P2 of 2 God's Big Arrow of Believer's Baptism

Colossians 2:11-12 "and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."

Introduction:

Today's post is a continuation from yesterday. Like before, we aim to zero in on what exactly believer's baptism means. As we saw yesterday, dozens upon dozens of scriptures in the New Testament present and explain this important ordinance. If we were to classify the scriptures that present New Testament believer's baptism, we would note three basic types: First there are those that present the ceremony or act of Baptism itself, followed by those that feature it being commanded by Christ to His church, with a final set of scriptures giving the clear meaning. Today's focal text: Colossians 2:8-23, falls into the category of giving to us one of the clear meanings of baptism. 

Point of Application:

We will designate baptism as discussed here in Colossians 2:8-23 as God's Big Arrow of Believer's Baptism, being that it points us to an event, an experience and a calling. Yesterday we saw how baptism points to an event - the cross and to a needed experience - saving faith. We labored to show that to interpret baptism other than believer's baptism is to undo the argument of Paul here in Colossians 2. Contrary to what some well-meaning, Godly people may advocate, infant baptism is not the point of this text. Rather Paul is pointing his readers to the sufficiency of Jesus Christ by the big arrow of baptism. He needed to do this in lieu of the awful heresy plaguing the Colossian church.



Today we will conclude our study of God's big arrow of believer's baptism by noting one more important truth that it points to, namely....



The Calling to Sanctification. Colossians 2:16-18
As we already saw, baptism points to the cross as seen in Colossians 2:9 and 13-15 and also to saving faith in Colossians 2:10-12. But now Paul reveals something else baptism points to, not only what took place in the past, but also the present calling God has for every Christian. The calling to be progressively sanctified means that from conversion the Christian is called to be like Jesus in their thoughts, actions and attitudes. Oftentimes I will refer to baptism as the believer's first major step of Christian obedience. Other baptism texts bring out this meaning, such as Romans 6:4 "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." What Paul does is use this word picture to urge his readers to heed God's calling on their life to be sanctified and to walk out the Christian walk. 

Baptism points to our calling to be sanctified in the mind. Colossians 2:18  
We read in Colossians 2:18 "Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind." The mind is the battleground of spiritual warfare that is to be waged with the weaponry of scripture and prayer. It is helpful sometimes to think about the day of your baptism, because you can simply ask yourself - why was I baptized? When you reflect on how you felt when you came up out of that tank, you realized more than ever that your calling was to walk forth in newness of life. The Spirit called you, transformed your heart and brought you to the point of saving faith prior to your baptism. You didn't get baptized to get changed, rather you got baptized to testify of having a prior change.  Baptism's message is not only about you testifying publically about your faith in Christ, but also the desire to walk forth in a growing relationship with Christ. Romans 12:2 reminds us to be "transformed by the renewing of your mind". Though this world may try to fill our minds with evil thoughts and others may try to delude our way of thinking, we are to take every though captive and bring it to the obedience of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). Notice how else baptism points the believer to God's present calling to be continually sanctified...

Baptism points to our calling to be sanctified with God's people. Colossians 2:19
Notice what Paul writes in Colossians 2:19 "and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God." In Baptist churches today we recognize that those who have been truly converted and scripturally baptized as believers by immersion are deemed members of that local church. Why? Because baptism is one's initiation into the membership of the local church. Acts 2:41 describes the first baptismal service in church history: "So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls." Those believers who were baptized were "added", that is to say, they were put on the membership rolls of the church at Jerusalem. 

Jesus gave baptism to his church as an ordinance that is to be practiced until His return in Matthew 28:18-20. Baptism does not merely speak about the individual new convert entering into the water, it also reminds the new Christian who is about to enter that they are getting ready to participate in the local day in, day out life of church membership. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 drives this point home: "Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper."

Christians need the local church to effectively heed the call of God to grow in sanctification. Hebrews 10:24-25 states - "and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." So baptism points to the calling God has to be sanctified in the mind and with His people, the local church. But notice one more thought...

Baptism points to our calling to be sanctified in the Word. Colossians 2:20-23
Paul writes in Colossians 2:20 "If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as...".  What Paul then does is enumerate more of the false teachings being peddled by the heretics operating at Colossae. Why heed the traditions and empty teachings of men? If anything, baptism reminds the Christian that nothing else but the Word of God can cleanse the saint of God. Again many well-intentioned people will try to make baptism the cleansing agent of the believer's life. Yet once more I say: what does the scripture teach? Notice John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." Also Ephesians 5:26 "so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word." Then one more, 1 Peter 3:21 "Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." 

Why those three verses? Because those advocating some type of baptismal regeneration appeal to these texts. Yet the first two plainly tell the reader that it is the Word alone that cleanses. Then the 1 Peter 3:21 passage plainly tells us that the symbolism of the ark of Noah in the prior verse "corresponds" to the baptism that now saves you. Which baptism? The Spirit baptism at salvation (1 Corinthians 12:12-13) to which water baptism signifies. I always tell my baptismal regenerationist friends that the weight of the passage lies not at the first half, but at the second part - namely Peter tells us what water baptism "does not do" - wash away the dirt from the flesh." So then if water baptism is incapable of taking away sin, then what is its point? Notice again - the appeal of a good conscience to God. Only a true believer in Jesus Christ is fit to enter into the water, being that a converted human heart is interested in asking God to enable them to grow in the faith that they prior received before the water baptismal event.  

The only thing that can convert the soul of the sinner is the Word of God. (Psalm 19:7; 1 Peter 1:23) Likewise the only thing that can cleanse the soul of the Saint and strengthen them in their faith is the written Word of God preached and taught. (Psalm 19:8-14; Ephesians 5:26). Baptism pictures for us what the Word of God alone can do. Water does not cleanse. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse, and only the scriptures can continue to cleanse. (Hebrews 9:14-15)

Closing thoughts
These past two posts have aimed to specifically unpack the meaning of baptism in Colossians 2:8-23. To heed the immediate context of Paul's statements in the chapter, it has been contended that the only proper manner in interpreting the baptism of which he speaks is to understand it as believer's baptism. Baptism is Christ's ordinance to His church which functions as an arrow in pointing to an event - the cross; a necessary experience - saving faith and a present calling to all Christian - sanctified living. 

P1 of 2 God's Big Arrow of Believer's Baptism

Colossians 2:11-12 "and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."

Introduction:

Today's post aims to zero in on what exactly believer's baptism means. As we saw yesterday, dozens upon dozens of scriptures in the New Testament present and explain this important ordinance. If we were to classify the scriptures that present New Testament believer's baptism, we would note three basic types: First there are those that present the ceremony or act of Baptism itself, followed by those that feature it being commanded by Christ to His church, with a final set of scriptures giving the clear meaning. Today's focal text: Colossians 2:8-23, falls into the category of giving to us one of the clearest meanings of baptism in the New Testament. 

Point of Application:

We will designate baptism as discussed here in Colossians 2:8-23 as God's Big Arrow of Believer's Baptism, being that it points us to an event, an experience and a calling. 

As Paul is concerned about communicating to his reader's the sufficiency of Jesus as being enough, he also has to deal with a heresy that attempts to promote the opposite. The heresy in question, without expending to much space, was a mixture of paganism and ritualism. On the pagan side of things the heresy said that salvation was equal to attaining some type of mystical knowledge and understanding of pagan rites and angelic beings. The heresy also advocated a ritual that involved strict dietary regulations that aimed to curry favor with the Divine powers above. Such a teaching had no cross and ultimately no Jesus. This appears to be the group to whom Paul is referring to in Colossians 2:8.

To combat such destructive teaching, Paul uses a big arrow to remind these Colossians of who they are in Christ. That arrow is believer's baptism.  As we noted already, God's big arrow of believer's baptism points to an event, an experience and a calling. Lets see what the scripture has to teach us about believer's baptism and why it is right to call it God's big arrow for the Christian life. First of all.....

Baptism points to an event - The cross

Paul makes this statement in Colossians 2:9 "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form." Now what is Paul talking about in this text? A quick survey of Colossians brings us back to an earlier statement he wrote in Colossians 1:19-20 "For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven." Thus there is no doubt that Paul is setting the tone of Colossians 2:8-23 around what Jesus Christ achieved in the event of the cross and resurrection.  Nothing but the cross can defeat the self-righteous claims of dead man-made religion. To further reinforce this saving event, the cross, Paul makes this statement in Colossians 2:13-14 "When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." Now when you consider the fact that these remarks about Jesus' achievement of salvation on the cross are said before and after his mention of baptism in Colossians 2:11-12, you realize that baptism points to, pictures, portrays and communicates the event of the cross. 

Certainly we can say that Baptism is one of the ordained practices given by Jesus to portray the Gospel in picture form. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 for example - "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." This language of death, burial and resurrection is used to describe the meaning of baptism in passages such as Romans 6:3-4  "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." 

Baptism in and of itself does not save, only Jesus saves. Baptism is but a sign signifying and pointing to the greater reality of the event of the cross. Just as a stop sign points to the need to stop, baptism is a sign that points to the need of the Savior, Jesus Christ. It points to the event - the cross. But notice secondly...

Baptism points to an experience - saving faith
Notice what we read in Colossians 2:10  "and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority." Now what lies in between the mentions of the event of the cross concerns the experience of saving faith. The little phrase that tells us that Paul is speaking of personal salvation is the phrase "in Him" or the similar phrase "with Him". The event of the cross is objective - that is to say, it occurred in time and in history, outside and apart from my involvement. Christ did it - case closed. However to just know about the event of salvation as a fact of history will save no one.  There must be faith. In over 160 places the New Testament uses this little phrase "in Him" to describe how the Christian is associated with and experiences whatever Jesus experienced. Jesus died, so the Christian can say: "so did I die" (Galatians 2:20). Jesus was buried, yep, me too! (Romans 6:3-4) Jesus raised from the dead and guess what, in Him I walked out of the grave and He walked out with me (Ephesians 2:5-9). 

Whenever you scan through Colossians 2:10-13, you find this phrase "in Him" mentioned on several occasions. To be "in Christ" means I have identified with Him, and He with me. What Baptism does is point to an experience that was begun in my life by the Person of the Holy Spirit bringing the Person of Christ and the miracle of saving faith to me in the Gospel. Paul uses two illustrative word pictures - Old Testament circumcision and New Testament baptism. In circumcision, we see the removal of the foreskin of the old way of life removed from the human heart, which describes what God does in the moment of saving faith. The Old way of life, the old nature is done away with and in its place is a new heart. (2 Corinthians 5:17) The second word picture is of course Baptism, which describes and portrays the believer's prior identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. Other New Testament passages use this imagery of death, burial and resurrection to describe our salvation - with baptism being used as the chief word picture. (Romans 6:3-11).

Baptism points to a prior experience, begun in the heart by the Holy Spirit. Notice Colossians 2:12 "through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." Contrary to what some groups may think, Paul is not advocating infant baptism nor is he advocating baptismal regeneration (or salvation by baptism). To try to make baptism either the cause of salvation or to somehow draw a connection between infants being circumcised as carrying over to infants being baptized is to undo the whole intent of Paul's statements.

Lets me be as clear as possible. Scripture uniformly teaches that faith is first, then baptism. (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 8:36-38; 9:18; 16:15; 16:31-33; 18:8; 19:4-5; 1 Cor 1:14-16; 1 Peter 3:21). To use the stop sign illustration once again, what causes a car to stop? Is it the stop sign or is it the person inside the car? All the sign does is point to the necessary experience of needing to stop, otherwise I will be pulled over and declared a law breaker. Baptism is a sign of something far greater and it signifies what is necessary prior to entering into it - saving faith. Faith is an inside work, wrought by the Spirit through the scriptures. He convinces me to receive the Savior He has brought to me in regeneration. Unless I respond in saving faith, I will not be a fit candidate for the baptismal tank.  Unless there has been the supernatural experience of saving faith in a person's life, baptism will do no better than a stop sign will do for anyone ignoring its message. Whenever you read of anyone getting baptized in scripture, they are a believer. Baptism is God's big arrow that points to an event - the cross and to a needed experience - saving faith. 

More tomorrow....

What every scripture teaches about believer's baptism

Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Introduction:

Last week I had posted a blog on how Southern Baptists understand the richness and meaning of baptism as given by the Lord to His church. The link for that post is here for the reader's review if they so choose: http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2014/07/how-southern-baptists-understand-rich.html. That post served as an overview or summary, however it was not exhaustive. Since that time I have been thinking of trying to gather together every New Testament scripture that deals with water baptism. Thankfully, resources such as "Strong's Exhaustive Concordance" and "Nave's Topical Bible" can aid greatly in achieving this task. For today's post, the aim is to list every New Testament Scripture and arrange them under topical headings for the purpose of understanding what the Bible teaches about believer's baptism. 

1. Over 20 Scriptures speak of John the Baptist and his baptism

Mt 3:5-8, 13-16; 20:22,23,21:25; Mk 1:4-5,8-10; 10:38-39, 11:30; Lk 3:3, 7:29-30;12:50; 20:4; John 1:26,33,4:1-2, 10:40; Acts 1:22,10:37, 11:16; 13:24, 18:25, 19:3-4. 

2. All the scriptures that speak of water baptism as an ordinance given by Jesus to His church. 

a. 4 times it is commanded, with two of the verses giving the most clear command.

Mat 28:18-20 and Acts 2:38-41. Also compare Mark 16:16 and Acts 22:16

b. Roughly 20 places speak of the practice of baptism 

Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:16; Acts 2:38-41; 8:12,13,16,36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15,33; 18:8; 19:3-5; 1 Cor 1:13,14,15,16 (2x), 17

c. Over 30 places speak of saving faith first, followed by baptism. Hence this is why we can call baptism - "believer's baptism"

i. All of the verses pertaining to John the Baptist's practice of baptism entailed baptizing those who had first received His message by faith

Mt 3:5-8, 13-16; 20:22,23,21:25; Mk 1:4-5,8-10; 10:38-39, 11:30; Lk 3:3, 7:29-30;12:50; 20:4; John 1:26,33,4:1-2, 10:40; Acts 1:22; 10:37, 11:16; 13:24, 18:25, 19:3-4

ii. Jesus Himself chose to allign with John's baptism, thus endorsing the pattern of faith, then baptism. 

Matt 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-23a; John 1:29-34

iii. Christ commanded (ordained) believer's baptism for His church

The Apostles followed suit. 

Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:22; 2:38-41;10:37, 11:16; 13:24, 18:25, 19:3-4; 1 Cor 1:14-16

iv. 10 passages that state the pattern of saving faith first, followed by believer's baptism

Acts 2:41; 8:12; 8:36-38; 9:18; 16:15; 16:31-33; 18:8; 19:4-5; 1 Cor 1:14-16; 1 Peter 3:21

3. 10 scriptures serve to unfold the meaning of  baptism


a. 6 unfold the meaning of water baptism itself
Matt 28:18-20; Acts 19:5; Romans 6:3-11; Gal 3:27; Col 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21

b. 4 refer to the Spirit's baptism or connection of the believer into Christ at saving faith, to which water baptism points as a sign signifying that prior reality
Matthew 3:11; Acts 10:47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:4-5

4. Saving Faith, followed by believer's baptism, are prerequisites to participation in the Lord's table. Note the consistent pattern below:


a. Jesus submitted Himself to baptism, and then ordained His covenant meal on the eve of His crucifixion. 
Matt 3:13-17 & Matt 26:26-29; Mark 1:9-11 & Mark 14:22-25; Luke 3:21-23a & Luke 22:17-20; John 1:29-34 & John 13-16.


b. The early church baptized their converts, who in turn got to celebrate the "breaking of bread" or "Lord's supper". Acts 2:38-41; 16:30-34

c. Paul speaks of baptism at the beginning of 1 Corinthians and then later on speaks of the Lord's table in the same epistle.
1 Corinthians 1:14-17 & 1 Corinthians 11:23-28

Closing thoughts
This post has aimed to inform the reader as much as possible about all the New Testament scriptures that speak on the subject of believer's baptism. As always, I encourage people to reference each verse given in every blogpost to see for themselves what the scriptures say. May God be glorified!

Defeating Satan's lies with Biblical truth

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."


Introduction:
I had occasion earlier this summer to spend a week with our church's youth group at a youth retreat. Throughout the course of our time there, our Youth Minister would take the adult sponsors and students through a series of Bible studies to reinforce truths we were learning that week.  The one study we did dealt with taking typical lies we all come to believe or hear about and respond to them with Biblical truth. When we concluded that particular study, I told the Youth Leader that I was so impressed with the material that I thought it ought to be shared on this blog site. Today we tackle some of the various lies of the enemy with the only weapon capable of doing so - scripture. All of the scriptures and italicized quotes below derive from that study. May you the reader find this series of posts helpful.


1. Lie: If you were really a Christian, you wouldn't had said or done that certain thing




Truth: Romans 7:15-20 "For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me."
This was written by Paul, author of much of the New Testament, a sold-out, devoted follower of Jesus Christ. If he made mistakes, we can expect to make mistakes too.


2. Lie: Nobody knows for sure if you will go to heaven. You're arrogant to think you will.


Truth: 1 John 5:13 "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life." 2 Corinthians 1:21-22  "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge." Romans 8:16 "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God."
Not only is it possible to know whether or not you're saved, but God wants you to know so that you can move ahead, grow, and be used to further the kingdom. When you trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live in your heart. He guides you and helps you understand Scripture and discern God's will. God doesn't give the Holy Spirit to those who don't know Him. The Holy Spirit's presence in your heart is proof that you are a Christian.


3. Lie: You have sinned, went past your limit, God won't forgive you this time.


Truth: 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 2 Timothy 2:13 "If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself."
There are no limitations given on God's forgiveness. This verse says that if we confess our sins, He will forgive them. Period. He is faithful.


4. Lie: You don't remember the words you prayed when you got saved.


Truth: Romans 10:9 "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved". 1 John 2:3-6 "By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked."
The exact words that you spoke when you gave your heart to Jesus are not as important as the attitude of your heart. If your attitude was right, then you will confess that Jesus is Lord countless times in countless ways over the course of your life. The important thing is that you believe in Jesus' power to save you and allow Him to do so. If your heart is sincere, it will show in your actions whether or not you can remember the words you said.


5. Lie. If you work hard enough, God might let you into heaven, there are no free passes.


Truth: Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Your salvation is a free gift from God. You cannot earn it, no matter how hard you try. God wants and deserves the glory for what only He can do.

The size and influence of God's Kingdom Matthew 13:31-35

Matthew 13:31a "He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like...."

Yesterday we considered the concept and reality of God's Kingdom in Matthew 13. God's Kingdom has to do with His royal reign in history, the hearts of men and over the church. Jesus Christ is the embodiment and full manifestation of the Kingdom, being that He is the King who mediates His rule over the Kingdom spiritually right now, awaiting the timing of the Father whereby He will return to begin His physical kingdom. In this period of time the Kingdom can be described as an "already/not yet" reality. That is to say, there are realities of God's Kingdom reign that are happening right now and there are other aspects of it that are yet to come. 

Certainly the Kingdom of God can be a very abstract concept to every Christ follower living in this 21st century world where there is digital everything, terrorism, war, famine, disease and suffering. Jesus' choice of communication in Matthew 13 is by way of parables. Parables take us on a journey from what is known to unknown.  To explain the immensity of the Kingdom and its influence, Jesus takes his listeners and us to a garden and then a woman's home.

Point of Application:

When we consider the powerful message being communicated by Jesus in these two parables, here is what we realize: The Gospel of the Kingdom as unlimited potential in whom it can affect.

The immensity of the Kingdom

Matthew 13:31-32 reads - "He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” Simon Kistemaker points out in his book "The Parables", page 53, that Jesus is alluding to Old Testament passages such as Daniel 4:12; Ezekiel 17:23 and 31:26 in the telling of the parable.  Whether we are referring to a pagan king's kingdom like Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon in Daniel or Israel itself in Ezekiel's passage, both have in common the fact that they were established and owed their existence to the Sovereignty of God. We won't go into all the history of each, but both started out small: Babylon beginning as a tower in Genesis 11 and Israel coming forth from Abram in Genesis 12. 

But way beyond those allusions, Jesus' whole point is to demonstrate that we cannot judge the effectiveness nor size of the Kingdom by the way it appears now. Simon Kistemaker comments: "The tree has not yet reached maturity; it is still growing. We look at the phenomenon of the growing tree and know that God is at work developing His kingdom." Certainly now the Kingdom of God is expanding through the evangelization efforts of the church.  Even when Jesus returns and sets up His earthly Kingdom, no doubt the Kingdom will enter into a new stage - a visible Kingdom stage.  However it will not reach its full bloom until the final judgment, when Christ hands over the Kingdom to the Father and the glory of God covers the heavens and the earth and all things are made new. (Habakkuk 2:14; 1 Corinthians 15:23-28; Revelation 21-22). 

The influence of the Kingdom

Matthew 13:33 "He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.” Now Jesus moves from the garden to a woman's home.  The mustard plant becomes the largest plant in a garden, despite the fact it's seed form is comparatively insignificantly small. In His second parable here, the parable of the leaven, Jesus compares the Kingdom to a woman making bread. 

The concept of leaven has to do with taking a piece of fermented dough, like sour dough bread, and adding it to a flour mixture until that mixture too was affected and began to rise. When we lived in Pennsylvania, we had what was called "friendship bread" which was similar in thought to what Jesus is communicating. Someone would pinch off a piece of the dough of friendship bread "called a starter" they had and give it to you.  That starter would then require you adding certain things to it in a plastic bag over a period of ten days.  Over that time period, the bread would grow in size and then on the tenth day, you would pinch off a portion and bake the rest.  Then as an act of "friendship", you would pass on the portion to someone else to start the whole cycle once again. 

Whenever a leavened piece of bread was placed in a flour mixture in ancient Israel, a typical batch would yield enough to feed dozens of people.  Such leavening techniques were used by the Jews for centuries. Jesus' useage of this idea would had been immediately familiar to his listeners.  

The Kingdom of God has more influence and pull than we realize. We so often operate in the visible realm, not factoring in the fact that God is Sovereign and that His kingdom influence ranges far beyond the immediate moment.  In relating both the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the leaven (or yeast), Simon Kistemaker notes:  "In the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus makes known the extent and outward spread of the Kingdom. In the parable of the yeast, Jesus focuses attention on the internal power of the kingdom that leaves nothing unaffected.

Closing thoughts

When we consider the powerful message being communicated by Jesus in these two parables, here is what we realize: The Gospel of the Kingdom as unlimited potential in whom it can affect. No matter how difficult things may get, no matter how slow things may move at a given time and no matter how seemingly small the outcomes of current efforts, God's Sovereign Kingdom agenda will prevail and those whom He looks to affect for the purpose of believing on Him as their Savior and Lord will be accomplished. The Gospel is so worth it, because Jesus is. May we be ever faithful in telling as many people as possible about Jesus Christ.  

The Kingdom of God in Matthew 13

Matthew 13:1-3 "That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. 3 And He spoke many things to them in parables."

Defining the Kingdom

When we speak of the Kingdom of God, to what are we referring? God's Kingdom has to do with the domain and influence of His Person and power both in the hearts of men, history and eternity. Simon J. Kistemaker in his book, "The Parables", page 52, simply refers to God's Kingdom as "God's Royal Rule". The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 defines the Kingdom accordingly: "The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God's will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age."

Undoubtedly when Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven, He went to a coronation of His kingly reign in Heaven over His church. (Acts 2:34-36; Revelation 1:5). Having inaugurated His Davidic Kingship, He awaits the time when He will return to set up His Kingdom here on earth to rule and reign 1,000 years (Revelation 20). If we were to describe Christ's ascension as "point A" and His return to set up His earthly Kingdom as "point B", then what lies in between (apart from the seven year tribulation period proceeding Christ's second coming) would mainly describe this church age in which we are living. The Gospel we preach is after all the Gospel of the Kingdom, being that it is issued forth by King Jesus who has all authority in Heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18-20). 

Today's post simply aims to see how Jesus Himself explained the facets of this Kingdom.  Eight parables are told by Jesus in Matthew 13, and each of them describe a facet of the Kingdom.  Much like a brilliant diamond of truth, Jesus is turning the truth of His Kingdom in His hand for the reader to see one facet at a time. I will simply list the parables He tells in Matthew 13, with a brief word or two about the main points being conveyed.  Hopefully by the end of today's post, the reader will gain a fuller understanding of Jesus' Kingdom parables and the Kingdom of God itself in Matthew 13. 

The Kingdom of God in Matthew 13

1. Parable of the soils. The responses to the Kingdom. Matthew 13:1-9; 10-17; 18:23. 
 

2. Parable of the tares. The Sower's Harvest or the King's Kingdom. Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

3. Parable of the Mustard Seed. The Size of the Kingdom. Matthew 13:31-32

4. Parable of he Yeast/Leaven.
Influence of the Kingdom. Matthew 33-35

5. Parable of the Hidden Treasure. Joy of the Kingdom. Matthew 13:44

6. Parable of the Pearl of Great Price. Value of the Kingdom. Matthew 13:45-46

7. Parable of the Dragnet.
Finality of the Kingdom. Matthew 13:47-51

8. Parable of the Scribe. Kingdom is to be treasured. Matthew 13:52