God grows his kingdom as you share his Word!

When you plant an acorn in a small pot in your backyard, you expect it to grow. At first, nothing happens, then a small sprout appears. Over time, the little sprout grows prompting the need to transfer the little oak tree to a larger pot. Then, the small tree must be planted in the ground. And, if you are not careful in the placement of that tree, it could grow into overhead power lines, underground pipes or under the foundation of a home causing severe damage in all these cases. Although the acorn starts off small, it grows into a great oak tree.

Though you know the little acorn can grow into a large tree, the possibility remains that it might not. The best ground can be prepared, and you can pick the best looking acorn to plant, but it might not sprout. Or the little acorn might sprout, but at some point, it might dry up. Even the biggest oak tree will someday die to rot or be burned. These possibilities of failure were not the way the exiled people of Judah thought about Jerusalem. In our Old Testament reading from Ezekiel 17, the prophet Ezekiel was prophesying to the exiles about the restoration of Israel when he said,

22 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar.”

This prophecy came before Jerusalem was completely destroyed, while the exiles still believed Jerusalem would survive. They were wrong. God did allow Jerusalem to be completely destroyed. These words were given beforehand so their identity as members of God’s kingdom might not be shaken. When the news of Jerusalem’s fall did come, the people were shaken, but not Ezekiel. Ezekiel knew these words promised more than the remnant who would return to rebuild Jerusalem, but the return of the remnant who carried the promised Savior who would be born from them in Israel. So, without trust in God, these words sounded as foolish as someone watching a sun-bleached dried-up piece of driftwood expecting it to sprout leaves. But against those doubts, all that needs to be said is what the Almighty Lord said in Ezekiel 17, “‘I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’” These words are the mic drop of all mic drops.

We struggle to let God be the one to drop the mic. The semi recent gesture of dropping the microphone when finished speaking serves to communicate that whatever was just said cannot be topped. When it comes to the Word of God and wanting someone to believe it and grow in faith, we struggle to let God’s Word be the source of power. It is this struggle that Jesus spoke to in our Gospel reading from Mark 4,

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.”

Jesus’ simple point is the ability of the seed to grow on its own, not based on the knowledge of the one who scatters. And so, it is with scattering gospel seeds. We scatter, while God makes it grow, even though we do not know how.

We are all guilty of bypassing our calling to be scatters of the gospel seed to focus on the harvest. With our harvest focus, we may find ways to grow a large harvest either in the number gathered at a church or in the many good things an individual or group does with the name Christian stamped on it, but if that harvest did not come from the seed of the gospel, it is not real fruit. If the group or individual does not know their sin and Jesus’ forgiveness, they may only be branches of an earthly organization, rather than the heavenly kingdom. At the same time, if you are expecting to see a fruitful harvest, and are not, then it is a good time to examine your understanding and sharing of the gospel message making sure that it is clear law and gospel, sin and grace. Because altering the message of the Bible means your harvest will be empty. Whether we get too focused on the harvest or get caught up in altering the seed, we struggle to let God’s Word be the mic drop with the power to grow hearts of faith.

God’s kingdom cannot be stopped. The climactic mic drops of God crush any attempts by our sinful heart to pick the mic back up and add something to what he has done for us. The creation account of Genesis 1 when God made all things from nothing stops us and fills us with hope. The ark floating on the waters for over a year to preserve life on the earth stops us and fills us with hope. The gift of life to the dead womb of Sarah and her husband Abraham who would become the father of spiritual Israel, which are all those who were given the gift of faith, stops us and fills us with hope. The singe and smoke free clothes of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego along with the lion claw and teeth mark free clothing of Daniel stop us and fill us with hope. Jesus’ assurance to Peter after his denial and his calling the Saul the persecutor to become Paul the scatterer of gospel seeds stops us and fills us with hope. And these all hinge on the virgin birth of Immanuel, God with us, who lived without sin to sacrifice himself as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world that betrayed him, which stops us and fills us with hope. Finally, it is Jesus’ return to life with the empty tomb, scars and many documented appearances to prove it stops us and fills us with hope. All of these are the Word of God we read, hear and share over and over like a man who scatters the same kind of seed year after year because we know it is God who has done these things. We know that these things may sound foolish to the world, but not to us. These are the foundation of the eternal kingdom that cannot be conquered whose king rules forever. This was the truth Jesus taught in his other parable from our gospel reading from Mark 4,

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.”

The kingdom of God is the largest, the greatest and the one that gives us a home, and we are part of it.

We trust God to make his kingdom grow. At first, the Word of God, baptism or communion may not seem like the powerful things the Almighty God would work through. Consider this though, an acorn may not seem to compare to the power of a jackhammer to break up concrete or stick of dynamite to break rocks but given enough time an acorn that grows into a tree can lift and break concrete sidewalks, driveways and foundations, and if it grows in the crevice of a rock, can grow to break boulders in half. Jesus used parables to illustrate his spiritual points, and we can do the same. Jesus’ parables are powerful because they speak the truth. When we share God’s Word it is the powerful law to accuse us of our sins, show us we cannot work to save ourselves and show us death and hell. It is also the powerful gospel showing our sins were paid for by Jesus, we have forgiveness through him, he is our righteousness and we have eternal life in heaven through him. God works through these words to create and grow faith into a rich harvest. God also works through baptism to wash away our sins, connect us to Christ’s death and resurrection, give us life and the power to life a new life of service to him. God also feeds our faith through the bread that is his body and the cup that is his blood of the new covenant for the forgiveness of our sins, the strengthening of our faith and assurance that we will be seated at the banquet in heaven.

We do not alter the Bible’s clear teaching of law and gospel, sin and grace, but scatter it freely trusting God to grow his kingdom. This is the unique and unchanging Christian message for which we give thanks just as it was shared in our New Testament reading from Colossians 1,

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

You are an Epaphras to those with whom you share the gospel. It is a blessing to see God growing his kingdom in the Old and New Testament with the same law and gospel for sinful people like you who need hope and forgiveness, words and wisdom for daily life, who need and have eternal salvation through our Savior.

When you plant an acorn in a small pot in your backyard, you expect it to grow. It starts off small, but one day it will need to be planted in the ground. And, if you are not careful in the placement of that tree, it could grow into overhead power lines, underground pipes or under the foundation of a home causing severe damage in all these cases. The gospel message of Jesus’ forgiveness for all our sins is a small sentence with the power to create saving faith. Rest in the shade of this truth that God grows his kingdom as you share his Word. Amen.