“Kingdom Stories”

Series: The Gospel Truth

Text: Mt 13:24-53

Introduction: (What?)

In May of 1966 Rae and I, newly married, headed to San Diego, CA. Prior to this Rae had been as far as Arizona, and I had only been west of the Mississippi River once when I went in view of a call to Calvary Southern Baptist Church in San Diego. We knew very little about Southern California. Being from the south, the word “southern” in the name made us think of weather that we were used to. Boy were we surprised. We had to learn to “layer” our clothing because even though it got hot during the day, when the sun went down it got cold. That is somewhat like our concept of the Kingdom of Heaven. We have heard people talk about the streets of gold and gates of pearl and the mansions, but we may be surprised. Jesus spent little time speaking about the physical attributes of heaven. Rather He spoke of its value.

Examination: (Why?)

1. Wheat and weeds (vv 24-30; 34-43)

Mt 13:24-30 “He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. The landowner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’ “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he told them. “ ‘So, do you want us to go and pull them up?’ the servants asked him. “ ‘No,’ he said. ‘When you pull up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but collect the wheat in my barn.’ ””

The church should be a picture of heaven on earth. Unfortunately that is rarely the case. The enemy is very adept at counterfeiting. He is able to “plant” false “Christians” in churches which causes great confusion both in the church and in the world. In Biblical times if an enemy wanted to destroy the livelihood of a farmer, they would sneak into their wheat field and sow darnel, a weed that resembled wheat until the plants matured and the wheat heads appeared. The “fruit” of a wheat plant is wheat. The “fruit” of a weed is…nothing.

Once the weeds (false believers) are sown in the field (church) it is almost impossible to separate the two. Attempts to do so will likely wreak the church. However, there will come a day when the unfruitful, fake church members will become so obvious that their removal is relatively easy with God’s guidance. While we might be fooled by those false believers, God is not. In the final judgment they will dealt with.

In the meantime we are to continue to insist on fruitfulness from those in the church. That is called “discipleship”. It is teaching converts to “obey all that I have commanded you.” Those who refuse will become more and more obvious. Just as there were two types of seeds sown in this parable, there are two types of members in the church. There are those who study the Bible, grow spiritually and serve the kingdom through the church and produce spiritual fruit and then there are those who “sit, soak and sour.”

Moving down to vv 36-40 we find Jesus explaining the meaning of the parable of the wheat and weeds to His disciples, just as He did the parable of the sower.

Mt 13:36-43 “Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He replied, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all who cause sin and those guilty of lawlessness. They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let anyone who has ears listen.”

Salvation seed is sown by Jesus Himself. He is the only One who can cause the evil heart of man to transform into a heart filled with His Spirit. His seed is sown (broadcast) in the world, and the soil which is receptive through faith produces kingdom people. While Jesus (through His disciples which includes us) is sowing the gospel seeds, the enemy (Satan and all who reject Christ) are busy sowing weed seeds. So long as we are in the world we will be surrounded by both believers and non-believers. However a day is coming when God will send out His harvesters (angels) who will be able to separate the kingdom people from the children of Satan. Just as the physical harvesters separate the weeds and throw them into the fire, the children of the devil will also be thrown into a blazing furnace (Hell) for an eternity of suffering beyond our comprehension. At the same time the Kingdom People will “shine like the sun” in God’s presence.

A church which is not growing is not sowing. That is the bottom line; the reality.

2. Mustard seed and yeast (vv 31-35)

Mt 13:31-35 “He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.” He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds of flour until all of it was leavened.” Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and he did not tell them anything without a parable, so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: I will open my mouth in parables; I will declare things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”

The kingdom of heaven will grow in spite of opposition. The mustard seed was used by Jesus to indicate how just a little faith would bear great fruit. That small seed of the Palestinian mustard plant would grow into a large shrub 10-15 feet high and large enough for birds to build nests in. In the same way the seeds of the kingdom of heaven (the gospel) though seemingly small, will produce an abundant crop. The smallest church which is sowing Jesus Seeds will produce an abundant crop if they don’t give up.

Then Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to the leaven or yeast that a woman mixed into 50 lbs of flour. That yeast, though invisible, will permeate all of the flour and influence it greatly. In the same way the kingdom of God influences the world. The places where the kingdom is growing most rapidly such as in China and in Iran are places where opposition is the greatest. Perhaps we have grown lax because of our love of ease. I’ve heard it said that the prevailing demons of Florida are the desires for comfort, ease and entertainment. As long as we pursue these in place of continued service for the kingdom, the kingdom of God will not flourish. We have been given much and therefore much will be expected from us.

3. The priceless Pearl and the net (vv 44-53)

Mt 13:44-53 ““The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind of fish, and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw out the worthless ones. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all these things?” They answered him, “Yes.” “Therefore,” he said to them, “every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom treasures new and old.”

In these two parables Jesus described the extreme value of the Kingdom of heaven. He emphasized that it is worth giving up all that you have acquired in life in order to embrace the kingdom. When Jesus dealt with the “rich young ruler” He was making this same point. Mark 10:17-22 “As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother.” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.” Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.”

Each of us has at least “one thing” that precludes our being sold out to Jesus and His kingdom. We want to have it all and still get the benefits of the kingdom. You can never get into a boat if you keep one foot on the dock. You can’t follow Jesus and pursue the world at the same time.

Application: (How should I respond to this message?)

Have you forsaken the world and embraced Christ and His kingdom? You only do that by surrendering to Him.

Do you find that you are apathetic toward this message? That should be a wake up call that you need to repent and return to your “first love” Jesus.