KINGDOM PARABLES: THE SPROUTING SEED
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Kingdom Parables
a) The seven short parables teach us about the very great value of the kingdom of God. They also teach us of the universal nature of the kingdom.
b) There is something else that many people fail to appreciate, and that's the enormous value of the kingdom of God. People in every nation may possess these true riches if they enter into God’s kingdom.
c) The parables that Jesus told, reflect the great value of belonging to the world-wide kingdom of God. Nothing is worth having, that would rob us of that place. This lesson is about seven such parables.
d) We look at one of the parables that addresses the great value of the kingdom of God.
2. The Sprouting Seed
Mark 4:26-29
“26 And Jesus said, 'The kingdom of God is like a man scattering seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows — he knows not how. 28 The earth, by itself, produces first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once the man puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.'”
a) The parable of the sprouting seed is one easy to tell to a child. You can actually let the child plant some bean or sunflower seeds in a pot or patch. Then let the child wait and watch day by day to see them sprout and grow — and wonder how. It's then easy to tell the child that God makes them grow, and likewise God’s word is like a seed that grows in our hearts to make us good. Blessed is the little one for whom someone does this.
b) The spiritual nature of the kingdom of God is shown in this parable. The kingdom is of God, not of man. How does the gospel seed sprout in the hearts of men, and cause them to bear fruit for God? It is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.
c) We cannot make the kingdom of God by laying brick upon brick, or by multiplying gold and silver, or by sending ships to Tarshish. All we mortals can do is plant the seed God gives us, and wait for God to make it grow. We can nurture and husband the sprouting seed, but it is God who gives the increase.
d) Men and women build great religious organizations and say, "See! the kingdom of God!" However the kingdom of God is not a man made religious organization. People might dig themselves gardens, and organize these gardens in neat sections with paths around them. But that is not the crop. The crop is the plants that grow stage by stage until mature for harvest. They grow by the power of God alone. The gardener has nothing to do with that, except to nurture the process and watch it happen with wonder.
The End ...
1. Kingdom Parablesa) The seven short parables teach us about the very great value of the kingdom of God. They also teach us of the universal nature of the kingdom.
b) There is something else that many people fail to appreciate, and that's the enormous value of the kingdom of God. People in every nation may possess these true riches if they enter into God’s kingdom.
c) The parables that Jesus told, reflect the great value of belonging to the world-wide kingdom of God. Nothing is worth having, that would rob us of that place. This lesson is about seven such parables.
d) We look at one of the parables that addresses the great value of the kingdom of God.
2. The Sprouting Seed
Mark 4:26-29
“26 And Jesus said, 'The kingdom of God is like a man scattering seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows — he knows not how. 28 The earth, by itself, produces first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once the man puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.'”
a) The parable of the sprouting seed is one easy to tell to a child. You can actually let the child plant some bean or sunflower seeds in a pot or patch. Then let the child wait and watch day by day to see them sprout and grow — and wonder how. It's then easy to tell the child that God makes them grow, and likewise God’s word is like a seed that grows in our hearts to make us good. Blessed is the little one for whom someone does this.
b) The spiritual nature of the kingdom of God is shown in this parable. The kingdom is of God, not of man. How does the gospel seed sprout in the hearts of men, and cause them to bear fruit for God? It is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.
c) We cannot make the kingdom of God by laying brick upon brick, or by multiplying gold and silver, or by sending ships to Tarshish. All we mortals can do is plant the seed God gives us, and wait for God to make it grow. We can nurture and husband the sprouting seed, but it is God who gives the increase.
d) Men and women build great religious organizations and say, "See! the kingdom of God!" However the kingdom of God is not a man made religious organization. People might dig themselves gardens, and organize these gardens in neat sections with paths around them. But that is not the crop. The crop is the plants that grow stage by stage until mature for harvest. They grow by the power of God alone. The gardener has nothing to do with that, except to nurture the process and watch it happen with wonder.
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