Preacher- Adrian Warnock
8th November 2002 Venue Jubilee Church More Sermons World Wide Study Bible Matthew |
Matthew 13-
Find the hidden kingdom !
Discussion questions, followed by detailed notes.
1.
Was finding the Kingdom easy or difficult for you?
2.
Did you get put off by the church?
Do you think other people do?
3.
Do you agree that sometimes the church as a whole can be ‘Of the World
but not in it’ instead of ‘in the world but not of it’?
4.
Do you find it easy to believe that the kingdom is going to grow
dramatically large?
5.
Are you excited to be part of the worldwide Church at this time? This
church? This group of churches?
6.
What can we do to further the expansion of the kingdom into our
communities? What do you think we
should be considering as God leads us? (eg social action, upholding principles
at work, parenting classes, homes for ex-offenders etc…)
Introduction
Church is only mentioned twice in gospels, kingdom hundreds of
times. Kingdom is bigger than the
church!
Parables
confound the theologian or philosopher but delight the children and simple
·
The
Kingdom is no novel invention that needs a PR job done!
·
Its
communication isn’t showy but simple.
·
The parables have the effect of illuminating the
subject of the kingdom for those who are willing to accept the message and of
darkening it for those who reject the message of the present reality of the
kingdom.[i]
·
The kingdom message of Jesus was the most radical
message the world has ever heard. Here
is a true revolution, not launched with guns, tanks and soldiers but with a
wandering preacher in Galilee.
Detailed note-
‘The doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven, which was the
main teaching of Jesus, is certainly one of the most revolutionary doctrines that
ever stirred and changed human thought. It is small wonder if the world of that
time failed to grasp its full significance, and recoiled in dismay from even a
half apprehension of its tremendous challenges to the established habits and
institutions of mankind. For the doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven, as Jesus
seems to have preached it, was no less than a bold and uncompromising demand
for a complete change and cleansing of the life of our struggling race, an
utter cleansing, without and within………..
It is true that he said his kingdom was not of this world, that it was
in the hearts of men and not upon a throne; but it is equally clear that
wherever and in what measure his kingdom was set up in the hearts of men, the
outer world would be in that measure revolutionized and made new……….
The personal teaching of Jesus does seem to mark a new phase in the
moral and spiritual life of our race.
Its insistence upon the universal Fatherhood of God and the implicit
brotherhood of all men, its insistence upon the sacredness of every human
personality as a living temple of God, was to have the profoundest effect upon
all the subsequent social and political life of mankind. With Christianity, with the spreading
teachings of Jesus, a new respect appears in the world for man as man.’ H.G.
Wells (1866–1946), Outline of History, vol. 1, ch. 28, sect. 2
(1920).
Why parables
(see v 35) “It is assumed by the Psalmist (Ps. 78:2) that there was a hidden meaning in “God’s
ancient dealings with his people. A typical, archetypical, and prefigurative
element ran through the whole. The history of the dealings is one long Old
Testament parable. Things long kept secret, and that were hidden indeed
in the depths of the divine mind from before the foundation of the world, were
involved in these dealings. And hence the evangelist wisely sees, in the
parabolic teaching of our Lord, a real culmination of the older parabolic
teaching of the Psalmist. The culmination was divinely intended, and hence the
expression that it might be fulfilled” (Morison on Matthew).[ii]
Many Agree that the
parables hear show us what the kingdom is like-
|
The Parable |
Kingdom Expectations |
Unexpected Form |
|
The
sower |
Messiah
rules all nations. |
Individuals respond to God’s
invitation. |
|
Wheat/tares
|
Citizens
rule the world with Christ. |
Citizens
live among people of the world. people of the world. |
|
Mustard
seed |
Kingdom
begins in majestic glory. |
Kingdom
begins in insignificance. |
|
Leaven |
The
kingdom includes only the righteous. |
Citizens
become increasingly righteous. |
|
Hidden
treasure |
The
kingdom is public, for all. |
The
kingdom is hidden and for individual “purchase.” |
|
Priceless
pearl |
Kingdom brings
valued things. |
The
kingdom requires abandoning earthly values. |
|
Dragnet |
Kingdom begins
with separation of unrighteous. |
Kingdom ends
with separation of the unrighteous. |
(The
Bible Reader's Companion) [iii]
The Kingdom, is
so unlike a worldy kingdom because it is a hidden one
The kingdom is hidden because-
-It is mingled with the world - It is like wheat and weeds next to each other, like different
kinds of fish in a net, and like yeast hidden in flour.
For
the Jews of Jesus day, the idea of the coming of the kingdom being consistent
with the Romans remaining in charge and the evils they were committing
remaining unchecked would have been very difficult for them to handle. Jesus
has some explaining to do- if the kingdom is here, how come evil still
exists. Hear Jesus explains that this
is the case because out of mercy to the sons of the kingdom judgment has been
delayed.
Detailed
note-
The
immediate, natural reaction of the people to Jesus’ proclamation of the
presence of the kingdom was to wonder about the continuing presence of evil in
the world, as manifested particularly in Roman rule over the people of God. The
era of salvation was more or less equated with national-political deliverance.[iv]
When
we look at the world today it is sometimes hard at first glance to say where
does the world stop and the kingdom start?
Is America the most Christian nation on earth with ‘in God we trust’ on
the money and a around 80% of its citizens claiming to be Christian. Or is it the secular state where God is
banned from schools, and where the gospel of ‘free living’ rings form with
evangelistic zeal to the rest of the world?
In
America, people who claim have made a commitment to Jesus are actually
marginally MORE likely to get a divorce (see www.barna.org
) Actually many
of these would not be described as evangelical, but sadly even among US
evangelicals 29% have been divorced at least once.
Source: The Barna Research Group, Ltd.
2002
The above is
perhaps not surprising as the survey found that only four out of every ten
adults who describe a personal commitment to Jesus in the US relies upon the
Bible or church teachings as their primary source of moral guidance.
On
issues such as abortion, homosexuality, sex outside of marriage and other such
issues, there were differences between expressed views in this survey, but they
were surprisingly small.
Unfortunately
often then the church is not seen as especially different from the world. And
this is especially true when it comes to behaviour rather than beliefs.
"We have found that in a lot
of ways Christians are not living different lives than non-Christians, when we
look at their behaviour," Flammang said. "It's hard for Christians to
understand because it seems contrary to what people think would happen." http://www.cnsnews.com
This
is not as it should be
In fact in the
parable of the wheat and Tares we see that even the servant could tell the
difference between the wheat and the weeds- the difference was obvious. Yeast is completely different from
flour! Jesus is very clear about this
in Matt 7-18 speaking of FALSE so
called ‘Christians’
18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor
can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them lby
their fruits.21 Not
everyone who psays to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but the one who rdoes the will of my Father who is in
heaven. 22 On
that day tmany will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not uprophesy
in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in
your name?’ 23 tAnd
then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; xdepart from
me, you workers of lawlessness.’[v]
So
the ‘sinners’ or the weeds are NOT in fact
indistinguishable from the righteous!
Detailed
note
It
is extremely important to understand that both the good seed and the darnel
(tares) are sown in the world, not in the Kingdom, not in the church. [vi]
Note
however that the field here is not the kingdom OR the church- we are talking
about the world and there is no sense that we shouldn’t aim for purity in the
church!
Of
course we all also know of things that go on in churches that ought not occur,
and like the servants we may well say God why don’t you sort it out NOW and
show people up for what they are like. Ironically of course, when He does just
that, the scandals also hurt the innocent believers. So, all to often to the request to deal with evil whether in the
world or in the church and root out its perpetrators, Gods answer like the master to his servants is not yet!! Of course, there is no doubt that on
judgment day the truth will out!!
Separation between the kingdom and the
world will only come on judgement day!
What can seem like seed of the devil can in fact change its appearance
to become seed of God (which is where the illustration breaks down) God is kind to us, wanting people to be
saved.
See v41 The righteous will be revealed,
and the sinners punished!
Also
The kingdom may
seem as if it has some smelly fish in it, but the angels will through out the
rubbish!
So
the kingdom will not remain hidden, and indeed should not be seen as totally
hidden now!
I do not ask that you take
them out of the world, but that you keep
them from the evil one.1
16 They are not of the world, just as
I am not of the world.[vii]
John 17:15-16 This is summarized almost universally as IN
THE WORLD BUT NOT OF IT!
The
so called Church is all too often ‘OF THE WORLD BUT NOT IN IT’
Another
recent survey in the US revealed a surprising lack of response to the events of
September 11th which rocked secular America. Both C J Mahaney and John Piper two of my
heroes who both preached sermons relevant to the attacks in the week
following. 9/11 seems to have been largely ignored by US churches with notable
exceptions.
77% of US
churchgoers said their churches did not pray publicly about the attacks
How
can that be appropriate in America?
Because the church often feels isolated from the world. We
often have no friends in the world, some Christians don’t watch any of the
worlds entertainment, and only communicate with the world in a snatched moment
at a work lunch break or on kamikaze ‘Missions’ events. According
to the parables of the wheat and Tares and that of the Yeast, the kingdom is
supposed to be mingled with the world but totally different to it. Are
we like that here? Or are their
areas of your life that God is putting his finger on, or is there a detachment
from the world? When
we are different to the world the kingdom will not remain hidden, and indeed
should not be seen as totally hidden even now! It
is hidden because it starts small ‘a little yeast’ in a lot of flour- The three measures are enough to make ‘50 kilograms of bread or
enough to feed 150 people.’[viii]
detailed note Curiously enough some people deny that Jesus here
likens the expanding power of the Kingdom of heaven to leaven, because, they
say, leaven is the symbol of corruption. But the language of Jesus is not to be
explained away by such exegetical jugglery.[ix] It
touches everything!!! When it arrives it is signally unimpressive! But ‘although at the
beginning it looks unimpressive, it will have an effect that is out of all
proportion with that beginning.’[x]
‘a humble beginning is not inconsistent with a great
and glorious destiny.’[xi]
……..In this way the
character and nature of Jesus’ ministry, including its failure in Israel, can
be better understood.[xii] ‘The kingdom
presently hidden is nonetheless really present. The powers of the kingdom are
already at work (11:4–6; 12:28). Just as power is released in the seed and in
the yeast at the very moment they are hidden away, so the powers of the kingdom
are being unleashed here and now, in the very time of its small beginning. And
just as the full-grown mustard tree is potentially present in the seed, so the
kingdom presently revealed is the kingdom that will one day be fully revealed.
The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast are both parables of growth. The
powers released now do not abate until their purpose is achieved’[xiii]
-
It ALWAYS starts
small but grows large- ·
true of
the kingdom as a whole- Jesus starts
small and seems to fail, in reality There really will be a multitude that no
one can count. We are not into remnant
theology here where the church is to struggle on being faithful as an ever
smaller community! ‘The all-penetrating and assimilating
quality of the Gospel, by virtue of which it will yet mould all institutions
and tribes of men. and exhibit over the whole earth one “kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ.”’[xiv]
This
really is happening! Then the growth of church attendance in our
area whilst south London is declining ought to encourage us- its probably
because Tope and Colin have left South London! ·
of local
churches seeking to build biblically- We must expect growth. What we have here is just the
beginning. Our family of churches begun
quietly with just one man seeking to build initially one church that was more
bible based. Now the flow out of that
small beginning touches all the major continents of the world! We as a movement are called to believe for 1000
churches in the UK and to change the expression of Christianity around the world. We can be caught up in that. HIDDEN TO GROW-
principle eg workplace etc ·
of the witness at my workplace or other things that we get
involved with for God. Prison alpha
began with one father and son prisoner dramatically saved after asking their
chaplain to do an alpha course (Who’d not heard of it!) and then it spread to
85% of current UK prisons! Never
underestimate the value of a kind word here on a Sunday morning even. ·
Of my
life! The small step you make today to
put a kingdom principle into operation will grow in your life! EG forgiveness,
deciding to try using a gentle answer with your child/husband on the basis of
what the bible says. ‘A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs
up anger.’[xv]
·
The smallest thing you or I do is linked to the
biggest thing you will ever do and also to the biggest thing that our movement
of churches, or indeed the worldwide church as a whole is doing! Where we run a small alpha, the church in
the UK is running thousands of such alphas and as a result, we can benefit from
someone looking on the internet for an alpha course! ‘Willie Pennington’-Spoon River Anthology By Edgar Lee Masters THEY
called me the weakling, the simpleton, For my
brothers were strong and beautiful, While
I, the last child of parents who had aged, Inherited
only their residue of power. But
they, my brothers, were eaten up In the
fury of the flesh, which I had not, Made
pulp in the activity of the senses, which I had not, Hardened
by the growth of the lusts, which I had not, Though
making names and riches for themselves. Then
I, the weak one, the simpleton, Resting
in a little corner of life, Saw a
vision, and through me many saw the vision, Not
knowing it was through me. Thus a
tree sprang From
me, a mustard seed. ·
Like
salt, or light, yeast is pervasive and although not always seen DOES bring
about change.- This is an important principle, and is what drives many godly
people working in the world. If you are
honest, caring, upright, etc, the impact you can have is far greater than you
realise! It is not wrong for us to
celebrate the ways in which kingdom principles can work out good influence even
when they are seemingly divorced from Christianity. An example of this is AA which works because of its emphasis on
taking stock of your life, facing the fact that you cant deal with your
problems on your own, looking for ‘God as you know him’ to help you, and of
course ‘the fellowship’ where others help you and hold you accountable. Of course we would rather people found Jesus
properly, and maybe if churches were more welcoming to alchoholics AA as such
might not be necessary for many, but shouldn’t we rejoice when a little bit of
kingdom touches someone’s life? Even if
they don't become a Christian, the kindness of God is that these principles
work. ·
Our
laws, our practices, our concepts of marriage, until recently our child rearing
practices were all based on kingdom principles. Hidden yes, but impactful beyond description. It is only really because of the idea of
human worth being intrinsic because God put it there that many of our moral
principles can have any foundation. ·
Remembering
the poor is vital…….Gal 2:10 if we want to be apostolic! Proverbs
19:17 Whoever is generous to the Thus social action that may not trumpet the gospel initially is
very much a kingdom activity. What can
WE do as a church to help? SO the
kingdom will not remain small and will therefore not remain hidden! ·
The
kingdom is hidden because its like treasure found in a surprising place o
The idea
of finding treasure in a field, although its possible, usually requires that
you know where to look. Sadly many
today simply do not know where to look.
As a result it is often like stumbling on something wonderful when you
least expect it. It is often missed as
despite its value people don't always notice it-! Pearls and diamonds often
don't look beautiful when they are first found. o
Imagine
a cruel death, one of many many crucifixions that occurred. How wonderful how strange that this should
be the source of our salvation.
Treasure found in the cross! o
It is
hidden because of sin and our blindness to Gods ways. o
The
parables reveal the kingdom the truth of which has been hidden since creation
(v34-5) ‘although the kingdom is hidden (cf. 13:31–3) it can be found; and when it is, one should
make whatever sacrifice is necessary to obtain it. ‘Anyone who counts the cost
of discipleship has completely failed to grasp the greatness of the reward’
(Beare 1981: 315)…..Granted the kingdom’s value and its sure triumph, one must
strive to overcome every obstacle in the way of obtaining it.’[xvi]
o
If it
dominates your life and leads to sacrifice you will be the winner ‘The sole point
being made is that the kingdom is worth everything.’[xvii]
o
Of course it is possible to see this the other way
round where the one doing the seeking for treasure and paying everything is in
fact Jesus. Both can of course be true,
as a kingdom principle is that sacrifice for something worthwhile is no
sacrifice at all and will be rewarded.
Missionaries almost all say at the end of their lives ‘I sacrificed
nothing’ ·
The
kingdom really is a source of great joy and riches but not always like some
would want! God doesn’t promise you a
BMW or a mansion on earth, but he does promise you treasure that may be secret
to yourself. God meets us sometimes in
the hidden place when things are tough and the treasure we find there amongst
the earth makes it all worthwhile. The
kingdom CAN be understood. And when understood right there will always be new
things to say but the good old story will never cease to excite. We will say new things that are relevant to
our society in terms of our communication, but we will never change the
message. The kingdom is the oldest story yet new
every day! We will learn to work out for ourselves
the way that the kingdom can be hidden yet revealed! If we
seek the kingdom all other things will be added to us84%
said their church hadn’t taught them related to the attacks90%
said their church had provided no special services related to the attacks
BUT it always grows large-
It might seem silly, might seem unlikely to succeed,
but done regularly we KNOW that it does make all the difference.
And also promoting it!