WEBVTT 00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:04.620 Thank you very much. Good evening everyone, it's a pleasure to be with you this evening. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:09.580 Please keep Luke chapter 13 open in front of you as we study it together. 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:16.800 That will be a huge help for all of us as we consider what the implications are of Jesus' words for us, 00:00:16.920 --> 00:00:19.240 not only as individuals but as a church family. 00:00:19.879 --> 00:00:22.300 Let me pray for us before we go any further. 00:00:24.500 --> 00:00:26.199 Father, we thank you for your word to us. 00:00:26.199 --> 00:00:32.939 And we thank you that when you speak, you shape our hearts to look more like that of Jesus. 00:00:33.500 --> 00:00:38.640 And so we pray that you would help us this evening to understand what it is that you have to say, 00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:45.079 that you would help us to respond in gratitude and in obedience to you. 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:51.019 Please, Father, would you give us everything that we need this evening to hear your word 00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:56.120 and to live it out in our lives so that you may be glorified. 00:00:56.679 --> 00:00:58.880 Please, we pray, would you show us Christ. 00:00:59.580 --> 00:01:02.800 And it's in his name that we ask for all these things. Amen. 00:01:04.180 --> 00:01:06.079 Well, it's a beautifully sunny day. 00:01:06.820 --> 00:01:16.379 It's the end of what I'm sure has been an academic year full of highs and lows for you as a church family. 00:01:16.379 --> 00:01:25.159 The summer holidays often give us a chance, I think, to reflect back on what the previous 12 months have held for us 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:32.919 and then also to look ahead at what is coming up next over the academic year that faces us. 00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:36.420 And so my question to us all this evening is this. 00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:43.060 What should our gospel expectations be over the next academic year? 00:01:43.060 --> 00:01:49.159 What should our gospel expectations be until the summer of 2023? 00:01:50.379 --> 00:01:55.960 What should the gospel expectations be for a church family like Brunsfield Evangelical 00:01:55.960 --> 00:02:03.480 as you look to the next five or maybe even ten years of your life here as a church in Edinburgh? 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:09.180 Now, there's a whole variety of possible answers to that question. 00:02:09.640 --> 00:02:16.000 I'm sure so many of us would love to see men, women, children, those who are elderly 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:22.460 around our part of Edinburgh, in our social circles, who don't yet know Jesus, 00:02:23.460 --> 00:02:29.840 to hear the gospel, to ask Jesus for forgiveness and for eternal life. 00:02:29.840 --> 00:02:31.520 I know that I would love that myself. 00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:38.500 I'm sure we'd love to grow together as a church family in unity and in holiness 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:42.620 as we study God's word on a Sunday and during the week. 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:44.180 I would love that too. 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:51.980 Having said that, I'm sure so many of us know that things are actually often in reality 00:02:51.980 --> 00:02:56.520 much tougher for us as a church family. 00:02:56.520 --> 00:03:03.640 People who we would love to know Jesus just don't seem all that interested. 00:03:05.219 --> 00:03:11.400 Friends around us who we would love to grow in godliness aren't making progress like we 00:03:11.400 --> 00:03:12.420 would want them to. 00:03:13.780 --> 00:03:20.560 Even when we think about ourselves, when we reflect on the past 12 months, how we have grown 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:29.120 as Christians, we feel frustrated, I'm sure, thinking about how slow our own progress can be. 00:03:29.860 --> 00:03:34.020 As we look at our world, we just think, where is God's kingdom? 00:03:34.340 --> 00:03:36.180 Where is the reign of Christ? 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:44.900 And so for some of us, I imagine our expectations might be really optimistic, positive, bright, 00:03:44.900 --> 00:03:49.300 as we think about what God might do in our lives and in the lives of others. 00:03:50.719 --> 00:03:55.920 But for some of us, our expectations might be more pessimistic or perhaps realistic 00:03:55.920 --> 00:04:02.420 as we think about the sin that permeates our hearts and the evil that permeates our world. 00:04:04.860 --> 00:04:11.219 Well, wonderfully, in our parables this evening, Jesus sets really, really clear gospel expectations 00:04:11.219 --> 00:04:19.500 as to what a church family like Brunsfield Evangelical can expect and should expect over the academic year ahead. 00:04:20.860 --> 00:04:25.579 And it's a really, really important lesson for us to learn because Jesus' words are going to transform 00:04:25.579 --> 00:04:32.959 and change our expectations to look more like the genuine gospel expectations of his kingdom. 00:04:34.420 --> 00:04:40.959 And that in turn will stop us as Christians from having an outlook that is either too high or too low. 00:04:41.860 --> 00:04:44.980 Overly optimistic or overly pessimistic. 00:04:46.320 --> 00:04:50.620 See, if our expectations match Jesus' kingdom expectations, 00:04:51.180 --> 00:04:57.980 then we'll make much better sense of what is happening around about us in our lives and in our world. 00:05:00.020 --> 00:05:05.500 In fact, that is exactly what Jesus is teaching his disciples in Luke chapter 13. 00:05:05.740 --> 00:05:09.040 We're following Jesus on his way to the cross. 00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:11.879 We're following Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:21.379 And he is showing his followers what it means to understand and correctly interpret the days in which they are living. 00:05:21.379 --> 00:05:30.379 As Jesus teaches, as Jesus heals, as Jesus drives out demons on his way to Jerusalem, 00:05:31.019 --> 00:05:34.719 how are the disciples to make sense of it all? 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:44.220 Should daily healings and the driving out of demons be the norm going forwards for anyone who follows Jesus? 00:05:45.960 --> 00:05:54.780 How does a disciple correctly understand what Jesus is saying and what Jesus is doing as he heads towards Jerusalem? 00:05:54.779 --> 00:06:00.159 And you'll see what I mean if you scan chapter 13. 00:06:00.419 --> 00:06:08.139 Just before these parables in chapter 13, we read of Jesus freeing a woman on the Sabbath 00:06:08.139 --> 00:06:16.279 from this crippling spirit that has had her bent over for 18 years. 00:06:17.699 --> 00:06:20.459 So if you glance with me at verse 10, we read, 00:06:20.459 --> 00:06:23.680 On the Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 00:06:23.799 --> 00:06:27.899 and the woman who was there had been crippled by a spirit for 18 years. 00:06:28.419 --> 00:06:31.099 She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:34.919 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, 00:06:35.019 --> 00:06:38.459 Women, you are set free from your infirmity. 00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:44.500 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. 00:06:44.500 --> 00:06:52.180 Now Luke records this for us because it is miraculous in the truest sense of the word. 00:06:52.540 --> 00:06:54.939 This poor woman has suffered for 18 years, 00:06:55.339 --> 00:06:59.879 and Jesus in his kindness and in his mercy cures her. 00:07:00.980 --> 00:07:04.839 But there's much more going on here in Luke chapter 13. 00:07:05.639 --> 00:07:11.220 See, this is the long-awaited kingdom of God breaking into our world, 00:07:11.220 --> 00:07:17.220 breaking into this woman's life to set her free from the grip of Satan. 00:07:18.860 --> 00:07:24.020 And Luke invites us to watch as Jesus, the king of God's people, 00:07:24.640 --> 00:07:29.740 frees this woman from the grip, from the grasp of the evil one. 00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:34.760 Someone stronger than Satan has arrived. 00:07:35.560 --> 00:07:39.340 His kingdom has broken into our fallen world. 00:07:39.339 --> 00:07:44.839 So listen to Jesus' words in verse 16. 00:07:45.099 --> 00:07:49.339 Hear the authority, hear the compassion in the words that he speaks. 00:07:49.879 --> 00:07:52.560 Should not this woman, he says, 00:07:53.419 --> 00:07:58.519 a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for 18 long years, 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:02.719 be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her? 00:08:03.919 --> 00:08:06.799 And when he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:11.939 but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing. 00:08:13.560 --> 00:08:17.180 All the people see what Jesus does, and they rightly rejoice. 00:08:18.620 --> 00:08:23.860 Finally, here is someone who can fully fix the world in which we live. 00:08:23.860 --> 00:08:28.240 After years of oppressive Roman rule, 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:31.080 after years of oppressive religious tyranny, 00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:33.840 after years of disease and death, 00:08:34.200 --> 00:08:38.180 there is finally a light at the end of the long, dark tunnel. 00:08:41.300 --> 00:08:43.820 And yet, as Jesus' kingdom breaks into our world, 00:08:43.960 --> 00:08:46.860 he needs to make sure that his disciples understand 00:08:46.860 --> 00:08:50.539 understand what things will look like going forward. 00:08:52.300 --> 00:08:54.139 They've just witnessed something wonderful, 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:55.899 their right to rejoice, 00:08:56.860 --> 00:08:59.519 but Jesus will tell his disciples in these parables 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:03.919 that his kingdom will not always look as powerful as it does 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:06.560 in verses 10 to 18 of chapter 13. 00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:13.739 In fact, Jesus' kingdom will grow spectacularly, 00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:19.359 but it will grow from small, unseen beginnings. 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:23.759 Jesus' kingdom will grow spectacularly, 00:09:23.959 --> 00:09:27.359 but it will grow from small, unseen beginnings. 00:09:27.739 --> 00:09:29.679 The two parables are very similar to one another. 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:32.039 There's a slightly different emphasis each time. 00:09:32.359 --> 00:09:35.239 They're not especially tricky or hard for us to understand. 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:38.080 The word at the start of verse 18 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:39.799 that was read out for us there is, 00:09:40.039 --> 00:09:43.220 actually, therefore, therefore, Jesus asked, 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:45.320 what is the kingdom of God like? 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:47.639 This is Jesus' direct response 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:52.340 to the rejoicing of the disciples around him. 00:09:53.500 --> 00:09:54.840 He doesn't want to spoil their fun. 00:09:55.399 --> 00:09:58.320 He's not telling them to tone down their rejoicing, 00:09:58.779 --> 00:10:01.759 but he is clarifying and adjusting 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:04.399 their understanding of what is to come. 00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:08.019 As Jesus compares the kingdom of God, 00:10:08.340 --> 00:10:10.539 he speaks firstly, in verse 19, 00:10:10.940 --> 00:10:12.399 of a mustard seed, 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:16.259 which a man took and planted in his garden. 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:19.700 And then he speaks in verse 21, 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:23.960 of yeast that a woman took and mixed 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:26.879 into about 30 kilograms of flour. 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:30.720 See, as Jesus describes the kingdom of God, 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:33.779 he speaks here in Luke of very ordinary, 00:10:34.519 --> 00:10:37.299 everyday things. 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:42.960 We would walk right past mustard seeds and yeast 00:10:42.960 --> 00:10:46.480 if we were at the local market there 2,000 years ago. 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:48.820 We wouldn't even notice they were there. 00:10:48.820 --> 00:10:53.520 And yet listen to what happens to both of these things 00:10:53.520 --> 00:10:55.020 in these verses. 00:10:56.520 --> 00:10:57.560 In verse 19, 00:10:57.820 --> 00:11:00.820 the mustard seed grew and became a tree 00:11:00.820 --> 00:11:03.900 and the birds perched in its branches. 00:11:05.520 --> 00:11:10.780 That small, weak, ordinary, unimpressive mustard seed 00:11:10.780 --> 00:11:13.940 grows into something that offers shelter 00:11:13.940 --> 00:11:16.480 and provision for the birds that come 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:17.720 and perch in its branches. 00:11:20.300 --> 00:11:22.100 And then again, verse 21, 00:11:22.740 --> 00:11:25.640 the yeast that a woman took and mixed, 00:11:25.820 --> 00:11:27.180 that word there is literally hid, 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:29.720 the yeast that a woman took and hid 00:11:29.720 --> 00:11:32.140 in about 30 kilograms of flour 00:11:32.140 --> 00:11:34.900 works its way through all the dough. 00:11:34.899 --> 00:11:39.360 That tiny amount of yeast 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:41.579 grows into the rest of the flour, 00:11:42.100 --> 00:11:45.379 which I'm told would be able to provide enough bread 00:11:45.379 --> 00:11:47.100 to feed over 100 people. 00:11:49.139 --> 00:11:51.439 Now we might have walked past the yeast 00:11:51.439 --> 00:11:54.059 and we might have walked past the mustard seed, 00:11:54.759 --> 00:11:57.819 but we would not walk past that tree 00:11:57.819 --> 00:12:00.019 nor that amount of bread 00:12:00.019 --> 00:12:02.079 without noticing them. 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:05.400 We would see them very, very clearly. 00:12:07.620 --> 00:12:10.900 Jesus' kingdom will grow spectacularly 00:12:10.900 --> 00:12:13.280 from small, unseen beginnings. 00:12:14.080 --> 00:12:16.700 And you can understand why Jesus would want his disciples 00:12:16.700 --> 00:12:18.920 to understand this 00:12:18.920 --> 00:12:22.620 in light of what's just happened in chapter 13. 00:12:23.540 --> 00:12:25.960 You can understand why Jesus would want his disciples 00:12:25.960 --> 00:12:28.320 to know this, given where he is heading. 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:35.620 If you glance down at verse 32 of chapter 13, 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:40.460 Jesus is responding to very, very false concern 00:12:40.460 --> 00:12:41.780 from the Pharisees. 00:12:42.020 --> 00:12:44.580 They don't want Jesus anywhere near Jerusalem. 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:47.740 And so they attempt to ward him away from Jerusalem 00:12:47.740 --> 00:12:52.380 by trying to explain that Herod is out to get him. 00:12:52.379 --> 00:12:56.019 And Jesus responds by saying, verse 32, 00:12:56.299 --> 00:13:00.360 I will keep on driving out demons 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:03.019 and healing people today and tomorrow. 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:07.460 And on the third day, I will reach my goal. 00:13:08.679 --> 00:13:12.779 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow 00:13:12.779 --> 00:13:13.840 and the next day, 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:17.419 for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem. 00:13:17.419 --> 00:13:22.519 See, in Jesus, the kingdom of God 00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:25.399 has broken into the world with all of its power. 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:29.639 We've seen that in the healing of the women on the Sabbath. 00:13:31.199 --> 00:13:33.219 But healing people physically 00:13:33.219 --> 00:13:35.699 before going to the cross 00:13:35.699 --> 00:13:38.179 is not Jesus' ultimate goal. 00:13:38.179 --> 00:13:42.259 He says that he will keep on driving out demons. 00:13:42.620 --> 00:13:44.459 He says that he will keep on healing people, 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:47.239 but he will only do it until he reaches, 00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:49.620 on day three, his goal, 00:13:50.339 --> 00:13:52.079 which is the cross of Calvary. 00:13:54.559 --> 00:13:58.139 Now that is when the kingdom of God 00:13:58.139 --> 00:14:00.939 will look at its least impressive. 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:05.120 That is when the kingdom of God 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:07.360 will look at its most hidden. 00:14:09.019 --> 00:14:10.560 That is when the disciples 00:14:10.560 --> 00:14:13.500 will need to hang on to Jesus' words here 00:14:13.500 --> 00:14:15.279 in chapter 13. 00:14:17.080 --> 00:14:19.320 See, as Jesus hangs on the cross, 00:14:19.600 --> 00:14:22.740 he looks weak and he looks frail. 00:14:23.799 --> 00:14:25.899 As Jesus hangs on the cross, 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:29.320 the glory of the kingdom will be small, 00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:31.320 just like the mustard seed. 00:14:32.419 --> 00:14:34.340 As Jesus hangs on the cross, 00:14:34.340 --> 00:14:36.879 the glory of the kingdom will be hidden, 00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:38.740 just like the yeast. 00:14:40.800 --> 00:14:41.680 And yet, 00:14:42.259 --> 00:14:44.580 just as Jesus teaches his followers 00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:45.720 in these parables, 00:14:46.600 --> 00:14:48.259 it will grow. 00:14:50.800 --> 00:14:51.800 See, the cross, if you like, 00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:52.639 is the moment where 00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:55.720 the gospel seed is planted in the garden. 00:14:56.080 --> 00:14:57.040 The cross, if you like, 00:14:57.060 --> 00:14:58.740 is the moment where the gospel yeast 00:14:58.740 --> 00:15:00.320 is hidden in the flower. 00:15:00.680 --> 00:15:02.740 But Jesus' promise to his followers 00:15:02.740 --> 00:15:04.139 is that slowly, 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:05.220 surely, 00:15:05.560 --> 00:15:06.560 over the months, 00:15:06.779 --> 00:15:08.139 over the years to come, 00:15:08.419 --> 00:15:10.139 his kingdom will grow. 00:15:10.620 --> 00:15:12.779 From the small to the great. 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:15.340 From the hidden to the visible. 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:18.700 And as we look back 00:15:18.700 --> 00:15:20.860 at Jesus' promise to his followers 00:15:20.860 --> 00:15:22.779 2,000 years ago, 00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:25.940 wasn't he telling us the truth? 00:15:25.940 --> 00:15:29.040 From the 11 apostles 00:15:29.040 --> 00:15:30.860 and the handful of others 00:15:30.860 --> 00:15:32.520 left after Jesus died 00:15:32.520 --> 00:15:33.340 and rose again, 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:36.140 right the way through the centuries, 00:15:36.660 --> 00:15:38.760 where millions and millions of people 00:15:38.760 --> 00:15:40.180 have come to place their faith 00:15:40.180 --> 00:15:41.240 and trust 00:15:41.240 --> 00:15:42.840 in the cross of Christ. 00:15:42.840 --> 00:15:46.720 So you can go and see 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:47.420 what remains 00:15:47.420 --> 00:15:48.639 of the Roman Empire 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:50.899 sitting in the British Museum. 00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:53.280 And whilst you're there, 00:15:53.340 --> 00:15:54.120 you can have a look at 00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:54.680 what remains 00:15:54.680 --> 00:15:56.399 of the Babylonian Empire as well. 00:15:57.700 --> 00:15:58.860 A lot of it has been 00:15:58.860 --> 00:15:59.660 very well, 00:15:59.980 --> 00:16:01.100 very carefully preserved 00:16:01.100 --> 00:16:02.259 for us to go and see. 00:16:05.300 --> 00:16:07.040 Even more carefully preserved 00:16:07.040 --> 00:16:09.519 is the kingdom of Christ. 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:12.919 preserved by him. 00:16:14.279 --> 00:16:15.579 And if you want to go and see it, 00:16:15.899 --> 00:16:16.840 you just need to look around 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:18.379 about you at church 00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:19.539 on a Sunday morning 00:16:19.539 --> 00:16:20.759 or a Sunday evening. 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:25.019 The kingdoms of the world crumble. 00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:28.299 The kingdom of Christ continues. 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:29.759 Carries on. 00:16:32.460 --> 00:16:33.659 And so as I draw things 00:16:33.659 --> 00:16:34.460 to a close this evening, 00:16:34.579 --> 00:16:36.259 let me suggest just two ways 00:16:36.259 --> 00:16:37.620 in which this parable 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:38.379 should shape, 00:16:38.759 --> 00:16:39.399 should adjust 00:16:39.399 --> 00:16:40.740 our gospel expectations 00:16:40.740 --> 00:16:42.139 as a church family. 00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:45.299 The first one is this. 00:16:45.980 --> 00:16:47.720 When we feel tempted 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:49.720 to think that the kingdom 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:51.559 of Christ looks defeated, 00:16:52.259 --> 00:16:53.480 it looks beaten, 00:16:54.459 --> 00:16:55.539 these parables 00:16:55.539 --> 00:16:57.379 show and remind us 00:16:57.379 --> 00:16:59.059 that Jesus' kingdom 00:16:59.059 --> 00:17:00.799 is actually in reality 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:02.360 growing unstoppably. 00:17:03.939 --> 00:17:05.599 I know the frustration 00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:07.900 of meeting up with somebody 00:17:07.900 --> 00:17:09.860 who is struggling 00:17:09.860 --> 00:17:11.080 with a particular issue, 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:13.740 who needs generous applications 00:17:13.740 --> 00:17:14.440 of the gospel. 00:17:15.280 --> 00:17:16.220 They listen 00:17:16.220 --> 00:17:17.900 and then they go right back 00:17:17.900 --> 00:17:19.080 to doing what they were doing before. 00:17:21.080 --> 00:17:22.360 I know the frustration 00:17:22.360 --> 00:17:23.580 of looking at sin 00:17:23.580 --> 00:17:24.640 in my own life 00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:25.280 and thinking, 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:26.460 I will never ever 00:17:26.460 --> 00:17:27.400 do that thing again. 00:17:28.220 --> 00:17:29.080 And then I do it 00:17:29.080 --> 00:17:29.660 within the hour. 00:17:29.660 --> 00:17:32.700 I know the frustration 00:17:32.700 --> 00:17:34.019 of trying to reach out 00:17:34.019 --> 00:17:34.640 with the good news 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:35.019 of Jesus 00:17:35.019 --> 00:17:36.019 towards those 00:17:36.019 --> 00:17:37.600 who just aren't interested 00:17:37.600 --> 00:17:39.600 and every single time 00:17:39.600 --> 00:17:40.320 feeling the pain 00:17:40.320 --> 00:17:41.180 that comes with that. 00:17:43.480 --> 00:17:44.600 When we look at the life 00:17:44.600 --> 00:17:45.240 of an individual, 00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:46.840 when we look at the church 00:17:46.840 --> 00:17:47.519 in this country, 00:17:48.040 --> 00:17:49.060 when we think of a mission 00:17:49.060 --> 00:17:50.060 partner overseas, 00:17:50.060 --> 00:17:52.140 we think to ourselves, 00:17:52.140 --> 00:17:54.240 this just looks so weak, 00:17:54.920 --> 00:17:56.259 so small, 00:17:57.120 --> 00:17:58.240 so hidden. 00:18:01.720 --> 00:18:03.480 Jesus' response is, 00:18:03.940 --> 00:18:04.920 just wait until 00:18:04.920 --> 00:18:06.400 what you see in eternity. 00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:10.960 Jesus' kingdom 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:13.100 is growing spectacularly 00:18:13.100 --> 00:18:15.680 into an eternal kingdom 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:17.820 that will offer shelter 00:18:17.820 --> 00:18:19.040 and provision 00:18:19.040 --> 00:18:19.960 for anyone 00:18:19.960 --> 00:18:21.040 who would seek to enter. 00:18:22.140 --> 00:18:24.020 In that sense, 00:18:24.120 --> 00:18:24.759 we need to be 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:25.759 very, very careful 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:27.080 that we don't listen 00:18:27.080 --> 00:18:28.180 to our senses 00:18:28.180 --> 00:18:29.520 too much. 00:18:30.120 --> 00:18:30.780 Or rather, 00:18:30.860 --> 00:18:31.320 that we listen 00:18:31.320 --> 00:18:32.220 to God's word 00:18:32.220 --> 00:18:33.660 and what Jesus has said 00:18:33.660 --> 00:18:35.580 over what we often see 00:18:35.580 --> 00:18:36.320 and hear 00:18:36.320 --> 00:18:36.900 and perceive 00:18:36.900 --> 00:18:37.860 around about us. 00:18:39.500 --> 00:18:40.580 That's the first thing. 00:18:41.500 --> 00:18:42.720 The second thing is this. 00:18:43.100 --> 00:18:44.360 When we feel tempted 00:18:44.360 --> 00:18:45.740 to think that 00:18:45.740 --> 00:18:46.840 the kingdom of Christ 00:18:46.840 --> 00:18:47.900 should actually 00:18:47.900 --> 00:18:49.200 be moving quicker 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:51.460 or faster 00:18:51.460 --> 00:18:52.680 than it currently is, 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:55.039 these parables 00:18:55.039 --> 00:18:56.519 show and remind us 00:18:56.519 --> 00:18:57.579 that the growth 00:18:57.579 --> 00:18:58.440 of Jesus' kingdom 00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:00.059 will not always 00:19:00.059 --> 00:19:01.019 look impressive 00:19:01.019 --> 00:19:02.120 or sudden. 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:05.720 That's such a big 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:06.720 encouragement for me 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:07.920 and for any one of us 00:19:07.920 --> 00:19:09.079 who are trying to press 00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:10.500 the truth of the gospel 00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:11.980 either onto our own hearts 00:19:11.980 --> 00:19:13.380 or onto the hearts 00:19:13.380 --> 00:19:14.160 of those 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:15.319 that we know and love. 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:17.980 And I think at times 00:19:17.980 --> 00:19:18.919 it's easy to be tempted 00:19:18.919 --> 00:19:19.500 to think, 00:19:20.439 --> 00:19:22.379 should we be doing 00:19:22.379 --> 00:19:23.379 things quicker? 00:19:24.179 --> 00:19:25.480 Should this be moving 00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:26.799 faster than it is? 00:19:28.039 --> 00:19:29.039 I've been reading 00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:30.599 through a gospel 00:19:30.599 --> 00:19:32.039 with this friend of mine, 00:19:32.179 --> 00:19:33.259 with this brother 00:19:33.259 --> 00:19:33.740 or sister 00:19:33.740 --> 00:19:34.720 from the church family 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:35.799 for the best part 00:19:35.799 --> 00:19:36.419 of two years 00:19:36.419 --> 00:19:37.519 and it just doesn't look 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:38.539 like anything is happening. 00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:41.059 Should we be trying 00:19:41.059 --> 00:19:41.659 something else 00:19:41.659 --> 00:19:42.679 to maybe just 00:19:42.679 --> 00:19:43.639 speed things up? 00:19:43.640 --> 00:19:45.700 Is there something 00:19:45.700 --> 00:19:46.740 that we're missing out on 00:19:46.740 --> 00:19:47.480 that other churches 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:48.080 are doing 00:19:48.080 --> 00:19:49.400 and enjoying 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:50.360 the fruit of that 00:19:50.360 --> 00:19:51.520 but we're missing out? 00:19:54.740 --> 00:19:55.900 Well, Jesus would say 00:19:55.900 --> 00:19:56.860 that if you are doing 00:19:56.860 --> 00:19:58.000 his kingdom work, 00:19:58.380 --> 00:19:59.720 then growth 00:19:59.720 --> 00:20:00.800 will not always 00:20:00.800 --> 00:20:01.360 be quick. 00:20:02.860 --> 00:20:03.720 His kingdom 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:04.580 has broken in. 00:20:05.580 --> 00:20:07.120 He has defeated Satan. 00:20:07.980 --> 00:20:09.500 He has liberated us 00:20:09.500 --> 00:20:10.220 from sin 00:20:10.220 --> 00:20:11.200 and sickness 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:12.640 and will do 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:13.420 for eternity 00:20:13.420 --> 00:20:14.279 in the future 00:20:14.279 --> 00:20:17.080 but kingdom growth 00:20:17.080 --> 00:20:18.580 is gradual 00:20:18.580 --> 00:20:20.779 in our lives, 00:20:21.180 --> 00:20:22.539 in our world. 00:20:24.700 --> 00:20:26.019 So my encouragement 00:20:26.019 --> 00:20:26.920 from these parables 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:28.420 is not to lose heart. 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:30.700 His power 00:20:30.700 --> 00:20:31.380 is undeniable. 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:33.140 He will reign forever 00:20:33.140 --> 00:20:35.940 and his eternal kingdom 00:20:35.940 --> 00:20:36.880 will grow. 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:39.320 It will grow spectacularly 00:20:39.319 --> 00:20:41.500 but it will grow slowly 00:20:41.500 --> 00:20:42.960 from our perspective 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:43.500 at least. 00:20:46.379 --> 00:20:47.179 And with all that 00:20:47.179 --> 00:20:47.659 being said, 00:20:48.179 --> 00:20:49.019 let me stop there 00:20:49.019 --> 00:20:49.659 and let me pray 00:20:49.659 --> 00:20:51.019 and pray that God 00:20:51.019 --> 00:20:51.500 will give us 00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:52.599 these gospel expectations 00:20:52.599 --> 00:20:54.139 that Christ would want us 00:20:54.139 --> 00:20:54.599 to have 00:20:54.599 --> 00:20:55.679 for his kingdom. 00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:00.279 Father, we thank you 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:01.700 for Jesus' honesty here 00:21:01.700 --> 00:21:02.960 and we thank you, 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:03.139 Father, 00:21:03.240 --> 00:21:04.220 for Jesus adjusting 00:21:04.220 --> 00:21:05.000 our expectations 00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:06.220 so that they are 00:21:06.220 --> 00:21:07.119 in line with his. 00:21:09.380 --> 00:21:10.019 And we thank you, 00:21:10.099 --> 00:21:10.200 Father, 00:21:10.259 --> 00:21:11.619 that we can 00:21:11.619 --> 00:21:13.359 know with certainty 00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:15.240 that Jesus' kingdom 00:21:15.240 --> 00:21:16.160 will grow 00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:17.720 from that which 00:21:17.720 --> 00:21:18.400 often looks 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:19.519 small and unimpressive 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:20.319 and weak 00:21:20.319 --> 00:21:22.200 but it will grow 00:21:22.200 --> 00:21:22.819 into something 00:21:22.819 --> 00:21:23.920 that provides 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:25.079 and nourishes 00:21:25.079 --> 00:21:26.140 everyone who belongs 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:26.700 to it. 00:21:27.660 --> 00:21:28.380 Thank you, 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:28.579 Father, 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:29.259 for the guarantee 00:21:29.259 --> 00:21:30.440 that despite what we 00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:31.400 often see around 00:21:31.400 --> 00:21:31.900 about us 00:21:31.900 --> 00:21:32.660 in our world, 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:34.580 your kingdom 00:21:34.580 --> 00:21:35.480 will grow 00:21:35.480 --> 00:21:36.259 and will reign 00:21:36.259 --> 00:21:36.640 forever. 00:21:38.320 --> 00:21:39.160 So please 00:21:39.160 --> 00:21:40.120 help us to keep 00:21:40.120 --> 00:21:40.960 going, 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:41.740 help us to keep 00:21:41.740 --> 00:21:42.700 growing in you 00:21:42.700 --> 00:21:44.080 and please help us, 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:44.340 Father, 00:21:44.840 --> 00:21:46.620 not to be distracted 00:21:46.620 --> 00:21:48.240 or to be persuaded 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:48.780 by the world 00:21:48.780 --> 00:21:49.640 around about us 00:21:49.640 --> 00:21:51.500 but instead 00:21:51.500 --> 00:21:52.560 to trust in you 00:21:52.560 --> 00:21:53.780 and to trust 00:21:53.780 --> 00:21:54.640 in Jesus' kingdom. 00:21:56.120 --> 00:21:56.700 Thank you 00:21:56.700 --> 00:21:57.600 that you have saved us 00:21:57.600 --> 00:21:58.380 for an eternity 00:21:58.380 --> 00:21:59.060 with you 00:21:59.059 --> 00:22:00.559 where we will know 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:01.579 all of this 00:22:01.579 --> 00:22:02.480 forever. 00:22:03.579 --> 00:22:04.779 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:05.839 Amen.