JESUS TEACHES ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM (Outline)
February 5, 2023 – Epiphany 5 – MATTHEW 13:31-35
INTRO: Our Lord Jesus teaches us about the kingdom of heaven. God’s kingdom. Jesus wants us to understand this divine mystery. It is important to understand the Bible’s definition of mystery. Mystery: something once unknown now revealed. Jesus used parables to make the unknown known. Parable: an earthly example revealing a heavenly meaning. “…To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest I speak in parables so that ‘even though they see, they may not see, and even though they hear, they may not understand’” (LUKE 8:10). JESUS TEACHES ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM. I. Humble beginnings II. Miraculous results
I. GOD’S KINGDOM: HUMBLE BEGINNINGS.
A. Verse 31a. Jesus presented another parable. Matthew 13 contains a number of Jesus’ parables.
1. Chapter 13 starts with the parable of seeds and the sower. Continues with weeds and wheat.
2. Two parables in our verses. Next are parables of treasure in field, pearl of great price, and net.
B. Verse 31b. Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. Insignificant by itself.
1. A man plants the seed. Everything changes. (Last week: people plant, water the seed.)
2. Verse 32a. Mustard seed is very small. God’s kingdom humble beginnings.
C. Verse 33a. Kingdom of heaven is like yeast. Not much. Not very useful by itself.
1. What is yeast? Jesus uses this word in other places. Yeast? It is a fungus.
2. Think about that. Most try to avoid getting a fungus. Everyone knew about seeds and yeast.
D. Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven with easy-to-understand earthly examples. A small seed. A fungus known as yeast. In the Lord’s divine plans these illustrations are important. The seed and the yeast are essential examples for us to understand the deep things of God. These examples also show us that the Lord does not think like we do. Or our thinking is not how the Lord thinks. Our loving, heavenly Father wants us to know him better. To understand the divine. “God chose the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are strong, and God chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things, and the things that are not, to do away with the things that are…” (1 CORINTHIANS 1:27b, 28). A baby born in the small town of Bethlehem to an unwed mother. Humble beginning.
E. Our challenge is to see the Lord’s kingdom in the small, humble things all around us. All too often our world looks for the Lord in glorious and grand events. All too often too many actually wonder what the Lord is doing. World is a mess. Our lives are messy. Why isn’t God helping? Show yourself. Your glory. Power. The prophet Elijah had the same thoughts. The Lord took him to a mountain. “After the wind came an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a soft, whispering voice” (1 KINGS 9:11b, 12). Elijah knew the Lord was in the “soft, whispering voice”. The Lord still speaks to us. In our daily Bible reading the Lord opens our ears to hear. Hearts to believe. Souls to understand more clearly his word. Voice.
F. Another challenge for us is to train ourselves to listen to the Lord. Not easy a in fast-paced society. We want our words, our thoughts to be heard. Listening has become an art not always easily mastered. “Remember this, my dear brothers: Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” (JAMES 1:19). What a beautiful description of us. Christ-followers. God’s children. Or maybe not. Quick to listen. I admit, that I am not doing very well in that area lately. I have become too quick to speak. Too quick to be angry. It is tolerated in our society. Lord, give us patience to listen. To be slow to speak or become angry. People are looking for people to listen. Be quick to listen. Humble servants.
JESUS TEACHES ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM. Seed and yeast are humble beginnings.
II. GOD’S KINGDOM: MIRACLOUS RESULTS
A. Verse 32. The small mustard seed grows into a tree 10-15 feet tall. Serves as home for birds.
1. Serves as a shelter for the birds. Believers are safely sheltered in God’s kingdom.
2. Miraculous results from such a small seed. Planted, watered, and God causes the growth.
B. Verse 33b. The woman mixes the yeast (fungus) into the flour. Once mixed is unable to be divided.
1. Yeast alone is unable to do anything. Flour alone is flour. Combined, fermented yields bread.
2. God’s kingdom includes all people. Believers mixed into the world = miraculous results.
C. Verse 34. Jesus used parables. Excellent method for people to comprehend kingdom of heaven.
1. Verse 35. Jesus’ teachings fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. Fulfilled Father’s will.
2. Psalm 78:2 fulfilled here. Hidden things from creation now revealed (mystery defined).
a. Genesis 3:15 Savior promised. b. Unknown specifics. c. Jesus born, unknown revealed.
D. Everything in the kingdom of God happens because of miraculous results. Only by the Lord’s power can, will, and do miraculous events happen. That is why they are miraculous results! A biblical mystery: something once unknown now revealed. Faith fits the mystery definition. “This mystery is that in Christ Jesus the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and people who also share in the promise through the gospel” (EPHESIANS 3:6). We are heirs of eternal life. Even though we are not from the line of Israel. We are Gentiles. Outsiders. Unbelievers. God’s gospel call now includes us in God’s kingdom. That which was once unknown is now revealed. Once lost. Now saved. God’s grace alone.
E. Do we understand everything written in the Bible? No. There are still some secret things hidden from our complete comprehension. That is okay. Martin Luther stated that we use the easy-to-understand Scriptures to explain the hard-to-understand verses. Sadly, very few follow this standard today. Luther also stated that some of the Bible remains a mystery. Humanly unknown. “The hidden things belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever, so that we carry out all the words of this law” (DEUTERONOMY 29:29). The hidden things belong to God. The revealed, known things belong to us. To the next generations. Revealed things: Christ lived. Died. Rose again. Our sins are forgiven. Christ paid the price for our sins. The world’s sins. Miraculous!
F. The seed of God’s Word has been planted. Watered. God causes miraculous results. The yeast of God’s Word works in and through our hearts and lives. Miraculous results happen only by the power of the Holy Spirit. We were once children of darkness. No longer. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. For those living in the land of the shadow of death, the light has dawned” (ISAIAH 9:2). We are now children of the Light. Miraculous results from humble beginnings. Who would think an infant from Bethlehem could change anything. Jesus changed everything. Who would think that 12 ordinary men in Israel would change the world. God’s power has spread his Word from Jerusalem to Judea to the ends of the earth. We began life as enemies of the Lord God. Who would think we had any hope. Any future. The Light of the world shines in us. Through us for others. Miraculous results!
CONC.: Jesus teaches about the kingdom of heaven. A small, mustard seed. Yeast, a fungus. Humble beginnings. Miraculous results. “Undeniably, great is the mystery of godliness: God was revealed in flesh, was justified in spirit, was seen by messengers, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory” (1 TIMOTHY 3:16). Mystery: what was once unknown is now revealed. Parable: earthly examples to understand heavenly meanings. JESUS TEACHES US ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
EPIPHANY 5 rdgs.: EXODUS 19:1-8; 1 PETER 2:9-12; MATTHEW 5:13-20; (PSALM 111)
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