THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS

Rom. 10:13-17

   13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?"17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

  God’s kingdom, the greatest and most powerful of all kingdoms, which one day will completely destroy and subdue all other kingdoms (Dan. 2:44), came to us in an odd way. As a seed that is sown. And not any seed either, but Jesus says in Matthew 13:32: “- though it is the smallest of all seeds.” It is the smallest of all seeds!

   It is easy to take offence of in a proud heart and mind in the kingdom of God! It looks so small. Just think about Jesus’ birth, both the place and whom delivered Him.

   And this is how it is like all the way, small and miserable in the world’s eyes. And in connection with this, Jesus comes with an enlightenment, which also contains a warning.

   Because He knew how our natural mind are. “Blessed is he whom does not take offence against me.” It is the human heart who has started to understand anything of God’s wisdom. Jesus is praising with an anointing here. You have started to see into the spiritual kingdom. – This is how God wanted to save the world through His Son in the world’s shoes!

   Why was Jesus treated so miserable?

   Because He was miserable Himself? No, He was the heavenly Lord! But to save the miserable, He had to put on the misery of the miserable, and in that way make a settlement and take it away. And we could go on with this. Made poor so that you could become rich. Why was He made to sin? etc.

   God’s kingdom comes to us with this word about Jesus. It was thrown out and sown as a seed – then it is important what kind of soil it falls into.

   “Some fell by the road.” The heart is hard and abstracted by worldly thinking and reckoning. In a heart like that, there is no room for spiritual consideration for instance. The seed has to be on top! It cannot sink in!

   But the seed in itself lack’s nothing. In the little seed which looks so insignificant, lies the whole heaven and the beatitude. There the danger lies that you will despise this seed, the word about the cross, the only way to the kingdom of God. Then you will be standing on the outside, in the darkness, without knowledge to enter. You will be able to look over the pit of iniquity into the kingdom of God, be a spectator to some kind of “shadowland,” but you are not able to see a bridge that leads you across. Luk.16:26.

   Blessed is He whom does not take offence against Me, He says, where He reveals Himself in a form of a servant. As your servant for life and blessing! Would you like Jesus like that, or do you say as Peter did: “You shall never wash my feet!”
   It was Peter’s proud heart which expressed itself, well hidden, also for himself, in a false humility.
Peter did not see how sick and worn out he was. But when Jesus says: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me,” then peter receives a revelation: “- not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well.” He was not able to be without Jesus.

   Jesus is absolutely not interested in our deeds and our activities (Acts 17:25), but that we should start to listen, so that we can get light over our situation. And he that has received God’s light on his situation, he says like Peter: “I cannot be without Jesus at any price!” And that is where the Lord get to sow His seed, the word of grace! What grows and bears fruit, which is Jesus works in and by the believer.

   Think how great it is to be a believer! God’s Spirit has built and established a temple in there, in your heart! Who can comprehend that? You mostly see your sinful, variable and unreliable heart! But think of the judgment we get if we do not heed His testimony!

   It looks insignificant to start with, but it will not remain like that.

   As long as it was just clinging to your ear, it was not that big, but when it had reached your heart, you could testify: “I see the kingdom of God!” And also in a larger scale – one day it will destroy and subdue every other kingdom.

   What does he write about in the national (Norwegian) psalm, Blix: “You sent your word to the mountains of Norway, and then light ran across the land.”
   You sent your word! How did you receive faith, my friend? It is a lot of things that can be mixed up with faith. And here we struggle hard. You probably think it is more severity and sincerity that is needed, when you are a bit behind. But what does that have to do with faith?

   Or just think about deciding to become a Christian, to sustain and persevere, to read and pray and to do all that belongs to the Christian life. Your willpower and persevering gets mixed up with faith so often. But what does that have to do with faith?

   Faith is that the Spirit by the Word, brings confidence to your heart in Jesus!

   How can it be that so many so often recognize this willpower as faith? It must be that the watchmen have fallen asleep! And then darkness spreads around freely, and one is annoyed at the truth, now as before – you must be born again!

   It is so much better we think, when we get to do it ourselves, because the Lord’s way is so narrow and tight. Yes, it hard to be little! We read a quote from the church pastor Augustine: “It is easier for a human being to give all that they own to the pour, than to become poor in yourself” (Poor in spirit). And if you have received any insight in the human nature at all, you perceive at least that Augustine was right. We so often want to count for something, and do something ourselves, only if we will not lose our honor! Just think about boasting in somebody else’s (Jesus) name! Yes, then you must be real poor in yourself.

   A seed, a word that is sown, but it is not the only seed that is sown. In the parable about the weed in the wheat field the Lord answers the servants question about how it can be that the weed is still there. “An enemy has done that”. It says: “While the people were asleep, His enemies came and sowed.”
   Sowed! This enemy is the devil. And as the Lord sows the word of truth, the devil will sow the word of lies, and also that will grow and blossom, where it can find good soil. We must be aware of that, not just when it comes to the whole church, but also when it comes to your personal life in God. The enemy throws his grain over you regularly. Is there any good soil in you?

   And we all know that good soil is not only a good foundation for good grain, but also for weeds. (Compare Good soil: A heart which is very receptive for spiritual impressions). And it will not help the good seed how good the soil is in itself, if it is full of weeds too. But, that will soon be choked! What do you allow to grow next to God’s Word in your heart? Jesus spoke often about timeless worries and the deception about riches. In other words, worldly things and that this comes from the world’s spirit, and the world’s thoughts and meanings about God, God’s salvation and the heavenly kingdom. And one day you will sit there, where it is only weeds left and all the good seeds that was thrown in there is in vain. The heart, mind and thought are filled with this world. The word that you acknowledged as true, you push away! It is basically to give yourself to Satan! And what he wants, we all know that. When Judas was “worn out”, and the devil no longer had any use for him, he went away and hanged himself! That is the reward he gives - death. He only has that reward, because he has - (now after Jesus victory: had) - the power of death! He is the prince of death!

   Yes, as a seed which is sown, which will grow and sprout, that is how Jesus denotes the kingdom of God’s coming in this world, in the every heart who believes in the Word. Are you grieving for this garden as much as the earthly? All of our heart is full of weeds, tangle, thorns and thistles. But where you keep on receiving the good word, the Word of God, little by little He will drive them out before you. (Exodus 23.30).
   It is going to be a lifelong fight, but you will not remain under as long as you keep receiving the Word of the Lord!

   The Lord has not called us to a terrible struggle to make things grow, but He says: All by itself the ground produces grain, (Mark 4:26-28). Listen to my word, and keep on doing that, it will be sun and rain for the seed in there – The shepherd’s voice!

   Some people think – it was grace that gave birth to this life, but for the growth of it we need to take the law in use, strongly! O yes, we have to take it serious!

   On the contrary, if you let the law’s commandments and demands into this field that has to do with your relationship with God, it will die.

   The law is made to reveal the old man in all his sinfulness and lost soul, (Rom.7:13c), so that you will not know any other way than your refuge in Jesus. Where the law really has done its deed, there the choice is only between Jesus or despair. What bonds us or brings us into a society with God, and therefore also true growth in your Christian life, which is growth in mercy and knowledge to the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the Gospel! Where both must be preached! But by his wounds I am healed!

   Faith comes by hearing the Word, and the Word that you hear, comes by the Word of Christ.

E.K.

Holy Bible, New American Standard version
Translator: Benedicte Holtan Smart