHING TINY…having a MASSIVE impact –24 Just some yeast, and it covers this industrial-scale recipe. I know some of you like to play footy on Mondays – Hopefully you’ll get to do that soon when lockdown restrictions lift – Just IMAGINE how many delicious pizzas you can have after the game; using a dough made up of 60 pounds of flour! Sam – Lloyd – That’s your project for restarting football –25 And make sure you invite me down when it happens! 2 examples – 1 from the garden, and 1 from the kitchen – And we’re left with a view of Jesus’ kingdom that doesn’t match normal growth expectations aren’t we. Jesus has taken these extreme examples to help us see that his kingdom grows supernaturally from tiny beginnings. It’s a brilliant illustration. 26 And we can see why it would have helped Jesus’ first hearers. Jesus’ kingdom would have felt tiny to them, particularly after Jesus’ own people rejected him. The gospel of Matthew shows us an almost whole scale rejection of Jesus by the nation of Israel. And this section in Matthew 13, that you guys have been looking at in the last few weeks, is a great example of that. 27 Right now, Jesus is preaching to crowds, but by the end of the chapter, you’re left with just a hand full of people still following him – A tiny beginning. But Jesus’ perspective has been unwavering – The kingdom will grow. By the end of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus sends out his disciples to ALL the surrounding nations. There may only be a tiny remnant left within Israel,28 who are still following Jesus – A mustard seed even. But the kingdom of Heaven grows into this global enterprise that incorporates ALL the nations – A tree where all of the nation’s come to build their nests in its branches. It’s a brilliant illustration that would have helped Jesus’ first hearers, but it ALSO helps us today. Don’t we find ourselves often feeling like the kingdom of Jesus isn’t that huge?29 Maybe you’re the only Christian in your family, or in your friendship group. Maybe there are only a few of you Christians in your workplace, or on your street. I sometimes find myself DOUBTING the prosperity of many gospel projects, because I am thinking about them in terms of normal growth patterns, RATHER THAN in terms of the capabilities of the one who fashions STARS…30 more easily than I can change a lightbulb. Building greatness out of smallness is God’s signature move. Think about creation – Think about the history of Israel throughout the OT – Think about Jesus’ weakness and his power that we see in Matthew’s gospel. God’s kingdom isn’t going to suffer from the rejection of Israel in his day – Nor is it going to suffer from the rejection of anyone today. 31 God’s kingdom isn’t going to suffer from being tiny whenever that happens – On the contrary – It grows to become MASSIVE! God grows a massive kingdom from tiny beginnings. But if you’re like me – That idea sounds familiar, but can be very hard to really believe at times. I know it’s true, but I look at gospel projects that have stopped, or I look at churches that have had to close. 32 Greatness out of smallness MIGHT BE God’s signature move, but how do I know if he’s going to do his signature move on the Christian meetings or activities that I am PART OF? How do you know that God is going to do his signature move on Hope Church Vauxhall? Because there are plenty of projects with a Christian label that don’t seem to flourish –33 So how can we know when to expect growth? Which is why we need our second point this morning. God grows his kingdom around his king.

Point 2: God grows his kingdom around his king (V34-35)

This is one of those Christian cliches, that the moment when I say it, you think YEAH DUR THAT’S OBVIOUS!34 But as we’re going to see, it’s really crucial for us to grasp. We need to work a bit harder in Matthew 13 to see this. So, if you’re neighbour has fallen asleep then give them a socially distanced kick to wake them up, so they are ready for this. Let’s look at V34-35. Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.’ So, we’ve got a quote here. It’s a quote from the Old Testament – From Psalm 78. And on the surface, it’s basically saying; Jesus’ parables reveal things. So, in Psalm 78, the Psalmist who is a guy called Asaph, revealed things in parables. 36 Specifically, he interpreted God’s work in the world. And so, if you wanted, you could see what God was up to through the history books and so on, but Psalm 78 shows us what it all meant. And that’s the same when it comes to Jesus’ parables. By looking at the news today, you can get a sense of what God is doing in the world, but Jesus’ parables help us to see what it all MEANS. 37 Basically, parables explain what God has been doing since the world began, and also what it all means for us. But some of you may be asking; OK fine – But of all the Old Testament quotes Matthew could have chosen, why did he choose Psalm 78? I mean it sounds a bit too grand doesn’t it? This was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet…It cannot simply be –38 Oh, Jesus revealed stuff just like Asaph did. I mean there are loads of times when the word for parable crops up in the Old Testament – Why did Matthew pick this one? Well, to fully get this, we need to do a bit of work and have a closer look at Psalm 78. And it’s my hope that as we look at Psalm 78, we’ll see that it’s so relevant to Matthew, that it could almost have been written around the same time.39 Because this Psalm SPEAKS of Israel’s rejection of God. And so, just like in this section of Matthew we see Israel rejecting Jesus, so also in Psalm 78, we see Israel rejecting God. Our quote in Matthew 13 comes from Psalm 78V2 I will open my mouth with a parable – But it doesn’t take long to get onto Israel’s rejection – V8 speaks of the stubborn and rebellious generation, 40 whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him – Or V10: They did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law – Or V32: In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe – And on and on it goes. It’s a Psalm about Israel rejecting God, just like in Matthew. And just like in Matthew, God RESPONDS to that rejection of him…41 by judging Israel. Look at the end at V67 of Psalm 78! Speaking of God He rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim! And notice how V68 continues – But he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved! – Or V70: He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds! Now David, that’s very interesting! Because David was Israel’s great king. 42 Even while Psalm 78 is a Psalm about Israel’s rejection of God, it’s a Psalm that finishes by pointing to God’s great king. Israel rejects God – And God judges them – But God has chosen his king to prosper. Psalm 78 isn’t just about Israel’s rejection of God – It’s a Psalm about God in the middle of ALL that CHOOSING HIS KING and choosing to prosper him.43 Do you remember the language of Ezekiel 17, which is picked up by Jesus in his parable of the mustard seeds? Remember, Jesus takes his illustration straight out of Ezekiel 17 – Of a tiny beginning producing this MASSIVE bird sanctuary of a tree. But Ezekiel 17 is a chapter ALL about God being rejected…and Him choosing to prosper his chosen king –44 That’s what the growth is all about in Ezekiel 17. And so, in Matthew 13 – Matthew is deliberately making us think of these OT passages, because Jesus’ parables that we’ve been looking at ARE NOT just about God’s signature move (smallness into greatness), but specifically about the smallness that comes from Israel’s rejection, and the greatness that God builds around his king. 45 As in Psalm 78, so in Ezekiel 17, so in Matthew 13, Israel’s rejection and subsequent judgement could leave us with just a mustard seed of a kingdom – A tiny remnant. But God has committed himself to growing his massive kingdom around his king. If you’ve lost me so far, maybe listen back to the service on Facebook later. But from now on, I think it should be fairly straightforward…46 We’re talking about God growing his kingdom around his king – And now it just seems obvious doesn’t it…that it SHOULD be around a king! Of course, the king is central. The whole of Matthew chapter 13, or indeed the whole book of Matthew is about Jesus and HIS KINGDOM! Every parable in this chapter has the word KINGDOM in it – The clue is in the word.47 God isn’t building a charity, or a political party, but a kingdom. And his king, naturally, is at the centre of it. God hasn’t promised to make great your Christian circle of friends, or your midweek Hope group, or Hope Church Vauxhall, or London City Mission, or Co-Mission, or the FIEC. He’s promised to make great the KINGDOM of his son, Jesus Christ. Christ’s kingdom is what will grow. 48 God hasn’t committed himself to blessing everything that carries JESUS as a label, as though it’s some kind of lucky charm that you can hang, over the neck of any project that you want to prosper. No, God has committed himself to prospering the kingdom of his son. The reason to cheer up and get excited, even during this season, is NOT simply because God has a signature move…49 that makes small things great, but because Jesus, THIS KING, is at the heart of this kingdom - The one who in Matthew calms the storm, and who raises the dead. We can have confidence that this kingdom will grow because this Jesus is at its very centre. Doesn’t that make you feel excited? Because Jesus is at the centre of God’s kingdom, we are not wasting our time.50 So long as Jesus remains at the centre of what you’re doing on this estate, your efforts to grow God’s kingdom will bring you guaranteed success, even when it feels like belonging to something small. Doesn’t that encourage you? It certainly encourages me!

What might Jesus’ teaching mean for us?

We have seen this morning that God grows his kingdom from tiny beginnings…51 and that God grows his kingdom around his king. There are many ways in which we can tease this out further – But here are a couple of reflective takeaways for us to chew over, either for ourselves personally, or for you as a local church on this estate in Vauxhall. I think these parables have a lot to say to us in terms of our expectations when it comes to the growth of God’s kingdom.

Takeaway 1: Stop Playing the Numbers Game

Firstly, we need to stop playing the numbers game. I wonder if you’re like me, and you’ve sometimes found yourself thinking; how many people rocked up to such and such an event like the Monday night football, or a particular Sunday service, or at my Hope group last Wednesday? I wonder if many of us will be tempted to fixate on how many new people will rock up to our easter services,53 which we hope to do in person in a few weeks? is this ringing any bells for anyone? We need to stop playing the numbers game! I mean it can be helpful to work out how many chairs to put out for our upcoming easter services, or how many hot-cross buns to buy beforehand. Numbers can be helpful for those kinds of things, but they are NO MARKS of success. 54 If God works in the small things, then having this building chocka-block full, and having loads of people tune in over Facebook Live is NO seal of approval. But also remember, a tiny turnout is no proof of failure. Basically, numbers are not an indicator either way. I’m sure you may have heard this before, but I hope you can see from these parables just how DAFT it is to play the numbers game. 55 Now don’t get me wrong – It will be great to have this room full when you are all together again, and it would be AWESOME if so many people rocked up to your easter services or holiday Bible club, that you HAD to give up your own space in order to maintain Covid-secure guidelines. That would be one of the best problems to have. But let me ask you all this…56 would you rather be part of a church that’s made up of a hundred people with Jesus pushed to one side, or a church of 10 with Jesus at the centre of everything? It’s got some bite to it hasn’t it – It’s a great challenge. But real growth – The mustard seed to massive tree kind of growth HAPPEN around the king, so it should be a no brainer. Hope Church Vauxhall, keep Christ at the centre! 57 Make it Jesus whom you’re wanting to introduce people to around this estate – Pointing them to his words in the Bible, and to the GOOD that he wants for them. Seek to be a church – A group of Christian believers, who don’t try and steal attention for yourselves, but who point each other to Christ. If you’re not a believer this morning – we’re so glad you are here in person, or tuning in online –58 But I hope you can see that it’s Jesus that you should be looking at – It’s Jesus who should be grabbing your attention, not the number of people who have rocked up for this morning service in Vauxhall. That’s takeaway 1 – Stop playing the numbers game.

Takeaway 2: Keep focused on honouring Jesus

Here is takeaway 2, we need to keep our focus on honouring Jesus when seeking to grow God’s kingdom, rather than bigging ourselves up. 59 Again, I don’t know about you, but many times…I find myself looking for the success of earthly structures. Does this ring any bells for any of you? Think about the particular activities and events that you guys do as a church community when there are no restrictions - the Monday football, the Tuesday or Friday clubs for children and teenagers, or the Wednesday breakfast club and foodbank.60 Now it goes without saying, you want fruit to come from these things – I assume you pray for God to bless your ministry around this estate in Vauxhall – That’s a given! But here’s the thing - God hasn’t promised that Hope Church would be his mustard seed. The more you make it about your glory, or Hope’s glory, even when you’re waiting for God to bring the growth, then the more you are going to find61 yourselves struggling to believe that God is going to grow THIS! And rightly so, because you are NOT the mustard seeds – God’s kingdom is – The kingdom of Jesus! God is not interested in boosting our own egos, but he is profoundly interested in the glory of his son. He hasn’t tied the success of his kingdom building project to anything as precarious as you or me, but to the Lord Jesus. 62 The growth of Jesus’ kingdom is as sure as the love of God for his son. Just consider: What kind of growth is God going to count appropriate, for the one he has loved for eternity, for the one who gave himself up for us? SURELY, the gathering in of ALL the nations! Kingdom growth doesn’t necessarily look like the prospering of all your efforts on this estate in Vauxhall, but it DOES look like 63 people from around the world coming to bow the knee before the Lord Jesus, perhaps here, or anywhere else. It looks like Christians from every tribe and tongue being built up into mature subjects of Jesus’ kingdom, perhaps here, or anywhere else. So, work away in the place where God has put you – praying for growth – expecting a massive tree – EVEN in your context here in Vauxhall, 64 but being ready for God to grow his kingdom wherever he wants, whichever ministry, whichever church, whichever country. Let’s not focus on the size of our groups, or the success of our work, but instead, focus on the honour of our king. Let’s not only pray for the growth of one particular gospel project like this church plant in Vauxhall, although that would be a great thing to pray for…65 BUT ALSO pray for the glory of the king, whose kingdom GOD has determined to prosper around the WORLD. This is so important, because it ensures that our confidence remains in its rightful place. It stops us from measuring God’s kingdom against the false measures of earthly structures. And it also stops us from DOUBTING the growth of God’s kingdom worldwide, even when this little area…66 on this estate…doesn’t do so well for a while. Basically, it ensures that we’re measuring God’s kingdom on the basis of how much the king is honoured globally – On the praises of countless multitudes of people across the world. So, here’s takeaway 2 – Keep your focus on the honour of Jesus when seeking to grow God’s kingdom, rather than making it all about yourselves67 – With everything you do – Do it all for the glory of king Jesus, and him alone!

Conclussion: Do You Dare to Dream?

Friends, we’ve seen this morning that God grows his kingdom from tiny beginnings, and that God grows his kingdom around his king. We are witnesses to Jesus’ parables as truth, and it’s far better than the Sheffield United’s underdog story. 68 There were only a handful of disciples with Jesus by the end of Matthew’s gospel. But He said to them; All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations. Only a handful of disciples were with the king at the end of Matthew’s gospel – Just a mustard seed. But consider NOW the tree – The nations which have been reached…69 From Myanmar to Mexico, to Madagascar, to Morocco, to Malaysia – And all the other letters of the alphabet as well. From a handful of disciples, to countless multitudes – God is building his kingdom from tiny mustard seed beginnings – To the tree – The global kingdom that IT IS today, with all the birds of the nation’s making their nests in Jesus’ kingdom branches. 70 From tiny beginnings, to a massive kingdom, around king Jesus. Belonging to God’s kingdom may feel small, but I hope that Matthew’s vision of God’s kingdom from Jesus’ parables will encourage you to keep going as a local church in Vauxhall through all seasons of life. Just dream with me for a moment – Imagine you’re having one of your everyday conversations with someone else in Solomon’s café…71 or by the chicken shop, and you mention Jesus and Hope Church – After your chat with this person, you have no idea if your words would have made much of an impact – They sounded so feeble and weak at the time. But then, this person starts rocking up to Church – After a while, they start asking questions, and eventually they amazingly become a Christian – How awesome is that?72 But then, they go and tell their friends and family about Jesus, who then do the same thing, and on and on it goes until this building, or other places of worship become SO FULL that either bigger meeting spaces are needed, or more church plants start cropping up all over the place – Just imagine ALL of this growth…that all started from a tiny part of an average everyday conversation at Solomon’s –73 Wouldn’t that be awesome? Never underestimate what God can do with such small everyday encounters – Tiny beginnings – MASSIVE GROWTH – Around king Jesus! I hope this vision reassures you, that you are not wasting your time being a Christian in Vauxhall – And therefore, I hope this energizes you, to keep going, in being used by the Lord to further grow his kingdom - Let’s pray together!