Mark 4:26-34 NIV
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.”
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.”
33 With many similar parables
Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He
did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was
alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
The Joy of the Sickle
Sometimes the Gospel message comes with some perfect
timing. Sometimes the message moves me beyond myself to see God working.
Sometimes I grow and don’t even realize the growth or even try to make growth
happen.
Mysterious words, I know. The Kingdom of God grows rapidly.
But it’s a slow strong growth. The Kingdom of God’s growth, to me, is a mystery.
The Kingdom of God’s growth does not depend on human work or power. The work is
all the work of God, not man or anything else.
Look back at the passage of Scripture. Once the “Seed” is
planted, it is then that the Kingdom gets real! But the odd part is to realize
that the Kingdom of God has always been here, it is here now, and yet the
Kingdom will come to be fulfilled. The
Kingdom of God, is past, present, future and always. That’s something that is
hard to grasp as a man.
In the Second Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, we say, “Thy
kingdom come.”
Here is Luther’s Explanation from the Small Catechism…
What does this mean?
God’s kingdom comes indeed without our praying for it, but
we ask in this prayer that it may come also to us.
When does this happen?
God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his
Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and live a godly
life on earth now and in heaven forever.
So, God’s kingdom comes without any works of my own. God
freely gives me and all baptized the Holy Spirit so that by God’s grace… Grace
freely given… we may believe God’s Word here on earth and in heaven forever.
Do you see it? It’s not my work or my faith that I conjure
up a belief that leads me into God’s kingdom. It’s by God’s grace, freely given
to me and God’s Word freely handed down that God brings and gives me belief.
And there is that seed. That Seed of God in God’s Word. God’s Word made flesh
in the form of God in Jesus, freely given to all mankind that we may believe.
The Kingdom comes from God not from mankind. God’s Kingdom
WILL come, that’s for sure, but realize; mankind can do nothing to force the
Kingdom of God to come. The coming of God’s Kingdom to you, to me, to all the
world is both personal and corporate. In
the coming of the Kingdom of God, we must trust God, because our trust is in the
grace of God, which we rely on.
Think about the creation. Man can not create. God creates. But,
in God’s creation there is nothing automatic without God. God provides the
faith we need in God to repent of our sinfulness. What sinfulness? Our
sinfulness to attempt to assume control from God and even with God. God creates
for us. God doesn’t need us to create for Him. God calls us to turn from our
evil desires to become a god. God calls us to turn from ourselves and our
selfish desires of power, prestige and control, to face God and repent and return
to God’s love for us as His perfect creation. God calls us to repent and bear
the fruit in which God intended for us to bring forth all along.
As you can see in verse 28 in the Gospel passage… the words
of Jesus…
28 All by itself the soil
produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the
head.
Nature’s Laws are really God’s Laws. Growth happens by the power of God.
And we see that there are stages to growth for the Christian disciple. So,
don’t try to push this growth with your own efforts. This growth is the work of
the Holy Spirit, not you! Let the grain, the stalk, the head and the full kernel
in the head happen. You don’t have any control of this happening anyway. Your
life will grow at the Holy Spirit’s pace set just for you. Let God work in and
through you. This is not your choice. This is the work of God.
And then! Look at verse 29!
29 As soon as
the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
How cool is that! We often think of the sickle as something horrible
about to happen. NO! Here the sickle is a wonderful, good happening. This is
the JOY of the sickle. For with the sickle, God gathers the fruit. That’s the
very fruit, that the Holy Spirit has brought to life in and through the
disciple! God gathers a harvest of discipleship for God and for one another.
Why?
Well, let’s turn to the mustard seed. Look! Everywhere the mustard seed
of God is growing through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Look at Paul’s life, at
Luther’s life, the life of Christian disciples all over this world. From this
seed of “Jesus,” this seed of the “Word,” this seed of the Kingdom of God comes
abundant growth and fruit to spread the Gospel and love of God that God has
shown through Jesus for all mankind. The
Gospel has spread and continues to spread, day after day after day after day!
So, what about the personal love of Jesus? Jesus cares about the
corporate spread of the Gospel as well as the personal spread of the Gospel in the
individual life of the disciple. Jesus also cares about the quality of your
life. Jesus cares about the quality of the life of the disciple, of you. Jesus
loves you on a personal level and gathers us all in and you in with that
awesome sickle of joy to be with Him in His Kingdom, now and forever.
So, sow the seed, spread the Word, tell the Gospel to all those God gives
to you each and every day. God wants you to be part of the harvest. The Kingdom
WILL grow, and does grow, in you, and all over as well.
I yearn to be clothed in Christ, for God’s power changes things. Delight
in the Law of the Harvest which leads us to Jesus our Savior, today, tomorrow,
and forever!
Thanks be to God!
Please enjoy this hymn which spoke to me during the preparation of this
message.
I, the Lord of Sea and Sky - Collin Raye
God bless you this week and always… Bill
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