Just King

I hate weeds.  Weeds wreak havoc and ruin a beautiful yard if not eliminated.  I made an effort to eliminate some weeds in my yard a few weeks ago by purchasing what I THOUGHT was a chemical which would only kill weeds.  Turns out, after zig zagging around my yard spraying weeds, that I also killed every inch of grass along with the weeds.  Now my yard has several large zig zag patterns of dead weeds . . . and grass.  From this experience I learned that when grass and weeds grow right beside one another, you have to be careful how you go about eliminating weeds in case you destroy the grass as well.

Our world is full of “weeds” (evil people).  Read the news on any given day and we are confronted with the harsh reality of all the evil that exists in the world.  Murder, violence, bullying, stealing, lying, abortion, divorce, . . . these are all examples of evil that happens in our world and in our own lives every day.  With all these weeds of evil growing everywhere, we might struggle at times wondering, “where is God?”, “why does He allow such evil?”, or “is He powerless to do anything about it?”  Be assured, God hates weeds more than we do, and He has plans to get rid of them, just not in the way or in the time frame that you might expect.

READ:  Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

God the King is the MAKER and OWNER of this world and He will make sure that everyone receives JUSTICE!  According to Matthew 13:24 and 38 the world in which good and evil exist is “HIS”.  That one little possessive pronoun communicates that God is the maker and therefore the owner of the world that you and I enjoy and live in every day.  At the same time, there is a real enemy that exists in God’s world (the devil), but make no mistake, He is fully in charge of His world and His Kingdom.  How do we make sense of our experience in the world?

God allows GOOD and EVIL to exist TOGETHER beside one another in His world (Mt. 13:25-26, 30, 38) – We should not be surprised at evil in our world.  We should not be shocked when we hear about bad things that happen.  We should not become discouraged when we feel like we are surrounded on all sides by wickedness.  Our King is allowing good and evil would exist side by side in this world.  Matthew 5:45 says God, “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”  The sun and rain God provides which allows good wheat to grow is the same environment which allows evil weeds to grow as well.  The frustrating part is that evil weeds are right next to us and they impact our personal lives.  It is our personal experience with evil that creates within us a desire for justice!  We want someone to eliminate the evil and make things right.  There is good news for all of us who want justice in this world!

In God’s Kingdom, everyone will receive their just PUNISHMENT or REWARD (Mt. 13:30, 39b-43) – There are consequences for everything in life.  When we do what is good, good things happen to us.  When we do what is evil, bad things happen.  The consequence of being a child of the evil one is being gathered outside the Kingdom and thrown into a “fiery furnace.  In a place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  The consequence of being a child of the Kingdom is being gathered inside the Kingdom and welcomed into the “barn” of God’s eternal presence.  We may see and experience many injustices in this life that seem to go without consequences, but we can be sure of this, no one who will escape God’s justice.

CONCLUSION
An important question to ask is, “am I wheat or am I a weed?”  Am I a son of the kingdom or a son of the evil one?  Make no mistake, God will eternally punish or reward us depending on which one we are.  Why doesn’t God just eliminate weeds?  2 Peter 3:9 says that God is, “patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”   God isn’t eliminating weeds just yet, because He is patiently waiting to transform them into wheat!  Being transformed from a weed into wheat involves repenting of the evil we have done and putting faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.  Is it you God is patiently waiting for to repent?

Kingdom Contradiction

Anthony Webb was a contradiction. "Spud", as he was nicknamed, is a retired professional basketball player who is known for winning the NBA slam dunk contest in 1986.  Despite being one of the shortest players in NBA history at 5’7” tall, “Spud” defeated his 6’8” teammate and defending dunk champion Dominique Wilkins, by soaring nearly 4 feet in the air on each of his dunk attempts.  He defeated Wilkins with two perfect 50-point scores in the final round.  To many, “Spud’s” small stature contradicted the amazing things he was able to do on the basketball court!

The Kingdom of heaven is a contradiction.  On the surface it appears small, unimpressive, unnoticeable, and to many completely invisible.  Jesus Christ, who came to establish God’s Kingdom is a contradiction Himself.  Isaiah 53:2 says about Jesus that, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.”  He was born in poverty in a manger in Bethlehem.  He lived a simple life as a carpenter.  His closest companions were fisherman, sinners, and tax collectors.  During His ministry He served the unwanted and outcasts. His life ended suffering the punishment of a criminal on the cross.  There was nothing outwardly impressive about Jesus, and yet, He is undoubtedly the single most influential person in the history of the world.

READ:  Matthew 13:31-32

Just like Jesus, the KINGDOM of GOD produces UNEXPECTED results!  The people of Israel were not expecting an insignificant beginning to the Kingdom of God.  The Jews expected a Messiah to come who would establish a powerful earthly kingdom.  Comparing the Kingdom of heaven to a tiny, insignificant seed would have been a disgrace, bringing confusion and disbelief to Jesus’ listeners.

God’s Kingdom seems SMALL and INSIGNIFICANT (Mt. 13:31-32a) – A single mustard seed is usually about 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter and are colored from yellowish white to black.  It takes hundreds of mustard seeds to weigh a single ounce.  Although the mustard seed is not the smallest seed in existence, it was the smallest seed of all agricultural plants in Israel.  Jesus used the, “smallest of all seeds” to show that God’s Kingdom seems miniscule, hardly noticeable, and unimpressive.  In our culture, characteristics like humility and servanthood are considered small and insignificant.  In God’s Kingdom, these small and insignificant acts possess all the potential God needs to produce unexpected results.  We must have faith and trust in God that He will use these characteristics in our lives to make a big difference in His Kingdom and in eternity.

God’s Kingdom grows into something LARGE and SUBSTANTIAL (Mt. 13:32b) – A tiny mustard seed planted in the ground eventually grows to the height of a small tree approximately 8-12 feet.  Large enough that a bird can make a nest in its branches.  It is miraculous that something so small can turn into something, “larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree.”  In this life, along-side all other cultural ideologies, philosophies, and religions, God’s Kingdom won’t appear impressive, but will eventually be revealed in eternity to be larger and surpass them all.  Don’t be deceived by other cultural ways of life that seem to offer more than the Kingdom of God.  What they have to offer is false and empty of true meaning and significance.  By sowing small seeds of the Kingdom with our lives, God will produce the unexpected results of an enormous spiritual harvest.

CONCLUSION
Jesus Christ is like a mustard seed.  His life may have seemed small and insignificant, but after He died and was buried in the ground, He resurrected and grew to reveal Himself as God.  He is “big enough” to carry our burdens.  He is “big enough” to carry our hurts and pain.  And ultimately, He is “big enough” to carry all of our sin.  Just like the birds can make their home in the branches of a mustard plant, we can make our eternal home in the person of Jesus Christ.  Is Jesus Christ small and insignificant or large and substantial in your life?

Kingdom Valuation

What is it that you treasure?  What is it that is of greatest value to you?  For some of us, what we treasure most is a physical possession (eg video game system, iPod, car, etc).  For others, what we treasure most is a relationship (eg, popularity, boyfriend, girlfriend).  For some, what we treasure most is an activity or accomplishment (eg, football player, band member, etc).  Our culture often dictates what we treasure.  If we don’t value the things that our culture values we are made to feel strange, different, or weird.  This unwanted pressure makes us quick to treasure and value what our culture treasures and values.

And yet, we cannot blame our culture, we treasure or value whatever is most important in our own selfish and sinful hearts.  Imagine a throne in our hearts and whatever or whoever sits on that throne rules and reigns in our life.  Whatever or whoever that is gets the most and the best of our time, money, and attention.  Whether we realize it or not, we choose what or who sits on the throne in our heart.  Because it is extremely important what or who sits on the throne of our heart we must ask, “What does God consider treasure or valuable?”

READ:  Matthew 13:44-46

In this parable, Jesus reveals to us something that is truly worthy of being the highest treasure and of greatest value in our lives.  The KINGDOM of GOD is to be the greatest treasure in our lives!  What is the Kingdom?  When Jesus began His ministry He immediately started talking about a Kingdom.  In Matthew 4:17 Jesus said, “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  The Kingdom Jesus is referring to is God’s RULE and REIGN in our lives.  He was talking about Himself sitting on the throne of our hearts, because we have placed Him there, and executing His perfect will.

It was this Kingdom that Jesus was referring to when He taught His disciples to pray in Matthew 5:10 that His, “(Father’s) Kingdom come, and (His) will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Jesus wants us to be a part of His Kingdom culture.  A culture where God’s rule and reign is the highest treasure and the greatest value in EVERY aspect of our daily lives.  How valuable is God’s Kingdom?  What is it worth?

God’s Kingdom is worth EVERYTHING that we possess (Mt. 13:44, 46) – As a teenager my first big purchase was a $300 stereo system.  I was willing to part with a large amount of my hard earned money because I valued music.  It was a tough decision, but I remember thinking it was worth it!  In trying explain to those who were listening to Him about how valuable the Kingdom is, Jesus said it was worth selling, “ALL that (they) had”.  Not some, not most, ALL, EVERYTHING!  According to Jesus (the creator of all that there is to enjoy), there is nothing in this life valuable enough that is worth holding onto if it means losing out on possessing the Kingdom.  We can confidently, and without hesitation, invest everything in the Kingdom of God because it is worth it.  

God’s Kingdom is our source of inexpressible JOY (Mt. 13:44) – What would it mean to hit the “jackpot of joy” in your life?  Being the MVP of the World Series or the Super Bowl?  Being in a relationship with the perfect guy or the perfect girl?  Many of the ways that we might answer that question, what we are really talking about, is happiness and not joy.  Happiness is temporary and joy is eternal.  When God’s Kingdom is our treasure and of greatest value in our lives we experience an unexplainable, unfading, eternal joy that cannot be taken away.  The only way to experience true lasting joy is if God’s Kingdom is our treasure and of greatest value to us.

CONCLUSION

Missionary Jim Elliott said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”  There is nothing in this life that is worth holding onto if it means missing out on being a part of God’s Kingdom.  According to Jesus Christ, giving up anything and everything this world has to offer in order to possess God’s Kingdom is the richest and most valuable way you can invest your life!  Have you discovered the treasure of God’s Kingdom in your life?  Is God’s Kingdom the most valuable thing that you possess?