FBCWest 650 | Kingdom Growth
Recorded On: 03/16/2025
Bulletin
Hymn # 159 “Power in the Blood”
SCRIPTURE READING – Romans 5:6 - 9
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate
Praise and Worship
“In the House”
“Echo Holy”
“Egypt”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Kingdom Growth”
“Way Maker”
Sermon Notes
Mark 4:21 – 23 A light is to be used, not hidden
Mark 4:24 & 25 Be careful how you judge
Mark 4:36 - 29 The kingdom of God grows even if you don’t know how
Mark 4:30 – 32 The kingdom of God starts very small but grows very large
Mark 4:33 & 34 Jesus taught now in parables, but did explain them to His disciples
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
Most kingdoms in the world expand by violence, basically. There's war and conflict and annexation.
However, Jesus as his kingdom will grow in a different manner. He gives a couple of parables on how the kingdom of God grows.
I invite you to listen to how Jesus' kingdom
(Music)
We took a look last week how Noah walked with God.
As a result, because he walked with God, God had him build a boat and he floated upon the water.
We just sang about a song where God and Moses walk with his people through the water,
saving Noah and his family and the people of God. So no matter whether the floods are coming in your life,
God will either cause you to float on the waters or walk through the waters because that's the God that we're worshiping. That's the God that we're going to talk about. So Jesus is the son of God, God himself. And so we're taking a look at his ministry in the Gospel of Mark. So if you have your Bible and you should turn to Gospel of Mark, Chapter 4, and we're going to start with verse 21.
Now, Jesus has been starting to teach in parables because there are those who committed the unpardonable sin. And so he is now generally teaching in parables and he's continuing to teach and he's going to be talking about his kingdom. The disciples that are following him believe that he's a Messiah and they have a different concept of who Jesus is the first time. They're looking forward to the Romans being removed from their country and establishing their own kingdom. And they're all excited about that thinking that Jesus is going to lead that. But Jesus is going to talk in these parables about his kingdom, how it starts and how it grows.
And it starts and grows entirely different than the kingdoms and the nations of the world today.
So in the Gospel of Mark, it says this, and he being Jesus was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be under a basket, is it? Or under a bed, is it not brought to be put on a lampstand?" Now, that makes sense. This is not a really difficult parable. It makes sense that the point of a lamp, a candle and the light is to illuminate the room so that you don't trip over something or thump your toe or whatever. It makes sense.
Now, the parable part of it is a light.
The Scriptures always talk about God's Word being our light.
His Word is a lamp unto my feet and a guide unto my path. It's God saying that the purpose of the kingdom, of the light of God's Word, is not to be hidden.
It is to be put forth so that it can be used. So Jesus is saying, "I'm not coming here to do a ministry that's going to be hidden. It's going to be open and it's going to be plain and it's the Word of God, and it's going to illuminate people so that they can have a pathway that is correct." And it also doesn't make much sense because if you put a candle lit under a basket, two things happen. Number one, the candle is ineffective because the basket prohibits the light from shining throughout.
And if you know anything about candles, it requires some oxygen. And once the oxygen underneath that basket is consumed, the candle goes out.
So Jesus goes, it makes no sense to burn a candle that doesn't illuminate and will go out. And secondly, he goes, "Nor does it make any sense to put it under bed." And he doesn't make any sense to put it under bed. Number one, because again, the bed prohibits the light from shining throughout the whole room. And let's face it, if you put a candle under a bed, you're probably going to burn down your house.
So what God is saying is it's enormously logical that when I come and share the Word of God, it's to be done to shine and give forth light, not to be hidden.
For nothing is hidden except to be revealed, nor has anything been secret that would be come to light.
I don't know if I like that verse. I kind of prefer everybody to think that I'm this holy pastor that God is impressed with. But that's not what all of that we have done will be held for common view and bring into the light.
And he goes, "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." Well, guess what? I have ears.
And by the looks of all of you, you all have ears. So we're supposed to listen to what the Word of God says. And so we are to use this light to be a guide and a lamp unto our feet at the same time to understand that this light will show out all of our activity.
And he was saying to them, "Take care of what you listen to. By your standard of measure, it will be measured to you, and more will be given you besides.
Or for whomever has, to him more shall be given, and whoever does not have, even what he shall have shall be taken away from him."
Basically, it's funny, when you read this, you go, "How does it impact the growth of the of the kingdom?" Because that's what he's going to be talking about. Well, what brings some memory is in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, while Paul is talking about the resurrection and all these things, all of a sudden he says, "Don't be deceived.
Bad company corrupts good murals." And then he goes on. Jesus is saying basically to us while he's talking about the kingdom, "Hey, be careful what you do, and be careful how you judge what your manner of measurement is." Because all too often we believers have a tendency to, once we think we are holy, are better than other people, and other people accuse us of being better than them, and at least they think we think that. And he's saying, "Make sure when you use a measuring stick, you measure yourself as well.
We need to take care." And so, while I think fairness should apply to you, mercy should apply to me.
I don't want fairness. I want mercy. But if I want mercy, then I should want you to have mercy.
Jesus, in the prayer that he taught the disciples, said, "Father, forgive us as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us." Jesus always says, "If you want forgiveness, then forgive. If you want mercy, give mercy. Make sure that you have this standard equal."
Now, I'm not going to tell you what they did, and I'm not going to tell you who, but many years ago there was this couple who took a particular stand, and quite frankly, I think the stand that they took was correct. So, I'm not criticizing for that. And so, they had this one standard, and no one else could violate "that standard," and they wouldn't participate by letting them be in their house.
Except several years later, one of them died, and the other one violated the very standard that they should, everybody else, should stand to. You see, there is a hypocrisy.
"Oh, what you do is wrong, but you need to understand me."
No, no. We all need to come to the conclusion. What's right is right. What's wrong is wrong.
But don't hold the standard for one person that's not for you. At the same token, it doesn't mean that we're all supposed to accept everything. God has his requirements. God has his commandments. We're to follow them, and we're not excused, but at the same token, we don't say they apply to you, but they don't apply to me. And he says, "So, whoever has," and this reminds me of the of the stewards when they were given the talents, and the two went in double what they were given, and the Lord said, "Well done, good and faithful slave," and then the one who was given the one talent who buried it and gave it back, the Lord took it from him and gave it to the one, and this is an abbreviated parable of what Jesus taught there. And so,
what you have, if you don't use it for the Lord, will be taken and given to somebody else.
And he means, Jesus was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who cast seed upon the soil." Now, this is a follow-up on that solar parable, which again means that if you didn't understand the parable of the solar, then you're not going to understand this, but because Jesus was gracious to his followers, he explained it. So, there was this man who cast seed upon the soil, which means the Word of God. And he goes to bed at night and gets up day by day. So, I want you to notice, so he does the work, he cast out the seed, but the plant doesn't immediately grow.
He goes and gets up day by day. Now, that doesn't mean nothing's happening,
what it means is it's not visible. So, if you know anything about seeds and whatever, basically, you plant a seed and it starts to germinate. It dies, and then it's wrong, and then it grows roots and it doesn't. And then all of a sudden, it sprouts up out of the ground. And finally, you say, "Oh, something's happening." But in the entire time, something has been happening. So, what Jesus is saying is, initially, you need to be patient.
And the seed sprouts and grows. So, again, now there are some visible signs of the seed actually growing, but it has been growing all along. And so, in the kingdom of God, sometimes we wonder, "Well, what's God doing?" But it may not be evident what it's doing, but God is being very effective in growing the roots and the things necessary for the plant to survive. And he goes, "And how he himself does not know." You see, the knowledge of the sower is independent upon how the seed grows. The seed grows based on its own seed. You don't have to be a PhD in agriculture or plant biology for a seed to grow. Anyone, brilliant or not so, can plant a seed and the seed will grow.
So, again, planting the seeds doesn't mean you have to be a theologian in order for the plant to grow. As it says here, "He himself doesn't know." He doesn't know what a plant biologist knows about what seeds do, but it grows. And God's kingdom grows not because we know what's going on, but because the seed, the Word of God, has an impact. And as the Scripture says, "The Word of God does not return void." God does with his word what he wants to accomplish, and it's not required for us to understand. And so there are times when we'll say, and I frequently say, "I have seen what God has done. I'm not so sure in the future what he's going to do, but knowing what he's going to do doesn't impact what he's going to do." Sometimes I look at the Scripture and say, "Oh, that's what he's doing." Or sometimes, "Well, maybe that's what he's doing, but it doesn't need my understanding to accomplish the growth. The kingdom grows. The soil produces crops by itself."
So I keep underlining this. The sower sows the Word. We are to be sowers and to sow the Word.
It is not our responsibility that the plant grows. It is our responsibility to plant the seeds. And then the seeds will grow based on whether the soil is good soil or not soil and what God wants to do, because maybe we might sow it on rocky soil, and in between the plant growing, God removes the rocks and the thorns. God does whatever. We may think, "Well, this is going to be ineffective.
We're not to limit the Word of God. We're to spread it." It doesn't matter. Well, I don't think that person will ever come to the Lord. It doesn't matter what I think. The power of God is the power of God.
There was an old gentleman, and I say he was old because at the time I was a kid, and when you're a kid, everybody was old. He lived across the street, and he could not speak without cursing. And people would say, "Why do you have to curse so much?" And he'd go, "I'm not cursing." It was so much a part of his vocabulary that he didn't think he was good. It was just every other word, but that was his conduct. So when you look at it objectively, you say, "Well, that guy is so entrenched in his lifestyle that he would never listen to the Word of God." But guess what? He listened to the Word of God and behaved saved. And God did something. Maybe you have trouble with language or whatever, but God removed cursing from his vocabulary. I couldn't believe he was the same guy.
And he was even older then after he got saved because he was not young when he was older when he got saved. His life pattern had been set. Maybe God will free you from whatever addiction that you have upon salvation, or maybe you have to struggle with it, and he walks with you to do that. But God accomplishes what God accomplishes. And so if I'd have thought, "Well, this guy, because of his lifestyle, could never become a Christian," then people would miss out of the opportunity to see the growth in him. So the soil produces crops by itself. First the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. There is a process. You don't plant an apple seed, and then the next day get an apple tree, and the following day get an apple.
It takes time for the apple tree to grow its roots and then its trunk and then the branches and then to be mature after several years to produce fruit.
So if you decide that you're going to be hungry next year, so you need to plant an apple tree so that you can eat next year too late, you're going to die of starvation because it's going to take years for that apple tree to mature in order to produce apples or any other plant.
You understand? The growth of the kingdom starts with the Word of God spreading,
then it growing into blades, and then into the head, and then producing the fruit. There is a process of growth. You don't see something and make it happen. It is organic. It grows according to the seed that was planted. But when the crop permits,
it immediately puts in the sickle because the harvest has come. So now the sower has something to do. Up until that point, his job was to sow, and then his job was to wait, and to see the crop mature. And then when the crop matured to then harvest the crop. And Jesus will talk about
when a group of people come towards him, they'll say, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." He has called us to do planting and harvesting. The growth is up to him. And so he says, "So when that time comes, when you see, you don't harvest it because it's a blade. You don't harvest it because you see some grains. You wait until it matures and is ready and produces the fruit. Then you harvest it." And he said, "How shall we picture the kingdom of God? Or by what parable shall we present it?" So he's now going to give us another parable. So the first parable talks about how the kingdom grows. It grows not because we know how it grows and that we are part of it, but that we participate in presenting the seed, sowing it, and to harvest after the time has come. So he says, "This is how the kingdom grows. It doesn't grow by violence. It doesn't grow by conflict. It grows by the word of God landing in the soil and producing fruit."
So he says, "I'm going to give you another parable. How do I explain to you what the kingdom is all about?" Because again, they're thinking, "Okay, we're going to get these Romans off our back, and isn't it going to be wonderful?" It is like a mustard seed, which is sown upon the soil.
Though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil. Now there's argument, is the mustard seed the smallest seed of all kinds? No. He's talking about it is a small seed. It's one of the smallest seeds. And I'm going to use this because you're accustomed of mustard seeds. Some of the other seeds are smaller, may not grow in Israel or whatever. I want to give you something that you can relate to. You've seen a mustard seed. And if you've seen a mustard seed, you almost can't see it. It's a really tiny seed. He goes, "It's like a mustard seed." So he says, "The kingdom of God is going to start insignificant." It's a mustard seed,
which is sown upon the soil, smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil.
"Yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants, and forms large branches, so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade." He's saying, "This mustard seed is really insignificant. And yet when it is placed in the soil, and when it grows and matures, it becomes this very large plant, so large that birds can nest in it and rest in it and find shade in it." It goes from being insignificant to being a blessing to others.
And Jesus says, "The kingdom of God is like that." It may appear to be insignificant.
A person who states that they are the Messiah, and he is. And 12 followers who become 11 are going to change the world, not because they change the world, but because God's kingdom changes the world. And they're going to this insignificant start of these fishermen and tax collectors and zealots and all these other people that most of us would not hire to do anything in our business. Jesus, I'm going to take these guys, these insignificant, ordinary, extra ordinary, not extra ordinary, men to grow the kingdom, to plant the seeds. And he says, "This insignificant start with these
unqualified men are going to have a kingdom that is going to produce this large plant that is going to provide blessings to others."
With many such parables, he was speaking the word to them so that as they were able to hear it, so the teaching about the kingdom and how it grows, it starts in significantly,
but it grows to large. And it grows not because we know how it grows. It grows because God causes it to grow. And it grows to such an impact that it blesses others.
God has called us all to increase his kingdom. He calls us to first be in the kingdom.
Then after we're in the kingdom, to plant other seeds that other people who grow in the kingdom grow in the kingdom. So that the word of God can be used by the spirit to draw all people to him.
Not for us to determine who God is going to draw to him, but God will draw whomever he pleases. It is our job to plant the seeds so that the kingdom might grow. That's why he told us that we are to be his witnesses throughout the whole world, starting with Jerusalem and Judea, Samaria, and to the other most parts of the world. And as I keep saying, where we are is the remotest part of the world as far as Jerusalem goes. And so therefore we are to do that, and we don't know how the kingdom grows, but it does. And there are times when "church attendance" goes down and church attendance goes up. A lot of times it goes when things are well, church attendance starts to dwell. And when there are crises, either in a person's life or in the nation, it starts to grow back up.
That may not be the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God may be the people no one knows about.
Not the people who are the most famous in the church, but the people who are faithful in the church. They're there because walking with God is so much better than walking alone. And he did not speak to them without a parable, but he was explaining everything privately to his own disciples. So he kept saying, I'm going to preach in parables and teach in parables because there are those who have committed the unpardonable sin and they're not to be in part of the kingdom. But he discusses with his disciples the understanding of the parables, the understanding of the parables so they would understand it so that when difficult times came
and it didn't seem like anything was happening, this parable will remind them that sometimes a lot is happening beneath the soil. And you can be patient and you can endure
because God is still at work even when you don't see it because God is at work in our lives regardless of whether we see it or whether we feel it or whether we know it day by day.
Maybe nothing happens in this community. Maybe nothing happens in this church today. But today God is causing his kingdom to grow in places we can't see, but he does. And his kingdom is far stronger than we might see by how many people are attending church or not.
Because as Jesus said, even the gates of hell cannot prevail against his church, which is his kingdom.
I am proud to live in this country in the United States of America. I am glad that I am a citizen of this country. I am far more proud of being a citizen of the kingdom of God because my Lord is a wonderful king. He is the king of kings and Lord of lords. And I know in my life or the life of the nation or life of whatever,
whether I float on the water or pass through the water,
he holds me and he keeps me safe. Though my body is slain and though it may die and people may burn it or whatever, still with my own eyes and my own flesh, I will see my redeemer and not another. There's no leader like our God who can make that promise.
And we are blessed to be in that kingdom. So my word of confidence to you is, know that God is in control, that God his kingdom is growing, and that it will one day be revealed
not just as a little plant or even as a mustard tree, but the tree of life.