Sunday, April 3, PM

Matthew, chapter 13. To review, we have been reading through and studying the Gospel of Matthew, the Olivet Discourse, chapter 24 of Matthew. And Mark 13 and Luke 17 and 21 all have the same material as Matthew 24.

And as we read through those texts and study them, Jesus says that everything that he's talking about in that material happens within that generation. But then in Matthew 25, Jesus says, then the kingdom of heaven shall be like.

And he begins to talk about the kingdom of heaven. This is not a theme that is first introduced here in chapter 25. Jesus has talked a great deal about the kingdom of heaven, what it is like. Very common phrase in the Gospel of Matthew, the kingdom of heaven is like.

The kingdom of heaven is like. Jesus told several parables about the kingdom of heaven and we see a concentration of those parables in Matthew 13. So we began our study in Matthew 13 and we looked at the parable of the soils.

How the kingdom of heaven is like a man who goes forth and sows seed. And he broadcasts the seed throughout this field. Some of the seed falls upon hard-packed ground, some of it falls into shallow soil under which there's a limestone foundation.

Some of the seed falls amongst places where the thorns are going to grow up. And some of the seed falls upon good ground and produces a lot of fruit, a lot of produce. And Jesus explains that the kingdom of heaven is like, and it comes about like, and it looks like the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom, the good news, the sowing of the seed of the gospel.

And the seed falls and there's various responses to the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are those who are like the hard soil, the hard-packed ground, the hardened beaten path. And the devil comes along and snatches the word before they can ever take root.

There are those where the seed falls and the soil is shallow. And the ground warms up quickly because the limestone beneath this thin layer of soil. So the seed germinates, it sprouts, but it has no depth of root.

And when the heat comes, it withers away. It does not continue on. Then there's the seed that is amongst the thorns where the cares of this world, the cares of this world choke out the seed. But then there is the soil that is prepared and good and the seed produces an abundance of grain.

And then Jesus tells the parable of the wheat and the tares, another parable about sowing seed. And he says that the kingdom of heaven is like a field in which a farmer sowed his seed and an enemy sowed tares or weeds amongst the wheat.

And Jesus says the field is like the world. And the son of man is the one who owns the field or owns the world. And in his world we see what? We see wheat and tares growing up together side by side. The kingdom of heaven is not like a kingdom where there are boundaries and borders that you can see.

A sign that says you are now leaving one kingdom and entering another. But the kingdom of heaven, Jesus says, is in your midst. Those who are born again, those who are following Christ, those who are submitted to his kingly rule.

And so it is with the wheat and the tares. The wheat and the tares are mixed in together and the servants want to go ahead and rip out all of the tares, the weeds, the wicked, the problem makers, get rid of it all.

And the master of the field says, no, let's wait. We're going to wait until the optimal good is achieved. We're going to then harvest everything at one time. The tares will be harvested first and burnt up and then the wheat will be safely gathered into my barn.

So now we come to some more parables. These are shorter parables about the kingdom of heaven. So we're learning about the kingdom of heaven. We have the background in the Old Testament, the promises of the kingdom of heaven.

The kingdom that is sourced from heaven. The kingdom that is in this world but not of this world. A kingdom that comes from heaven and overcomes and overpowers the kingdoms of men. And whereas the kingdoms of men are fragile and they shatter and they pass away, the kingdom from heaven, the kingdom that belongs to Christ will never pass away.

So now the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of leaven, the parable of hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great price. We begin with the parable of the mustard seed. Another parable he put forth to them saying the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field which indeed is the least of all the seeds but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree so that the bird to the air come and nest in his branches.

Then the parable of the leaven. Another parable he spoke to them the kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until it was all leavened. So the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.

Anybody ever seen a mustard seed? It's very small. Very small seed. A common enough plant in the courtyards of the people living in Jesus' day where they would grow their garden, they would have herbs, they would have vegetables, they would have something growing.

Everybody would try to grow some plants in and around their property to help supplement what kind of food they could bring in. And Jesus says, you know of all these seeds that you put in the ground from time to time, that mustard seed's the smallest isn't it?

So small. Something that a bird could easily eat. But then he tells a story of how the mustard seed when planted germinates, grows, and becomes a tree so large that the birds of the air can come and nest in its branches.

Now have any of you ever grown a mustard plant? Have you ever seen a picture of a mustard plant? How big is it by the way? A mustard plant. Bigger than you? So what we have here is something surprising.

Mustard plants aren't supposed to get that big. What is a mustard plant doing growing into a tree? How surprising. Kind of like the, we read earlier about the, in Luke, in the gospel of Luke, the bush that is planted in the sea and it grows there.

Something very surprising. Would not anticipate this. A mustard seed very small that grows into something so big that the birds of the air can come and make nests in its branches. Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like that.

Something very small. Very small. Hidden. Hidden in the ground. Planted there. Something that grows slowly. Gradually. But surprisingly, until it becomes so large, no one ever anticipated a mustard tree, a mustard plant growing into a mustard tree.

Who would have thought? Surprising when it's all said and done. Interesting story. Connected to that story is this other story about leaven. The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until it was all leavened.

Some people balk at this little story. How dare Jesus compare the kingdom of heaven to sin? Hang on. Leaven is a great illustrator. It's a great analogy, and it's used in the Old Testament as an analogy or an illustration of sin.

But just because something that makes for a good illustration is used one way in one part of the Bible, doesn't mean it's used that way every time. And Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like leaven, and he's not meaning it's like sin.

He says the kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until it was all leavened. Now, what kind of similarities do we see here between a mustard seed and the leaven?

What's the same about both of them? They're both small, and then what else? They both grow and increase, and what else? Star small, and they're both hidden. Both hidden. But then you can see the effect of it, can't you?

They say a watched pot never boils. I wonder, does the dough rise if you watch it? I don't know. Do you watch the dough rise? Is it rising? My mother always sent my brother and I out of the house for a couple of hours when she didn't want her bread to fall, because we were not the the lightest of foot.

It seemed like a long time for that bread to rise. So, there's a lot of similarities between the two. A mustard seed, a little bit of leaven, they're both hidden in some fashion, and then they both grow over time.

And though we hear about the mustard seed growing into more than just a plant, but a mustard tree, which is very surprising, there's something else very surprising about the leaven in this flower that we don't instinctually pick up on.

When we read that the woman hid a little bit of leaven in three measures of meal, we don't know how much that is, do we? We just don't know how much that is. That's 50 pounds of flour. What is this woman doing?

How big of a loaf of bread is she going to make? Why are you leavening 50 pounds of flour? I mean, what kind of oven can make that? So, just like the mustard plant being a tree, so also it's surprising and perhaps even a little bit humorous when Jesus talks about a woman putting a leaven inside 50 pounds of flour.

That catches everybody's attention. So, what is Jesus teaching here about the kingdom of heaven? The kingdom of heaven is like something that begins small. The kingdom of heaven is like something that is at first hidden, but over time you begin to see the effects of it, the proof of it.

Whereas we have a mustard seed growing into a tree, and you think of the extensiveness of the kingdom of heaven by that illustration. What about the leaven inside the dough? The intensiveness of the kingdom of heaven that it grows and it fills the entire amount of meal, though it be 50 pounds of flour.

Jesus, of course, is building on some Old Testament promises and themes. For example, the birds of the air coming and nesting in the branches is something very specific. Nebuchadnezzar had a vision. Daniel had interpreted a dream for Nebuchadnezzar.

In Daniel chapter 4 verse 12, it is relayed to us that the image of a tree with branches and the birds of the air coming and nesting in the branches has the meaning of many different nations finding support and sustenance in this one rule, this one authority of Nebuchadnezzar.

An empire, of course, is not a single kingdom. It is made up of several nations and kingdoms, so that all of these kings serve under one king who is a king of kings. That's what an emperor means. So what is Jesus saying about the kingdom of heaven?

What is he saying about the kingdom of heaven? That it starts off small, even as small as a mustard seed, that it is hidden, but then it begins to grow, and that it grows to be surprisingly large, so large, in fact, that nations come and live in its branches.

This, of course, is Jesus explaining the prophecy of Ezekiel chapter 17. So in Ezekiel chapter 17, we read this very same image. In verse 22, it says, Thus says the Lord God, I will take also one of the highest branches of the high cedar and set it out.

I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain. On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it, and it will bring forth boughs and bear fruit and be a majestic cedar.

Under it will dwell birds of every sort. In the shadow of its branches they will dwell. And the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish.

I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it. Who was it who was cropped from the topmost of the young twigs? Who was the tender one that God planted on Mount Zion? My king, I have established on Mount Zion.

Who is that? This is Christ and his kingdom, though small, though at the first the kingdom of heaven is small, it grows to be surprisingly large, and the nations come in and nest in its branches. What was the plan that Jesus set forth for his people?

Go you therefore into all the world. All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And lo, I am with you even to the end of the age. So what is he saying? He is saying because of the authority that he has as the king of kings, as the king of the kingdom, by the authority of his kingdom, then this message must be heralded to all the nations.

The nations are to come into his kingdom. All these different people groups, all these different languages, what power and practical beauty do we see at Pentecost that Christ's servants begin to preach in the languages that they had never learned, but preaching the gospel in the heart languages of those who were there for Pentecost, that they would then take the good news of the kingdom back to their homelands in their native tongues, so that the world would begin to be evangelized with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus says his kingdom starts off small and hidden, but then grows to be large, surprisingly large enough for all the different nations to come and nest in the branches. And then the parable of leaven, which a woman took and he hid in three measures of meal until it was all leavened.

Again, something very small, but gradually, over time, in the ultimate outcome, Christ's kingdom permeates the entirety of the world. Now there is, following this, verses 34 through 35, all these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables, and without a parable, he did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables.

I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world. So this comes from Psalm 78. So if you go back and it's helpful to read the passage and you go through Matthew, how often does it say it?

This was to fulfill, this was to fulfill. It was helpful to go back and see what was fulfilled. Psalm 78, this is called a contemplation of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from our children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and to strengthen his wonderful works that he has done.

And then through the rest of Psalm 78, which we're about to read through in our morning worship services, and seeing many different parts of this psalm. As you read through, you discover here is a history of the people of God.

And it's being told again and sung again in corporate worship so that everyone would be reminded of the context of God's covenant faithfulness. Here's all that he has done. Here's our failures and the Lord's faithfulness, our sinfulness and the Lord's goodness.

Consider all that God has been working throughout all of the generations. And then when you come to the end of Psalm 78, when you come to the end, it's not just about history. It's about the future. It's not only about faithfulness of God in the past and his promises having been kept, but about his promises that he is yet to keep, and the hope that they have given the context of all that God has done.

Verse 67, moreover, he rejected the tent of Joseph and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim. Why is that significant? Joseph was the firstborn of Jacob's favored wife. Ephraim was the chosen one of Joseph's two sons, the younger above the elder, Ephraim over Manasseh.

But this is not whom the Lord chose, but he chose, look, verse 68, he chose the tribe of Judah. He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. And he built a sanctuary like the heights, like the earth, which he has established forever.

He also chose David, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds, from following the ewes that had young he had brought him, to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart and guided him, guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

Well, what's the point? God chose Judah. God chose Judah from which Shiloh would come and rule. We think of Judah, Mount Zion, and David. At the end of this big, long, historical psalm, it is reflected about the ancestors of Messiah that lay the trajectory of the one to come.

And when he arrives, the scepter will not depart from Judah. And when the Lion of Judah arrives, he rules from where? Mount Zion. And he is called David. Indeed, the son of David. And he has a kingdom.

So when Jesus quotes the beginning of the psalm, is he not thinking about the entirety of the psalm? All these things Jesus spoke that it might be fulfilled. He's describing in parables, in stories, and in images, the kingdom that has been promised to him.

The kingdom which he brings. And it's a kingdom that is surprising. It is a kingdom that is at first hidden, but then grows, and multiplies, and intensifies over a long period of time to the point where it impacts all of the nations.

And verses 44 through 46, two more parables. Again, the kingdom of heaven is hidden in the field, which a man found and hid. And for joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Verses 45 and 46. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Think about these two people, how different they are.

The first one is simply a laborer out in the field. He's out with his tools and he's digging. He's working for somebody else. He's not looking for treasure. He's not looking for jewels and gold, is he?

He's just digging in a field. But then he finds a hidden treasure. And he realizes, the owner of this field wouldn't have me out here digging if his treasure was here. He doesn't know that this is here.

He doesn't know that this is his. And so, he begins to take what would appear to others to be very rash actions. He goes and sells. He goes and sells all that he has and buys the field. He goes and negotiates with the owner of the field.

Have a worker in your field today. I was thinking maybe I would like to have it myself. What kind of price you want to put on it? I'll pay whatever. Because he knows what is hidden there. He knows what is hidden there that others didn't know about.

They don't see it. They don't get it. Why are you selling everything that you have? Why are you taking such rash actions? But he knows what's in the field, what's hidden there, what's of true value, what's worthwhile.

And then we have the story of the merchant seeking beautiful pearls. Now he is looking for something. He is looking for something. He's not minding his own business. He's on the hunt. He's trying to find that wonderful pearl.

And then he found that one pearl of great price. And all his searching is now done. From pearl to pearl he went. From one jeweler to the next he went. And never did he find the pearl that was the one that would satisfy him.

Until he finally found that one. And then he sold, just like the other man, he sold all that he had and he bought it. In some sense you say, well that doesn't make sense. He's a merchant. You say all you have, if you have one pearl, you're closed for business.

But in this case, we have once again emphasizing different truths about the kingdom of heaven. The value, the treasure in the first story is hidden and nobody knows about it. The value of the treasure in the other story was apparent to everyone.

The pearl of great price. Both of them, though, do the same thing. They sell all that they have. That's what the kingdom of heaven is like. A treasure is like a pearl. When we read through the book of Proverbs, how often are we told that wisdom and understanding are like precious jewels, worth the price for the asking.

To purchase and to treasure and to hold on to. And this very picture is then elaborated upon by the Apostle Paul. And listen to the way he says it in Colossians. Colossians chapter 2 and I'll read verses 1 through 3.

For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh. That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Do you hear him talking about riches? Do you hear him talking about treasure? And you hear him talking about how in Christ are hidden. In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was digging in a field and he found treasure.

And he went and sold all that he had to gain that treasure for the joy of what he had found. When we think of these short parables of the kingdom of heaven, the first two about the mustard tree and the 50 pounds of flour, envision the big picture of the kingdom of heaven.

The long period of time of the kingdom of heaven. The starting off small and the hidden nature of it, but it's growing over a period of time to be large and intensive. The big picture. And then in verses 44 through 46, we receive two more parables that are twins in a way.

And these are about the personal picture. Look at the ultimate end of the kingdom of heaven, the power and the glory of Christ on display in the cosmic glory of all that God does. But then look at the personal confrontation of the kingdom itself.

Where Jesus comes preaching, the time is fulfilled. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel. So we see the bigness of the kingdom, but then it also comes down to whether or not we are willing to grab a hold of the treasure of the kingdom ourselves personally.

The kingdom is not something just so big and gradual and inexorable that we can just ignore it and say, well, it's going to happen when it happens. Well, yes, and the sovereignty of God is going to happen, but it's also very personal.

It's also very personal. Are we, do we treasure the king? Do we treasure the king? Do we value him? Is he worth more to us than everything that we own? Are we willing to lay a hold of him? The kingdom of heaven is like.

Any questions or thoughts about our parables tonight? Envision that exchange. What will a man give in exchange for his soul? To know what's valuable. Let's close our time together by singing the doxology.