01.24. As Time Marches On
As Time Marches On
How many have been held hostage by fear of messing up. When faced with a chance to witness sometimes we are like a deer caught in the headlights or like we have just come face to face with a grizzly bear. Is it possible to get the program of God off track? Are we living today in the kingdom of God or is it still to come? Jesus presents the two parables that we will consider at this time when He spoke the parable of the tares and wheat. We have what is known as the parable of the seed growing in secret and the parable of the mustard seed before us.
I- The Kingdom of God:
The phrase, "kingdom of God" appears 72 times in the JKV. However the idea that it speaks of is referred to many times in the scriptures. John the Baptist announced that the kingdom was at hand in Matthew 3:2 "…saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Jesus announced that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. Matthew 4:17 "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." He also stated, "… if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." Matthew 12:28 In the book of Acts the apostles were busy "Speaking…preaching…disputing and persuading… expounding and testifying" concerning the kingdom of God.
So we can state that the kingdom of God is a present reality and we are kingdom citizens now. Luke 17:20-21 "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." The kingdom of God is illustrated by the parables of Jesus when He said it arrived in secret like leaven. In our two parables it is liken to a seed that grows in secret and though it had a small beginning it grew to fill the earth. With the realization that we are living in the kingdom of God, here and now, lets consider these parables.
II- The Parable of the Seed Growing in Secret:
Mark is the only gospel writer that gives us this parable. It may be seen as a continuation of the thought of the seed sown in good ground in Mark 4:8 ; Mark 4:20 . The seed sown in the ground certainly is the word of God. The man who cast it in the ground is a picture of you and I.
A- Sower of Seed Mark 4:26
You will notice that the responsible of the sower was to only cast the seed forth. Might I say that we have a tendency to attempt to do what God has not called us to do. We are the sower He is the one who makes it take root in the ground and grow.
B- Mystery of Growth: Mark 4:27
When we sow seeds in the ground we do not really know how it germinates and grows into a plant. We plant and then most of the time go our way and occasionally check to see if the bean are coming up. There has been a lost of things happen prior to it coming up. You may recall the conversation with Jesus and Nicodemus. In this conversation Jesus talks of the mystery of the new birth being as mysterious as the wind. John 3:8 "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."
C- Growth Is Natural: Mark 4:28
Jesus said, "the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself." In this parable the seed is seen in it’s stages of growth. First the blade, then the ear then the full ear of corn. This is a very natural illustration of the growth of a seed. While the sower slept and rose and went about his days and nights the plant grew.
How many of us have said that the work does not seem to be going forward when in fact it is when looked at over a period of time. It is like a child who you see every day that does not seem to grow. Then we miss a few months or years and they seem to have sprung up suddenly.
We also see three seasons of growth in nature, the planting the waiting and the reaping. When we sow the seeds we must be patient to allow it to grow. We must rest in faith of God giving the increase. This in no way relieves us of our responsibility to sow. Yea, if anything it should inspire us to cast the seed increasingly.
This also gives us a picture of the growth of a child of God. "…first the blade…" First the seed is planted in good ground and grabs hold of life. This pictures conversion from the word of God finding the good ground.
"…then the ear…" The child of God should not just be born again but should grow. The corn grows into a ear. The only time that corn does not grow is when something is wrong. We are seeing very vivid pictures of drought in the news almost everyday. The corn came up in the blade but did not grow into an ear. The reason was it did not have proper watering. The word of God waters the crop of a child of God’s faith to grow it.
"… the full corn in the ear…" The pictures for us a mature Christian who has continued to grow and mature in the faith.
II- The Parable of the Mustard Seed. Mark 4:30-32
We have a saying that everyone loves a winner. The next parable that Jesus used to illustrate for us the kingdom of God was that of a mustard seed. He says that the kingdom of God might have started small as a mustard seed, which while it is not the smallest of all seeds it was probably the smallest the farmers of the time of Jesus were familiar with. The kingdom might have started small with only eleven believers at first but it certainly has grown. I ask the question at the beginning about fear of messing up. My beloved the kingdom of God is on a march to the finish line. We also know that regardless of what the world would like to admit the tree of the church has given rise to the governments, hospitals, etc. of the world. Also we know that it is the church which is the preserver of the nation today. Simply it is salt of the world. The world has benefited greatly from the kingdom.
IV- Thy Kingdom Come:
I have intentionally waited to the last until now to look at the harvest of the crop. As part of the parable of the seed growing secretly Jesus said, Mark 4:29 "But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come." You will recall the part of the scripture that is commonly known as the Lord’s prayer Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come."
One aspect of the kingdom of God is yet future. It will be complete with the Coming of Christ and the millennial reign. Part of the parable that Jesus gave was that of judgment. This might sound like a reoccurring theme in the parables we have been studying and in fact it is. May I say that we cannot escape the fact there will be a time of judgment. However we see that the kingdom of God will march on in victory till this consummation of the ages. The kingdom of God will march on the question is will you march with it or be overtaken by it.