In the last few weeks, we started a series on the kingdom experience, and in this piece, we are looking at kingdom experience part 4. We began with introduction, in the first part of the series, and then we looked at the parable of the sower part 2, then we considered the parable of the wheat and tares. In this piece we would be looking at the kingdom experience part 4.
We want to consider the parable of the mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed.
Before Jesus began to talk about parables, in the book of Matthew 13, Jesus made the disciples to understand something; the disciples came to Him in verse 10. The Bible says; “And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the [a]mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”
I speak to them in parables, because you have been given the privilege to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. So, even though they hear what I tell them about the kingdom of heaven, since the message is given in parables, they cannot understand. And if they cannot understand, they cannot respond and they cannot start doing what the kingdom demands from them. If you want to ask, what's is likely going to be the distinction between us and the people in the world, it is our understanding. Not just our knowledge.
Our understanding of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. If there must be a kingdom experience on the earth, then there must be a kingdom that must be expressed upon the earth. And that kingdom that we are looking at is not the kingdom of Saudi Arabia or United Kingdom, or Australia, the Zulu people, we are looking at the kingdom of heaven. The influence, the authority of the influence of the kingdom of heaven upon the earth. That's the goal. We are not looking at how the kingdom of Spain has impacted the country that is called Mexico, we are looking at how heaven has impacted you and I. And we are looking at the consequence of it. What will people see when a man, a woman chooses to connect with the higher authority in heaven that is beyond the ones on the earth.
So, we want to glean from the parable of the sower, knowing that if we know the mysteries of heaven; it is good, but if we understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven that is the best. So, let us start by knowing. Jesus speaking in the book of Matthew 13 verse 31, He began to talk to us about the kingdom of heaven, by the way let me just say this. There is a difference between the kingdom of heaven and heaven.
Just like there is a difference between Nigeria and federal government of Nigeria. There is a difference between a county and the government of that country. One is talking about the territory, the space, the location. The other one is talking about the authority over that location. When the Bible talked about the prince of Persia, Persia is a place, the prince of Persia is the authority over the land of Persia.
So, we are not looking at heaven as a space, we are looking at the authority that reigns supreme in heaven. So, Jesus talking about the authority that reigns supreme in heaven and how it can change or impact any other place around the universe, Jesus said; “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the Seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
While I was meditating on this, I saw minimum of three creatures of God in these few verses that we just read. The first creature of God is the mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. You and I didn't create the mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. God did. Apart from the mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed, I also saw a man. And then the last one that I saw is the birds of the air. Did we see any other creature of God? So, we can see three things that God created and really, they are living things. The mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed, the man and the birds. And the Bible says the kingdom of heaven can be likened to the activities of these three creatures.
So, if the kingdom of heaven as big as it is can be likened to the activities of a tiny Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed, a man, let's say a single man, and then a bird. So, in this explanation that I want to give now, I don’t want us to see the man as Brother John or Bro Gboyega, it is beyond that. Because this is describing a whole kingdom. The Bible says ‘it's like’; so, don’t just limit it to just one man that you can see and hold the shirt of that man. And the birds of the air, don’t underrate them and just say they are birds that are flying. They could just represent you and I. That's just where I want us to start from so that we can benefit. I am sure we have read this place before; we have learnt about the mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. The summary of everything is sometimes God can start small with us, the things of God can be small and then after a while it becomes big. Right?
But that is not the message of today. That's why we need to start representing things. The Bible already said the whole kingdom can be likened to a man who took something. So, the big is likened to something small. When you also see other small things in that Scripture, they could also mean other big things.
For those of us that did project, in school there is something called hypothesis. Then they also talk about models. You use the models to test hypothesis. Also meaning that you are simplifying reality making it basic. So, when the Bible says the kingdom of heaven can be likened to a man don’t think the kingdom of heaven is that small. It is big. So, let's look at the activity of that man and let's explode it in our spirit to understand how things could be in the kingdom of God. Now let's go back to Matthew 13 verse 31. It says; “Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.”
Each time I see "In his own field" I love to personalize it. This man took the Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. The Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed did not take itself. The Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed is there. It said that a Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed can spend more than a thousand years if you preserve it very well. If you don’t allow water to touch it. If you keep it in a cool and dry place, it can be there for a thousand years or more. So, for the Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed we can use another word to quantify it to be something that is patient, timeless, eternal, everlasting. It is there.
But a man that is not everlasting, who is not timeless has a responsibility in relation to the Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. As a man who has a time that he was born and the time that he will die, has a responsibility to take a Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. You don’t look at a Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed in the kingdom and wish that the Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed should come to your hand or that the Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed should be sown. It is beyond wishes.
I wish to be great; I just wish that me and my husband we are fine, I just wish to have so and so number of children, I just wish. Let’s even go practical, can a man wish himself into fatherhood? Is it easy to wish five children and low and behold you have five children? Does it work like that?
So, the Bible says a man took a Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. So, that must begin to talk to each one of us. If something will ever materialize in our lives; if there will ever be something for you and I to show to our friends and foes, if there will be something in your life to demonstrate to the world, if anything will become significant with and about our lives, it must begin with you taking a Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. That’s very important. If you leave the Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed on its own, nothing will happen to you beyond just daydreaming.
You will be having a lot of day dreams, you will be wishing that you become the first lady, the president of a company, a CEO, a husband, a father, you will be wishing. But since you are not able to take the Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed, you will remain at the level of wishes. Do we remember the story of the man by the pool of Bethesda, the Bible says the man had been lame and he knew it; if only if he could enter that pool at the time an angel from heaven comes down to stir the waters. If only I can enter first, I will be healed.
But yet he was never healed. Not because there was no healing. Remember we are talking about the Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed representing something that is timeless, everlasting, eternal, supernatural and powerful. That thing is there, it never goes away; but there is a window that it can launch, that window is so tiny. Then the Bible also told us about the mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed; it is the least, the smallest of all the Seeds.
So, the opportunity is very small. You know your life can change if only you take this tiny opportunity. But you just remain wishing. Like the woman with the issue of blood, she said if only I can but touch the helm of his garment. If she did not leave her house, it will just be a mere wish. What was the Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed? The helm of the garment of Jesus. It wasn't easy, Jesus was crowded. Everyone was trying to touch Him. So, opportunity she had was very small. It is like a mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. The things in the kingdom are so small. The Bible says narrow is the way that leads to eternal life. Broad is the way that leads to death.
But if it will lead you to a good future, the way is narrow. That means only a few people can pass through it. It's a mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. Because it's also narrow, it can be despised. For those that drive, when you see a big road and a narrow road which one will you pick? When you hear broad way, it is talking about the way that is big. It can entertain the thieves and the lazy. The broad way is large, it's open to all, it's a free for all. You can’t call that a mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed, it's already a very big Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. You can’t miss it; you can see it. When it was a tight time for Abraham and Lot to separate, Abraham said to Lot, pick a place for yourself and I will pick an opposite place. And the Bible says Lot lifted up his eyes and he saw the plain of Jordan that it was very beautiful.
What was that? Is that a mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed? No! That's a broad way. He didn't even pray. If there are two women in your life you want to marry and you want to make your choice, you will fast and pray to know who. But in a situation where you didn't even need to fast and pray; what does that mean? For example, one of the women is very beautiful, and the other one is not beautiful and God says choose anyone, will you pray again? You would just tell yourself then I should choose the beautiful.
So, when it comes to a point in your life when you don’t need to pray over your decisions, you should understand that you are faced with a broad way. If it is narrow you will pray, you will want to maximize that decision, you don’t want to go wrong. You don’t even want to start that journey if God does not command you. It is completely uninteresting. The Bible talking about Jesus, it says he has no comeliness to Him. That's how mustard Seeds are.
There is no comeliness to the Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed, the opportunities in the kingdom of God are dispisable opportunities, they can be overlooked. The things that God will be telling you to do, they will be the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is different from the wisdom of the world, by looking at it you might think it's not wise enough.
The wisdom of this world is looking like a big deal. So, you can overlook the mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. When God is telling you, this is what I want you to live for, this is what I want you to do and you tell yourself what God is asking me to do is too narrow. It's too small. God is telling you to start something, you look at it and you tell yourself how many years will it ever become significant. God, can't I go about and join myself. Like the prodigal son, he didn't go to start a new country, he went to join himself with another country that was established.
The normal thing is to start small, start from nothing, start from nowhere. But everybody will be comfortable starting with the crowded. Let me go and apply for a job in global com and God is telling you to start your own business. And you say this one is a mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed Lord when will it ever grow? When will my parents eat the fruit of their labor in my life. Will I ever become great doing this thing that no one will ever ask about?
The things about the kingdom of God are mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed like. But the Bible says even though they are like mustard Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed, a wise man, a husband, a pastor, a teacher, a discipler will take it. The Bible says the kingdom of God suffers violence and only the violent takes it by force. So, a man takes it by force. He takes the Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. It can be despised, but I choose not to despise this Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. Often times when I look at my life and I look at my wife, I wonder how did she end up with a man like me? Somebody will think maybe I am trying to hype her, somebody like brother Biola will not struggle to understand it because he had idea of the rawness or the unassumingness, or the uncomeliness of my starting.
You wouldn’t see me as a young brother in the church and then you suddenly say this brother will be very great. You can’t imagine that. There was no connection, he doesn’t know much, he doesn’t have talents that we can say all his talent are too many, he will just be great by then. But how did she end up with somebody like me? I am just using a practical example. Where there no better men? Of course, there were handsome men. Men that when you see them you can see their future. It will be very bright.
So, how do you explain making a decision for something that doesn’t look bright and abandoning what looks obviously bright. It must be a kingdom choice. A kingdom choice that understands that although a beginning maybe small, but a latter end will be greatly increased. A decision that is governed by the law of faith. Believing that even though there is nothing to see from here, something can come of nothingness. But we are a generation that wants to make decision based on visible facts. You say the way am seeing this man his future will be very bright; so, you follow him.
Having been married now, when I look at the circumstances of some married people, or some people across the world, how it looks as if even though they could have made the decision to marry a handsome man, a beautiful wife, the marriage is not handsome or beautiful. They married wealthy men; rich men and their marriage is not rich. And you look at other people like my wife who chose a man that is neither here nor there, if you look at her life you will see certain beauty and good things about her life. Then you will ask yourself, is it about the starting or the going? That’s how the kingdom works.
In those days I used to tell myself that the only thing I had was vision. What is vision? Vision is like I can see the back of something even though I am standing at the other side. Can you take vision to the market to buy vegetable? But that was the only thing I had. Yet there were people that are okay. So, if you don’t choose the okay and you go for the vision, you are looking like a man who took a Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed not a man who has taken a tree. The kingdom of heaven is not about a man who takes a tree, it’s a man that takes a Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. And the Bible says and sows it in his field.
The Bible says it is the least of all the Seeds. Out of all options, it is the least. Look at what Jesus said; He said; He said in this kingdom the one that is the greatest will be as the least; the one who serves everybody. So, beware of your despise for something that is the least. That somebody appears to be the least significant person does not mean God does not have plans for the person. Our future is not always about our present, our future is always different from who we are right now.
But if we are also like the Seeds that are insignificant uncomely and we are disregarded neglected Seeds; if no man takes us, what happens to us is that we remain as a Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. When I began, I said the birds of the air could just be us. And that man may not be like you and I, He may be the Lord Jesus Christ taking you and I as Seeds.
It could be that the kingdom of heaven could be likened to Jesus taking you as a Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed and sowing it in His own kingdom. The Bible says God has translated us from the kingdom of darkness. That is; God took us from the kingdom of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His dear Son. We can call ourselves to be Seeds that has been taken over by Jesus. And if we are left to be where we were before, nothing will be said or written about us in thousands of years.
But when we allow Jesus to take us and lay hold of us; if only we can trust Jesus with our lives. See our future; it says even though we may presently be insignificant, we may be the least. Saul was from the least tribe in Israel. Apostle Paul said have you considered our calling; not so much fantastic or handsome, not so much rich or research driven, not so much masters holder were called. So, the kingdom of God is about the least things. Beware how you despise them; beware how you despise yourself and you say it is only those people that can be great; I can’t be great.
I came from the least, I am from the least, I am the least educated, I am least eloquent, I am the lest person in confidence, the Bible says don’t continue to think about the least. Even though you could even think you are the least, can you release yourself to Jesus, allow Jesus to sow you in His own vineyard. Make yourself that insignificant Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed that can be grown by Jesus. Whenever Jesus lays hold of us, He is never confused about the man, the woman we will become.
If you are not sure if this Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed will grow or not, will you spend time clearing the ground? When somebody wants to trespass, you tell the person don’t pass here my planting is here. Has the Bible not called us the planting od the Lord? The Bible says that He may be glorified. We are the planting of God, what is the ultimate goal? That we will become trees of righteousness. So, it doesn’t matter how significant we have been as Seeds, the Bible says if only Jesus can plant, can handle us, we will become trees. We will become such trees that the birds of the air can nest on.
You were a nobody, you didn’t know anything, and now you become somebody that others are learning from. Then like we started with the first episode; the stone which the builders have rejected, have become the chief corner stone. If that stone was beautiful, will the builders reject it?
So, that means that when they saw Jesus Christ, they saw Him as a nobody. In fact, they will ask where was He born? Manger! We are talking about those born in the hospital. Who is your father in this land? They said His father was a carpenter, no we are talking about the pharisees. They have future. The son of a pharisee will be a pharisee. The son of a learned man will be learned, the son of a great man will be great, the son of a carpenter will be a carpenter.
They had destined Jesus for carpentry for life. They rejected Him, they despised Him. They even killed Him. You don’t kill the best. You don’t tell yourself; our destiny is hanging on you but we will kill you. Is it possible? You can say if we kill you now, we will become nobody but we will still kill you. It doesn’t work. It must be because you think your future has nothing to do with the person and the person is useless so you kill. They rejected Him; they killed Him. The Bible says God has made Him the chief corner stone. That is your destiny, that is my destiny in Christ Jesus.
You have been rejected, you have been abused, people have insulted you, people have said nothing can come from your life, people have said who is your father? Who is your mother? You are the last daughter, you are the last son, of the third wife, in the hierarchy of wives your mother is the most insignificant in this family. But the Bible says you can become the chief corner stone if you allow Jesus to sow you as a Seed on CentreNDL”>Seed. Release your life to Jesus, your marriage may look small and insignificant, but it can be great.
Today there are more than ten people that know that I am married. If your marriage is known by nobody today, it will not remain like that because the path of the just is as of a shining light, it shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. Your future is better, your future is such that people will benefit, the birds of the air will benefit. The birds of the air are not just birds they are people like you and I. they will benefit from your life.
