Kingdom Reality 4&5: God is Building His Kingdom Mark 4:26-32 Big Idea: God is building his Kingdom and his Kingdom will thrive. The Kingdom of God is God’s authority and ability to rule over any and all realms within the created order and beyond in order to bestow the blessings of his good and gracious rule on unworthy subjects for the purpose of displaying his glory to all peoples. 10 Kingdom Realities: God’s Kingdom takes priority. Jesus is Stronger! God is preparing hearts to receive his gospel. God is _________________ His Kingdom! The Sower _________________ Mark 4:26–27 (ESV) — 26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. “… in this case the reader is likely to notice particularly the fact that the man who is the beneficiary of the seed’s growth contributes nothing towards it beyond the initial sowing of the seed and the eventual harvesting; in between he has nothing to do but wait… The kingdom of God, then, does not depend on human effort to achieve it, and human insight will not be able to explain it. What we are to understand about this parable is that ultimately the progress and success of the gospel is not left to our efforts or our ingenuity. We sow the seed and God gives the growth. 1Cor. 3:5-9 The Plant __________________ Mark 4:28–29 (ESV) — 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” God’s Kingdom will _______________________. Mark 4:30–32 (ESV) — 30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” It is this contrast between an insignificant beginning and an impressive final size which is the point of the simile… The theme is a familiar one: ‘Great oaks from little acorns grow’… The message is clearly related to that of the previous parable, but presented here in a simpler form, with the focus on the contrast between beginning and end rather than on the process of growth. The Kingdom of Christ may have started with 12 ordinary men, but it has grown into the greatest force in all of history because God is behind it.
Questions to Consider:
What did you learn from this passage that you did not know before?
How did this passage challenge your heart and in what ways is God calling you to embrace its truth and live it out in your life?
What are some tangible ways you might implement its truth?
