The natives were not initially hospitable as these two men introduced
them to a world beyond their own little island world. The islanders had never
seen skin so white or bodies so clothed. Seeing soap bubbles for the first time
as the prospectors bathed in the river, the natives thought the bubbles were a
skin disease. The natives thought the lanterns the men had were containers with
pieces of the moon in them. When Michael Dwyer took out his dentures, the
natives ran screaming into the jungle.
Could we also be accused of a similar response? Do we also suffer from
“tiny islanditis”? Do we think the whole of reality is what we see and
experience? How do we respond when a foreigner visits and points out that we
live in just a tiny dot of reality? That’s what Jesus did.
Jesus is an invader, a foreigner, an alien, an outsider. He spoke in
language we are not used to and lived by principles never known to us and which
we find difficult to embrace. Jesus spoke of a “kingdom.” In The Story we
discover Jesus declaring, “The time has come. The kingdom of God is near.
Repent and believe the good news.”
Throughout the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke we find that Jesus
was recorded as talking about the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God over
60 times. The kingdom takes center stage for Jesus and His teaching. Sadly the
same cannot be said about what we teach here or at other churches. We don’t
talk about kingdoms today. We don’t like to think about an absolute rule, a monarchy;
instead we tend to like the democracy we have here in the USA. We’re all about
having a vote, putting people into office, and voting people out of office.
The thought of giving someone a lifelong assignment with complete and
absolute rule over every detail of our lives is completely foreign and not
something we want to do. The struggle we face is, it may not be what we want
but it is Biblical.
In the previous 23 weeks of The Story we have seen over and over that
the Bible talks about the Kingdom of God and the King we are to follow.
In Genesis the King created the universe and everything in it. In
Daniel we find Nebuchadnezzar, the pagan king of Babylon, who said:
Daniel 4:34
34 But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation.”
The Old Testament prophets saw a time when God would establish a new rule on earth and often spoke about the coming of a king, a Messiah, the Anointed One.
Zechariah 9:9
“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
This coming King was realized in the coming of a Nazarene carpenter who entered the world and said, ‘the time has come, the Kingdom of God is near, repent and believe the good news.’
So what on earth is God up to? He is up to a kingdom.
Mark 4:3-9
“3 “Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow. 4 As he sowed, this occurred: Some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it sprang up right away, since it didn’t have deep soil. 6 When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it didn’t have a root, it withered. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce a crop. 8 Still others fell on good ground and produced a crop that increased 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.” 9 Then He said, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!”
Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom does not come about with armies carrying swords and riding on chariots. It comes to being in the form of a farmer and the seeds that are spread. Sometimes the seed falls on soft soil and the heart receives the kingdom’s teaching and their life begins to bear fruit. They bear fruit in happiness, and in joy, some 30, some 60, and some 100 fold. Other people have hard hearts, and their soil is crusty and rocky. They don’t like the idea of another king in their lives and they cannot see that there is more to life than the island we see. That seed does not take root.
Jesus gives us 4 scenarios and 3 of those 4 do not
accept the kingdom. Some may take that is that 3 out of 4 people will reject
the Lord, and that may be very true. That is why we need to continue to share
and plant seeds over and over. If people reject the gospel 3 out of 4 times
when they first hear it we need to make sure they have many more chances to hear
it and to accept it. God wants everyone to be saved and we want all of our
loved ones to come to Jesus realizing they need The King in their lives and
that they want to be part of the Kingdom of God.
Luke 17:20-21
“20 Being
asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God will come, He answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with
something observable; 21 no one will say, ‘Look here!’ or ‘There!’ For you see, the
kingdom of God is among you.”
The Kingdom is not some far away kingdom on a mountain top or isolated
on an island. The Kingdom of God is all around you, it is within your reach.
Every single person has access to the Kingdom of God.
An eight year old boy and his ten year old brother have been
misbehaving and their mother asked the preacher to talk to them. The preacher
told the mother he would talk to them about God being everywhere, so that they
would understand that they need to always behave in the presence of God. He
called in the 10 year old and started by asking him, ‘Do you know where God
is?’ The boy was scared and sat there silently looking at the preacher. The
preacher raised his voice a tad and asked the boy again, ‘Do you know where God
is?’ The boy just sat there looking scared and the preacher raised his voice
and asked a third time, ‘Do you know where God is?’ At this the boy jumped up
ran out of the office and grabbed his 8 year old brother. As they ran away he
told his brother, we are in BIG trouble. We need to get out of here, God is
missing and they think we did it!
God is not missing; He and His Kingdom are within our reach!
Too many people pass through life unaware that there is even a King and
a Kingdom. They limit themselves to their little island and never understand
that there is so much more available to them.
Matthew 13:44-46 – Jesus Says
“44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it.”
The Kingdom of God is like finding a treasure or pearl that are beyond
value. It is the greatest discovery you can ever make. It’s like waking up from
a world which is only black and white and discovering color for the first time.
Mark 4:26-29
“26 “The kingdom of God is like this,” He said. “A man scatters seed on the ground; 27 he sleeps and rises—night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows—he doesn’t know how. 28 The soil produces a crop by itself—first the blade, then the head, and then the ripe grain on the head. 29 But as soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The Kingdom of God operates in ways we do not understand or control.
The farmer planted the seeds but he did not understand the chemistry of the
soil or the biology of the seeds. He knew that it takes good seed, good soil,
water, and time. The farmer understood that if he does his part and is patient
enough he is going to have a good harvest.
This is a promise of the Kingdom of God. When you are part of God’s
Kingdom and you do good things, trust in God, have patience, then good things
are going to happen. The fruit of happiness and joy, the release from an
addiction, and so much more. You may not understand how or why but things turn
out for the better when you are member of the Kingdom of God. Jesus said it is
like discovering a treasure, and it is available to everyone.
Jesus also tells us that we do not need to worry, that His Kingdom is
worry and anxiety free.
Matthew 6:25-27
25 “This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about
your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what
you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the sky:
They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds
them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add a single cubit to his
height by worrying?”
Jesus tells us we don’t need to worry. For some that
is probably easy for others it is rather difficult. Some people worry about how
much they are worrying and then they worry about how much their worrying has an
impact on them physically and spiritually. Jesus does not want us to worry, and
He gave us the perfect plan on what to do instead.
Matthew 6:33-34
“33 But seek first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for
you. 34 Therefore don’t worry about
tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble
of its own.”
Jesus is basically saying just relax, it is ok! Imagine that Jesus
wants us to relax and not stress. It is true I do not know what each of you is
going through, but there is someone who does. The Kingdom of God is a place
where things work out okay. The Kingdom of God is a place where you do not need
to be anxious. Jesus knows what you are going through.
But who is this Jesus to tell us about the Kingdom of God and to make
these promises of joy and anxiety free lives? He is the Son of God and His
miracles demonstrate His Royal Authority and Power.
One day Jesus was teaching and that evening He told his disciples to
cross over to the other side of the sea. They all climbed into the boats and
made their way. Jesus fell asleep in the boat and a fierce storm come. The
waves were breaking on the boats, starting to tip them and splashing water in
them.
Mark 4:38-41
“38 But He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 Then He said to them, “Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?” 41 And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
Who is Jesus? He is the King of All, The Creator, Our Savior. Jesus
showed His Authority by calming the wind and seas.
In the next chapter Mark 5, we see Jesus meeting up with a demon
possessed man. This man lived in the tombs, had broken chains, smashed
shackles, and was often found crying out among the tombs and cutting himself
with stones.
Mark 5:6-8
“6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do You have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God, don’t torment me!” 8 For He had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
The demons, legion, did not resist or even try to talk Jesus out of it
they just ask to be reassigned to the pigs. Jesus casts them out of the man and
into the pigs, and a moment later the pigs are squealing and the man is
smiling.
Jesus once again shows that He is worthy to be King. He taught about
the Kingdom of God, made promises about what happens when we are a part of it,
and has shown that He has the power and authority to back up His words. Jesus
is King.
Do you have a king? We all do in one form or another. Some people read
People magazine to keep up with their king. We all need a king. We all want a
king. Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth. In God’s Kingdom there is
room for only one king – we cannot be our own king or queen, we can’t look at
other things or people to be our king, we need to look squarely to Jesus as The
One and Only King!
The world will try to get you to forsake your King, but Jesus is the
only True King!
Seek the One and Only King! God Bless!
Robert
No comments:
Post a Comment