The Kingdom Of God

Title: The Kingdom of God

Luke 17:20 - 21

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation,

nor will people say, ’Here it is,’ or ’There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you."

If we were to take all that Jesus said in his preaching and examine it, one of the central themes that would be displayed is his teaching concerning THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Many times when he spoke about the Kingdom he taught in parables.

I would like to examine three truths that arise from Jesus’ teaching.

1. The coming of the Kingdom of God and the preaching of the good news doesn’t appear to be much, but it is very much

2. The Kingdom of God is the most valuable thing that anyone could posses and it free.

And finally

3. Everyone is welcome to share in the Kingdom of God but some will foolishly reject it.

PRAYER

1. The coming of the Kingdom of God and the preaching of the good news doesn’t appear to be much, but it is very much

Jesus likens the Kingdom to:

a seed (Matthew 13:31),

And yeast (Matthew 13:33),

Both small things....

Matthew 13:31-33

Jesus Said "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. [32] Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."

[33] He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

Here Jesus takes a heavenly concept and puts it into concrete terms.

He chooses Baking and Gardening to help us understand how God is at work accomplishing his will.

Consider the YEAST

in a right combination with flour, water, sugar and salt the results of yeast in baking are amazing especially compared to its miniscule size.

And then there is the SEED

-The power contained in just one seed and it ability to grow up into a huge tree is imperceptible when it is first viewed.

But once it takes root we marvel at its ability to grow and flourish

It starts out as just this little thing and look now it is become like a tree and a home for birds.

Though we can’t perceive it like God does

Every time his gospel is preached His kingdom is going forth

(Illustration)

Years ago a sociology class from John Hopkins University made a study of Children in a deprived neighborhoods of Baltimore Maryland in the USA. They identified two hundred children who appeared doomed to spend years in prison. After 25 years another study was made to discover what had happened to those particular children. Surprisingly only two had been imprisoned. As these men and women were interviewed over and over again came the name of their teacher known as Aunt Hannah

The sociologists were correct in their predictions. The children would be the trash of society had it not been for the intervention of, Aunt Hanna, an elementary school teacher who had shown them the love of Christ

Who could have known?

That one person showing Jesus love could make such a vast difference.

Though imperceptible at its beginning this story illustrates that The influence of the Kingdom of God cannot be measured, Cannot be predicted,And certainly

Cannot be stopped.

In Context,

Jesus was speaking to disciples who would soon be Apostles preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God to many people.

Jesus wanted them to know

That though they might not perceive the good they were doing by preaching the good news...

Though it may appear that the coming of the KINGDOM OF GOD at their hands might not be much...

They need not be ashamed because It is much, much more than we can imagine!!!!

That is why The Apostle Paul said

Romans 1:16

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:

So every time we share the good news with someone, we need to leave its outcome in God’s hands

Don’t be ashamed

You plant and water

And God will cause it to grow and bring forth fruit.

Secondly

2. The Kingdom of God is the most valuable thing that anyone could posses, and it free!

In (Matthew 13:44) Jesus described it like a treasure

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.