So good morning everyone. I would like to ask who here is fond of playing games of chance, okay. One such person who loves playing luck-based games was an Englishman by the name of Ashley Revell. Back in April 11, 2004, Ashley sold all of his belongings, even the clothes on his back for a chance to double his money on a single spin of a roulette wheel on a TV show called Double Or Nothing. So after selling off everything he had, he ended up with $135,300 and that’s the money that he could use as a bet, okay. So he initially wanted to put his money on black. So if you’re familiar with roulette, there’s a choice: black or red. So he wanted to put all his money on black. The people who were watching him shouted red! And so he changed his mind at the last second, he put all of his chips on red. Fortunately for him, the people were right in calling out red and he won double what he bet on. So he took home $270,600 of an even greater value. Our passage for this morning tells us that the kingdom of heaven is a treasure and a pearl of great price.
Please open your Bibles with me to Matthew 13 31-35, and we will be reading 44- 46 and lastly to finish off the chapter, we’ll be reading verses 51-58 as we begin our message entitled All For God’s Kingdom. He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:“I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” Let’s jump to verse 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. And finally let’s jump to verse 51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Let him who has ears hear what the spirit says to the churches.
Let’s pause for a word of prayer. Our great God and gracious Father, we want to thank You for gathering us once again this morning. Thank you for summoning us to Zion that we may once again celebrate your excellencies and find rest for our souls in You. Lord, I know that most of us have had a tough week but I thank you that before another week begins, we have a chance to find our strength in You. Lord as we study your word, I pray that You would cause your Holy Spirit to move in our hearts. May You be the one to edify and encourage us. May You also the one to convict us and allow us to mortify ourselves of sin that may not be pleasing before You. And throughout all of this, may You alone be honoured and glorified in our midst. We give back all the glory, praise and honour in Jesus’ Name, amen and amen.
So we’re still in our series in the gospel of Matthew. And by way of recap, if we’re dividing Matthew’s presentation of the life of Jesus by theme, we may view this section which begin in Chapter 13 as presenting the king’s antagonists or the king’s opponents. Ito po yung mga kontrabida sa buhay ng ating bida na walang iba kundi si Hesus. If you remember the gospel of Matthew begins with the King’s arrival and that is why it begins with a presentation of Christ’s genealogy. It then moves to the section of the King’s authority which covers the section that includes The Sermon on the Mount, okay. And then, He commissions the disciples which is the section of teaching called The King’s agenda. And so we are now at the midpoint of Christ’s ministry, and by this time, the Pharisees have come out in clear opposition of Christ and that is seen in their challenge against Jesus that is found in chapter 12 where they had the audacity to even tell that Jesus was an agent of Beelzebul. In other words, that Jesus was actually a demonic messenger. And the clash between Jesus and the Pharisees came to a head with Jesus declaring that those who do the will of the Father are my brothers and sisters, which meant that those who opposed Him were also against the Father. Because Christ came to do the will of the Father, only those who believed and accepted His ministry are in obedience to the Father. And so there is now a clear distinction between those who are with Christ and those who are against Him. The disciples of course are in the former, while the Pharisees are counted in the latter group, yung mga kontra kay Hesus. Now the question becomes what about the multitudes who keep on following Jesus and listening to His teachings, right? Because everywhere Jesus went, there were always these crowds of people who were willing to listen to Him. To which group did they belong? So this is when Jesus would test their commitment to His messages. And He begins to explain the nature of God’s kingdom by way of stories called Parables, okay. Now we have to remember the expectations of the Israelites during this time was that if the Messiah came, this Messiah was going to re-establish the physical kingdom of David and then bring Israel back to its golden age, okay. That was their expectation for a messiah because this Messiah that was coming was coming from the line of kings. He would re-establish and He would again make Israel great again, okay. But as we know, Christ’s kingdom or the kingdom of heaven as it is called in Matthew, is a spiritual kingdom, it’s not an earthly one… which meant Jesus had to clarify what the kingdom of heaven was really all about. And to instruct the disciples and refrain their thinking, at the same time that He was testing the crowd for their response. So you can imagine what Jesus was trying to do in saying, and in preaching, and in proclaiming the message of the kingdom by way of parables. So on the one hand, He was revealing to His apostles what it meant to be a citizen of the kingdom, but on the other hand, He was testing if the crowd was following Him really had eyes of faith to be able to understand the meaning of His parables beyond what He’s saying in on the surface, okay. So that’s what’s happening here.
So this chapter where we find seven parables told almost in succession is where Jesus does His testing. And of course all these parables focus on the nature of the kingdom and what being a citizen of the kingdom entails. And so we started with the parable of the sower and it shows us the common reactions when Jesus proclaims God’s word that and if we look at what the parable of the sower says, you can see that there’s this underlying message of hope. Because even though most of the majority of the seeds appear to be scattered in places where it will not take root and be able to flourish and have a a harvest that isa hundred fold or 60 or 30, at the end of the day, there is still a harvest. There is still that work of God that began and continues. So there’s that message of hope. God’s word will continually march on in those where the seed takes root. And then we talk about the parable of the weeds wherein it introduces an enemy or an adversary that is also working against the growth of the kingdom. Now if we talk about the parable of the weeds, it tackles the question of theodicy. Can we say that there is actually a good God in a world that is steep in evil, okay? And the answer is yes! Even though we can see that whatever it is that God does, the adversary or the enemy, it tries to destroy it, it tries to corrupt it. Okay, let me guys, let me give you an example. Alam natin yung mga awtoridad. Authorities were God- ordained so that society will be able to function orderly, okay. Kahit sa church natin, naiintindihan natin yun. Meron tayong offices that are our authorities within our church family, okay. And yet even so.. even though we know that civil authorities are God-ordained, minsan, makikita natin yung mga leader natin nagiging mapang-abuso. And that’s why there are leaders who become tyrants. Di ba, kung sino dito buhay na nung panahon ng Martial Law, I’m sure naaalala niyo yan. That’s an example of an authority gone bad, okay. Isipin din natin, God designed men and women to be in marriages. And yet we find ourselves in a society where it’s so confused that it… that the concept of a relationship has been corrupted. Instead of having heterosexual relationships, maraming homosexual relationships. And even yung mga heterosexual relationships, karamihan dun, ayaw marriage. Gusto nila situationship, friends with benefits, at kung anu-ano pa except what God has ordained. All that to say, merong kaaway, okay. And it could be within our own selfish and sinful inclinations and desires, or it could be without the devil and yung mga balak niya, okay. If Jesus plants good seeds, the enemy will try to disrupt it by planting weeds. And since believers and unbelievers live together side by side, we will never be free from opposition as well.. which is a very sobering thought. It is in this backdrop that Jesus talks about four short parables that seek to encourage His people. That whatever else we have going against us, God’s work and God’s word will never be halted. It will never be stopped. Walang makakapigil sa gawain ng Diyos.
And this is why our simple message for this morning is this: God’s Kingdom Though Humble Beginnings Will Triumph Over All Other Kingdoms. So again, God’s kingdom even though humble in beginnings will triumph over all other kingdoms. Ang kaharian ng ating Diyos kahit mababa ang panimula ay magtatagumpay sa lahat ng iba pang mga kaharian. And we will be looking into this message by unpacking two additional points. The first one being The Treasure’s Dominance, okay. What’s in store for God’s kingdom. And then we’re going to ask the second question with The Teacher’s Dismay. What happens after Jesus spoke about the parables and then ministered to His hometown, okay.
So let’s begin. So we see in the passage that we read that Jesus describes His kingdom as unique treasure as well as a mustard seed that starts small but grows to a large tree. Now alam po natin, when we talk about parables, they are stories and the elements that are used are usually the ones that are found in common everyday life. Kung ano po yung galawin po nung society po nila ng panahon po na iyon, yung mga examples na kinukuha ni Jesus for Him to be able to share His parables, comes from those everyday occurrences, okay. If we think about it, yung mustard seed po, hindi naman po talaga siya yung smallest seed bar none. However, for their purposes, yun yung common na plant na pinakamaliit yung seed niya, okay. How small is it? The average seed is around 1 mm big. So kung kukunin niyo po yung ruler po ninyo, yung isang maliit dun sa metric system, yung isang linya na iyon, 1 mm, ganun yung average size nung mustasa. Sobrang liit niya talaga, okay. The mustard also doesn’t grow too big.
On average, it’s about 15 feet or around five metres. So that should give you an idea on how high it could go. But, it is certainly a respectable size especially coming from something that starts out as very tiny in seed form. We are told that the biggest of garden plants that birds will come and shelter in its branches.
And indeed, if we look at how the church began, that’s how it looks like. At the beginning, there were only a handful of followers of Christ, right. And they were tiny compared to the mighty empire during their time which was the Roman Empire, okay. Pansinin po natin, okay…prior to Pentecost, there were about a 120 disciples. That’s not a lot, right. And that’s why the image that Christ gives is a mustard seed. Now the twin parable of the mustard seed is the parable of the leaven or the parable of the yeast. And it says that a woman put three measures of flour. A woman took three measures of flour and that’s where she put the leaven until all was leavened. Now both of these parables— the Parable of the Mustard Seed, the Parable Of The Leaven, they speak one truth. And that is the Kingdom of Heaven has humble beginnings such that it is small and even insignificant, but given enough time, it will grow into something that will dwarf all other institutions in the world. The permeating power of yeast or leaven also speaks of the transformative influence of the kingdom and the fact that it will fill and transform the entirety of where it is placed. Now, kung napapansin po ninyo, yung leaven or yung yeast, madalas po yan ginagamit sa scripture. But usually when it’s used in scripture, it’s used negatively. Like when Jesus says for the apostles to beware the leaven of the Pharisees, okay. So negative yun, okay for the benefit of those who have no idea of first century society. But what we’re talking about is the attitude of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were very hypocritical. They were self-reliant, self self-righteous, they were….having all of those things, I will be commended before God. And Jesus was saying don’t be like them, okay. But in the parable of the leaven, it’s used positively. It means that wherever leaven is placed, 100% will be affected, 100% will be infected. The parable speaks of leaven again, in a positive way and we can say that the kingdom is enduring and flourishing today even as the ancient civilisations and empires have long imploded or fallen apart. Wala naman na po yung Roman Empire di ba? And yet Christianity is still here. And yet the kingdom of God still marches on. It still flourishes, it still exists. Now the question is how big will be the kingdom? Big enough to be a shelter to birds, we are told. This actually draws a parallel to Ezekiel 17 where God plants a tree in Israel that will also become a shelter for the other nations. And the image that we are shown is that not only the Jews will find shelter in that tree. Even more importantly us, Gentiles, will find safety there as well. Grabe yung graciousness ng Panginoon ano. The tree is big enough not just to accommodate the kingdom of Israel but even more importantly the people of God from all other tribes, tongues and nations, they will also find their safety there.
And in the parable of the leaven, the same imagery, is John. The woman adds the leaven to three measures of flour. Now I just want to point this out to you guys; when it says that the woman put leaven in three measures of flour, she’s actually making preparations that will feed an entire crowd, okay. That’s party level preparations there, that’s “I will throw a banquet” type of party, “I will be hosting a feast” kind of preparation in ancient times, okay. Three measures of flour is roughly around 22 kilos, okay. That will net you around 60 loaves of bread and kung hindi naman sila masyadong matakaw, kayang kayang makakain daan- daang tao, okay. Which tells us that God’s kingdom heralded through the gospel is unstoppable and it will save innumerable lives throughout generations. How much has the kingdom grown? Alam po natin sa kwento po ng Acts of Jesus Christ di ba. Yung pang limang libro sa New Testament, the Acts of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, it tells us they started out 120 disciples and then the Holy Spirit came and they had power, and then they were emboldened to preach after Peter preached. 3,000 more souls were added to their number, right. That by the time the deacons were first ordained, the estimate is that there were around 20 to 30 ,000 Christians. Not bad! Still small but not bad from 120 to 30,000. And take note: this was during the time that the church was still in its infancy. It was still the kingdom in its seed form, okay. And then of course eventually, persecution found them. But even though there were imprisonments, beatings and even martyrdoms, the kingdom of Christ endured. It didn’t die.
Even death could not help the progress of the kingdom. It only allowed it to spread to more places as fleeing Christians proclaimed the Gospel wherever they went, and wherever they sought safety. Alam natin the gospel traveled from Jerusalem going west. And it continued to travel further west that it eventually reach our shores. And we are a product of that gospel. Narito po tayo ngayon.
Pero hindi po nagtatapos yung journey ng gospel sa atin. It still moves further west and it’s now reaching even farther places. Now the question now is what will the future of the Kingdom look like? Well, we find the answer in Revelation.
Sabi po doon, binasa po natin siya kanina..After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice. “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the lamb!” Yun po yung magiging ending nung kaharian po na ito. Is there opposition? Yes, alam natin yun. Are there weeds that are growing alongside the wheat? Yes, we’ve acknowledged that but even so, the progress of the Gospel will never be stopped.
Now we’ve talked about the first twin parable of the mustard seed and the leaven and we learned that the kingdom starts small and humble but grows progressively bigger as time passes. Naalala ko po, kung nandun po kayo, buhay na po kayo nung 90’s, yung 1995, probably maaalala nyo po yung commercial ng Milo, di ba… “Great things start from small beginnings..” So I think that perfectly encapsulates yung concept that was taught in the parables that we just read.
So the next twin parable adds a new idea. So the kingdom will never be stopped. It will continue to grow until it encompasses and dwarfs all others. But then here’s a new idea: the Kingdom of Heaven is of infinite value and of infinite worth. Now, during the time of Christ, there were still no banks, okay. Yung nag-imbento po ng sistema ng banking as we know it, yung mga Templar Knights po which was around The Crusades. So that would be a couple of centuries later. So since there were no banks back then, when there was a need to hide valuables or instances where there was war or a person’s safety may be threatened because they owned a valuable, what they usually do is that they put it in a jar and then they bury it in a field, okay. Now of course there are times a person will forget or a person will die and they will won’t be able to get that treasure anymore. And so it will remain hidden until someone else uncovers or finds it. Nowadays, we frown on the idea of finders keepers, di ba. Kasi if you find something, the idea is you’re supposed to look for the owner, or at least you’ll try your best to look for the owner because it isn’t yours. But during their time, this was perfectly legal. If you found it, you can keep it. But for instances wherein the treasure was really valuable, it was safer for them to bury it again and then buy the land or the field where it Is buried and then they can safely excavate it since they have the title for the field. And so that’s what Jesus was talking about in this story. So the principle is simple: the kingdom is worth everything that we own. Now obviously, we understand that we received the gospel, we didn’t pay for it. Hindi po natin siya binayaran. And in fact, if you try to pay for it, that works counter to how the kingdom operates. Nobody’s commended before God or nobody becomes saved because they bought their way into it or they work their way into it. We come by it by grace, through faith in Christ alone and for His glory alone. But we have to understand the surpassing worth of the Gospel is the kingdom, is such that, even if we have to trade everything that we have for it, it would still be worth it. If there ever comes a time theoretically wherein we have to literally give up everything for the gospel as far as Christ is concerned, as far as the kingdom is concerned, it’s still a fair trade trade. Hey, it’s not even a fair trade! Lamang pa tayo! We gain more than everything that we lose.
And the parable of the pearl of great price is of course the companion parable of the treasure. And again, it adds another additional dimension. Because this time the merchant is the one who is sort of an expert, right. Because what he does is he knows and he finds and he appraises pearls, but then when he found this very particular special pearl, he realised that this pearl that he found, it’s the One! All other pearls that he has even all other private property he has, fails in value to this one precious pearl. And so what he does, again, he sells everything that he has, and then he buys that pearl of great price. The image of someone who upon gaining knowledge of Jesus and His gospel, that person counted the cost and he considered renouncing all they have to be an excellent exchange that they may gain Christ. The treasure that is the Gospel of Jesus is worth everything we have even though we do not pay for it . We do not purchase it, we don’t buy our way to it. And since we don’t earn it, and we don’t deserve it, but by God’s grace we are given it, then the least we can do is to be passionate to proclaim the gospel to everyone, knowing full well God promised it will not return void. We must be passionate to proclaim the gospel to everyone not only because we know it won’t return void, but also because we received it for free, di ba? If you love people, I’m sure whenever you find something that you enjoy, you will be more than excited to share what you discovered to your loved ones, di ba? “Uy, masarap kumain dito sa kainang ito, sama tayo, fellowship tayo dun. Uy, magandang ‘tong game na ‘to. Laro tayo, plan tayo ng day, laruin natin siya.” The question for us now is this: are we intentional in planning on proclaiming the gospel to our loved ones, friends and the people in our circle of influence? Kasi alam naman po natin guys eh, if we are truly followers of Jesus, we consider the gospel and Jesus to be of immeasurable value and we also know that it is the only cure for what heals the human soul; and that is sin. Wala namang ibang lunas sa kasalanan kundi ang Ebanghelyo ni Kristo. Are we praying for our loved ones? Are we making plans to spend time with them? And when we’re with them, do we actually tell them about Jesus? Now we can tell ourselves we may not have the Spirit’s gift of exhortation, but even so, all believers who have been gifted with God’s salvation, are duty-bound to proclaim the gospel. And so if we say that Christ is mine forever more, and that Christ is my greatest and only treasure, then we must be humble enough to obey Christ’s command to preach the gospel to others. In our local church family, it also means that we must as a whole, do our part in making sure that all of the members have an avenue to exercise the ordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit that the members have been gifted with. Now, when I say ordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit, “I” using it to differentiate from the official gifts of the Holy Spirit. Where are the official gifts of the Holy Spirit? Yun po yung offices. Yung Diaconate and eldership. So obviously, may ganung gift yung Holy Spirit sa church, pero liban doon, meron ding ordinary gift yung Holy Spirit para naman sa lahat ng tagasunod ni Hesus. And what are these gifts? It could be exhortation, it could be giving, it could be mercy, or it could be.. sorry I forgot the one, okay. Yung tatlo lang isipin nyo muna, sapat pa rin yun, okay. All believers have been gifted so if you’re not gifted in exhorting the word, then you may be gifted in giving, di ba? Kung hindi ikaw yung taong kayang makapag-salita ng kuwento ni Hesus sa buhay mo, meron ka pa ring maiaambag, meron ka pa ring maitutulong para sa gawain Niya. Alam nating giving is a duty for members of the body of Christ, but the gift of giving refers to being prospered in a special way that you have a capacity to be more generous with giving, okay. To be passionate in proclaiming the gospel is also to make sure that you preach the gospel to yourself and to your family. Kung ikaw ang padre de pamilya, meron ka rin ganung responsibilidad before God. And we also have the task of disciplining ourselves and keeping our bodies under control. And this is especially true for ministers of the word, so that after we minister, we will not disqualify ourselves from that prize. As the gospel is of infinite value but is given freely and without payment, we must be careful that the allure of receiving honour from preaching the word, does not find its way into our hearts. Yan po yung mga nangyari dun sa mga akala mong okay, and then eventually they reveal themselves to be false teachers. Hindi ba nakakalungkot ho iyon? Nagsimula ho sila okay, only for their faith to be shipwrecked at the end. And bakit? Kasi nagpadala sila nung mga accoutrements at yung mga temporal na bagay na nasa mundo. So ang prayer ko para sa lahat sa atin dito..from the ministers down to the members, may the lord always purify our intentions in serving in His ministry, saan man ito. Now, to passionately share is to understand that God’s word is the food for a human’s soul. Gaya nga po ng sinabi ni R.C. Sproul: “Evangelism is just one beggar telling another where to find bread.” Di ba alam naman natin kung wala sila kay Kristo, sure, tiyak malnourish, gutom yung kanilang kaluluwa. So dalhin natin sila kay Kristo. Ipakilala natin sila kay Kristo kasi Siya lang yung makakapagpuno nung pangangailangan nila. If we’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good, let’s be sure to share Him to others who need Him as well.
Now what happens if we preach the gospel but people do not respond positively? And that’s where our second point comes in, The Teacher’s Dismay. The residents of Jesus’s hometown were astonished to hear Him teach scriptures authoritatively and yet they took offense. So we know Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth to preach the gospel to them there. Since it’s been quite a while, so by this point, it’s been about uh a year since Christ first came to His hometown. So after a year of ministry, bumalik uli si Kristo, again, to try and persuade people about His kingdom. So He preached to them and they were amazed and astonished. Why were they amazed? Because He spoke with wisdom as one with divine authority. He didn’t teach like Scribes did. He taught as Someone who carried the word inside of Him. Ganun ho Siya. And then they were astonished by His works because by this point in time, His reputation preceded Him. People knew that He was a miracle worker. And so the people in His hometown knew that about Christ as well. Now usually when we hear the words amazed, astonished, we think of it as positive. And yet what happens here? Anong nangyari? Matthew’s retelling uses the word to shock the reader because the people are then offended by Jesus. Wait, what?! Because their familiarity with His background and His family caused them to have contempt for what He is teaching and preaching. Nasa isip nila: “how dare you Jesus!
Karaniwang tao ka lang. Di ka naman pinanganak sa pamilya ng mga pari eh; bakit ka nagtuturo dito as if nag-aral ka, di ba. Kilala namin yung tatay mo eh. Kilala namin yung trabaho mo dati. You were a tekton, a master builder or a carpenter, taga gawa ka lang ng bahay namin noon eh. Inuutus-utusan lang kita, gawa ka furniture, Jesus. Tapos ngayon, balik ka dito, tapos makaasta ka kung sino ka, di ba?” Their familiarity with Him bred for contempt. And so they took offense at Him, they took offense at Him as if He was the one responsible for all the evil things in their mind. Pinag-isipan nila ng masama si Hesus di ba. Pero minasama nila si Hesus as if He’s somehow responsible for the evil thoughts that they have. Grabe itong mga taong ito ano. As if Jesus were the one who instigated them to think badly of Him. Their unbelief was responsible for them highlighting irrelevant things about Him. We have to understand by this point in time, Jesus already proclaimed in their midst that He was the Messiah. Nag- preach na po Siya dito patungkol sa Isaiah 61 about the Messiah who will proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. Pero pinakinggan ba nila yun? Hindi! They focused on the fact that He was of lowly birth, that they grew up with Him and that they knew His family even though that’s irrelevant to His message. Sa madaling salita, ad hominem, personal attacks! Because if they acknowledge what Christ was saying, they would have to contend with the fact that they are accountable to Him at ayaw nila yun. So it’s easier for them to have contempt for Him. They turned against Christ because to believe Him would be to acknowledge that He had dominion over them and they didn’t want that. And so they attacked His character. And so we find in this situation Jesus declares a prophet is not without honour except in His hometown and among His relatives and in His own household. Imagine how sad this is guys. The nearest and dearest people to Christ— the people He grew up, with the people He shared His childhood with, the people who He broke bread with, and who He served during His time as a carpenter. Those that He is most intimate with… were the ones who most rejected Him. They knew him the best but they treated Him the worst. And as a result of the rejection, Jesus did not do many mighty works because of their unbelief. And the point is that rejection of Christ’s gospel will result in in greater judgment and condemnation. But you have to marvel at Christ’s graciousness to His people there. Isipin niyo: they treated Him badly. Actually in the first instance that He preached to them, they almost threw Him off a cliff. Hindi lang of course natuloy kasi hindi pa tapos yung purposes ni God kay Kristo so nakatakas Siya. That’s how badly they treated Him. But we have to mark at the graciousness and at the mercy of Christ sa mga taong ito. Bakit? We have to understand they have knowledge of the gospel and they wilfully rejected that gospel, which means come judgment day, they will be held to a higher account for that rejection of the Gospel.
Someone who has a knowledge of the law and the gospel will receive a harsher sentence than one who is ignorant of it. Further exposure to the light of God’s grace would increase their accountability to God. And so bilang grasya sa kanila, Christ did not do many works there. We need to clarify there was no deficiency on Jesus’s part that prevented Him from performing mighty works. But we have to understand the purpose of miracles is to attest Christ’s testimony or the testimony of the Gospel. So what’s the point of Christ demonstrating His power if the people already made up their minds that they will reject Him. Walang point. The rejection of Him sealed their condemnation as there is no record that after this, Jesus came back for a third time to minister. Now this is a very scary scenario— to know that Jesus gave them over to their persistent unbelief. So the challenge for us upon learning this brothers and sisters and friends is this: We Have A Responsibility To Believe In The Gospel, To Mortify Unbelief And Any Rebellious And/Or Disdainful Thoughts We May Have About God And About His Things.
Now here’s the reassurance: if you’re listening today and you know that you are in Christ, then glory to God. I encourage you to examine yourself and soberly assess whatever sins or unbelief that you may have that needs mortifying. Kung ikaw ay na kay Kristo na, wala kang dapat ikatakot. God’s wrath is not in you. But His affection rests on you because of Christ. By God’s grace and in the power of the Holy Spirit, kung ano man yung kasalanan na iyan, name that sin, kill it dead.
Don’t allow unholy thoughts to fester or take root in your minds. But when we
find ourselves battling unbelief, remind yourself that even that sin has been nailed by Christ on the cross of calvary and that right now, you are safe in the palm of His hands.
Now if you find yourself listening to this message and then you realise ‘wait, I’m not a citizen of God’s kingdom,’ then the choice is before you today. In God’s providence. You can repent of your sins and turn to Jesus for salvation, okay. Don’t tell yourself na “now is not the time, I have my whole life ahead of me. Probably, when I’m wiser and more mature and older, then I can revisit this.” Friend our tomorrows are not guaranteed. The fact that you are still here today, and you are able to hear this message, that is God’s providence and grace to you right at this moment. He’s giving you a chance come to Christ but this providence comes with a command. Jesus commands everyone to repent of their sin and to put their full faith and trust in Him. Will you listen and will you consider that decision today? Or will you persist in trying to commend yourself before God on your own terms? We’ve already learned from what we read that entry to the gospel is never by battling yourself into it, whether by monetary means or even by our own works or our good deeds. Your own efforts will actually hamper you from gaining the solution which is to turn away from your sin, and to put your faith and trust in Jesus alone as the only Lord and Saviour of your life. I urge you friend in view of God’s mercy, don’t reject that invitation.
As we end, I’m reminded of the modern hymn that has become a favourite in some reformed churches. The title of the song is O Church Arise by Keith and Kristyn Getty. One of the stanzas I believe encapsulates our marching orders as soldiers of Christ and let me just read it for us. Our call to war to love the captive soul, but to rage against the captor. And with a sword that makes the wounded whole we will fight with faith and valour. When faced with trials on every side, we know the outcome is secure. And Christ will have the prize for which he died and inheritance of nations. Friends, the truth of the Gospel in veiled through parables should drive our passion to proclaim God’s gospel. Knowing that God Himself guarantees the success of His word and that being a priceless treasure, it demands our total and wholehearted commitment all our lives. Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Saviour and so we must be diligent to follow Him faithfully and in this, may Christ cause us to be faithful.
Let us pray. Great God and gracious Father, we thank you once again for your reminder to each one of us through your parables, that even though we are beset with trials and every side and even though we walk alongside a world that is also steep and evil and decaying, we have reason of hope because your kingdom will never be stopped and because if we are in You, You are our prize, You are our reward. Paalalahanan Ninyo po ang bawat isa sa amin and may that serve as fuel for our walk with You that we might edify and encourage one another to be faithful in the calling that You have gifted us with as individuals and also as a church family. Maraming salamat po Hesus, sa Ngalan po Ninyo, hinihiling po namin ito. Amen at amen.