The Stories of Jesus 05/12/24 Mark 4:30-34

[Music] [Applause] [Music] h [Music] know [Music] now [Music] I [Music] TR [Music] and [Music] h [Music] all [Music] Tak [Music] I [Music] h [Music] [Applause] hey it is it is good to see you test one two one two am I on at all test can y'all hear me yes am I coming through a little bit louder awesome hey happy Mother's Day it is good to see all of you here this morning my name is Cody I'm the pastor here I'm just so glad that you're here with us and got a couple of things for you if you are new here we'd love to just connect with you in the seats in front of you there should be just a little information slip if you could either scan that using the QR code or fill that out drop it in the offering play that goes by it be huge in us being able to connect with you we do have a couple of things that are coming up this Tuesday we got the trip to old bethl church for Joy group so if you're a senior adult and you want to do that make sure that you get registered and we're going to be

Leaving at 7:00 7:30 somewhere around that time driving down there enjoying that day to see the oldest Protestant church this side of the Mississippi so it's going to be a great time and we've got next week our annual Church picnic that's going to be happening at the haha Tonka post office Pavilion right after church so bring some food go over there set up dive in take some hikes play some games socialize it'll be great so looking forward to that's going to be next Sunday from 12:30 to 4:00 wear some comfortable clothes okay also at the end of this month we got FBC game night that's going to be happening on May 31st at 5:30 so it's a great time just to socialize bring some friends folks that maybe aren't familiar with Christ it's a great way to just get them used to knowing other Christians because a lot of people they just don't have positive relationships with Christians and so bring those people that you don't that you know don't know Christ and let's see what God can do there's all sorts of other things that are in your bulletin here make sure that you grab one of those and take a look at it and put those in your calendar okay well hey it is Mother's Day and so why don't you just take a moment find a mom hug their neck say Happy Mother's Day and welcome to First Baptist Church [Music] to [Music] is e [Music] all right well if you could make your way back to your seats a at this time I want to introduce to you guys Katherine Guston she's chairperson of lar Community team and she wants to share with you a little bit about what that team's been working on hey guys so loving our community we do all of our CommunityWide events we just did Dogwood Festival and

We're working on a new event this summer we wanted to let everyone know about with plenty of time to prepare we're calling it Little Blessings a children's Goods swap meet so any extra kids clothes gear Furniture Decor bottles cups plates you know you name it kids need it start saving those things up we're going to bring them in open up to the church to we care families and to the whole Community to come in and Shop but everything's free as just a big way to bless our community and you know clean out some of our garages and houses but with it being garage sales season we wanted to you know get that news out there sooner than later we'll have more flyers and information out coming up but just FYI that's coming and we will need lots of help to pull this off so it's on June 22nd you have something to say yes and maternity nursing anything Charlotte so thank you guys we app appreciate your support and we like I said we'll need lots of help to pull this off but really looking forward to it and we think it'll be great if you have any ideas or questions myself Megan deitz Jamie rugan Suzanne Miller were all on the committee so any of us can help you out thank you guys I like that title Little Blessings because the working title was children's swap meet and we thought that sent the wrong message at this time I'd like to just ask you to Bow your heads and close your eyes and take a moment to ask the Lord to prepare your hearts and your minds for worship ask the Lord to remind you of who he is of what he's done preach the Gospel to yourself for a little bit here remember what our great God has done for us even while we were undeserving ask the Lord to remind you how worthy of our worship he is and so Lord we come before you this

Morning as your people called by you to worship God I pray that as we sing you would help it to not just be an action of the body but Lord you would help it to be proclamation in spirit and in truth of your greatness of your goodness of your mercy of your Gospel Lord as we hear from your word I pray that you would help us to internalize it and apply it and Lord as we go from in this place I ask that you would help us to continue to worship and every step that we take every breath that we take Lord let it be glorifying to you it's in Jesus name that we pray amen we read in the book of Ephesians in the second chapter so then you are no longer strangers and Aliens but you are fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the household of God built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Christ Jesus himself being the Cornerstone in whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy Temple in the Lord in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the spirit we are the people of God and he dwells with us isn't that amazing I invite you to stand and join us as we worship this morning [Music] come set your rule and re in our hearts again increase in us we pray un while we set our hearts a blaze with hope like while our very Souls Holy Spirit you made us we are your church chur we need your power in us we seek your kingdom first we hunger and we refuse to waste our for you are joy and to see the captiv hearts releas the hurt the sick the atace we lay down our lives for heaven we are your church we pray

Revive this Earth build your kingom here let the darkness show your Mighty hand our streets and land set your church on fire this nation change theere build your kingom here we pray Unleash Your Kingdom's reaching the near and far the force of hell can stop your beauty changing Hearts you made us for than awake the kingom SE us fill us with the strength and love of Christ we are your church chur We Are The Hope on Earth build your kingom here let the dark show your Mighty hand he our s and land set your church on fire wi this nation change the atmosphere build your kingom we [Music] pray build your kingom here let the darkness show your Mighty hand our street and set your church on this na change the atmosphere build your kingom here we pray [Music] what a great opportunity it is to sing the Praises of God with the people of God to be reminded week by week that he has made us to worship him to glorify him in every thought and word and deed and it's a little taste of what heaven's going to be like gathered around the throne singing his Praises for all of eternity because we will see in fullness just how worthy he is do you feel the world is broken we do you feel the Shadows deepen we

Do but do you know that all the dark won't stop the light from getting through do you wish that you could see it all made do [Music] we is all creation gring it is a new creation coming it is the glory of the Lord to Be The Light Within our [Music] midst is it good that we remind ourselves of this it is anyone Worthy is anyone home is anyone able to break the Ste and open the scroll the of Judah who con the he D to the lamb who di to the SL is he Worthy is he worthy of all blessing and honor and glory is he worthy of [Music] is does the father truly love us he does the spirit move Among Us he does and does Jesus our Messiah All Forever those he loves [Music] does our God intend Towell again with us [Music] Hees is anyone Worthy is anyone home is anyone able to break the seal and open the Str the light of Judah with bra [Music] the L to every people and tri every nation and T he has made us a kingdom and praise to God to rain with the sun is he

Worthy is he worthy of all blessing and honor and Glory Worthy is he [Music] worthy [Music] he is he Worthy is he Worthy [Music] he amen you can be seated as our ushers come forward to take up the offering morning church isn't it great to be here where would we be without Jesus today that's why we're here we just want to go before him and just thank him for the many blessings he's provided for us and now just our opportunity to give back just a small portion of what he's done for us let's pray God the Father we come before you again thanking you for the Salvation that you have given to us that we could never repay but Lord also thanking you for the blessing that we can have by giving back to you we just pray that blessing upon this offering today that'll be used for the furtherance of your word and the witness to you throughout the world we just pray that this in Christ's name amen going to read from Ephesians 22-16 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of Promise having no hope and without God in the world but now in Christ Jesus you who were once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ for he himself is our peace who is made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of Commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two so making peace and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross thereby killing the hostility good morning I want to talk to

You about giving today and we hear the Scriptures frequently of tithing and Malachi and all that stuff but one of the things that we talk about in our household is what is the motive of your heart why do we give and I would remind us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us so we need to have an attitude of gratitude towards giving and I want to look in 2 Corinthians chapter 9 starting at first five here so I thought it necessary to urge the Brethren that they would go on ahead of to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised Bountiful gift so that the same would be ready as a bountiful gift not affected by coveted now this I say he who SWS sparingly will reap sparingly who he who SWS bountifully will also reap bountifully each one must do just as he purposed in his heart not grudgingly or under compulsion God loves that you're forgiver and God is able to make all grace abound to you so that always having all sufficiency in everything that you may have abundance for every good deed that is written he scattered abroad he gave to the poor his righteousness endures forever now he who supplies seed to the sewer and bread for the food will supply and multipli your seed for sewing and increase the Harvest of your righteousness okay so Paul is saying don't give grud begrudgingly don't give with the church wants my money again but instead give out of gratitude for what Christ done for you give so that the kingdom can move forward we a lot of times are too focused on the amount that we're giving and when all reality God can take the smallest amount that we give or the largest amount for that matter and use it for his kingdom and for his glory

So we need to give great gratefully we need to give with the right attitude and we need to give what God has purposed in our heart because what Christ did for us we could never pay for but we can show our attitude by gr with the gratitude that we have in our hearts thank [Applause] you while we were once alienated we have been brought near while we were once alone we have been brought into Community with Christ it's all because of what he did on the cross on our behalf I invite you to stand again as we sing my worth is not in what I [Music] own my is not in what I own but in the strength of Flesh and B but in the costly wounds of at the [Music] cross my is not [Music] in or lose or shame but in the blood of Christ that at the [Music] cross rejoice in my Redeemer greatest treasure Welling of my soul I will trust in him no other my ising him alone [Music] as we F and Beauty Hur but life eternal calls to us at the [Music] cross I will not boast in wealth or might for human wising but I will INR at the cross I rejoice in my rede greatest Tre Welling of my soul I will trust in him no other

Soul is satisfied in him alone to Wonders that I confess my worth and my unworthiness my value fixed my Ransom P at the cross [Music] I rejoice in my Redeemer greatest Tre Welling of my soul I will trust in him no other my soul is satisfied in him alone [Music] Deliver us from evil Lord we sold in a broken World though evil hands give to remind us this is not our hope we look to you we look to you king of all the Earth we look to you we look to you in your strength we will endure in your strength we will endure [Music] Deliver us from evil Lord our hearts so quickly run asay Temptation crouching at the door to turn us from the narrow way we look to you we look to you Christ the Conquering Son of God we look to you we Look to You Lord complete what you be Lord complete what you [Music] be deliver us from evil Lord theil seeking to div with trembling Hearts we hear his Ro but your arm will crush his we look to you we look to you come and his Earthly rain we look to you we Look to You Lord Deliver us we pray we look to you we look to you will come again to rain we look to you we look to you all the Earth will bow in Praise [Music] deliv us from evil Lord we so in a broken World though evil hands give rise to all remind us this is not our home look to you we look to

You king of all the Earth we look to you we look to you in your strength we will endure end Lord remind us to look to you and to keep looking to you Lord you are our hope you are our Salvation you are the meaning of life Lord remind us over and over again because our hearts so quickly run astray who you are what you've done that you have made a way for us Lord let us be in awe of who you are it's in Jesus name we pray amen well if you have your Bible and I hope that you do please turn with me to Mark 4 we're going to be talking about mustard seeds today and the parable of the Mustard Seed we're talking about how the kingdom of God will flourish and you might be thinking to yourself Cody what on Earth are you thinking don't you watch the news or you might be thinking Cody are we G to be talking about the kingdom of God again couldn't we have lumped all these Parables together and just you know summed it all together and move on in The Book of Mark well yeah guess we could have but Jesus didn't right one of the keys of effective teaching and I guess I'd defer to Nancy about this because she taught for years and years and years you didn't just cover a subject once you repeated it over and over and over again it's a way that we know that Christ was an amazing teacher is because he repeated these principles over and over and over again and Jesus he taught these lessons not just once or twice but in his three and a half years of ministry he taught about the kingdom using different ways different methods different Parables examples and today he's going to talk about how the kingdom of God begins as a very small thing and eventually just

Grows up to take over an entire garden and we all love good stories of underdogs don't we love we love stories of Small Beginnings doing great things it's one of the reasons why I love the Lord of the Rings so much it's because I kind of remind myself of a Hobbit sometimes and you know hopefully one day doing great things but you know I thought of really U some wonderful examples of from history of people with very humble beginnings and really as I was thinking and praying through this one of the guys that came to my mind was this man Frederick Douglas anybody ever done study on Frederick Douglas I mean he's like the most photographed man of the 19th century did you know that he is you know he had you go on there I mean there's literally hundreds of different photographs of this man he was a slave born in Maryland sometime in 1818 we don't know when because they didn't record that and actually Frederick Frederick Douglas is not his real name his first name is Frederick but it was Frederick Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was his first his full name and after being weaned he was taken away from his mother as was common in chatt slavery and he had numerous owners he was taught how to read and write because he was taking care of kids his own age who he was tasked with watching over them and making sure they didn't get into too much trouble and as they were learning their letters and how to read and write he picked it up and the kids were scolded severely because because literacy would spoil the slave it's what they said and Douglas he kept on learning even as an 8-year-old boy what he would do is he would take bread that he got as a slave and he would trade it with poor white boys who knew how to read and right so that way he could continue to learn how to read and write and do

Math after his owners passed he was then owned by a captain Thomas Al who was abusive and Al least Douglas to a farmer named Edward kovi who was known as a slave breaker he was one that would physically and psychologically abuse slaves in order to make them compliant they got into a two-hour long epic fight and he wound up being given back to Captain Thomas Al and but soon he would Thomas all died and his son Hugh brought Frederick to be back with him and actually allowed him to start a Sunday school class where he was able to educate other black men how to read and write and he even got a chance to learn a trade and then he escaped to New York City and he began to work as an abolitionist there as a black man that could read right do math had a trade his greatest gift though was as a speaker he was a very engaging speaker and through his writings and through his influence in the North he was able to bring about a lot more in the Abolitionist Movement than what had previously existed but you know in New York City one of the common things that they would do is they would have slave catchers and so they were looking for this man Frederick Douglas and he had to constantly Escape them and after publishing a paper he was able to actually go and travel over to Europe to the United Kingdom and speak with guys like William Wilbur Force out there and once the Civil War broke out he came back he was a recruiter for the Massachusetts 54th Regiment that's an all black unit that served as infantry for the north he met with Abraham Lincoln three times instrumental in ratifying the 14th Amendment which gave all natural born men the right to vote he was the first black US Marshall he was the recorder of deeds under James A Garfield he served as a diplomat under P Benjamin Harris and you just think of that think

Of where he started as a slave with no birthday to serving with distinction under three US presidents and that's pretty amazing isn't it that's pretty incredible and it's a true story but as Believers we know of a better story a story about a carpenter from Nazareth a story of Small Beginnings you wouldn't have heard about Jesus if you lived in first century Israel unless you lived somewhere in Galilee maybe but this man Jesus Christ he is that small seed that would enter the Earth and afterwards he would burst forth in Glory by his resurrection and through him through that seed we would see the entire world be become Changed by his life by his teachings by his death burial and Resurrection that's what we're going to be talking about today please stand with me in honor of God's word as we read Mark 4: 30-34 God's word says this and he said with what can we compare the kingdom of God or what Parable shall we use for it is like a grain of mustard seed which when sewn on the ground is the smallest of all the seeds on Earth yet when it is grown or when it is sewn it is grown up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade with many such Parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it he did not speak to them without a parable but privately to his own disciples he explained everything let's pray and so Lord we do thank you for this morning that we get to have to gather and listen to your word I pray that the words that I speak today would be empowered by you Holy Spirit that you would just do what you will with the hearts of every

Person that can hear my voice Lord we do pray that you would just move our hearts to know you and to love you more and more God that we would be infatuated with your presence God and that Lord that you would do an amazing work in the kingdom of God and that your work would constantly go forth we know that will because you said that it will but Lord help us to be willing to be participants in that Kingdom work Lord we want to continue lifting up to you the Johnson family we want pray for the WGT family we want to pray for B Porter and we just ask that you would just work in their lives father and many others that are sick we just pray for them now in Jesus name amen well if we were to go back and you were a first century Jew and Jesus were to talk about the kingdom of God you would have a certain idea of what the kingdom of God would look like in your mind you would probably be thinking about overthrowing the Roman oppressors down with the man they would refer to those Roman oppressors as Gentile dogs that's kind of the low view that the Jewish people had of the Romans cast them out of the promised land that's what they thought that the Messiah would do would just come up and raise up an Earthly Kingdom that would just overthrow the oppressors that the Messiah would be the Fulfillment of the davidic promise of the Kingdom that the Messiah would Reign and Rule forever and they thought that would happen simply by a massive Revolt upheaval blood swords axes Spears all that kind of stuff they did not expect for the kingdom of God to come through love and joy and peace and Holiness yes there was violence but only against one and he did it willingly God he doesn't care about our

Expectations of his kingdom he doesn't care about that it's his kingdom he will do what he Wills with it what he has said that will come to pass will come to pass and Jesus he makes this comparison against everyone's expectations because if you're going to describe the kingdom of God like something you're not going to compare it to a mustard seed and that's how that's how the kingdom begins it begins as a small seed if we were to describe the great kingdoms of the earth we wouldn't talk about the little bitty seed right you guys remember that song Jesus he uses hyperbole here he's talking about the smallest seed in what in the ancient world in ancient Israelite culture it's definitely the smallest seed that they would have planted and so just a little apologetic here some people would say see Jesus gets it wrong because this isn't the smallest seed all right Jesus isn't is doing a lesson about botany here okay he's teaching a principle about the kingdom of God to first century Israelites and this grain of mustard that is sewn into the ground it is the death of Christ Jesus he was born in this tiny little village of Bethlehem in a small rather unknown part of the world rather unimportant except to the kingdom of God he was raised in an even smaller town called Nazareth which had a population of 400 probably a little less and after 3 and a half years of ministry the Son of God had 120 followers and then the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost and although that Mustard Seed fell into the ground it was so small it has grown up to be larger than all the garden plants 3,000 Souls were added to the kingdom of God and throughout the Book of Acts we read about wonderful conversions and yet we also read about terrible situations you read about the Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit and simultaneously in the

Same book you read about James being murdered you read about Saul being converted on the ma on the Damascus Road and Peter being imprisoned so you see another principle that we get is that the kingdom of God flourishes despite efforts to destroy it I mean I think it would do us some good to see how Christianity has expanded since its beginning in 30 ad that's where it is it's that little region right there and if we were to actually be able to zoom in a lot closer it would just be in Jerusalem at this point very few disciples maybe a few smattering around but we look in by 60 AD it's it spread it spread to parts of Asia Minor into parts of Egypt there in 30 years it's made a lot of great progress around the Mediterranean and this is despite efforts from people like Nero and deman to stamp out and exterminate the Christians by 120 Christianity was in almost every key City in the Roman Empire once persecution ended in 380 though this is what it looked like pretty amazing isn't it now are all these people Christian all right no okay don't get technical on me this is General okay but you see it's it's spread all the way down here into parts of Ethiopia going deeper into the Middle East all the way up into Britannia and so Christianity it grows and by the time that 610 rolls around you got Islam that's starting to slaughter Christians and they're going to push into the Iberian Peninsula by 1050 you see it's mus Islam has pushed Christianity back and back and back and it's eliminated all the Christians in Africa and we might look at that and go I mean put yourself in those shoes of Christians back in that time God how on Earth can your kingdom be

Flourishing when the people are being slaughtered but we remember as I think it was Thomas aquinus that said that it's by the blood of Martyrs is the seed of the Gospel and we look by the time that Christopher Columbus goes okay Christianity has spread further up into Russia but by the time that the Explorers have gotten to the Americas it's it's Unstoppable praise the Lord for technology amen just explores people going reaching Folks by the time that we get to the founding of America we see it growing more and more its influence spreading throughout at least Western Civilization by the time that we get to the Civil War this is what it looks like Australia parts of Asia southern Africa until we get to today now in this area wrong one but in this area this is what's called the 1040 window generally that's the area that we want to reach with the Gospel amen there are millions and millions and millions and billions of people there of course there's there's Christians there but we want to reach them in God he will reach them and so what do we learn the kingdom of God grows like a plant it grows and expands sometimes quickly which praise the Lord we've been able to see that even in our own lives lives and other times it doesn't grow as quickly whether it's because of drought just like a plant or whether it's because of issues with the soil like a plant but think about that once little small area of the ancient world has now spread everywhere and there's even growing vibrant churches in those white areas praise the Lord for that and they're meeting even right now as we're meeting praise the Lord for the

Kingdom of God and then the ancient world the Mustard's Bush really it would just grow and grow and grow and it would take complete control over a garden if you let it the early church historian plyy the Elder not the church histori just plany the Elder he wrote in his book Natural History mustard which is which with its pungent taste and fiery effect is extremely beneficial for the health it grows entirely wild though it is improved by being transplanted but on the other hand when it has once been swn it is scarcely possible to get Place get the place free of it as the seed when it falls it germinates at once you see that is how the kingdom of God works once it takes root it's extremely difficult to get rid of and this mustard tree isn't actually a tree it's actually a really large bush like that get you know about 20 feet wide about 10 to 12 feet tall and you know a lot of folks they think of the mustard tree because that word in the Greek it's not actually translated best as tree but the birds they would take refuge in its shade under its branch es not on its branches there were just these long thin branches that would be Tangled out and spread out and kind of messed around you see it's just pretty much this giant tangle of what we would consider to be I don't know a gigantic weed but you know in the same way the church is made up of Tangled messed up people too and I'm one of them and as we saw in the history of Christianity and the kingdom we see the growing and expansion of it and it's retracting it grows with the seasons just like any plant of the garden and of course Satan he will oppose the kingdom of God this is all a bunch of little mustard seed plants I mean you can't stop it just takes over it's beautiful but you can't

Stop it's literally Unstoppable and Satan he will oppose the kingdom of God because he hates everything that God loves he will send persecution he will send tribulation he will send Temptation and all sorts of other things things in order to try and dissuade Christians from spreading the news of the Kingdom I was recently reading in the voice of the Martyrs about a man in North Korea who was saved in China while he was on a business trip and before he returned to North Korea they said would you accept a shipment of Bibles if we sent them he said absolutely not no I don't want to have anything to do with that you know I will get tossed in prison if I'm caught with anything like that and they said okay we understand stand and then he thought better of it and a few days later he said you know what I will I will take some Bibles and he took 10 Bibles with him to North Korea he had them wrapped up in his jeans and his pants and he smuggled them back into North Korea and he pretty much held on to them for about six months he was like I don't want to do anything with these until one day he's walking down the road and he hears another Korean man whistling a Christian hymn he goes oh I'm G to follow this guy and see where he lives so he follows him all the way to his house there's 27 people in that house and he's makes a mental note I'm going to go come back here at 1 a.m. Tonight and I'm G to drop off these Bibles to these people and so that's what he does he takes those Bibles and he just places them discreetly in a duffel bag there on the porch of that house and he just leaves a couple of years go by and he finds himself in prison because he was trying to defect to China and as he's in prison he understands that one of his friends has an uncle there and they get linked up in that Con in that U jail

In that prison and here's what he says it turned out that the man that lived in that home had 27 people in it and that man he was the only Christian in that home until those Bibles were delivered and the entire family read the Bible and received Christ as a result of the word they were found to be in possession of the word and those 27 family members were put into that same prison that man was in he felt a little guilty about that understandably so but those members were also transferred those family members were also transferred to a concentration camp in North Korea what does a profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul what kind of price can we put on a soul we can't there's no way for us to do it but through that Ministry 27 people entered into the kingdom of God you see it is the seed of the Gospel that will flourish when Christians walk by faith for us we don't leave the results up to our own efforts we leave the results up to God he's going to take care of all the details he's going to take care of his people that's what God is going to do like we already have eternity arranged for us doesn't matter what happens to our bodies here on Earth amen he's the one that brings about that work that we so desperately know needs to be done which is for people to receive Christ look at what the passage says it says yet when it is sown it grows up those words grow up in the Greek is anabo which is translated as it goes as it arises as it disembarks the seed of the Gospel it travels because it is intended to be shared it is intended to be shared with people in the passage it continues and

It becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade this Parable is a plant is about a plant taking over a garden and dominating it this is the truth of the kingdom of God that it is going to spread to every corner of the earth and it's because that's what's God's what God is doing as Christians here in North America our duty is to share the Gospel to make disciples to take total advantage of every opportunity that we have to just share the love of Christ with someone that needs it as Philippians 4 Philippians 2: 10 and 11 say so at that so at the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the father that's the goal and here's the big I guess big note for yet the third point is that the kingdom will take over now this particular topic is subject to many different views we're talking about that in our community group today we're talking about historical premillennialism and dispensational premillennialism and all that kind of stuff here's what we do know regardless of all those views Jes Jesus returns and he wins simple as that one of these days you know we're we're going to find out who is right who is wrong and you know what we're not going to say it because we're just going to be so infatuated with being with Christ that's the whole point is that Jesus Reigns Jesus Reigns and for us we have to ask that question question and if you're here you have to ask yourself that question are you a part of the kingdom of God that's the big question that you have to resolve with Christ The Gospel it Demands a response as we've been talking about for weeks now what will you do with Jesus

Christ Jesus he said in John chapter 3: 3 and 5 truly truly I say to you unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God you can't do it through your own efforts you can't do it through your own choices that means I'm going to join this church I'm going to do this thing no the only way that we are saved and are born again is by trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior it's as simple as that look what he says he repeats it again this is how important it is truly truly I say to you unless one is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God you must be born again you have to turn away from those sinful actions and those dark Deeds that you once did and come to the light of the world and his name is Jesus Christ look at what Jesus says in John chapter 3 again for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting or but have eternal life for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but in order order that the world might be saved through him whoever believes in him is not condemned but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only son of God and this is the Judgment oh the light has come into the world and the people love the darkness rather than the light because their Works were evil for everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light lest I got I got this part buddy it does not come to the light but whoever does what is true comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that his Works have been carried out in God that is the simplest Gospel what did Jesus say in John 3:3 you cannot enter the kingdom unless you

Were born again and I pray and I pray and I pray that if you are here that you would be born again that you would trust in Jesus Christ Alone that you would see the heinousness and the devilishness of your sins and that you would see the glory and the goodness and the wonderful free gift of Salvation that he offers to every person that would turn to him it does not matter how dark your life has been it does not matter what you've done or where you've come from it's about what are you going to do with Jesus Christ these these birds that are here in this passage there's a couple of different views that we might have about these birds birds the first one is that those birds could be like a sign of God's blessing like what we read about in Daniel 4: 10-2 it says this is Nebuchadnezzar he has Visions in his head about about his kingdom he says the visions of my head as I lay in bed were these I saw and behold a tree in the midst of the earth and its height was great and the tree grew and became strong you see a lot of correlations between this in the parable and it top reached to heaven and it was visible to the end of the whole earth its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant and in it was food for all the beasts of the field found shade under it in the birds of the heavens lived in its branches and All Flesh was fed from it and then if you take that view of it then we could say the church is intended to be a blessing to everyone that is around it if the church is not a blessing to its Community the church just needs to close its doors thankfully our church is a pretty big blessing to our community praise the Lord for that and I'm thankful for all the good laborers but the kingdom of God is a kingdom that is built on love and grace and truth and mercy Napoleon bonapart he created one

Of the greatest empires of the Victorian age and he built it on Military might but it was not Mighty enough and as he stood on Mount Helena as he was watching his army be defeated he said my Empire has passed away I've founded it upon the sword and it is gone Jesus Christ established an Empire upon love and it will last forever the truth is that the kingdom of God will never ever fade away his throne is eternal and he rules and so that's one way to understand it or we could look at the birds as a sign of satanic activity and we get that because of what it says in Mark chapter 4 and as he sowed some seed fell along the path and the birds came and devoured it and these are the ones along the path where the word is sown when they hear Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them he's teaching and he's talking about birds and Satan and it's the same teaching so if you were to hold to that view where God's kingdom is Satan is guaranteed to oppose the work of God and try to prevent the scattering of the seeds my wife she loves to watch the birds on our back deck any other bird watchers in here yeah we've got these toughed tit mice mouses me t a whole bunch of them that come and they scatter all these seeds trying to just get to the sunflowers right they're just honory little buggers and just gets everywhere but you know the mere presence of that bird causes the scattering of the seeds and so for us if we were to take it from this perspective we would say that in a way satanic opposition guarantees the success of the Kingdom his mere presence means that the seeds are going to fall and be scattered whichever way that you look at it remember that the principle that Christ is teaching us is that the smallest work

That is done for the kingdom leads to tremendous fruit the smallest words the kind actions the listening ear The Godly friend the little actions that we take contribute to the Kingdom's expansion it's not done through flashy lights it's not done through giveaways it's not done through charismatic personalities but by Christians walking with the Lord it's as simple as that just walking with the Lord and obeying his leading from the tomorrow Beginnings that we were talking about this Carpenter in Israel he established access into the kingdom through his death his burial and his resurrection remember that God glories in using the small and the seemingly insignificant just like he gloried in using the shepherd boy David to slay Goliath just as God gloried in using Gideon's small army of 300 to defeat the midianites just as God used 12 uneducated men to grow his church from Jerusalem to impact the world as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong God chose what is low and despised in the world even the things that are not to bring to nothing things that are so that no human being might boast in the presence of God amen this passage gives Christians tremendous confidence and tremendous assurance that God is not going to allow his kingdom to be defeated just as Christ was placed on the cross and he gained the greatest Victory as Christians go into the world to share the Gospel and are rejected the kingdom Goes Forth I want to kind of wrap this up by telling you about two great Christian men from our nation's history the first one is this guy Jonathan Edwards you guys familiar with Jonathan Edwards I really hope so he was a genius he learned Greek and Latin

Before he attended Yale at the age of 13 I know he was the only son out of 11 youngest and he began preaching at the age of 19 God used him as a tremendous Catalyst for the Great Awakening and God used him in waves we know he read wrote some of the greatest theological Works in American history he's actually dubbed as the America's greatest Theologian Jonathan Edwards another man he was born in Tyler Texas he had an older brother this man was deaf in one year he was crosseyed had spine and sternum deformities he had but his family was too poor to afford any kind of medical treatment for him he worked paper route worked at Safeway in order to have some money he went forward at a Baptist Church at the ages of 11 12 14 and 15 never could quite figure out what was going on in his heart but he knew that he was not a Christian but he wanted to be he was a hard worker he was a good student didn't have any hope of college so he tried to go into the military he passed his hearing test by some Act of Providence until later on he was medically discharged because they said hey you can't hear out of that here but he found himself at the University of Oklahoma and on a summer trip he got to go visiting with his brother he went and evangelized some people and as his brother was sharing the Gospel that was the moment that he became a Christian somehow some way God changed his heart in that moment that man began to become very influential in The Navigators that's Jerry Bridges I hope that you've read his books he's awesome I mean was awesome before he passed authored 30 books spoke around the world sharing the Gospel with whoever would listen it's not about where you came from it's not about how

Smart you are or whether you're crosseyed or not doesn't matter if you're deaf in one ear God can use you amen it's not about where you've come from it's about who you follow if you follow Christ you will bear fruit for the kingdom of God remember that the co the kingdom begins as a small seed from an obscure part of the ancient world to Absolute Global reach remember that Christ is King and that the kingdom of God at flourishes despite efforts to destroy it so we don't have to be afraid of anything or anyone we don't have to despair for our future because our future is secure in Christ and God has it all under control all that we got to do is walk with them and finally the kingdom it will take over it will grow it will grow it will grow until the Earth is filled with it and everyone hears the goodness of Christ and we believe one day Christ he will return and he will establish his kingdom very real way here on the earth we do look forward to that time head heart hand head I God wants you to know that his kingdom will grow and flourish we don't have to be afraid he's told us that many times we already know how this ends at last God he will reign in the meantime let's just be faithful to Christ heart God wants you to believe that his kingdom expands in spite of fierce opposition doesn't matter what mankind does God he could allow the fiercest persecution that we've ever seen doesn't matter you know why because God he rules and Reigns he's got a plan in his way and his plan is far greater than our hopes and our dreams hand God wants you to be a part of his kingdom and my prayer is that maybe today you know that you're not saved but you know that you want to be

Do business with the Lord talk to him say God regardless of whatever comes my way I want you to be my Savior I want you to be the Lord of my life just see how God works let's all stand together let's pray as we respond in worship God we ask that you would watch over us today as we go forth from here as your ambassadors of your kingdom we just ask that you would please help us to walk with great confidence and assurance that you go before us that you already have work for us to do it's already prepared so help us to have spiritualized to see where you're working and to join in where you want us to father we surrender ourselves to you and if there's anyone here that maybe they just need to know you I pray that they would do business with you today and then catch someone after service say I know Christ now we give you all the praise for how you're working we love you Lord as we respond and worship may your name be glorified in Jesus name [Music] my worth is not in what I ow not in the strength of Flesh and Bone but in the costly wounds of Love At The Cross my worth is not in skill or name in win or lose in Pride or shame but in the blood of Christ that Flo at the cross I rejoice in my Redeemer greatest treasure Wells Spring of my soul I will trust trust in him no other my soul is satisfied in him [Music] alone as summer flowers we Fain and die Fame Youth and Beauty hurry by but life eternal calls to us at the cross I will not boast in wealth or might or human wisdom's fleeing light but I will boast in knowing Christ at the cross I rejoice in my Redeemer greatest

Treasure Wellspring of my soul I will trust in him no other my soul is satisfied in him alone to wonders here that I confess [Music] my worth and my unworthiness my value fixed my Ransom paid at the [Music] cross Lord we do thank you so much for this time that we get to have together we ask that you would just please help us to go forth from here as your ambassadors carrying the message of your triumphant Kingdom filled with love and grace and mercy and truth and Justice father just please help us to have those conversations that we need to scattering that seed of the Gospel that you would be blessed father we love you in Jesus name amen hey don't forget grab some pictures over here grab some cookies mom we love you guys Happy Mother's Day