2. TITLE: The Parable of the Seed, the Weed, and the Mustard Seed TEXT: Mark 4:26-41, Matthew 13:24-43 THEME: The believer can be confident that the Kingdom of God will thrive.

4. Mark Twain “The report of my death was greatly exaggerated.”

5. People who predicted the demise of Christianity – Voltaire predicted that Christianity would be extinct within 100 years of his death.

6. People who predicted the demise of Christianity – Voltaire predicted that Christianity would be extinct within 100 years of his death. – Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed that God is dead.

7. People who predicted the demise of Christianity – Voltaire predicted that Christianity would be extinct within 100 years of his death. – Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed that God is dead. – Bertrand Russell, Christianity will be marginalized and replaced with more objective science.

8. Sam Harris, “Letter to a Christian Nation” "to demolish the moral and intellectual pretensions of Christianity in its most committed forms."

9. In the United States 90 percent of the population regularly professes belief in God or a higher power. 35 percent also believe in the inerrancy of the Bible 46 percent in a literalist view of the creation in Genesis 40 percent in Jesus Christ's return to judge the world within the next 50 years.

11. Why can believers be confident that the Kingdom of God will thrive?

12. I. There always be an environment in which it can flourish. (Mark 26-29)

13. Mark 4:26-29 “26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

14. I. There always be an environment in which it can flourish. (Mark 26-29) A. We are commissioned to plant the seed- it is God who causes it to grow.

15. I. There always be an environment in which it can flourish. (Mark 26-29) A. We are commissioned to plant the seed- it is God who causes it to grow. B. We can do little to prepare the soil- it is God who prepares it.

16. I. There always be an environment in which it can flourish. (Mark 26-29) A. We are commissioned to plant the seed- it is God who causes it to grow. B. We can do little to prepare the soil- it is God who prepares it. C. We can reap the harvest- it is God who produces it.

18. Why can believers be confident that the Kingdom of God will thrive?

19. II. Even if it appears insignificant it will outgrow all others. (30-31)

20. Mark 9:30-31 “30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

21. II. Even if it appears insignificant it will outgrow all others. (30-31) A. Like a mustard seed it is often underestimated.

22. II. Even if it appears insignificant it will outgrow all others. (30-31) A. Like a mustard seed it is often underestimated. 1. It appears small and insignificant when compared to other seeds.

23. II. Even if it appears insignificant it will outgrow all others. (30-31) A. Like a mustard seed it is often underestimated. 1. It appears small and insignificant when compared to other seeds. 2. The power of the gospel of the Kingdom is often underestimated.

24. II. Even if it appears insignificant it will outgrow all others. (30-31) A.Like a mustard seed it is often underestimated. B.Like yeast its ultimate influence exceeds it apparent size. (Matthew 13:33)

25. Matthew 13:3 “33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

26. B. Like yeast its ultimate influence exceeds it apparent size. (Matthew 13:33 ) 1. It only takes a little bit of yeast to cause dough to rise.

27. B. Like yeast its ultimate influence exceeds it apparent size. (Matthew 13:33 ) 1. It only takes a little bit of yeast to cause dough to rise. 2. The power of the gospel of the Kingdom exceeds it apparent size.

28. Phillip Yancey at Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery “Some of the gravestones date back more than a hundred years, and the caretakers have added stainless steel plaques to recount the stories of the missionaries buried there. Some faced persecution for leading protests against the brutal Japanese colonial rule. A couple with the Salvation Army began the long tradition of caring for Korean orphans. A scholarly Presbyterian contributed greatly to the Korean translation of the Bible. Two women pioneered education for girls by founding schools and ultimately a women's university. Another American woman, who came to Korea as a medical missionary, developed Braille suitable for the Korean language and established a school for the blind.

29. Phillip Yancey at Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery My favorite story was of S. F. Moore, who gave medical treatment to a butcher deathly ill with typhoid fever. The butcher survived and became a Christian, only to find that no church would admit him. (Korea's rigid class system scorned butchers, who dealt with "dead things" such as meat and leather, as the lowest social class.) Moore supported a freedom movement to fight such discrimination and organized a Butchers Church for outcasts and social underdogs. He died of typhoid fever at the age of 46.

30. Phillip Yancey at Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery Each plaque spelled out hardships of the men and women buried there. Many of the missionaries also lost children, buried in small graves beside them. Yet the fruit of their work lives on, in schools, libraries, hospitals, and church buildings dotting the landscape of modern South Korea.

31. Phillip Yancey at Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery

33. Why can believers be confident that the Kingdom of God will thrive?

34. III. Evil philosophies and beliefs that oppose it will ultimately be removed. (Matthew 13:24-43)

35. Matthew 13:24-43 24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

36. Matthew 13:24-43 28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’

37. Matthew 13:24-43 36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

38. Matthew 13:24-43 40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

39. A. Two Kinds of Seed are planted by persons with conflicting purposes. 1. The Son of Man plants good seeds to be used in the Kingdom.

40. A. Two Kinds of Seed are planted by persons with conflicting purposes. 1. The Son of Man plants good seeds to be used in the Kingdom. a. The good seed is the gospel.

41. A. Two Kinds of Seed are planted by persons with conflicting purposes. 1. The Son of Man plants good seeds to be used in the Kingdom. a. The good seed is the gospel. b. The Son of Man will use his followers to spread the seed.

42. A. Two Kinds of Seed are planted by persons with conflicting purposes. 1. The Son of Man plants good seeds to be used in the Kingdom. a. The good seed is the gospel. b. The Son of Man will use his followers to spread the seed. 2. The Devil plants bad seeds to oppose the Kingdom.

43. A. Two Kinds of Seed are planted by persons with conflicting purposes. 1. The Son of Man plants good seeds to be used in the Kingdom. a. The good seed is the gospel. b. The Son of Man will use his followers to spread the seed. 2. The Devil plants bad seeds to oppose the Kingdom. a. The evil seed is doctrines and philosophies that oppose the Kingdom.

44. A. Two Kinds of Seed are planted by persons with conflicting purposes. 1. The Son of Man plants good seeds to be used in the Kingdom. a. The good seed is the gospel. b. The Son of Man will use his followers to spread the seed. 2. The Devil plants bad seeds to oppose the Kingdom. a. The evil seed is doctrines and philosophies that oppose the Kingdom. b. The devil uses his minions to oppose the Kingdoms growth.

45. III. Evil philosophies and beliefs that oppose it will ultimately be removed. (Matthew 13:24-43 A. The two kinds of seeds are planted by persons with conflicting purposes. B. Both grow to maturity side by side.

46. III. Evil philosophies and beliefs that oppose it will ultimately be removed. (Matthew 13:24-43 A. The two kinds of seeds are planted by persons with conflicting purposes. B. Both grow to maturity side by side. C. When mature they will be sorted with the Kingdom alone remaining.

47. III. Evil philosophies and beliefs that oppose it will ultimately be removed. (Matthew 13:24-43 A. The two kinds of seeds are planted by persons with conflicting purposes. B. Both grow to maturity side by side. C. When mature they will be sorted with the Kingdom alone remaining. 1. The mature weeds are evil people- they will be discarded and burned.

48. III. Evil philosophies and beliefs that oppose it will ultimately be removed. (Matthew 13:24-43 A. The two kinds of seeds are planted by persons with conflicting purposes. B. Both grow to maturity side by side. C. When mature they will be sorted with the Kingdom alone remaining. 1. The mature weeds are evil people- they will be discarded and burned. 2. The mature grains are righteous people who will thrive in the Kingdom.

49. Bill Hybels History is filled with men and women who said no to destructive fear and changed the world. But imagine if they had given in to the paralyzing effects of fear on their lives. Imagine the apostle Paul, fearing resistance or rejection, choosing to stay home rather than embarking on the missionary journeys that took the message of Christ throughout the known world.

50. Bill Hybels Imagine Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. giving speeches filled with gentle hints about the evils of segregation, because he feared pushing too hard. Instead, King championed the civil rights movement against racial segregation in the United States.

51. Bill Hybels Imagine Rosa Parks, during that same era in American history submitting to the bus driver's command to give up her seat to a white person. Imagine Nelson Mandela looking the other way when he witnessed and experienced apartheid in South Africa, because he didn't want to make a fuss. Instead, he spent twenty-seven years imprisoned and brought apartheid onto the world's radar, helping end the centuries-old regime of oppression.

52. Bill Hybels Imagine Malala Yousafzai passively quitting school, because she was too frightened by the death threats she received from Taliban extremists, who abhor education for girls. Instead, she became even more vocal about the educational rights of children and women, survived a 2012 assassination attempt, and was a Nobel Peace Prize nominee in 2013 and 2014.

53. Bill Hybels Imagine yourself, fully aware of the mission and vision God has placed in your heart to advance his kingdom in this world, yet held hostage to phobias, irrational worries, and destructive fears of failure, harm, or rejection. If you don't fulfill the mission God assigned to you, who will?

55. APPLICATION 1. Many people are drawn to the latest fad or philosophy. We should always be suspicious of any new promises of creating a better world order- especially if it rejects the biblical and historical tenants of Christianity.

56. APPLICATION 2.Don’t be intimated by those opposed to the gospel or who suggest you are outdated or ignorant because of your faith. Hundreds of once popular philosophies have come and gone. Most crumbled under their own weight. When lived out to their logical conclusion they were found to be insufficient and could not deliver on what they promised. In the end they will all be burned- some destroyed by their own doing.

57. APPLICATION 3. The message of the Kingdom and the power of the gospel will always be with us. It may wane at times. It may face increased prosecution at times. Like in the Mid-east we may see evil enemies suppress and kill its followers- but God will always have a people and in the end His Kingdom will prevail.

58. APPLICATION 4. In today’s world we see pain and hopelessness in the lives of many of those around but as followers of Jesus and citizens of the Kingdom of God we can be lighthouses of hope and freedom.

60. Man with Carissa Smith “…he looked down, took a breath, and said, “I apologize.” Then he looked over at Tegan and got a little tear in his eye and he said, “I lost my son when he was 2 months old.” She said, “Sit down here, tell me about that.” He said, “Well, he died of SIDS and it was over 50 years ago and I couldn’t get over it, and I was so angry about it, and it broke up my marriage and now I’m alone.” She asked him questions about his son. Finally he looked over at Tegan and he said, “Can I hold your daughter?” When he held her for just a brief moment, he laid his cheek against her head and then he passed her back and said, “Thank you.”

61. Challenge We live in a flawed world full of weeds but God’s Kingdom will prevail and all who follow Jesus and share the gospel can enjoy the harvest on that day of His choosing.