Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

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Parables of the Kingdom: Its Growth & Composition Matthew 13:24-43; Mark 4:26-34 The antagonism of the Jewish religious leader reached a peak when they blasphemed the Holy Spirit Jesus began to teach parables to the multitudes that had gathered on the shore of the Sea of Galilee

Context Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8 Parables allowed Jesus to reveal mysteries to His disciples while keeping them hidden from His enemies The Parable of the Sower (Soils) revealed the kingdom would come through proclamation, not conquest The seed is widely scattered, but only that falling upon good soil will produce fruit

The Parable of the Tares Matthew 13:24-30 “Tares” (zizavnion / zizanion) is lilium temulentum - bearded darnel - which looks like wheat until it heads Weeds are normal, but the amount made it obvious they had been sown by an enemy

The Parable of the Tares Matthew 13:24-30 In order to avoid damaging the wheat and maximize the harvest, both would be allowed to grow together

The Parable of the Mustard Seed Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32 Attacks are made on Jesus and the Bible because botanically, there are seeds smaller than a mustard The is a parable referring to the common garden seeds sown in that land at that time - not a botany lesson

The Parable of the Mustard Seed Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32 The kingdom would start small and grow into something very large that would provide shelter to many The mystery is that the kingdom would start so small

The Parable of the Mustard Seed Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32 This is a parable, not an allegory, and the nature of the birds is irrelevant - all benefit from the church Be encouraged! Growth is up to God, not the size of the group which He plants

The Parable of the Leaven Matthew 13:33 Leaven is often used to describe something that has a permeating influence on something else Yeast is mixed in dough through kneading, and it gives off CO2 gas which causes the bread to rise

The Parable of the Leaven Matthew 13:33 The kingdom starts small, but multiples to pervade and cause changes from the inside out Reform is good and would be welcome relief from the current rising evil

The Parable of the Leaven Matthew 13:33 Christians desire revival that only comes by the work of the Holy Spirt to change hearts By teaching in parables, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 78:2

The Parable of the Sower Explained Matthew 13:36-43 The field is the world, not the church A kingdom has a king, subjects and a realm - and can exist at various levels Heaven - the dwelling place of God. The church - the body of Christ on earth. All the world

The Parable of the Sower Explained Matthew 13:36-43 The Lord will have both wheat and tares harvested from His field - the world The mystery is God’s toleration of the tares to remain alongside the wheat until harvest - Zechariah 14:9-20 The Lord tolerates the wicked in this age only so that He can maximize His harvest at the end of the age

The Coming of the End of the Age Matthew 13:40-43 God’s longsuffering will eventually end and He will judge The Old Testament prophecies will be fulfilled at the end of the age Stumbling blocks are those that cause others to sin, and the lawless are those that sin

The Coming of the End of the Age Matthew 13:40-43 The furnace is a place of continued suffering - weeping & gnashing of teeth 2 Peter 3:9 - God is tolerant and patient during the present age of grace desiring all to come to repentance

The Coming of the End of the Age Matthew 13:40-43 God’s judgment will come at the end of this age - 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 Those who know God and obey His gospel will shine forth - Daniel 12:3

Conclusions “He who has ears, let him hear” - take heed (act upon) the truth you hear Christians take heart! God can & will do great things through us regardless of how insignificant we feel Sinners take heed! God is patient, but judgment will come - Be prepared, get right with God today

Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ