KINGDOM POTENTIAL // MATTHEW 13 PT 2
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· 5 viewsHave you ever wondered what the Kingdom of Heaven is all about? Who will inherit this kingdom? What did Jesus say about this Kingdom? Check out this episode of Jesus People as we look at the potential of this Coming Kingdom that we can be a part of today.
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Do you remember where we left off?
We are in Matthew
Jesus has been teaching in parables
There are two crowds before him
The Multitudes and the Disicples
Those who are there to listen aka The Multitudes
Those who are there to be taught aka The Disciples
Two totally different things
One thing to ask ourselves as we go through these parables is:
What does this mean for us today?
Do we have the ability to interpret what Jesus means?
Lets break it down a little bit:
What do we know?
Jesus is speaking specifically about the Kingdom
A Kingdom which would one day be filled with forgiven people
A Kingdom of people who have humbled themselves
A Kingdom of people who have allowed God to work in their lives
A Kingdom of people who are living into promises of God and making decisions based on faith instead of comfort.
Even though these are very broad strokes, Jesus continues to expound on Kingdom Principles all while:
Knowing that there will be some who will devalue the Kingdom
Knowing that there will be some who might not desire what the Kingdom has to offer
Knowing that the enemy is at work trying to limit or hinder the kingdom from advancing.
LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT JESUS HAS TO SAY ABOUT SUCH A KINGDOM
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
33 Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”
34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
“I will open My mouth in parables;
I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.
54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 57 So they were offended at Him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Matthew 13:
PRAY THAT WE WOULD BE OPEN TO WHAT THIS KINGDOM OFFERS.
PRAY THAT WE WOULD HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING REGARDING THIS KINGDOM
PRAY THAT GOD WOULD SHOW US THE VALUE OF BEING A PART OF THIS KINGDOM.
MATTHEW 13:24-
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
This is how Jesus describes the Kingdom of Heaven
He says it is like a Man who sows GOOD seed in his field
Once the seed is sown, and the man goes to rest
While the men slept
HIS ENEMY comes and sows tares among the wheat and went his way.
As the grain sprouted and produced a crop
The tares also appeared
We know what Wheat is, but what are tares?
Tares is the greek word DARNEL
Which refers to a kind of weed that resembles wheat all the way up until its maturity
It looks almost identical until the harvest season arrvies
What would the owner do with a crop that was intended for good, yet because of the enemy, it yielded a mixed result?
The servants would also have that question
Sir didn’t you sow good seed?
It was evident that the the sowing of tares was intentional
It was purposeful for the enemy to sow something that looked like the very thing that the Owner had sowed
It was the enemy’s way of causing confusion
One would be profitable
It was his way of distracting the Servants
Discouraging them
The other would be consumed
Causing Worry and Aniety
But notice one thing
Notice the gentleness of the Sower
Even when the Servants desire to uproot the tares
Even when we desire to remove the bad from the good
The Sower says
I get it
I know thats what seems right
But as of right now, there is a mystery between the good and the bad
Because I deeply care about the wheat,
I am not willing to risk losing the wheat just because tares have been sown among it.
We must allow both to grow together
We must wait until the Harvest
For then we will know what is truely wheat and truely a tare
For when the seed has matured, and the harvest is ready, the true state of the seed will be revealed.
Then, I will call the reapers to gather the tares and the wheat
The tares will then be burned
The wheat will be placed in His Barn
SO THE QUESTION IS, WHO ARE ALL THE CHARACTERS?
HOW CAN WE GET BETTER UNDERSTANDING?
WE WILL GET TO THAT LATER ON IN THE SERMON
31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
33 Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”
34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
“I will open My mouth in parables;
I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
MATTHEW 13:31
One of the Parables is the Parable of the Mustard Seed
Here Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a Mustard Seed
Why would Jesus use a Mustard Seed?
Maybe it was because this tiny little seed would grow into a 10 ft high shrub where birds of the air could come and make their home in.
Maybe its because Rabbis would use a Mustard Seed as a reference to the smallest possible size of something
Or Maybe because it is a shrub that would grow along the shores of the Sea of Galilee
Which very well could have been the surroundings of his current preaching venue
Remember, He is on a boat, preaching to the multitudes from the sea.
Maybe it was because this tiny little seed would grow into a 10 ft high shrub where birds of the air could come and make their home in.
Maybe its because Rabbis would use a Mustard Seed as a reference to the smallest possible size of something
Maybe Jesus is illustrating how under rated this kingdom is
Maybe He is trying to illustrate how something so small in the eyes of the religious could turn into a home for the birds of the air.
What about the Parable of the Leaven
Normally we see leaven as a bad thing
Mostly because of that verse in 1 Corinthians 5:16
But here Jesus uses leaven to illustrate what the Kingdom of Heaven is like
A symbol of how a little thing called leaven could cause such a change in dough
How just a small amount of leaven could effect the outcome of flour
Side Note:
What is 3 measures?
Approximately 50 pounds of bread
Jesus is not only painting a picture of the unforeseen potential of the Kingdom
He is doing it in parables, which was a fulfillment of what Asaph prophecied in
AFTER TEACHING THE MULTITUDES WITH 3 DIFFERENT PARABLES JESUS SEND THE MULTITUDES AWAY
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
:
As soon a the multitudes disappear
The Disciples came up to Jesus and were like
“Ok Jesus, what was all that about?”
Jesus, because he cared deeply about His Students, took them a little deeper
Who is the Sower?
The Son of Man . . . Jesus
What is the Field?
The World . . . His/Our Mission Field
The Good Seed / The Wheat
The Sons & Daughters of the King
The Bad Seed / The Tares
The Sons of the WIcked Ones
The Enemy
The Devil . . . Satan
The Harvest
The end of the age
The Reapers
The Angels
Whom Jesus will send out to remove all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness
Them, the angels will cast into the furnace of fire.
There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth
But the righteous will shine forth as the sun
So the question is
What things offend and what is lawlessness?
Offend: Skandalon
Causing to stumble
Lawlessness: Anomia
Lawless deeds
Same word used in when Jesus said
The New King James Version Chapter 7
22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
And then again in
The New King James Version Chapter 24
11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Two of the things that I find Jesus speaking on a lot are still our biggest weaknesses to this day
This is the variable
But Pastor, aren’t we all sinners?
A question to ask yourself is this:
Is it done on purpose?
Do you sin without conviction?
Allowing our freedoms to cause people to stumble
Do you know its wrong, yet you still practice it?
If the answer is yes, then maybe the worth of what Jesus has done for you has been devalued.
Doing things in the name of Jesus while never really knowing Him.
If yes, then maybe we don’t quite understand the Gospel
Being partially invested
If yes, then maybe the fact that we are here today means that God’s mercies are still new for you today.
Being partially devoted
Looking like wheat but behaving like a tare.
Jesus wants to make it clear, that those participating in Kingdom work will have a different mindset.
LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING PARABLES
Matthew 13:44-
44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:44
44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
After explaining the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
Jesus continues to explain what it is like to be a part of this Kingdom
But in these two parables Jesus emphasizes the great value of the Kingdom
And how we should react to that value
He says that the Kingdom is like:
Treasure Hidden in a Field:
Which a man found and hid again
Because of the value he saw in this treasure
He went and sold everything he had in order to buy the entire field
It is like a Merchant Seeking Beautiful Pearls
When He finds that one Pear of Great Price
He went and sold all that he had in order to purchase it
BUT JESUS WASN’T DONE YET
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.
54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 57 So they were offended at Him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Matthew 13:47
Again, Jesus goes on to use another parable, a bit similar to the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
He says that Heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea which gathered some of every kind of fish
When it was full
They came to shore
And the catch was separated
The Good from the Bad
The Good where gathered into Vessels
The bad were thrown away
Just like this, there will be a separation at the end of the age
Where the Angels will come forth and separate the wicked from the just
So what can we do to make sure we are on the winning team
We allow the Gospel to transform us
We pursue righteousness
We allow the Gospel to continually work in us
We invest in what the Gospel wants to accomplish in us
We welcome a shift from trusting what we can control, to living by faith.
We become like a scribe
One like the head of the household
Who brings out of his treasure
Things, Both new and old
Old Roots that strengthen the new Fruit
Old Traditions with New Perspectives
HERE ENDS JESUS TEACHING ON PARABLES AND WE SEE SOMETHING VERY INTERESTING HAPPEN:
Matthew 13:54-
54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 57 So they were offended at Him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Can we agree that all of this is Kingdom stuff is valuable right?
You would think that His hometown would be proud of him
You would think that they would embrace His teaching
However, even after teaching in his hometown
In the very synagogues he grew up in
He got a very mixed result
Nazareth was astonished
They questioned the source of His wisdom and Mighty Works
They couldn’t reconcile His actions with His DNA
They questioned him
They were offended at him
Or stumbled by him
kai skandalizo en autos
and stumbled/caused to sin within themselves
Now, you can be stumbled by this
In fact, our unbelief can cause us to sin
UNBELIEF
Is what caused people to blaspheme
Is what caused people to abstain from being justified
Is what caused people