Small Beginnings

Introduction

-It’s been a while since we’ve been able to get together and worship the Lord and get into His word.

-When we were last together we were talking about prayer and I want to continue that conversation in a way

-This week as I was reading Mark I came across a couple of the stories Jesus would teach with and it made me think of you guys!

I have a question for you: What is the thing that Jesus taught about the most?

-The answer is the Kingdom of God. In the four biographies we have of Jesus He regularly goes back to this theme.

-This is fitting because He is the creator and king of everything.

What do you think of when you hear the word Kingdom?

-There are a few interesting examples of this Kingdom teaching in Mark 4 that I want to look at and discuss

The Nature of the Kingdom

Mark 4:26–29 NLT

26 Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. 28 The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. 29 And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”

-This is so interesting to me because we aren’t talking about a small business here, this is God’s Kingdom!

-This is the God who created everything by literally talking about it. The book of hebrews says that He actually sustains everything by the word of His power too.

What do you think this description of the kingdom means?

-When I study this passage is since a simple and humble beginning.

-We see the ultimate end in Mark 4: 29 which is definitely referring to the judgment of all people.

-I want to key in on this narrow channel that Jesus is communicating here. If we look to the end of the story we will see marvelous things take place.

Revelation 20:11–15 NLT

11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. 14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

-What an intense ending of the story. The great news that’s not even the end yet!

Revelation 21:1–7 NLT

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

-Later on in chapter 22 we hear about trees in the new Jerusalem that have leaves for the healing of the nations.

-Now the whole of everything everywhere is freed from pain and death and rewarded for following Jesus with eternity in His joy.

-Drawing the connection from a seed being planted to this amazing harvest finale is hard to see. The fact of the matter is, most of the time that’s hard to feel.

Small Seed, Huge Tree

-I want to look at the next farming story Jesus tells and see Him expand this idea a little more

Mark 4:30–32 NLT

30 Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? 31 It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, 32 but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.”

-While I was reading about this passage I actually learned something really neat from the Old Testament

Ezekiel 17:22–24 NLT

22 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take a branch from the top of a tall cedar, and I will plant it on the top of Israel’s highest mountain. 23 It will become a majestic cedar, sending forth its branches and producing seed. Birds of every sort will nest in it, finding shelter in the shade of its branches. 24 And all the trees will know that it is I, the Lord, who cuts the tall tree down and makes the short tree grow tall. It is I who makes the green tree wither and gives the dead tree new life. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do what I said!”

-In this passage the prophet Ezekiel is seeing a vision of the future where Israel is restored like a mighty tree planted by the Lord and all kinds of birds enjoy the benefits of this renewed nation.

What do you think the birds in Jesus story represent in light of that old testament prophecy?

-It’s hard to miss the obvious parallel to what Jesus is talking about in His teaching. I think the birds in the story are actually us!

-Looping back around to the small beginnings side of things, it makes me think of those disciples and early followers of Jesus

-They couldn’t have had a grip on the gravity of what Jesus was saying

-They were very close to the beginning of all of this so to see to the place where the church is today, including millions of people from nations all over the planet would have been brain breaking to them.

-They had a hard time imagining Jesus dying and coming back from the dead even though Jesus told them exactly how that works!

Encouragement For Us

-I started out by saying that I thought of you guys when I read this

-The reason this made me think of you is because where we’re at today is a small beginning

-I’m not there at your house or your school or in your head.

-Life is difficult but you aren’t alone.

-The disciples had no grid for how big Jesus was talking when He was with them on earth and very similarly, neither do you guys

-That little tiny spark inside you is really something

-The Lord has started something with you and even that little tiny tinge of love that you have when you sing a worship song or hear a cool story is something

-A lot of people like to gang up on kids today. I would rather meet you with hope and a higher expectation

-I have so much hope and so much expectation because none of us are individually doing anything

Philippians 1:6 NLT

6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.