WEBVTT 00:00:07.689 --> 00:00:10.089 It's good to see you out on this rainy weekend, 00:00:10.369 --> 00:00:15.189 but trust that's been a good one as well. We 00:00:15.189 --> 00:00:21.050 are in the 13th chapter of Matthew, and we've 00:00:21.050 --> 00:00:24.129 been looking at the parables of the kingdom. 00:00:24.949 --> 00:00:28.109 And today we're going to look at verses 31 through 00:00:28.109 --> 00:00:33.200 35. Matthew writes, in another parable, he, that 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:36.219 is Jesus, he put forth to them saying, the kingdom 00:00:36.219 --> 00:00:40.039 of heaven, it's like a grain of mustard seed 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:43.899 that a man took and sowed in his field. And it's 00:00:43.899 --> 00:00:47.259 the smallest of all seeds. But when it has grown, 00:00:47.579 --> 00:00:50.259 it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes 00:00:50.259 --> 00:00:54.420 a tree so that the birds of the air come and 00:00:54.420 --> 00:00:57.759 make nests in its branches. He told them another 00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:00.780 parable. The kingdom of heaven is like leaven 00:01:00.780 --> 00:01:04.980 that a woman took and hid it in three measures 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:09.200 of flour till it was all leavened. Now all these 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:11.799 things Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables 00:01:11.799 --> 00:01:14.799 and without a parable he did not speak to them. 00:01:15.620 --> 00:01:17.939 That it might be fulfilled which is spoken by 00:01:17.939 --> 00:01:20.400 the prophet saying, and he's quoting the psalmist 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:24.760 here, I will open my mouth in parables. I will 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:27.239 utter things kept secret from the foundation 00:01:27.239 --> 00:01:30.500 of the world. Would you join me in asking God 00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:32.560 to help us this morning as we look at his sacred 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:35.959 word? Father, we thank you so very much, Lord 00:01:35.959 --> 00:01:38.959 God, for the privilege, Lord, of having a personal 00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:41.359 copy of the scriptures in our laps or on our 00:01:41.359 --> 00:01:44.459 devices. But, Lord God, we need the Spirit's 00:01:44.459 --> 00:01:47.400 enablement. Lord, we pray for his working in 00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:51.260 our midst. Lord, illumine this text. Lord, cause 00:01:51.260 --> 00:01:53.579 it to bear fruit in our lives. We pray this in 00:01:53.579 --> 00:01:57.609 Christ's name. Amen. So we're in chapter 13. 00:01:57.689 --> 00:02:00.469 We've been here for a while now. And in this 00:02:00.469 --> 00:02:03.170 chapter, the Lord gives seven parables, and each 00:02:03.170 --> 00:02:06.129 of these parables all have their subject dealing 00:02:06.129 --> 00:02:09.090 with the kingdom of God, or as Matthew calls 00:02:09.090 --> 00:02:12.090 it, the kingdom of heaven. Same thing. Now, today 00:02:12.090 --> 00:02:14.030 we're looking at the third and fourth parable. 00:02:14.389 --> 00:02:17.729 Now, obviously, if he's mentioning seven parables 00:02:17.729 --> 00:02:22.430 back to back, the idea of the kingdom was important 00:02:22.430 --> 00:02:24.879 to our Lord. If it's important to him, it ought 00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:28.599 to be important to us. In Matthew 6, verse 33, 00:02:28.860 --> 00:02:32.520 Jesus said, seek first the kingdom of God and 00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:36.259 his righteousness. Now, if it is to be the priority, 00:02:36.599 --> 00:02:40.620 seek first. If that is what we are to do, we 00:02:40.620 --> 00:02:43.060 better know what the kingdom of God is and why 00:02:43.060 --> 00:02:45.819 does it matter? What relevance does it hold? 00:02:46.569 --> 00:02:48.849 Now it is important to know something that in 00:02:48.849 --> 00:02:51.990 these parables, the Lord Jesus was constantly 00:02:51.990 --> 00:02:55.770 challenging the Jewish expectation of the kingdom. 00:02:56.430 --> 00:03:01.210 Because by and large, popular Judaism, you had 00:03:01.210 --> 00:03:03.409 some sects that did not believe this way, but 00:03:03.409 --> 00:03:05.550 by and large, the Jews believed that when the 00:03:05.550 --> 00:03:08.770 kingdom of God arrived, it's going to come in 00:03:08.770 --> 00:03:12.409 splendor. They believed it would arrive in political 00:03:12.409 --> 00:03:16.030 and military might. That it would come under 00:03:16.030 --> 00:03:19.550 the leader of like a Davidic king. Rome is going 00:03:19.550 --> 00:03:22.169 to be defeated and Israel as a nation is going 00:03:22.169 --> 00:03:25.150 to be exalted. And then that would usher in a 00:03:25.150 --> 00:03:28.830 golden age where Jerusalem would serve as a spiritual 00:03:28.830 --> 00:03:31.810 and political center of the world, of all the 00:03:31.810 --> 00:03:35.990 nations. Now that's what they believed. So therefore, 00:03:36.090 --> 00:03:39.550 they were looking for something big and spectacular. 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:43.039 And then Jesus comes on the scene and he starts 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:47.419 to upend or confound those expectations. While 00:03:47.419 --> 00:03:51.020 Israel was looking for a triumphant king, God 00:03:51.020 --> 00:03:54.659 gave them a baby born in a manger. They were 00:03:54.659 --> 00:03:56.699 looking for a child, if he's going to be born, 00:03:56.759 --> 00:04:00.659 to be born to royalty. God gave them a child 00:04:00.659 --> 00:04:04.460 born to a peasant couple from Nazareth. Far from 00:04:04.460 --> 00:04:06.699 arriving in majesty, the kingdom of God came 00:04:06.699 --> 00:04:12.520 unnoticeable. Small. Like a mustard seed. And 00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:15.240 it really came hidden. And only those of the 00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:18.560 eyes of faith could perceive it. And one of the 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:20.540 things we start to see in Matthew's gospel is 00:04:20.540 --> 00:04:24.959 that God defies our expectations. He does not 00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:27.000 always work in the ways that we think he ought 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:30.199 to work. As the scriptures say, his ways are 00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:33.639 not our ways. And his thoughts are not our thoughts. 00:04:34.720 --> 00:04:38.399 The Lord's greatest endeavors often begin in... 00:04:38.620 --> 00:04:42.480 unremarkable ways. For example, that baby that 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:46.040 was born to that teenage mother in Bethlehem, 00:04:46.120 --> 00:04:50.180 he becomes the savior of the world. The poor 00:04:50.180 --> 00:04:53.259 carpenter from the small, and I'm going to use 00:04:53.259 --> 00:04:56.560 the word, podunk town of Nazareth, he becomes 00:04:56.560 --> 00:04:59.800 a central figure in all of human history, literally 00:04:59.800 --> 00:05:04.160 becomes the dividing point of time. That's Jesus. 00:05:05.420 --> 00:05:08.259 We think of 12 ordinary men sent out on a preaching 00:05:08.259 --> 00:05:11.660 mission and they change the world and they carry 00:05:11.660 --> 00:05:13.980 the message of salvation to all the nations. 00:05:15.339 --> 00:05:17.540 But when today, when it comes to our culture, 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:23.259 we prize instant dramatic results. But God does 00:05:23.259 --> 00:05:27.879 his work slowly, imperceptibly, sometimes even 00:05:27.879 --> 00:05:31.399 secretly. Because God will first do his work 00:05:31.399 --> 00:05:34.079 in the inner recesses of the human heart and 00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:38.160 not on some public stage. But yes, his work does 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:41.560 begin small and it looks insignificant. But it 00:05:41.560 --> 00:05:45.220 certainly does not end up that way. Look at verses 00:05:45.220 --> 00:05:48.360 31 and 32. He puts this parable to them. He said, 00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:51.279 the kingdom of God, it's like a mustard seed. 00:05:52.279 --> 00:05:54.120 So we ought to be asking ourselves, how, in what 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:57.819 ways is the kingdom like a mustard seed? The 00:05:57.819 --> 00:06:00.199 Lord Jesus is using in these parables figures 00:06:00.199 --> 00:06:03.379 from everyday life that is going to illumine 00:06:03.379 --> 00:06:07.199 spiritual truths. So in this case, the Lord Jesus, 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:10.259 he's using a mustard seed, which was proverbially 00:06:10.259 --> 00:06:13.019 small. Now let me just give a little caveat here. 00:06:13.639 --> 00:06:15.879 If you know about this parable, you do know that 00:06:15.879 --> 00:06:18.819 some skeptics take this and they try to argue 00:06:18.819 --> 00:06:21.399 against the inspiration of Scripture. They're 00:06:21.399 --> 00:06:23.800 saying this is an error in the Bible. Because 00:06:23.800 --> 00:06:26.500 it says in Matthew that the mustard seed is the 00:06:26.500 --> 00:06:29.779 smallest of all the seeds. When in fact it isn't 00:06:29.779 --> 00:06:32.519 the smallest of all the seeds. Now first of all 00:06:32.519 --> 00:06:34.779 we have to understand Jesus was not saying you 00:06:34.779 --> 00:06:37.360 could not find a smaller seed anywhere else. 00:06:37.959 --> 00:06:41.420 He was not giving a botany lesson. He was simply 00:06:41.420 --> 00:06:44.420 using something the people were already familiar 00:06:44.420 --> 00:06:47.500 with. And the people at that time commonly held 00:06:47.500 --> 00:06:50.100 the mustard seed to be the smallest of all seeds. 00:06:50.540 --> 00:06:53.319 And his point. He was showing them something 00:06:53.319 --> 00:06:57.019 very, very proverbially small, something tiny, 00:06:57.339 --> 00:06:59.959 and yet it grows into something quite large. 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:03.579 And moreover, if you look at Jesus' teaching 00:07:03.579 --> 00:07:06.620 or his parables, he often employed hyperbole 00:07:06.620 --> 00:07:09.300 anyways. And he did so to highlight his point. 00:07:09.779 --> 00:07:11.779 So the point of this parable, if we don't want 00:07:11.779 --> 00:07:13.279 to miss it, don't get caught up in the details. 00:07:13.720 --> 00:07:16.339 Parables are not meant to go down deep into details. 00:07:17.240 --> 00:07:21.870 This seed that starts out very, very tiny, grows 00:07:21.870 --> 00:07:26.269 into a very large plant. Now, it says tree. Technically, 00:07:26.470 --> 00:07:28.509 again, in the botanical sense, it's not a tree. 00:07:29.129 --> 00:07:31.930 But this metaphor is brilliant. Because here 00:07:31.930 --> 00:07:35.069 we are 2 ,000 years later, and this metaphor 00:07:35.069 --> 00:07:38.509 still holds up. It's not obsolete. We all can 00:07:38.509 --> 00:07:41.269 understand the concept of a tiny seed growing 00:07:41.269 --> 00:07:43.649 into something quite big. And that's what Jesus 00:07:43.649 --> 00:07:46.410 said. He said, the kingdom of heaven is like 00:07:46.410 --> 00:07:49.550 this seed. Now, that ought to tell something. 00:07:50.319 --> 00:07:53.560 The kingdom of heaven does not arrive fully formed. 00:07:54.379 --> 00:07:58.319 Not in its full manifestation. But that would 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:00.579 have been contrary to the Jewish expectation. 00:08:01.540 --> 00:08:03.860 Because they believed, as I said earlier, that 00:08:03.860 --> 00:08:07.000 the kingdom arrived full. In its full and complete 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:09.920 manifestation at the very beginning. And in this 00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:12.899 parable, the Lord is correcting their misunderstanding. 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:15.759 They were looking for something to dramatically 00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:20.529 arrive. And so they tripped over Jesus. He didn't 00:08:20.529 --> 00:08:24.269 fit the bill. His teachings did not align with 00:08:24.269 --> 00:08:28.750 conventional Jewish thought. The long -anticipated 00:08:28.750 --> 00:08:32.289 kingdom had come. But it had come in some hidden 00:08:32.289 --> 00:08:35.429 way with Jesus. Now, do you remember when Jesus 00:08:35.429 --> 00:08:38.190 and John the Baptist, they both come on the scene 00:08:38.190 --> 00:08:40.129 and they're essentially preaching the same message. 00:08:40.490 --> 00:08:44.090 Repent. Why? Calling Israel to repent. Because 00:08:44.090 --> 00:08:47.509 the kingdom of heaven was at hand. It was near. 00:08:47.990 --> 00:08:50.750 It had come. It had come in the person of Jesus. 00:08:51.590 --> 00:08:54.870 So we have here the kingdom coming, but it comes 00:08:54.870 --> 00:08:59.129 in obscurity. It doesn't come in glory. And apart 00:08:59.129 --> 00:09:03.210 from that, the king comes in meekness, not ruling 00:09:03.210 --> 00:09:05.950 in majesty. So when you think about the kingdom 00:09:05.950 --> 00:09:08.570 of God, the kingdom of God did not look like 00:09:08.570 --> 00:09:11.789 a kingdom at all, especially when you compare 00:09:11.789 --> 00:09:14.110 it to the many religions that existed in Rome 00:09:14.110 --> 00:09:17.330 at that time. There were many gods of the Roman 00:09:17.330 --> 00:09:20.419 pantheon. You also had many mystery religions 00:09:20.419 --> 00:09:23.059 in the ancient world. We know them from history. 00:09:23.860 --> 00:09:26.519 So in the Roman Empire, there were these many 00:09:26.519 --> 00:09:30.200 mystery religions. There were many adherents 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:34.120 to these religions. But the kingdom of God, you 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:38.539 had Jesus and a few disciples. And apart from 00:09:38.539 --> 00:09:42.059 that, those disciples were not part of the religious 00:09:42.059 --> 00:09:45.759 elite. And none of them were from the noble aristocratic 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:49.590 class. So what's going on here? This is nothing 00:09:49.590 --> 00:09:52.389 what they would have thought. So God's kingdom, 00:09:52.450 --> 00:09:55.690 it arrived in obscurity, but Jesus in his parable 00:09:55.690 --> 00:09:59.370 says, but don't worry, it will grow to be something 00:09:59.370 --> 00:10:02.509 stately. He said, when it has grown, it'll be 00:10:02.509 --> 00:10:04.909 larger, this mustard seed, than all the garden 00:10:04.909 --> 00:10:08.129 plants and become a tree so that even birds make 00:10:08.129 --> 00:10:10.970 nests in its branches. So the point Jesus was 00:10:10.970 --> 00:10:12.809 making is the kingdom of God is going to start 00:10:12.809 --> 00:10:16.629 small, minuscule in fact. Like a tiny mustard 00:10:16.629 --> 00:10:20.750 seed. But through time. And by God's blessing. 00:10:21.529 --> 00:10:23.490 That seed is going to take root in the ground. 00:10:23.769 --> 00:10:26.389 And it's going to grow. And continue to grow. 00:10:26.470 --> 00:10:28.909 And to become something very big. Large enough 00:10:28.909 --> 00:10:31.470 he said. So that even the birds will make nests 00:10:31.470 --> 00:10:34.970 in its branches. So the kingdom. Yes at that 00:10:34.970 --> 00:10:39.909 time. It looks very insignificant. But it grew 00:10:39.909 --> 00:10:42.830 to be a great kingdom. Encompassing the entire 00:10:42.830 --> 00:10:45.690 globe. Today, this morning as I preach, there 00:10:45.690 --> 00:10:48.850 are baptized Christians on every continent worshiping 00:10:48.850 --> 00:10:53.169 the risen Christ and proclaiming him Lord. Now 00:10:53.169 --> 00:10:54.769 we understand that not everyone who names the 00:10:54.769 --> 00:10:57.490 name of Christ belongs to him. But just looking 00:10:57.490 --> 00:10:59.570 at adherence to the Christian faith, it is the 00:10:59.570 --> 00:11:02.210 largest world religion, has over 2 .4 billion 00:11:02.210 --> 00:11:06.450 followers. And it all began 2 ,000 years ago 00:11:06.450 --> 00:11:11.029 with 12 Jewish men preaching about the death 00:11:11.029 --> 00:11:14.679 and resurrection. Of a poor carpenter. Outside 00:11:14.679 --> 00:11:18.759 Jerusalem. It doesn't make sense. But Jesus told 00:11:18.759 --> 00:11:21.639 another parable. Essentially highlighting the 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:24.600 same truth. Verse 33. The kingdom of heaven. 00:11:24.620 --> 00:11:27.019 This time it's like leaven. That a woman took 00:11:27.019 --> 00:11:29.879 and hid in three measures of flour. Until it 00:11:29.879 --> 00:11:33.259 was all leavened. Alright. So the kingdom of 00:11:33.259 --> 00:11:35.279 God is like a mustard seed. Now the kingdom of 00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:39.259 God is like leaven. Well how? Of course leaven 00:11:39.259 --> 00:11:42.080 is a substance used to make dough rise. So a 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:46.620 woman took and she hid it in three measures of 00:11:46.620 --> 00:11:49.860 flour. Three measures of flour is enough to make 00:11:49.860 --> 00:11:52.000 bread for about 100 people. So it's significant 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:56.340 here. Jesus' point is just a little bit of leaven 00:11:56.340 --> 00:12:01.659 will change the large quantity of flour. Just 00:12:01.659 --> 00:12:06.100 one Jewish carpenter and 12 disciples changed 00:12:06.100 --> 00:12:10.750 the entire world. Also like leaven. I think this 00:12:10.750 --> 00:12:13.309 is brilliant on the Lord's part. The kingdom 00:12:13.309 --> 00:12:15.470 of God does not work from the outside in, it 00:12:15.470 --> 00:12:19.789 works from the inside out. God first changes 00:12:19.789 --> 00:12:25.169 man's heart. He does a work internally and then 00:12:25.169 --> 00:12:28.389 you see the results externally. And we start 00:12:28.389 --> 00:12:30.129 to see this in the book of Acts. If you look 00:12:30.129 --> 00:12:32.169 at the book of Acts, you're going to see how 00:12:32.169 --> 00:12:36.009 the kingdom of God is like leaven as you behold 00:12:36.009 --> 00:12:38.350 the explosive growth of the church throughout 00:12:38.350 --> 00:12:40.799 the entire letter there. So the church started 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:44.620 in Jerusalem, but it grew until it reached the 00:12:44.620 --> 00:12:46.679 entire known world. Now we're going to do a survey 00:12:46.679 --> 00:12:49.159 real quickly through the book of Acts. In Acts 00:12:49.159 --> 00:12:51.139 1 .8, it kind of sets up the template for the 00:12:51.139 --> 00:12:54.600 rest of the book. Acts 1 .8, Jesus speaking. 00:12:54.779 --> 00:12:57.500 But you, to his disciples, will receive power 00:12:57.500 --> 00:13:00.480 when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:05.179 shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, Judea. 00:13:05.460 --> 00:13:08.059 So you've got southern Israel. Samaria, that's 00:13:08.059 --> 00:13:10.440 middle, it's really not Israel proper, and Galilee 00:13:10.440 --> 00:13:14.080 in the north, and to the end of the earth. So 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:17.720 Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the end of the 00:13:17.720 --> 00:13:20.659 earth. Now in chapters 1 through 7 of the book 00:13:20.659 --> 00:13:23.000 of Acts, you see the growth of the church, first 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:25.440 of all, in Jerusalem. Because the church started 00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:27.980 out with just about 120 people. And you see that 00:13:27.980 --> 00:13:30.799 in chapter 1, verse 15. And it says, And in those 00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:33.860 days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples. 00:13:34.139 --> 00:13:38.000 Now notice what Luke writes here. All together, 00:13:38.100 --> 00:13:42.179 the number of names is about 120. That's it. 00:13:42.600 --> 00:13:46.159 About 120 in the world. Now, Peter, in chapter 00:13:46.159 --> 00:13:50.320 2, he preaches at Pentecost. And the Holy Spirit 00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:53.179 powerfully is poured out or given at that time. 00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:55.639 And we see something in chapter 2, verse 41. 00:13:56.360 --> 00:13:58.679 Then those who gladly received his word were 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:02.940 baptized. And in that day, about 3 ,000 souls. 00:14:03.939 --> 00:14:06.899 We're added to them. So one day it's 120. The 00:14:06.899 --> 00:14:10.080 very next day it's 3 ,120. Go over to chapter 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:13.320 4. However, many of those who heard the word 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:16.860 believed. Now notice this little phrase. And 00:14:16.860 --> 00:14:20.419 the number of the men, not women, children. The 00:14:20.419 --> 00:14:24.500 number of the men came to be about 5 ,000. So 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:26.720 now by this time, you have the church growing 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:29.799 to where just men alone is numbering 5 ,000. 00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:33.929 We go to chapter 6. Then the word of God spread, 00:14:34.250 --> 00:14:37.870 and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly 00:14:37.870 --> 00:14:42.629 in Jerusalem. Notice this next line. And a great 00:14:42.629 --> 00:14:45.529 many of the priests were obedient to the faith. 00:14:45.649 --> 00:14:48.450 The church keeps growing, and it says apart from 00:14:48.450 --> 00:14:51.370 that, many of the Jewish priests became Christians. 00:14:52.750 --> 00:14:54.789 But in chapter 7, you have something dramatic 00:14:54.789 --> 00:14:57.590 happen. You have the first martyr of the church, 00:14:57.629 --> 00:14:59.529 which is Stephen. He's killed. He's stoned to 00:14:59.529 --> 00:15:02.139 death. So you would think that almost might bring 00:15:02.139 --> 00:15:04.200 the work to nothing. It might halt the work there. 00:15:04.500 --> 00:15:06.899 This is going to cause the church to go in hiding, 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:10.159 right? So what you see from this point forward 00:15:10.159 --> 00:15:14.039 is the church growing rapidly despite the persecution. 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:17.559 In fact, in chapters 8 through 12, the gospel 00:15:17.559 --> 00:15:20.159 spreads beyond Jerusalem and goes into Samaria. 00:15:20.279 --> 00:15:24.080 Look at chapter 8, verse 1. At that time, a great 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:26.679 persecution arose against the church, which was 00:15:26.679 --> 00:15:29.399 at Jerusalem. And they were all scattered throughout 00:15:29.399 --> 00:15:32.720 the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:35.320 apostles who stayed behind. Therefore, those 00:15:35.320 --> 00:15:37.639 who were scattered, notice what they did. They 00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:40.519 went everywhere. What were they doing? Preaching 00:15:40.519 --> 00:15:43.539 the word. So you have persecuted Christians fleeing 00:15:43.539 --> 00:15:45.980 out of Jerusalem, but they're not keeping their 00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:48.960 mouth shut. They kept preaching the gospel everywhere 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:51.120 they went. And in fact, now we have the record 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:55.159 of Philip. He goes into Samaria, chapter 8, verses 00:15:55.159 --> 00:15:58.360 5 and 6. Then Philip went down to the city of 00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:01.000 Samaria and he preached Christ to them. Now remember 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:03.519 the Jews and Samaritans hated each other. So 00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:05.980 these groups were at odds with each other. And 00:16:05.980 --> 00:16:09.340 the multitudes with one accord heeded the things 00:16:09.340 --> 00:16:12.120 spoken by Philip. God's doing a work in Samaria. 00:16:12.419 --> 00:16:16.639 Chapter 9, verse 31. Then the churches throughout 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:20.259 all Judea, southern Israel, Galilee, northern 00:16:20.259 --> 00:16:23.350 Israel, and Samaria. That's not... Technically, 00:16:23.350 --> 00:16:26.230 it's the middle section, not Israel proper. They 00:16:26.230 --> 00:16:29.789 had peace and were edified, and walking in the 00:16:29.789 --> 00:16:31.450 fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy 00:16:31.450 --> 00:16:35.190 Spirit, they were multiplied. Wonderful, but 00:16:35.190 --> 00:16:38.830 there's no Gentiles. Chapter 10, the gospel goes 00:16:38.830 --> 00:16:41.769 to the Gentiles. So the apostle Peter, he is 00:16:41.769 --> 00:16:44.649 to preach to a Gentile man named Cornelius who 00:16:44.649 --> 00:16:46.669 had gathered his family and many people in his 00:16:46.669 --> 00:16:49.559 own house. Peter's preaching to them. And as 00:16:49.559 --> 00:16:51.980 he's preaching to them, the Holy Spirit is given 00:16:51.980 --> 00:16:54.220 to them just like he was at Pentecost to the 00:16:54.220 --> 00:16:58.120 Jews. Chapter 10, verse 45. And those of the 00:16:58.120 --> 00:17:00.340 circumcision, that is the Jews who believed, 00:17:00.519 --> 00:17:02.480 they were astonished. They couldn't believe what 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:05.079 they were seeing. And as many as came with Peter, 00:17:05.240 --> 00:17:08.319 why were they so astonished? Because the gift 00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:10.900 of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the 00:17:10.900 --> 00:17:16.440 Gentiles also. Go to chapter 11. Now those who 00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:18.740 were scattered after the persecution that arose 00:17:18.740 --> 00:17:21.940 over Stephen, they're traveling as far as, notice, 00:17:22.119 --> 00:17:26.960 Phoenicia, Cyprus, Antioch, preaching the word 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:31.140 to no one but the Jews only. But some of them 00:17:31.140 --> 00:17:33.500 were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who when they 00:17:33.500 --> 00:17:35.440 had come to Antioch, they spoke to the Hellenists. 00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:37.480 Who are the Hellenists? Greek -speaking Jews. 00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:40.380 They lived, they were also, they adopted Greek 00:17:40.380 --> 00:17:43.420 culture. And they were preaching to the Hellenists 00:17:43.420 --> 00:17:47.049 the word Jesus. And God was blessing them. The 00:17:47.049 --> 00:17:49.589 hand of the Lord was upon them. And notice the 00:17:49.589 --> 00:17:53.289 text. A great number believed and turned to the 00:17:53.289 --> 00:17:56.750 Lord. Chapter 12, verse 24. The word of God grew 00:17:56.750 --> 00:18:00.710 and multiplied. Now in Acts chapter 13 through 00:18:00.710 --> 00:18:03.470 28, the gospel, it's already been in Jerusalem. 00:18:03.569 --> 00:18:05.250 It's already in Judea. It's already in Samaria. 00:18:05.589 --> 00:18:07.970 It's gone everywhere in Israel. Now it's going 00:18:07.970 --> 00:18:10.609 to go to the ends of the earth. In chapter 13 00:18:10.609 --> 00:18:13.089 and 14, it records Paul's first missionary journey. 00:18:13.589 --> 00:18:16.210 The gospel, these cities, you have Cyprus, Antioch, 00:18:16.210 --> 00:18:18.910 Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. All cities in Asia. 00:18:19.730 --> 00:18:23.190 Look at chapter 13, verses 48. Now when the Gentiles 00:18:23.190 --> 00:18:25.410 heard this, they were glad and they glorified 00:18:25.410 --> 00:18:28.210 the word of the Lord. And as many as had been 00:18:28.210 --> 00:18:31.990 appointed to eternal life believed. And the word 00:18:31.990 --> 00:18:34.390 of the Lord was being spread throughout all that 00:18:34.390 --> 00:18:37.150 region. Then we go to chapter 16 through 18. 00:18:37.470 --> 00:18:39.589 Now you have Paul's second missionary journey. 00:18:40.309 --> 00:18:43.539 Look at chapter 16, verse 5. So the churches 00:18:43.539 --> 00:18:46.880 were strengthened in the faith, and they increased 00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:49.660 in number daily. If you read through chapter 00:18:49.660 --> 00:18:52.420 16 through 18, you see the gospel goes to Europe. 00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:55.319 You have cities. You have Macedonia, Philippi, 00:18:55.380 --> 00:18:59.920 Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth. Those are 00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:04.160 European. Chapters 19 through 21, you have Paul's 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:06.859 third and final missionary journey. Chapter 19, 00:19:07.019 --> 00:19:10.119 verse 20. So the word of the Lord grew mightily 00:19:10.119 --> 00:19:12.960 and prevailed. Churches then were established 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:16.140 in Ephesus and in Asia Minor, which is in Asia 00:19:16.140 --> 00:19:19.460 Minor. Then chapters 21 through 28, the Apostle 00:19:19.460 --> 00:19:22.660 Paul's rested. Where does he have to go after 00:19:22.660 --> 00:19:25.099 his arrest? He heads to Rome, the capital city 00:19:25.099 --> 00:19:28.759 of the empire. What's Paul doing? Well, he's 00:19:28.759 --> 00:19:31.220 in prison. He's under house arrest. But he keeps 00:19:31.220 --> 00:19:33.559 preaching, and the book of Acts ends with these 00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:36.819 verses. Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his 00:19:36.819 --> 00:19:39.259 own rented house, received all who came to him. 00:19:39.500 --> 00:19:43.900 What was he doing? Preaching what? The kingdom 00:19:43.900 --> 00:19:47.039 of God. And teaching the things which concern 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:50.579 the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence. And 00:19:50.579 --> 00:19:52.539 no one was forbidding him. He was given great 00:19:52.539 --> 00:19:56.460 access here. So the gospel went from Jerusalem 00:19:56.460 --> 00:20:01.160 to Judea to Samaria to Asia to Asia Minor to 00:20:01.160 --> 00:20:04.339 Europe to the ends of the earth to Rome. So the 00:20:04.339 --> 00:20:06.799 Christian faith is spreading from a small group 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:11.269 like a mustard seed to the center. And to the 00:20:11.269 --> 00:20:13.910 higher known world at that time. The kingdom 00:20:13.910 --> 00:20:17.890 of God is like leaven. It keeps spreading. It's 00:20:17.890 --> 00:20:21.470 infiltrating. Now why then is the teaching of 00:20:21.470 --> 00:20:26.309 the kingdom still relevant to us today? Because 00:20:26.309 --> 00:20:28.750 as Christians we live in the kingdom of God. 00:20:29.269 --> 00:20:30.710 How are you to seek it if you don't know what 00:20:30.710 --> 00:20:32.750 it is? Now I'm going to give you an academic 00:20:32.750 --> 00:20:34.630 definition. I got this from the Gospel Coalition. 00:20:35.049 --> 00:20:36.849 There are so many different ways you can define 00:20:36.849 --> 00:20:39.660 the kingdom. It's good and I think it's simplistic 00:20:39.660 --> 00:20:42.619 enough to understand. The kingdom of God is the 00:20:42.619 --> 00:20:44.380 rule of God. We could really stop there. That's 00:20:44.380 --> 00:20:47.940 what it is. It is the rule of God over his people 00:20:47.940 --> 00:20:52.059 in his creation. So at the beginning, everything's 00:20:52.059 --> 00:20:56.720 a kingdom. Established through his Messiah in 00:20:56.720 --> 00:20:59.200 the new covenant, which is now present in the 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:03.059 world, although it is awaiting its fulfillment 00:21:03.059 --> 00:21:06.079 at the second coming of Christ. It's here in 00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:08.960 seed form. It's not yet here in full and final 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:10.940 form. So I was looking at different ways to say 00:21:10.940 --> 00:21:12.980 this. I saw a YouTube video with Matt Chandler. 00:21:12.980 --> 00:21:15.720 He used three words, alliterated. I typically 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:18.700 don't alliterate, but he used dwell, dominion, 00:21:18.700 --> 00:21:20.839 and dynasty. So I thought, okay, let me see if 00:21:20.839 --> 00:21:23.200 this helps. So the first of all, if you think 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:26.059 about the kingdom of God, it's dwelling. In the 00:21:26.059 --> 00:21:27.819 very beginning of creation, when God created 00:21:27.819 --> 00:21:31.480 Adam, what was he doing? Dwelling with man where? 00:21:32.129 --> 00:21:34.630 In the Garden of Eden. So from Genesis to Revelation, 00:21:35.109 --> 00:21:41.710 really the Bible can be summarized with these 00:21:41.710 --> 00:21:45.910 words. God is with us. In Eden, God is with us. 00:21:46.529 --> 00:21:48.630 Later, you have the tabernacle. What was the 00:21:48.630 --> 00:21:50.309 purpose of the tabernacle and then the temple? 00:21:50.990 --> 00:21:53.670 The Holy of Holies, what's the purpose? God is 00:21:53.670 --> 00:21:58.150 with us. And then later, you have Jesus. He is 00:21:58.150 --> 00:22:02.119 the Son of God, the true tabernacle. God is with 00:22:02.119 --> 00:22:06.140 us. At Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit is poured 00:22:06.140 --> 00:22:10.140 out on God's people, God is with us. When you 00:22:10.140 --> 00:22:12.460 go to the very last book of the Bible, the book 00:22:12.460 --> 00:22:14.400 of the Revelation, what do you find? There's 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:17.460 a new heaven, there's a new earth, and God is 00:22:17.460 --> 00:22:19.779 with us. He's dwelling with his people. Revelation 00:22:19.779 --> 00:22:23.160 7 .15, Therefore they are before the throne of 00:22:23.160 --> 00:22:25.059 God, and they serve him day and night in his 00:22:25.059 --> 00:22:27.720 temple, and he who sits on the throne will dwell 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:31.009 among them. God is dwelling with his people. 00:22:31.089 --> 00:22:33.190 That's part of the kingdom. We will dwell with 00:22:33.190 --> 00:22:36.769 God. God is living with his people in fellowship. 00:22:37.990 --> 00:22:41.990 But under his dominion, under his rule, we live 00:22:41.990 --> 00:22:44.970 under the rule of God. When God created Adam, 00:22:45.150 --> 00:22:49.029 he created mankind to take dominion over his 00:22:49.029 --> 00:22:52.509 creation. But God is the true king. Man was created 00:22:52.509 --> 00:22:55.470 to serve as vice regents who is going to rule 00:22:55.470 --> 00:22:58.309 over the created order in a subservient way. 00:22:59.470 --> 00:23:01.829 But what happened? Well, sin entered the world 00:23:01.829 --> 00:23:05.190 and fractured the relationship that had existed 00:23:05.190 --> 00:23:09.210 between God and man. So because of sin, mankind 00:23:09.210 --> 00:23:14.069 is now alienated from God. He needs to be redeemed 00:23:14.069 --> 00:23:16.390 and brought back into fellowship. He needs to 00:23:16.390 --> 00:23:19.789 be reconciled to God. How's that going to be 00:23:19.789 --> 00:23:22.869 possible? Sacrifices aren't going to do it. The 00:23:22.869 --> 00:23:24.529 blood of animals, the blood of bulls and goats 00:23:24.529 --> 00:23:29.799 can't do it. So the Son of God becomes man. And 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:32.819 he made the necessary atonement so that mankind 00:23:32.819 --> 00:23:35.900 might be brought back into a restored relationship 00:23:35.900 --> 00:23:41.319 with God. Man is reconciled through faith in 00:23:41.319 --> 00:23:43.880 God's Messiah. So what does that mean? It means 00:23:43.880 --> 00:23:46.059 when the sinner calls upon the Lord Jesus in 00:23:46.059 --> 00:23:50.220 faith, he is brought into this kingdom and the 00:23:50.220 --> 00:23:54.880 Holy Spirit comes to dwell within him. The believer 00:23:54.880 --> 00:23:58.630 is baptized in the name of the triune God. Why 00:23:58.630 --> 00:24:01.250 do we baptize in the name of God, in the name 00:24:01.250 --> 00:24:03.390 of the triune God? Because we're marking out 00:24:03.390 --> 00:24:07.829 that person as belonging to God. Baptism is a 00:24:07.829 --> 00:24:10.529 sign of the covenant. It's a sign that that person 00:24:10.529 --> 00:24:12.990 who is baptized is in covenant with God. He is 00:24:12.990 --> 00:24:16.730 one of God's own. He belongs to him. So now God's 00:24:16.730 --> 00:24:18.329 people, we're still called to take dominion, 00:24:18.329 --> 00:24:21.289 but how do we do it now? We spread the gospel 00:24:21.289 --> 00:24:23.390 of Christ throughout the world, preaching Jesus 00:24:23.390 --> 00:24:26.970 and him crucified. We're calling people to submit 00:24:26.970 --> 00:24:32.369 themselves to God's rule under his kingdom. Jesus, 00:24:32.390 --> 00:24:35.150 at the end of Matthew, in verse 28, gives a mandate 00:24:35.150 --> 00:24:38.609 to his church. He commands his disciples to go 00:24:38.609 --> 00:24:40.809 into all the nations, go into all the world, 00:24:40.849 --> 00:24:43.869 and preach the gospel, make disciples of the 00:24:43.869 --> 00:24:47.130 nations by baptizing them. In the name of the 00:24:47.130 --> 00:24:50.069 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And then those 00:24:50.069 --> 00:24:53.269 who were baptized were to be instructed to obey 00:24:53.269 --> 00:24:56.089 all that Christ had commanded. They were to live 00:24:56.089 --> 00:24:59.150 under his rule. So that's what part of the kingdom 00:24:59.150 --> 00:25:02.210 is. We dwell with God and we live under the lordship 00:25:02.210 --> 00:25:06.349 of Christ and we joyfully submit to him. Because 00:25:06.349 --> 00:25:10.329 our loyalty and our allegiance belong to God. 00:25:11.150 --> 00:25:13.170 You're saying, but we live in the world. Absolutely 00:25:13.170 --> 00:25:15.670 we live in the world, but we are first and foremost 00:25:15.670 --> 00:25:20.549 citizens of heaven who belong to our king. That's 00:25:20.549 --> 00:25:23.210 where our loyalty truly lies. And God's people 00:25:23.210 --> 00:25:26.089 take dominion by preaching Christ to the nations 00:25:26.089 --> 00:25:28.829 and seeing the kingdom of God continue to grow. 00:25:29.609 --> 00:25:32.589 It's what we saw in the book of Acts, and it 00:25:32.589 --> 00:25:36.890 continues until today. But we also then have 00:25:36.890 --> 00:25:39.849 a dynasty. When Christ returns to the earth, 00:25:40.490 --> 00:25:44.750 And the kingdom comes in its fruition. There 00:25:44.750 --> 00:25:48.190 will be new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness 00:25:48.190 --> 00:25:51.490 dwells, no sin at all. And God's enemies all 00:25:51.490 --> 00:25:53.849 will have been defeated at that time. And God 00:25:53.849 --> 00:25:57.529 will once again dwell with his people in unhindered, 00:25:57.569 --> 00:26:00.950 unfettered fellowship. No longer any separation 00:26:00.950 --> 00:26:04.029 whatsoever. And all the nations will have come 00:26:04.029 --> 00:26:06.329 under the lordship of Christ because the nations 00:26:06.329 --> 00:26:10.880 are given to Christ. Acts 2. God's people, or 00:26:10.880 --> 00:26:14.619 excuse me, Psalm 2. God's people will live and 00:26:14.619 --> 00:26:20.000 reign with Christ in his eternal dynasty. We 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:25.099 are co -heirs with Christ. In our union with 00:26:25.099 --> 00:26:27.519 Christ. Friends, do you understand that you're 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:30.559 going to inherit what God the Father is going 00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:34.200 to give to Jesus? He says you are co -heirs with 00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:38.849 Christ. We will share. In that glorious inheritance 00:26:38.849 --> 00:26:42.029 that God the Father will give to his son, the 00:26:42.029 --> 00:26:46.630 Lord Jesus. That's your future. That's what we 00:26:46.630 --> 00:26:49.150 have to look forward to. That's why we can suffer 00:26:49.150 --> 00:26:50.849 that Peter called us to when we read earlier. 00:26:51.210 --> 00:26:54.730 This is not all there is. We have a glorious 00:26:54.730 --> 00:26:58.769 future. The story of the Bible is about God restoring 00:26:58.769 --> 00:27:02.369 his perfect kingdom. We will forever live with 00:27:02.369 --> 00:27:06.200 God, dwell. under his rule, dominion, in his 00:27:06.200 --> 00:27:10.460 eternal dynasty. This is the kingdom. And it 00:27:10.460 --> 00:27:14.140 gives our lives hope and purpose. The prophet 00:27:14.140 --> 00:27:17.819 Daniel, he got a glimpse of this glorious kingdom 00:27:17.819 --> 00:27:22.160 in its fullness. In Daniel 2, verse 44. Now listen 00:27:22.160 --> 00:27:26.079 carefully. These verses just blow my mind. Chapter 00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:29.160 2, verse 44. And in the days of these kings, 00:27:29.380 --> 00:27:31.359 the God of heaven, and I don't have time to set 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:33.579 up the background. Just listen to the text. The 00:27:33.579 --> 00:27:36.160 God of heaven will set up a kingdom, God's kingdom, 00:27:36.339 --> 00:27:39.859 which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom 00:27:39.859 --> 00:27:42.779 shall not be left to other people. It shall break 00:27:42.779 --> 00:27:45.099 in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, all 00:27:45.099 --> 00:27:47.579 the worldly kingdoms. And it shall stand forever. 00:27:47.740 --> 00:27:49.819 Let me just say this, friends. Empires, nations 00:27:49.819 --> 00:27:52.740 will rise and fall. God's kingdom will not. It's 00:27:52.740 --> 00:27:55.619 eternal. It's never going to be toppled. Ever. 00:27:56.140 --> 00:27:58.900 King Jesus reigns forever. Now you go to chapter 00:27:58.900 --> 00:28:04.319 7 of Daniel. I was watching in the night visions, 00:28:04.339 --> 00:28:08.819 and behold, one like the Son of Man, coming with 00:28:08.819 --> 00:28:10.680 the clouds of heaven, usually referred to judgment, 00:28:10.920 --> 00:28:14.000 he came to the ancient of days. Now this is a 00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:18.859 vision. The Father and the Son are not, I can't 00:28:18.859 --> 00:28:22.170 think of the word, ontologically separate. You're 00:28:22.170 --> 00:28:23.390 like, I don't know what ontologically means. 00:28:23.470 --> 00:28:25.049 Well, good, but they're not ontologically separate. 00:28:25.450 --> 00:28:27.089 So when we're looking at this, this is a vision, 00:28:27.210 --> 00:28:29.690 all right? I see one like the Son of Man coming 00:28:29.690 --> 00:28:32.789 with the clouds of heaven. He came to the ancient 00:28:32.789 --> 00:28:35.609 days, representing God the Father. And they brought 00:28:35.609 --> 00:28:38.109 him near before him so that you have God the 00:28:38.109 --> 00:28:39.750 Son being brought near God the Father. It's a 00:28:39.750 --> 00:28:42.150 vision. They're one being, one in essence. We 00:28:42.150 --> 00:28:45.349 know that. Then to him, that's the Son of Man, 00:28:45.369 --> 00:28:51.539 that's Christ, was given dominion. And glory. 00:28:52.180 --> 00:28:56.460 And a kingdom. What's the glory look like? That 00:28:56.460 --> 00:29:00.559 all peoples, nations, and languages should serve 00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:04.440 him. Gladly submit to his rule. His dominion 00:29:04.440 --> 00:29:09.039 is an everlasting dominion. Which shall not pass 00:29:09.039 --> 00:29:13.740 away. And his kingdom, the one which shall not 00:29:13.740 --> 00:29:18.049 be destroyed. Every other one will. But look 00:29:18.049 --> 00:29:20.529 at verse 18. But the saints of the Most High 00:29:20.529 --> 00:29:23.569 shall receive the kingdom. It's given to them 00:29:23.569 --> 00:29:27.690 as a gift and possess the kingdom forever, even 00:29:27.690 --> 00:29:30.930 forever and ever. Daniel's out of words. Verse 00:29:30.930 --> 00:29:36.670 27. Then the kingdom and dominion and the greatness 00:29:36.670 --> 00:29:40.289 of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall 00:29:40.289 --> 00:29:43.509 be given to the people, the saints of the Most 00:29:43.509 --> 00:29:47.569 High. And he repeats it. His kingdom. It's an 00:29:47.569 --> 00:29:51.529 everlasting kingdom. And all dominions shall 00:29:51.529 --> 00:29:54.910 serve and obey him. Every earthly dominion will 00:29:54.910 --> 00:29:56.990 be brought under the lordship of Christ. You 00:29:56.990 --> 00:30:01.509 bow or you're judged. The kingdom. It's about 00:30:01.509 --> 00:30:04.470 God dwelling with his people under his dominion, 00:30:04.529 --> 00:30:08.029 living in his dynasty. And that's what Jesus 00:30:08.029 --> 00:30:10.490 is conveying to the people in this parable. Just 00:30:10.490 --> 00:30:13.390 as that seed grows into a tree, the kingdom of 00:30:13.390 --> 00:30:16.329 God can't be stopped. It's not going to be stopped. 00:30:16.680 --> 00:30:18.420 God has his people everywhere and he's going 00:30:18.420 --> 00:30:21.039 to bring them into his kingdom. God has ordained 00:30:21.039 --> 00:30:24.279 the growth of his church. Jesus said in Matthew 00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:28.380 16, he said, I will build my church and the gates 00:30:28.380 --> 00:30:31.680 of hell, the gates of Hades shall not prevail 00:30:31.680 --> 00:30:33.859 against it. You think Satan's going to stop the 00:30:33.859 --> 00:30:37.859 work of God? Not a chance. The kingdom of God 00:30:37.859 --> 00:30:40.119 right now is advancing throughout the world. 00:30:40.200 --> 00:30:44.599 And if you have no Christ, you've been born again 00:30:44.599 --> 00:30:49.049 by his grace. You're part of this. So Paul would 00:30:49.049 --> 00:30:51.869 tell the church at Galatians, don't lose heart. 00:30:52.130 --> 00:30:56.910 Don't grow weary while doing good. All friends, 00:30:56.930 --> 00:31:01.069 in due season, you will reap if you don't faint, 00:31:01.190 --> 00:31:04.210 if you don't lose heart, if you don't quit. This 00:31:04.210 --> 00:31:07.130 puts perspective on your life. It puts perspective 00:31:07.130 --> 00:31:10.670 on our suffering. You, friends, you are part 00:31:10.670 --> 00:31:15.809 of God's work building God's kingdom. So don't 00:31:15.809 --> 00:31:18.890 grow weary. And don't look on what you consider 00:31:18.890 --> 00:31:20.890 insignificant. Look at how the kingdom began. 00:31:21.809 --> 00:31:26.210 God blesses small things. Even small acts mean 00:31:26.210 --> 00:31:28.529 a lot in God's kingdom. Some people, they want 00:31:28.529 --> 00:31:30.589 glorious, dramatic things, and they feel like 00:31:30.589 --> 00:31:32.430 if I'm not doing something dramatic, well, then 00:31:32.430 --> 00:31:34.730 my life doesn't count. That's not the message 00:31:34.730 --> 00:31:38.849 here. Small gifts that are given mean a lot. 00:31:40.470 --> 00:31:45.279 Small acts of charity mean a lot. I was talking 00:31:45.279 --> 00:31:47.180 to Mark and Deanna. They're in nursery this morning. 00:31:47.259 --> 00:31:50.819 I'm like, listen, nursery workers, VBS workers, 00:31:51.400 --> 00:31:54.259 Sunday school workers, toddler church workers, 00:31:54.519 --> 00:31:57.960 aka purgatory workers. We know that's all blessed 00:31:57.960 --> 00:32:01.000 in God's economy. You're like, but it's just 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:03.740 me taking care of a toddler. I've got some toddlers. 00:32:03.839 --> 00:32:08.099 I know it's a blessed moment. But let me just 00:32:08.099 --> 00:32:10.339 say this, and I say this with all sincerity. 00:32:11.599 --> 00:32:15.470 Ordinary faithfulness. Serve your family, dads. 00:32:16.210 --> 00:32:20.190 Love your wives. Disciple your children to know 00:32:20.190 --> 00:32:23.049 and love Christ. Share the gospel with coworkers. 00:32:23.269 --> 00:32:25.950 Even just one person, share the gospel. Open 00:32:25.950 --> 00:32:30.450 your house. Be hospitable. Small moments in prayer. 00:32:30.589 --> 00:32:32.730 I know we read the missionary biographies and 00:32:32.730 --> 00:32:35.230 they spend hours and hours. Spend small moments 00:32:35.230 --> 00:32:38.569 with him. Read just one chapter of the Bible. 00:32:39.250 --> 00:32:42.190 All those things. Be faithful to your church. 00:32:43.789 --> 00:32:46.750 These small acts count for much in eternity. 00:32:47.789 --> 00:32:49.750 And they all add up to something significant. 00:32:50.589 --> 00:32:53.690 I would tell you, mom of young children, you're 00:32:53.690 --> 00:32:55.869 like, all I'm doing is changing diapers, washing 00:32:55.869 --> 00:32:58.470 dishes, and I feel like I'm going crazy. I get 00:32:58.470 --> 00:33:03.269 it. Don't overlook that. It's kingdom work. Having 00:33:03.269 --> 00:33:04.970 babies to the glory of God and raising them to 00:33:04.970 --> 00:33:08.890 fear God. God's going to bless it. A little leaven 00:33:08.890 --> 00:33:13.299 leavens the whole batch. And the whole time you're 00:33:13.299 --> 00:33:15.779 doing it, you feel like your children aren't 00:33:15.779 --> 00:33:19.619 listening, that they're tuning you out. God is 00:33:19.619 --> 00:33:23.700 working quietly, imperceptibly, even unnoticeably 00:33:23.700 --> 00:33:27.160 in the inner recesses of their heart. Don't despise 00:33:27.160 --> 00:33:30.619 that. What God has begun, God will complete, 00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:33.700 and of that there is no doubt. Paul wrote about 00:33:33.700 --> 00:33:35.859 this in 1 Corinthians 15, and we close with this. 00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:43.009 Then comes the end. When he, that is Jesus, delivers 00:33:43.009 --> 00:33:48.470 the kingdom to God the Father, when he puts an 00:33:48.470 --> 00:33:52.250 end to all rule, these guys that think they're 00:33:52.250 --> 00:33:54.910 in charge, they're not, and all authority and 00:33:54.910 --> 00:33:58.670 all power, he puts an end to it, for he, Jesus, 00:33:58.769 --> 00:34:03.549 must reign until he's subjugated everything to 00:34:03.549 --> 00:34:06.849 his rule, until he has put all enemies under 00:34:06.849 --> 00:34:11.800 his feet. He's the triumphant king. He came as 00:34:11.800 --> 00:34:14.760 the lamb, he returns as a lion. Friends, this 00:34:14.760 --> 00:34:19.659 is our destiny. Take heart in that. Be willing 00:34:19.659 --> 00:34:23.860 to suffer if need be because your future is eternally 00:34:23.860 --> 00:34:27.340 bright because of what Christ has done. Let's 00:34:27.340 --> 00:34:29.579 pray. Let's get ready to prepare our hearts for 00:34:29.579 --> 00:34:33.000 communion with this blessed Jesus, with the risen 00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:36.000 ascended Christ, the one who gave his body and 00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:38.599 shed his blood so that we might be brought into 00:34:38.599 --> 00:34:41.199 this kingdom. We're going to prepare our hearts 00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:44.000 now. We need to look. I think there is a time, 00:34:44.039 --> 00:34:46.260 you know, a broken Christ is to be received by 00:34:46.260 --> 00:34:48.760 a broken heart. Let us mourn over our sin, but 00:34:48.760 --> 00:34:50.659 then let us also be happy as we go to the table 00:34:50.659 --> 00:34:53.000 and say, there's the remedy for it. It's a broken 00:34:53.000 --> 00:34:54.980 body in the shed blood of Jesus, and I want to 00:34:54.980 --> 00:34:57.699 commune with the one who purchased me. Let's 00:34:57.699 --> 00:34:59.960 do that for his glory. Deacons, if you would 00:34:59.960 --> 00:35:05.260 come and prepare the table for communion. If 00:35:05.260 --> 00:35:06.980 you're here with us, joining us as a visitor, 00:35:07.079 --> 00:35:10.730 we're thankful to have you here. We believe that 00:35:10.730 --> 00:35:12.469 this is the table of the Lord. It belongs to 00:35:12.469 --> 00:35:15.789 Christ. It's fellowship with Christ. And so if 00:35:15.789 --> 00:35:17.909 you know the Lord Jesus and you've been baptized 00:35:17.909 --> 00:35:20.369 in the triune name of the Father, Son, and Holy 00:35:20.369 --> 00:35:20.730 Spirit.