January 29, 2012 | Matthew 13:47-58 - Like a Net: The Kingdom, The Gospel, the Church, & You

Here is the sermon from January 29 finishing the wonderful chapter on the Parables of the Kingdom of God.


Audio
Notes





For more:
Blogizomai - MacArthur on Entering the Kingdom
Sermon - January 1, 2012 | Matthew 13:1-23 - Like Soil: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
Sermon - January 8, 2012 | Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 - Like Wheat & Weeds: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
Sermon - January 15, 2012 | Matthew 13:31-35 - Like Mustard Seeds & Leaven: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You  
Sermon - January 22, 2012 | Matthew 13:44-46 - Like Treasure: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Kingdom  
GBC - Matthew Thus Far:  Matthew 1-5
GBC - The Sermon on the Mount Series
GBC - Matthew 8-12 - The King Has Come: The Gospel According to Matthew Series
GBC - The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series

January 22, 2012 | Matthew 13:44-46 - Like Treasure: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You

Last Sunday we looked at Matthew 13:44-46 and its two parables on the Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Price. Here are the audio, notes, and resources.

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, ⁴⁶ and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.


Audio
Notes





For more:
GBC - Christianity And . . .: The Subtle Formula of Idolatry
GBC - He is Not This Guy: The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
Sermon - January 1, 2012 | Matthew 13:1-23 - Like Soil: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
Sermon - January 8, 2012 | Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 - Like Wheat & Weeds: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
Sermon - January 15, 2012 | Matthew 13:31-35 - Like Mustard Seeds & Leaven: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Kingdom  
GBC - Matthew Thus Far:  Matthew 1-5
GBC - The Sermon on the Mount Series
GBC - Matthew 8-12 - The King Has Come: The Gospel According to Matthew Series
GBC - The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series 

January 15, 2012 | Matthew 13:31-35 - Like Mustard Seeds & Leaven: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You

Last Sunday we discussed Matthew 13:31-35 and the two Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven.

 ³¹ 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.”
 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.”  ³⁴ All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable. ³⁵ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
   “I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES;
I WILL UTTER THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.”





Audio
Notes 


For more:
Sermon - January 1, 2012 | Matthew 13:1-23 - Like Soil: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
Sermon - January 8, 2012 | Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 - Like Wheat & Weeds: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
Sermon - January 15, 2012 | Matthew 13:31-35 - Like Mustard Seeds & Leaven: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Kingdom  
GBC - Matthew Thus Far:  Matthew 1-5
GBC - The Sermon on the Mount Series
GBC - Matthew 8-12 - The King Has Come: The Gospel According to Matthew Series
GBC - The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series 

January 1, 2012 | Matthew 13:1-23 - Like Soil: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You

Each year we begin by focusing on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. In recent years we have been going verse by verse through the Gospel of Matthew. This year we will study Matthew 13-16. Below is the first sermon taken from Matthew 13:1-23 on the Parable of the Soils.





Audio
Notes


For more:
GBC - MacArthur on the Lessons of the Parable of the Soils
GBC - Things of This World - dc Talk
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Kingdom  
GBC - Matthew Thus Far:  Matthew 1-5
GBC - The Sermon on the Mount Series
GBC - Matthew 8-12 - The King Has Come: The Gospel According to Matthew Series
GBC - The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series 

This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Kingdom

There is a lot of talk today about the Kingdom of God and rightfully so.  Perhaps no other phrase is more foundational to the message and ministry of Jesus than the Kingdom of God.  Unfortunately, too many confuse what Jesus means by the Kingdom or distort it to fit their own theological, political, social, or economic prejudices.   The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 says:

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.*

The BF&M 2000 seeks to strike a balance between two extremes when discussing this issue.  Here’s the question.  Is the Kingdom of God here already or still in the future?  Are we to build the Kingdom now or await the Kingdom at the return of Christ?

Consider the biblical evidence.  Jesus speaks of the Kingdom as already present.  In Luke 16:16 Jesus notes that the law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaim.  Likewise, both John the Baptist and Jesus both began their ministries by proclaiming, Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand! (Matthew 3:2; 4:17).  Jesus is always seen building the Kingdom and His followers are portrayed as working for the Kingdom, building the Kingdom.

But the Kingdom is also portrayed as future.  In Luke 19 Jesus tells a parable about a man in a far off country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return (Luke 19:2).  The man is undoubtably Jesus Himself who will leave in order to return as King.  In fact, Luke notes that this is the very purpose of the parable.  Verse one notes that Jesus told the parable because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

So which is it and why does it matter?  Is the Kingdom of God present or future?  The answer has to be both and we must affirm both.  This is not a contradiction, but a paradox.  The Kingdom of God is both here and not yet and to emphasize one over the other is to fall into dangerous ground.

Liberalism has traditionally emphasized the present reality of the Kingdom and thus turn the gospel into social justice.  The gospel has nothing to do with the substitutionary work of Christ on the cross, instead the cross becomes an example for us to follow.  Thus Christianity is about humanitarian aide, not about repentance from sin.

Fundamentalist Christians, on the other hand, emphasize the future hope of the Kingdom and thus become obsessed with end times prophecy & escapism.  As a result, they refuse to see the needs around them.  The cross, then, is only about saving our souls and not about regeneration.  The gospel is about getting ourselves into heaven and oftentimes fails to change the person to meet the needs around them.

It is against these two extremes we must emphasize both the present reality and the future hope of the Kingdom.  The gospel of the Kingdom means that we have been redeemed and transformed and the work of the Christ on the cross and resurrection changes who we are now in the hopes we will be finally changed at the resurrection.  The Kingdom is both and, not either or.  The gospel is both here and now and, at the same time, future.  We are saved (past), being saved (present), and will be saved (future).  The Kingdom is the same.

Our responsibility, then, is to both build the Kingdom by calling on souls to repent trusting in the work of the gospel to change the person and to change the community, &, at the same time, we long for the day that Christ recreates this imperfect, fallen, depraved world and restores it.  Thus we must look for the work of the gospel here and at the same time long for the gospel to be completed at Christ’s return.  We long to be with Christ, but in the meantime, we have work to do.  Let us then build the Kingdom knowing that one day the King will return and we will give account for how we have been serving Him.

Thus let us pray, Your kingdom come.  Your will be done.  On earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).


*  Gen 1:1; Isa 9:6-7; Jere 23:5-6; Matt 3:2; 4:8-10,23; 12:25-28; 13:1-52; 25:31-46; 26:29; Mark 1:14-15; 9:1; Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:2; 12:31-32; 17:20-21; 23:42; John 3:3; 18:36; Acts 1:6-7; 17:22-31; Rom 5:17; 8:19; 1 Cor 15:24-28; Colo 1:13; Heb 11:10,16; 12:28; 1 Peter 2:4-10; 4:13; Rev 1:6,9; 5:10; 11:15; 21-22.


This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - Introduction
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - Scripture
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - God
This is Who We Are  What a Baptist Is and Believes - God the Father
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - God the Son
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - God the Spirit
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - Man
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - Salvation
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes -  God's Purpose of Grace
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - Church
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - Baptism
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Lord's Supper 
This is Who We Are:  What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Lord's Day