“The Kingdom of God” Part 16 by Dave Bessey

www.reach413.com

Everytime we preach and teach the word we are have the potential for expanding or advancing the Kingdom of God. This expansion comes through preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom and the habitation through the Holy Spirit indwelling us. John chapter 3 addresses this expansion.

Subtitle: The Ever-Expanding Kingdom

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14

Parable of Mustard Seed belong to the Kingdom of God. Under the “fire”.

Read Matthew 13:31-32 (Luke 13:18-19; Mark 4:30-32). The “man” (Jesus) plants a mustard seed in his “field” (the world). It begins as the smallest, most insignificant looking seed, but grows to the largest plant a tree which becomes a haven for the birds of the air, a shelter from the storms, the scorching sun and their enemies. This is the ministry of all those in the Kingdom of God.

“See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen” Isaiah 32:1-3 (read to verse 8; Isaiah 4:6; 25:4; 58:7).

• A King will reign in righteousness - speaking of the Lord Jesus.

• Rulers will rule with justice under the King, those who belong to the Kingdom take their authority in the Spirit over the Enemy at work in people’s lives and the situations and circumstances they face.

• Each man will be like a shelter - every Christian ministering the love of God to the needy around us. We are the “shadow” of the “great rock”- the Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:3-4; Psalm 62:2-7).

Parable of Yeast

Read Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21.

When heated, yeast influences the whole lump of dough, spreading throughout and causing it to swell and expand. So it is with those who of the Spirit of God, they influence the whole community, spreading the “good news of the Kingdom” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) and having such impact they “turn the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).

Parable of the Net

Read Matthew 13:47-48. The call to be a “fisher of men” (Matt.4:19) is the call to every believer. As the net of the Gospel message is cast upon the waters of human lives (Isa.17:12) it “catches” all kinds of people...those with a sincere repentant heart whose desire is to know the Lord and worship and glorify Him, and those with their own agenda, wanting only the blessing they can get for this life now (John 2:23-25; 6:5-15;25-26).

Parable of the Tares

Read Matt.13:24-41. The tares or weeds (probably the poisonous darnel), planted by the enemy, look identical to the wheat, but at full growth the ears of the tares are light so they remain upright whereas the ears of the wheat are so heavy they bend down, picturing the heart of the believer to the Lord. When the time of harvest comes the difference is clear. So it will be at the end of the age. When the Lord returns he will “harvest” His true believers (Matt.3:12).

“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And Hr will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other” Matthew 24:30-32 (see also Matthew 25:31-46).

SERIES: THE TREASURES OF THE KINGDOM -- LESSON 16

Copyright © 2010 Paul Collins and Bunty Collins. A ministry of Fountaingate Christian Foundation. May be freely reproduced, except for profit, provided copyright and contact information is kept intact. P.O. Box 1033, Newcastle NSW 2300, Australia. Online at www.kingstable.org Scriptures quoted from the New International Version, unless otherwise stated. Used by permission.