“Life in the
Kingdom” Mark 4:21-34
SCRIPTURE INTRO:
Gospel of Mark is the record of an invasion.
It’s about the Son
of God coming into our world
and
challenging our perceptions about what God is like.
Jesus’ parables are some of the most thought-provoking and
challenging
things
that he taught.
We began last week with the study of most famous parable.
Parable
of the Sower and the four soils.
Today we continue with a number of other short parables of
Christ.
In these parables Jesus repeats a phrase that shows up in
the other Gospels as well:
“This is what the
His parables are intended to teach us what life is like
under the reign of Christ.
INTRO: Several years ago one of our
missionaries, Greg Nicholson,
was
here telling us about his work in
Remember one interesting thing he said is that
The king is very
old—
and
everybody is worried about what will happen when he dies.
But, Greg told us, you can’t talk about it.
It’s illegal to
publicly talk about or write about
what
might happen when the king dies.
As Americans that strikes us as odd.
We live in a
representative democracy.
We believe in
freedom of speech.
And we can’t see how it would even be harmful to talk about
what
might happen when the king dies. He’s
going to die.
Better to talk
about it and the political implications rather than ignore it.
But things are different in a kingdom.
There are reasons for
doing things that make sense to the king
and
that’s the way things are going to be.
His will is supreme.
Part of living in a kingdom, as Nicholsons
have learned—
is
to understand the laws and customs of the kingdom and live by them.
As a Christian, you are a citizen of the
the
reign of Christ in the lives of his people.
The
But for the present
time it is mostly invisible.
One day it will
become visible. When Christ
comes again.
But until that day
it is invisible.
Jesus’ parables are intended to teach us the nature of this
kingdom—
it’s
laws and customs and beliefs so that we can live by them—
even
as we wait for his return and the day when his kingdom is revealed.
That’s important. If you moved to
If
you complained about the laws and customs of the king.
If you wrote a
letters to the editor about what will happen when the king dies,
then
your stay there would not be productive and happy.
Jesus wants you to know what the
So
that you can live in it happily and productively.
So you won’t always be butting your head against spiritual
realities
and
becoming frustrated and unproductive.
He has given us these parables to help us.
“This is what the
He talks about
seeds and plants and trees and measuring cups and lamps.
So let’s look at these parables. For our study, look under three headings.
The
reality of the
The
economy of the
The
culture of the
MP#3 The reality of the
Let’s start with the last parable, parable of the mustard
seed.
What happened when it was planted? verse 32
“When planted, it
grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants,
with
such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”
It starts off small but it ends up being big and
a
place of rest and refreshment for birds of all kinds.
Jesus is teaching that the
than
all of the kingdoms and nations of this world.
There are two places in the Old Testament where you see a
reference to a tree
with
spreading branches in which the birds of the air come and perch.
First is in prophet Ezekiel.
The tree represents the Assyrian empire.
Second is in prophet Daniel. The
tree represents Babylonian empire, Nebu.
Read these prophecies, very similar.
Tree grows, branches provide shade, and
shelter for birds and animals.
But then they are
cut down to stumps, branches lopped off,
and
birds are scattered and have no place to rest.
Significance is very clear.
Prophets were
saying that the great kingdoms and nations of the world,
can
provide peace, shelter and order for people for a time.
The Assyrian Empire, the Babylonian Empire brought law,
stability, trade—
learning
and civilization to a disordered part of the world.
In other words, for a short time, in a little way they
seemed to restore paradise.
People came and
found rest in the security of these kingdoms.
But what always happens to empires and kingdoms of this
world?
They become cruel
or corrupt and they are cut down to stumps.
Branches are cut
off and people are scattered.
We’ve seen it in our lifetime with the fall of the
What did the
Communists promise? Heaven
on earth. Worker’s
utopia.
For 70 years spread
branches, millions perched in branches.
Then that empire and ideals that sustained it
fell apart and people scattered.
For many people,
seems that
But one day, according
to prophets,
Jesus is saying that the
Started
out very small—just like a mustard seed—growing, spreading branches.
Birds
are coming and perching in branches—Gospel to nations.
What’s the future of the
No. It will grow, more
birds will nest in branches.
Revelation: With your
blood you purchased men for God from every
tribe
and language and people and nation.
Future of the
God’s final plans
for us is not that he will take us away to heaven—
but
that he will bring heaven to earth. Lord
will restore this world.
Jesus will bring peace, order, rest,
brokenness
will be healed, tears wiped away, death banished.
Revelation: The
kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord
and
of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.
The
We will see things
and participate in things too wonderful for words.
The question this parable asks of you is simple one:
Where are you nesting?
Where is your hope and trust for the future?
Kingdoms
and systems of this world or Christ’s kingdom?
As Americans, we are so blessed materially and politically—
that
it is hard for us to think about Christ’s kingdom and long for it.
We trust our economic system and money and banks.
And they are wonderful
and trustworthy compared to many nations.
We trust our political freedoms.
We trust our luxuries and abundance.
All of those things
are blessings. But are they your trust
and hope?
I’ve told you before about African seminary student preached
sermon on heaven.
I’ve live in
We preach about it
all the time in
Maybe it’s because Americans think they have heaven on
earth.
The
Jesus wants you to
be loyal to it, participate in it—rest in it, put hopes in it.
Pray for it’s growth, work for it’s growth—advance of Gospel and
church.
MP#2 The economy of the
Want to focus on verses 24 and 25:
“With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and
even more. Whoever has will be given
more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”
The measure Jesus is talking about is the measure in the
marketplace—
the
bushel basket used for grain, or the measuring cup used for spices.
Some merchants fill it up to the tip top—grain or spices
mounded up, spilling over.
A
baker’s dozen so to speak. Or, if
from
Other merchants are
stingy. Give you the scant bushel, scant
measuring cup.
Jesus says that in his kingdom,
with
the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.
That’s the economy
of the
Someone once put it this way:
Givers will have
more and more to give.
Graspers will have
less and less.
Under the reign of Christ, the way to fullness in every
sphere of your life is to give.
Let’s think of some different areas of life.
1. Start with your
knowledge and Jesus himself. How do you
grow?
By
giving away your knowledge. By
letting light shine.
If you are too fearful, too lazy to give, share, talk about
faith in Christ—
then
you will wither spiritually.
You will go
backwards. You will become more ignorant
of Lord.
But the more you share of him, the more you will have of
him—
the
more you will increase in spiritual insight and understanding.
One reason why sometimes the case that when Christians have
children,
they
turn a corner in spiritual life. Start
to read Bible stories to kids,
maybe
teach their Sunday school class—reading and studying these things.
Giving them away—Word begins to dwell in them richly.
2. Also true of
relationships with people.
If you are careful only to spend your time with the nice
people,
comfortable
people, cool people—people who you think are going to meet
all
your needs for affirmation—you will never have those needs met.
But if you serve other people.
As Jesus says
elsewhere—invite people to the banquet who can’t pay you back.
Then you are going to be relationally rich.
And there will be a
freedom and satisfaction in dealings with people
that
you will never have if you limit yourself to the right sorts of people.
3. What about
money? If we’re talking about economy,
have to talk about money.
Does this mean that if you give away your money, you will
make more?
There are
Christians who believe that.
Man I knew in
owned
an electrical contracting business in
he
spent about a month every winter on
He would take me out to lunch and tell me stories like this.
Pastor, there was this Christian children’s home, needed
$41,000.
Debbie and I
believed God wanted us to give them the money.
So we did and guess
what happened the next day? Got this big contract.
When we finished, guess how much our profit was? $410,000.
What do you think
of that, pastor?
Can’t argue with stories like that. Works that way sometimes in the kingdom
Usually it
doesn’t. You end up having less money.
But God still gives you greater riches than you had before—
riches
of contentment, riches in relationships, in ownership in kingdom work.
And if you do make lots of money, generous giving is the
only thing
that
will keep that money from rotting your soul.
That’s exactly what will happen if you are a Christian and
you don’t give—
even
the little bit of contentment you have will be taken away.
So that’s the economy of the
Givers will have
more and more to give.
Graspers will have
less and less.
It’s by giving away your knowledge of Christ, giving
yourself to all sorts of people,
giving
your money for the kingdom, giving yourself to pursuit of righteousness,
that
you are filled up to overflowing with the riches
of
contentment, and wisdom, and satisfaction.
And who is our great example in this? Jesus Christ himself.
No
one who gave himself more fully. His humiliation and death.
But he is more than an example. Just an example, we would be sunk.
He is also our enabler. By his spirit, enables you to give overflowing cup.
MP#3 The culture of the
If go to
It’s the way people
do things. Outlook on
life. Things that
are distinctive.
There is a culture in the
Look at verses 26-29:
“This is what the
It’s a lot like the Parable of the Sower
that we studied last Sunday.
But it’s not nearly
as complicated. No mention of different
soils.
A farmer scatters seed.
He goes about his business.
Days and nights
pass. Seed sprouts, grows, comes to
ripeness, and harvested.
It’s simply a
picture of growth—organic growth.
Citizens of
Growing
in the grace and knowledge of Christ.
Think back through our study of Mark.
Why did Jesus have
conflicts with the religious leaders?
One way you could look at it was a conflict over
growth.
How does a person
grow spiritually?
The Pharisees taught that the way you grow is to pile things
on yourself.
Pile on religious ceremonies, pile on morality, pile on rules and laws,
pile
on study and memorization of the Bible,
pile
on fasting and tithing and giving alms to the poor.
And if you piled on enough things, grow enough, then God
would accept you,
and
he would have to bless you.
That is a kind of growth.
It’s mechanical growth.
Mechanical growth
is just piling things on.
Can a pile of bricks
grow? Of course it can. Just pile on more bricks.
Jesus calls this self-righteousness and he condemned
it.
His message was the
exact opposite. Jesus said:
God accepts you completely and blesses you freely in me.
You obey God out of
love and gratitude.
That’s also growth, but it’s completely different. God does something.
God brings life—and
then out of that life comes growth and change.
It’s not
mechanical—it’s organic. There is the
power of life at work.
Organic growth occurs when the Gospel goes in deep.
Instead of saying—I’ve got to pile on religion and morality
to get right with God,
There is this deep,
living force inside you that says:
I’m accepted in
Christ. I have every spiritual blessing
in Him.
I want to show my
gratitude to God.
I want to live a
life worthy of my calling.
How can you tell if you are growing organically or if it’s
just mechanical?
Both self-righteous people and Gospel-believing people are
concerned with
morality
and religious exercises and the Bible.
Ask a key question:
Am I getting wiser and deeper and more joyful, or just
busier and more uptight?
Am I getting
stronger and tougher, but at the same time more sympathetic?
Am I getting confident,
bolder, but at the same time more humble?
less abrasive?
That’s organic
growth. What we should want for
ourselves and church.
Back in August, while still in Galatians, told you about PCA
minister heard speak.
He had built a
large congregation, admired as a preacher.
But as he later came to realize, much of what he had build
in his life and church,
was
based on his self-righteous perfectionism.
He was obsessed with details and order and getting things
right—and he piled it on.
And he got results. Staff of big church towed the line or
else. Clockwork.
One Sunday, things went very wrong in worship
service—mistakes, disorganized.
On way home his
wife said: That was the first worship
service in years I enjoyed.
He said, How can you say that?
It was a disaster.
“I loved seeing you messing up in front of people,
it
showed me that maybe you really do need Jesus.”
Those words penetrated.
Began to realize that he had built things on himself.
Gospel came into
his life in a fresh way. He
changed. Freedom and
joy.
Experienced
growth personally and in church in fresh ways.
That’s a wonderful story.
Christians love stories like that.
Gospel comes afresh.
Do we have a culture of growth—in our private lives, homes,
church?
Is the Gospel
growing in us? Are we getting wiser and
deeper and more joyful—
or
are we just getting busier? Let’s pray
for kingdom growth.
Remember it’s ultimately God’s work. It’s mysterious.
As Jesus says:
“The seed sprouts
and grows though he does not know how.
All by itself the
soil produces grain.”
CONC: Jesus wants you to know that God’s
salvation is a kingdom.
A
real kingdom, with a future, economy, and a culture of Gospel growth.
Why is that important?
Why did he take the
time to teach his disciples?
Because
he loves you and wants your life to be productive and joyful.
Because he’s your king.
And a king who has
laid down his life for his subjects
wants
their present and eternal blessing.
So give heed to these parables of the kingdom.
Ponder Christ’s kingdom.
Rest in it. Give yourself fully
to it.
Seek it’s growth in your life and the lives of others.