January 15, 2012

What you don’t understand can kill you. In 1987 in Goiania, Brazil, something terrible happened. On September 13, two scavengers entered into an abandoned hospital and took a teletherapy unit for scrap value. As they dismantled the unit, they took a billiard ball-sized caesium capsule out of the protective rotating head. They immediately began to get sick, but thought the sickness was from bad food. A few days later one man broke open the iridium window, which allowed him to see the caesium chloride emitting a deep blue light.

One man scooped up some the glowing powder. People were intrigued by it. Some smeared the glowing powder on their bodies. Four people died and many became sick from radiation poisoning. It is critical to know the nature of what you are playing with.

This morning we begin looking at the parables of the Kingdom in Mt.13. In his book, Stories With Intent, Klyne Snodgrass writes, “...a parable is an expanded analogy used to convince and persuade.” That’s exactly what Jesus’ parables were intended to do. His parables were meant to open up a window into the vital importance and significance of the kingdom of God for you and me.

The Kingdom of God is the realm in which God’s rule is effectively accomplished. And while God is sovereign over all things, there are many people who are not in his kingdom. There are many nations who are opposed to God and his kingdom. The fact that Jesus spoke so much about the kingdom of God should give us pause. His teaching tells us that it is critical to understand the nature of God’s Kingdom.

 

I. THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS CENTERED IN THE GOSPEL MESSAGE. Mt.13:1-3,19a

It’s interesting that Paul writes in 1Cor.4:20, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” In other words, when it comes to the kingdom of God, talk can be cheap. You can make all sorts of claims about the kingdom of God, but if you can’t back those claims up it means very little. When Jesus began his public ministry, announcing the presence of the Kingdom of God, he used words and miracles. The miracles backed up his message. The miracles served as a powerful testimony that what he was claiming about himself and the kingdom of God is absolutely true.

What is more, when we listen to Jesus we quickly see that the kingdom of God is not just about what God is doing in the universe at large. Jesus makes it clear that the kingdom of God has bearing on your life and mine. Jesus wants us to understand what our relationship to his kingdom can be. He wants us to understand that a failure to enter into his kingdom has present and eternal consequences for each one of us. This is why the teachings of Jesus are so important for us to hear.

What was Jesus’ message? In Mk.1:14-15 we read, “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’” Now this was different from what the people of Israel were used to. They thought they were already in the kingdom of God. I mean, they were God’s chosen people. Of course there had not been a king on the throne of Israel since around 580 B.C. So in that sense the Kingdom of Israel had come to a halt. But the people were still hoping for a restoration of the kingdom of Israel. When they heard Jesus’ message, many thought he was saying that a new King, a son of David, would soon sit on the throne of Israel once again. They were a little confused about Jesus’ message because, while Jesus was a son of David, and while Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, he did not promote an earthly kingdom.

But there is more to Jesus’ message than repent and believe. In Mt.11:28-30 Jesus also said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus promised to give spiritual rest. Not only that. In Jn.3:36 we read, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” Jesus promised to give eternal life. And finally let me read what Jesus says in Mk.8:34-36, “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

Jesus did not preach national revolution. He preached spiritual renewal and transformation by believing in him and becoming his disciple. He opened a door into the kingdom of God for all who would enter. In Mt.7:21 Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” You see, for Jesus entering into the kingdom of God is of paramount importance

Now let me just point out that the message of the kingdom is still being preached today by followers of Christ. When Jesus announced the kingdom he was primarily speaking to the people of Israel, God’s chosen people. The message of the gospel that we preach is framed a bit differently because Christ has died and risen from the dead. That was not part of Jesus message because he had not died yet. However, we are still calling people to enter into the kingdom of God, to come under his gracious rule by embracing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives through faith.

How important it is for us to realize that the message is powerful and very specific. It will not do for us to change the message. Back in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, many liberal theologians equated the kingdom of God with the social gospel. Eradicating poverty and helping our fellow man was how we see the kingdom of God become a reality. Surely their intention was good, but their message was insufficient. The kingdom of God is not just about doing good to our fellow man. For Jesus, the kingdom of God called everyone to turn from their self righteousness and sin and embrace him as their Savior, Master and King. This is how the kingdom of God becomes a reality in our lives. We enter into it through Jesus

 

II. THE KINGDOM OF GOD CALLS FOR A WHOLEHEARTED RESPONSE. Mt.13:4-8a;19-22

Now if the seed is the message, Jesus makes it clear that the various soils represent different responses to the message. This matter of one’s response is critical. It is interesting to see that Jesus sees a parallel between his ministry and that of Isaiah’s. Look at v.10-17.

In Isaiah’s day, the people of Israel had pretty much hardened their hearts to the word of God. When Isaiah was preaching and calling for the people to repent, his pleas fell on deaf ears, and the message of hope that he was preaching became a message of judgment. Jesus sees the same thing happening in his day.

Let’s think about parables. Parables are designed to draw you in and to make you think. Jesus tells us that for the one who ponders the parable and gains understanding, there will be even more teaching to come. But for the one who chooses not to think about the parable or who doesn’t think deeply about it, the parable becomes an indictment on that person’s hardness of heart.

When Jesus explains the parable he tells us that the seed that fell on the path represents the person who hears the message but doesn’t do anything with it. He hears the words but he doesn’t think about them. And, actually, Jesus says that Satan takes the opportunity to snatch those words away. The person moves on to other things.

And then the rocky soil stands for the person who hears the message and is delighted with it and actually receives it with joy. There is enthusiasm about it. But as soon as trouble, persecution, opposition because of Christ comes along, that person falls away.

The soil filled with thorns represents the person who receives the message but because his life is so busy and because he has so many goals and dreams that he’s pursuing, the gospel is choked out of his life. Wealth, possessions capture his heart. The good news of the kingdom is just one of many things in this person’s life. This person wants to have it all, and in wanting it all, loses the kingdom.

Now this is very sobering. It’s sobering because we realize that no matter how compelling the message is, some are going to ignore it and reject it. But even more sobering is the fact that some will hear the message and receive it with joy, only to later turn away because of various circumstances. I sometimes wonder if we evangelicals have contributed to giving people a false assurance because of our emphasis on making a decision for Christ or just praying the sinner’s prayer. Now I’m not against making a decision for Christ and praying the sinner’s prayer, but as Dr. Craig Keener writes, “The only conversions that count in the kingdom are those confirmed by a life of discipleship.”

Many times I’ve heard the gospel presented as the “cure all” for all of life’s troubles. Many times I’ve heard the gospel presented in such a way as to suggest that if you just repeat a prayer you will be saved. That’s all there is to it. If I can get the person to prayer the prayer that person is saved. Well, that person might be saved, but in many cases they’re not saved at all. Their decision isn’t lasting and it doesn’t have any real impact on their lives. In other words, having joy over the gospel doesn’t guarantee salvation. A person can receive the message with joy and still have a hard heart.

When we share the gospel, how important it is that we help people understand that entering into the kingdom of God, is entering into a life. We turn from our sin and turn to Jesus to receive his forgiveness and eternal life. This eternal life is entering into the kingdom of God. It begins the moment we give ourselves to Jesus. It is a life that we receive and begin to live. It is a life that is lived in surrender to Jesus Christ as our King and Master.

Both of my sons prayed to receive Christ early in their lives, for which we are grateful. Angie and I have always looked upon those decisions as important first steps to Christ. We have prayed that those decisions would blossom out into discipleship to Jesus. When you come to Christ at an early age, you don’t really understand the long term surrender that is involved. You learn as you grow and mature. Those who embrace Christ will follow him.

 

III. THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS LIFE-CHANGING. Mt.13:8, 23

I did not grow up with much teaching about the kingdom of God. I grew up in churches where Paul was predominantly preached. Teaching about the kingdom of God tended to focus around the nation of Israel and the Sermon on the Mount. But over the years I have been able to learn more about the kingdom of God. And what I have learned has helped me understand what it means to be saved.

When we think about the epistles of Paul we focus on the death and resurrection of Christ. We are introduced to great doctrinal concepts like justification by faith, reconciliation, election, adoption, and the priesthood of believers. But we don’t read a whole lot about the kingdom of God. That seems to be the message of Jesus. However in Acts and the Epistles of Paul we find Paul referring to the kingdom of God some 20 times. In Acts it says that he went around preaching the kingdom of God. That’s what Jesus preached.

Now let’s look at the last soil. The good soil represents the person who hears the gospel message, understands it, embraces it, and produces fruit. The seed of the gospel sprouts and produces a harvest of righteousness within the person. Listen to Rm.14:13, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit....” So exactly what kind of fruit are we talking about? Basically we are talking about obedience to Christ. This is where understanding the kingdom of God is helpful. When a person turns to Christ that person enters into a real, invisible kingdom. Christ comes to dwell in that person’s life. Christ is the King of the kingdom. Since I’m in the kingdom of God with the King, Jesus Christ, I owe all my allegiance to Christ the King. I owe my obedience to Christ. In Mt.28 Jesus tells us to go and make disciples of all nations, “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Now someone might wonder, “What would motivate a person to want to enter into the kingdom of God?” What’s in it for me? If I’m going to embrace Christ as my King what do I get out of it” Well, since Jesus bore the guilt of all our sin upon himself and since Jesus paid the penalty for our sin when he died on the cross, he alone is in the position to offer eternal forgiveness of all our sins and eternal life in his kingdom. We come to Jesus to be saved forever. We come to Jesus to receive his eternal life in heaven. We come to Jesus so that we can live under his gracious, eternal rule. It is not unreasonable to give one’s life to Christ in absolute obedience. It’s the wisest decision a person could ever make

But in making that decision, Jesus makes it clear that the lives of those who follow him will be transformed. The follower of Jesus increasingly takes on the character of the King. Listen to Gal.5:22-26. Paul writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” This is what our lives are to look like as followers or subjects of Jesus.

Now obviously we are all at different places in our spiritual growth and maturity in Christ. So we must be very careful in making judgments about who is and who isn’t a true follower of Christ. And yet, at the same time, we must say that if you have little interest in becoming like Jesus, if there is little interest in learning more about Jesus, if there is little interest in obeying Jesus in your life, then something is wrong.

When I married Angie and heard the pastor say, “You are now husband and wife, I received those words with joy. But if at the first sign of trouble I left Angie, or if I started pursuing other women, what kind husband would I be? If I have little interest in spending time with Angie, if I have little interest in giving my life to her, then what kind of husband am I? And the same is true when it comes to Christ. There is no one else who can transform your life like Jesus.

 

Of course, the question is are you a follower of Jesus Christ. Have you heard and understood the good news of salvation? And have you embraced Jesus with your whole heart? Give your life to Jesus and you will never regret it. Amen