You're listening to Heed the Word with our pastor and teacher, Ken Davis. Pastor Ken is the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Southwest Metro in Burleson, Texas. Please join us as we study the Gospel of Luke, verse by verse.

We spend so much energy and attention on this mortal flesh. We nip it, we tuck it, we build it, we do different things to it, we try to perfect it, and yet it too will dissolve into dust. So how real is it really? The kingdom of heaven, though it cannot be seen, though it cannot be touched or felt, or that its borders can't be measured, is more real and is of greater value than anything tangible that we can see.

The Gospel of Luke is the third account in the Gospels of the life and teachings of our Savior, Jesus Christ. As believers, there are few studies that will benefit us more spiritually than studying the life and teachings of the Master. Our bodies are temporary. They were given to us to dwell in while we live and breathe here on earth. And while it's important to maintain them, many people today focus too much on their flesh. Remember, believer, when you die, your body will return to dust. So let's put more emphasis on the eternal and not on the external. Don't forget to stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Heed the Word, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. But for now, please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6, verse 33, as we join Pastor Ken.

I want to kind of set the stage, if you will, for our conversation. Matthew 6, 33, in which Jesus said these words, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Now that verse is an excellent springboard into our study today, because as we read Luke 13, verses 18 through 21, Jesus is going to describe to us some aspects of the kingdom. He's going to tell us what the kingdom is like. You know, we read that verse in Matthew that where Jesus tells us, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Well, if you're seeking for something, you need to have a general idea of what it is you're seeking, right? You have to have an idea of what it looks like, of what it is. What exactly is he referring to when he says the kingdom of God? And what is the kingdom of God like? In the book of John, chapter 18, verses 33 through 37, we find that Jesus has been delivered to Pontius Pilate by the leaders of the Jewish people. And Pilate is questioning him to determine what should be done with him. And we find these words. Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall and called Jesus and said unto him, Art thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me, what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews, but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king, then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice. It is not a tangible kingdom. And so when we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, what it tells us there is that we are seeking something that is not of this world. There's an old gospel hymn that says, This world is not my home. I'm just passing through. My treasure is laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven's open door, and I can't feel at home in this world anymore. Do you feel at home in this world? Is this world and the things that are of this world the object of your desires? Is it the goal of your life? Or is there something greater, something more meaningful, something more tangible than the material world that we see before us? You see, we have this twisted view of reality. We think that what is real is the things that we can see and hear and touch and taste and smell, those things that are revealed to us through our natural senses. We think that those things are the things that are the most real, like this pulpit or this Bible before me, or the pew that you're sitting on. And while they are real, and while they are tangible, they are less real than the things that are of the kingdom, because everything that I just mentioned is one day going to cease to exist. One day that bench you're sitting on will no longer exist. We understand that even in a natural sense, don't we? Through the passage of time and the decay that takes place in this world, we know that it will no longer be there one day. Our physical bodies to which we pay so much attention. How many of you don't feed your physical body at least once a day? You feed it all the time, don't you? We clothe it, we put things on it, we buy beautiful houses for it to stay in. We buy all kinds of entertainment devices to keep it occupied. We spend so much energy and attention on this mortal flesh. We nip it, we tuck it, we build it, we do different things to it, we try to perfect it, and yet it too will dissolve into dust. So how real is it really? The kingdom of heaven, though it cannot be seen, though it cannot be touched or felt, or that its borders can't be measured, is more real and is of greater value than anything tangible that we could see. Because it's eternal, it is unending, and it is worthy to be sought by us. Here in Luke chapter 13, verses 18 through 21, Jesus begins to tell his followers what the kingdom of God is like. Let's read in verse 18. Then he said, What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden, and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches. Now in a simple reading, how many of you would say, just by a show of hands, that that is very easy to understand? It's just so simple to understand what Jesus is saying, right? It is simple to understand what he's saying. He's saying that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, and that a man took it and planted it in his garden, and that it grew into a very large plant, so large, in fact, that the birds of the air could nest in its branches. But while it's easy to determine what he's saying, it's not so easy to determine what he means by what he is saying, or what metaphor he's trying to create there. What is it he is saying about the kingdom of heaven in these words? I have to tell you, I really struggled with these verses. I did. Because I had in my mind a certain understanding of what I wanted them to mean. And I began to build my message today around that understanding. Well, as my habit is, I'll often check myself against some commentaries to see if I'm in keeping with what, you know, some other godly men have thought about a particular subject. And the thing about commentaries is that you can almost find opposing opinions about every particular topic. And so it doesn't really worry me when I find one commentary that will describe a particular passage of scripture in this way, and then another commentary will describe it in a completely opposite way to where, you know, sometimes you can look at them and you could say, well, this could be true and this also could be true. But every once in a while you come to a point where you're like, okay, both of these could not possibly be true because they are in complete disagreement with one another over the interpretation of this particular passage. And that's where I came in this particular sense. There are two very different interpretations of what this passage means, or what Jesus was trying to say when he described it. And you might say, well, how important is that really? Well, it's very important. It's very important because what he is describing is the kingdom of God. Now, normally it doesn't worry me too much when I find these kinds of differences, because I can discern through prayer and through my understanding of the scriptures which one that I think holds the most weight and which I think is the better evaluation. But in this particular moment, I found myself in disagreement with some men whom I respect a great deal, and in disagreement with some men who I normally find myself in complete agreement with. And so it really caused me to have to step back and say, okay, what are they trying to say here? And what are the results of understanding it in this particular way? And I apologize if I'm getting too academic here. Please forgive me. Let's break it down and look at it a little more closely. First of all, it's important when we're looking at a parable that we understand the context within which the parable was spoken. In other words, we have to ask ourselves the question: how did the people who originally heard the parable, how did they understand it? And so, as Jesus is speaking to them, we need to understand that the mustard seed was the smallest seed known to his listeners. It was minuscule. It was also the smallest unit of measure that could be used in the scales. And in Matthew 17, 21, Jesus would use the mustard seed as a unit with which to measure faith when he told his disciples, If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. So the mustard seed is something so small, so insignificant, so weightless a matter that it would seem that its impact would be almost unobservable. And you think to yourself, how could the kingdom of heaven be something so small as that? And yet have such an incredible impact on the world. And yet that is exactly what happened. Think about Jesus for a moment. In a physical sense, who was he? He was a man. Now we also know that he was the Son of God. But in the context of his life, not only was he a man, but he was a young man, who only lived to be 33 years of age. There's a poem that describes what I'm trying to say very well. It's called One Solitary Life. I'm going to read it to you. It's by a it's been attributed to a man by the name of James Allen Francis, and it says this. He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant. He grew up in another village where he worked in a carpenter's shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book, he never held an office, he never had a family or owned a home, he didn't go to college, he never lived in a big city, he never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness, and he had no credentials but himself. He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away, one of them denied him. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves, and while he was dying, his executioners gambled for his garments, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race. I am well within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned put together have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one solitary life. Think about it. In comparison to all of humanity and all of the world and all of the years that there have been on this earth, the short 33-year lifespan of one individual who never attained any of the things that we mark as greatness in his life has affected this world more than any other force. Each one of you is sitting here this morning because of that very fact. This building is here because of that. This building exists this morning because of the man who lived 2,000 years ago. The church, as we see it and as we know it, exists because of him. How many hospitals, how many orphanages, how many lives have been affected or exist because of Jesus? And this is just looking at it from a temporal sense. And so the kingdom of heaven, which began with this life of Jesus, this kingdom, though it was small and insignificant in its beginnings, has become the largest and the most influential of all the garden plants, if you will. And that's kind of the view I wanted to take of this entire parable. Kind of nice, isn't it? It feels real good, doesn't it? And while it's true in and of itself, there's another aspect to this parable which I found troubling, and which I still find troubling, but which is very true. You see, not only did Jesus say that it was like the mustard seed which a man took and put in his garden, and it grew and became a large tree, but also he says that the birds of the air nested in its branches. Now, when I first read this, I thought that that was simply a way to explain the fact that it was very large, right? It was so large that the birds of the air could nest in its branches, an example, if you will, of the size to which it grew. And yet there's something more here. I need to introduce you to a principle called the principle of expositional constancy. Anyone ever hear of that principle? It's an important principle when studying scripture. And uh let me just share this quote with you. In interpreting a parable, you must remember that everyone and everything in the story is symbolic of something else. The key that unlocks the symbolism is found either within the context or elsewhere in Scripture. One nice thing about the Bible is that things used symbolically in one place are generally used in the same way throughout. Leaven or yeast always symbolizes sin. Adultery and fornication always symbolize the worship of other gods, a spiritual unfaithfulness. Theologians call this the principle of expositional constancy, and observing these guidelines will help you correctly interpret parables and increase your overall knowledge of scripture at the same time. I share that with you because the key that unlocks this parable is the birds. Flocks of birds, typically in Scripture, represent evil. They represent forces of evil, even demonic spirits. Do you remember the parable of the sower who went out and sowed, and some of the seed fell here and some of the seed fell there? And you remember the seed that fell on the good path, the birds of the air came and took it away? Who was it that Jesus said the birds of the air were in that parable? Satan, right? Satan and his minions. And so if we go by the principle of scriptural constancy, if we look at that principle, then we have to recognize that the birds of the air that are nesting in the branches of God's kingdom are evil. And I was troubled by this because I think to myself, he's describing the kingdom of God. How could there be anything evil in God's kingdom? Well, we have to understand that just as God had a kingdom, God had a creation. And evil entered into God's creation in the same way, evil is going to attempt to enter into and infiltrate God's kingdom. You don't think it's so? Let's turn to Matthew chapter 13. In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus spends a great deal of time talking about the kingdom and what it was like. Matthew 13, starting in verse 24. Another parable he put forth to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares? He said to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Do you want us then to go and gather them up? But he said, No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. And at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, First, gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn. Further on he explains the parable. Let's look at verse thirty-six. Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house, and his disciples came to him, saying, Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said to them, He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. That is Jesus. The field is the world. The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore, as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be in the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness. And he will cast them into the furnace of fire, and there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. So we have this principle and this understanding that alongside the wheat, which is all of us, you see, those who believe in Jesus Christ and who are called by his name, alongside the wheat, in that same field is planted the tares. The tares like to hang out near the wheat. And as they grow up, they're growing up next to the wheat, and it's almost indistinguishable sometimes which is which. Because if you were to pull out one, you might damage the other. In the same way that there were tares in God's field, in the same way there will be birds in that tree, which is God's kingdom. You don't have to look very far to recognize the fact that there are a lot of strange birds that are hanging out in the church today, aren't there? I was talking to a pastor the other day and he was sharing with me a man that he knew who had been the pastor of a very large church. And this man who had been the pastor of this large church did not believe in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. He did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And yet, even though he didn't believe or have any faith in these key doctrines, he called himself a Christian and would preach that salvation was through faith in Jesus. You see, he was hanging out in the tree of God's kingdom, but he wasn't a part of that kingdom. I mean, it's just unbelievable about the things that are going on, and it shocks me. It shocks me, and it should shock all of us. But we need to remember the fact that Jesus warned us about these things. He warned us about these things. And what does he go on to say here in Luke? Luke chapter 13 and verse 20. And again he said, To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened. Now, a popular interpretation of this passage would say that the meal is the world, and that the leaven is the gospel, and that when that leaven is hid in the in the meal, when that gospel is hidden in the world, that it would grow until it permeated the entire lump, and that all the world would be saved, would be transformed through the gospel message as the result of that teaching. The problem with that parable, as wonderful as that sounds is, is that we know that that's not the end result. The scripture tells us that the world is not going to be transformed just because of the gospel message being preached, but that a division is going to come as a result of the gospel message. That there would be a division, even as we read with the wheat and the tares. The whole world, friends, is not going to be converted. In fact, in the last days, there's going to be a great falling away. And so, as wonderful as that interpretation of this parable might seem, it's inconsistent with the rest of what Scripture teaches. Leaven representing sin says this that meal is the church. It's the kingdom of God. And if we allow leaven to be introduced into God's kingdom, if we allow sin to exist in our own lives without bringing it under judgment before God, then that little bit of sin will permeate the entire body. Didn't we see that happening in the dark ages when sin entered into the church and the entire church was corrupted as a result of it? And then came the Reformation. And yet, even though there's this continuing renewal, there's always this remnant that the Lord preserves, even then, as the remnant grows and becomes a movement so often that leaven creeps in.

Truly, these are some of the most difficult times that many of us have ever seen. The economy is bad, work is sparse, and there's no shortage of strife throughout the world. But as believers in Jesus, we've been given many great and precious promises. For instance, listen to this verse, taken from our current study. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows. You see, it doesn't matter how bad things get, God has promised to take care of us. Today's teaching was only part of a full-length message taught by Pastor Ken Davis on a Sunday morning at Calvary Chapel, Southwest Metro in Burleson, Texas. To hear this message in its entirety, log on to heedtheword.org. That's heedtheword.org. Once you're there, select the Listen Online page. Or if computers aren't your thing, that's okay, you can always call us. That number to call is 817-447-5675. That's 817-447-5675. Even if you're not ordering a copy of today's study, we'd love to hear from you. Knowing that God is using He, the Word for His glory, and to encourage His saints is one of our greatest joys. So call us today. This study through the Gospel of Luke has been a real eye-opener. Maybe you've been challenged in some areas in your walk with Jesus. Well, we want to exhort you not to just hear God's word, but to do it. Begin to walk in obedience to the things you're learning. From all of us here at Heather Word, we want to say thank you for tuning in, and may God richly bless you as you seek his face.