The Kingdom Parables – Mark 4:26-34
by Pastor Lee Hemen
November 22, 2009 AM

In the hymn "In the Sweet Bye and Bye," it tells us that "There's a land that is fairer than day, And by faith we can see it afar; For the Father waits over the way, to prepare us a dwelling place there. In the sweet Bye and bye, we shall meet on that beautiful shore. In the sweet, Bye and bye, we shall meet on that beautiful shore. We shall sing on that beautiful shore, the melodious songs of the blest, and our spirits shall sorrow no more; not a sigh for the blessing of rest." It is a wonderful hymn that tries to describe for us the wonders of heaven. Sadly, there are those who confuse the wonders of heaven with God’s kingdom here and now. We would do well in understanding the differences and why it is important for us to do so.

It is no wonder that we have all wondered what heaven might be like. The Apostle John tried to relate what he saw when he was given a small glimpse of the heavenly realm in the book of Revelation. And, we find that he is trying to describe a perfectly holy and wonderful place with sin-stained eyes. In fact we find that for centuries scholars have been trying to figure out just exactly what the symbolism is behind the words of John. But when Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God in the gospels he often was not referring to heaven itself. Instead, we find that he is relating what God's kingdom was and is like and how it will be established in our world. Let's take a look at the kingdom parables this morning...

READ: Mark 4:26-34

Jesus again goes to what he knows and is familiar with and what his audience would know and be familiar with as well. He pulls from his memory the idea of how to relate the kingdom of God to those who would understand his earthy metaphors that symbolized spiritual concepts. In doing so Jesus answers for us the question we have wondered about concerning what the kingdom of God is like. Let’s take a closer look at the kingdom parables of Jesus. We fist discover that...

I. The kingdom of God is like scattered seed! (Vv. 26-29)

  1. From the hands of the sower the seed is strewn! Jesus relates that "This is what the kingdom of God is like." We learned before that "scattered seed" can grow in many different conditions, however, here we find that "night and day, whether" the one scattering it "sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how." In fact, that is not the sower’s concern. It is not his concern to make the seed grow nor how it grows. God germinates it. The kingdom of God grows from one small seed, one kernel of gospel truth, planted or "scattered" in the life of a person. It then sprouts and grows in the person’s life it is planted in. It also grows in the community it is scattered around. It is through the power the Holy Spirit that the seed grows and in this it remains a mystery to the one who first planted it. Why? Again, we are not the ones who cause it to grow only God does. In fact, the seed had to become intrinsically part of the person by faith. To literally die and be buried in the life of the person before it could germinate. Interestingly, the individual in whom the gospel seed is planted has to die to self before it can grow! As Paul would declare, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21 NIV) We also discover that just like at the beginning of the spiritual process, at the end, during our final resurrection in Christ, we first have to die and then we are made alive again in him! Paul would say, "When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else… So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable!" (1 Corinthians 15:37 & 42) And, notice here in Mark that "All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head." In a community the seed planted soon begins to produce a crop. When the gospel seed is planted in the kingdom of God, it germinates, grows, and produces a crop for the ultimate harvest. In fact, Jesus related that "As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." Surely the kingdom of God is like scattered seed!

  EXAMPLE: Seeds can be scattered in many ways. Some seeds are scattered by the wind, some are carried away by birds and insects, some float in water, others are forced away from the plant by exploding pods, and still others hitchhike on animals and people. An example of a seed that travels by water would be the coconut seed. A coconut has a thick outer shell and is light-weight inside, which allows it to float for up to several months. When the coconut finally arrives on dry land, it is cracked open by animals or it rots, releasing the seed inside. An example of a hitchhiking seed would be a burdock. A burdock is covered with a spiky shell that sticks to passing animals and people. In this way the seeds are taken to a new location to grow. Maple seeds are carried by the wind. They fall off the tree and can be blown for many miles because they are light-weight. Dandelions are also scattered this way. The last method of scattering seeds is explosion. Some plants have seeds contained in large pods. When the pod burst open the seeds are sent flying through the air. Milkweed scatters its seeds this way. Christians are the way God scatters the gospel seed in the kingdom of God. And the kingdom of God grows from one small seed planted in the heart of an individual willing to believe.

Big things often do come in small packages. In this case a very beautiful and wonderful thing begins as something very small but results in something quite large. Jesus says it is the kingdom of God. How is that possible? Well, we just learned that the kingdom of God is like scattered seed, but Jesus continues and teaches his listeners that…

II. The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed! (Vv. 30-34)

  1. From the tiniest of things, great things can come! Again, Jesus asks, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?" Jesus does something quite wonderful when he next uses one of his kingdom parables. He beautifully relates to his listeners in a way they could readily understand what he was talking about by using a common plant of the field. He begins the parable with a clever double-question introduction in order to draw the listener into his thought process concerning God's kingdom. He then relates, in essence, that the appearance of God’s "kingdom" is similar to what happens to "a mustard seed" after it is scattered on "the ground." In Hebrew thought, the tiny mustard seed's size was proverbial since it was "the smallest" of all familiar seeds. It took 725-760 mustard seeds to weigh a single gram! The mustard bush is an annual plant which, growing from seed, "becomes the largest of all garden plants" in Palestine, rapidly reaching a height of 12-15 feet in just a few weeks. Jesus alluded that the "Birds of the air" are not only attracted by its seeds but also by the "shade" of its large "branches". His kingdom parable emphasizes the contrast between the smallest of the seeds growing into "the largest of all garden plants." Therefore the insignificant, even enigmatic beginning of God’s kingdom, embodied in the mere presence of Jesus, will ultimately end with the establishment of the greatest kingdom of all which will surpass all the earthly kingdoms in power and glory. And, when you, one small insignificant human being, gives your life to Jesus by faith and allow the kingdom "mustard seed" to be implanted in your heart, you become part of God's gigantic kingdom! Truly, the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed!

  EXAMPLE: Mustard was formerly made up into balls with honey or vinegar and a little cinnamon, to keep till needed, then they were mixed with more vinegar. It was sold in balls till Mrs. Clements, of Durham, England on July 10, 1720, invented the method of preparing mustard flour or powder, which long went under the name of 'Durham Mustard'. All parts of the mustard plant are edible, including the leaves, seeds and flowers. Pope John XXII was so fond of mustard that he created a new Vatican position, the 'grand moutardier du pape' (mustard-maker to the pope) and appointed his nephew to the post. Mustard plants produce about 1,000 pounds of seeds per acre. In one year at New York's Yankee Stadium more than 1,600 gallons plus 2,000,000 individual packets of mustard are consumed. Canada produces about 90 percent of the world's supply of mustard seeds. George J. French introduced his French's mustard in 1904, the same year that the hot dog was introduced to America at the St. Louis World's Fair. And the use of mustard is recorded in the earliest of all societies! Hebrew legend relates that Abraham used mustard in the Old Testament while entertaining the visiting angels. The Chinese used mustard for thousands of years. So did the ancient Romans, and it was the Romans who spread the use of mustard to France and England as their empire expanded. Over 700 million pounds of mustard are consumed worldwide each year and Americans use more mustard than any other country in the world. Ben Franklin first visited England not as a diplomat but as a young man seeking a printing apprenticeship. He didn't find it, but he did apparently discovered mustard, then as now used as a condiment on beef and other typically English fare. Appreciating its spicy tang, he did in fact introduce it to the American colonies on his return. So even though he didn't invent mustard, hot dog lovers across the country can say a hearty "thank you" to old Ben for bringing us mustard. Wow! All of that out of one tiny seed! No wonder Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed!

Conclusion:

In his parables of the kingdom of God Jesus said that 1) The kingdom of God is like scattered seed, and 2) The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed! From tiny thing like the gospel truth comes the eternal and growing kingdom of God!
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Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 25 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2009 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission. You now have my permission...

Did Obama Graft His Way Into the White House?
by Lee Hemen
October 31, 2009

Many of you who voted for President Obama wanted "Hope and Change," in other words you hoped he would bring change. Well, in a way he did by bringing old style Chicago political graft and corruption into the White House. His "community" organization skills have been used to line his political pockets before and after the election. While out of one side of his mouth he allows those around him to bad mouth the banking industry, big business, and Wall Street greed he and his cronies have hit them up for huge sums of donations. And you thought you were getting change? All the while he is gouging your pockets with trillion dollar budgets and the largest national debt ever. So, as he and his Chicago thugs line their pockets through political graft and arm-twisting, you pay all the bills for his thuggery. Welcome to the new Obamanation!

I find it absolutely hilarious that those who screamed, cried "foul", and wanted to hang President Bush, or Vice President Cheney, all of sudden are deathly quiet to their POTUS when he is involved in actual corruption with his connection to ACORN, cronyism, and graft. Whatever happened to that "evil" corporation Halliburton and the "investigations" that were supposed to take place after the election? Oh wait, they gave Obama and other Democrats huge campaign contributions, more than they ever gave Bush! Who has taken more vacations in the first nine months, Bush or Obama? (Obama - 4, Bush 1, Please do not make the stupid idiotic mistake like the Huffington Post does of thinking that going to Camp David or the Crawford Ranch was always a vacation, he was still working as does Obama when he goes to Camp David or Chicago, so I did not count these kind of days for either President.) Who has done more fund raising in the first nine months, Bush or Obama? (Obama - 24, Bush - 4) Who has played golf more in the first nine months, Bush or Obama? (Obama - 24, it took Bush 2 years to reach this number!) Who has held the most political private parties in the White House in the first nine months, Bush or Obama? (Obama - weekly, Bush - about 12) Who has appointed more "Czars" or personal advisers, Bush or Obama? (Obama - over 43 in the first nine months, Bush - less than 35 for his whole eight years in office.)

Read the following article by Michelle Malkin and honestly answer these two questions: 1) If you voted for Obama the first time, knowing all you do now about his policies, the perverts he picks for his "Czars," and how he has used old style Chicago backroom graft and payola, would you vote for him again? And, 2) Do you think Obama grafted his way into the White House?
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Friday, October 30, 2009
The Obama White House: Bundlers' Paradise
by Michelle Malkin

Like Capt. Renault in "Casablanca," I am shocked, shocked to discover that access peddling is going on in the Obama White House. Perks for deep-pocketed donors? Presidential meetings for sale? The stale Chicago odor of pay-for-play wafting from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Knock me over with a feather.

Despite the president's claimed distaste for the campaign finance practice known as "bundling" (rounding up aggregate contributions from friends, business associates and employees), the House of Obama has been a campaign finance bundlers' paradise from Day One. A new report by Matthew Mosk of The Washington Times just confirms the gob-smackingly obvious: It's business as usual in the era of Hope and Change. O's wealthiest Democratic donors have received lavish receptions, golf outings, bowling dates and movie nights with Obama.

And internal Democratic National Committee documents acquired by the Times reveal that "high-dollar fundraisers have been promised access to senior White House officials in exchange for pledges to donate $30,400 personally or to bundle $300,000 in contributions ahead of the 2010 midterm elections." Yup, they're just haggling over the price.

Many Obama bundlers have secured slots on federal advisory panels and commissions. Still more have benefited from the time-honored patronage tradition of rewarding political benefactors with ambassadorships. Clinton did it. Bush did it. And despite all his fantastical, Balloon Boy-level rhetoric of bringing a "new politics" to Washington, Obama's done it, too.

His ambassador to London, Louis Susman, is a Chicago crony with no diplomatic experience who bundled between $200,000 and $500,000 for Team Obama and is known as "The Vacuum Cleaner" for his fundraising prowess. His ambassador to France, entertainment mogul Charlie Rivkin, headed up Obama's California fundraising operations, raking in $500,000 for the campaign and another $300,000 for the inaugural. His ambassador to Spain, Boston moneyman Alan Solomont, also bundled the same amounts for the campaign and inaugural.

In June 2008, candidate Obama railed: "We need a president who will look out for the interests of hardworking families, not just their big campaign donors and corporate allies." Immediately after the speech, he headed to a campaign fundraiser at the Manhattan headquarters of Credit Suisse, one of the major investment companies caught up in the subprime lending debacle. President Obama collected $3 million last week at another Manhattan fundraiser after carping about Wall Street's "self-interestedness." Audacity is his middle name.

When Obama inveighs against Wall Street greed and politicians beholden to Big Business, remember this: The Wall Street gamblers that Obama and his wife carped about on the campaign trail shoveled money to his campaign hand over fist. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, hedge funds and private equity firms donated $2,992,456 to the Obama campaign in the 2008 cycle. No fewer than 100 Obama bundlers are investment CEOs and brokers: Nearly two dozen work for financial giants such as Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs or Citigroup.

Obama happily accepted more than $200,000 in bundled contributions from billionaire hedge-fund manager James Torrey, more than $100,000 in bundled contributions from billionaire hedge-fund manager Paul Tudor Jones and more than $50,000 in bundled contributions from billionaire hedge-fund manager Kenneth C. Griffin, chief executive officer of Citadel Investment Group in Chicago. Another notable: Chicago investment banker James Reynolds, who raised more than $200,000 for the Obama campaign while chief executive of Loop Capital Markets. The municipal bond specialist was a longtime friend of Obama's -- feting the rising star in his Hyde Park home and convincing friends and associates to open up their wallets more than a decade ago.

In 2003, USA Today reported, Reynolds was caught on FBI wiretaps arranging what prosecutors called a "sham" consulting contract with a gal pal of a Philadelphia mayoral adviser. After the conversations, Reynolds snagged $300,000 in no-bid city contracts for Loop Capital Markets. City officials went to jail over the scam. Reynolds skated. The Obama campaign's only statement? "Jim Reynolds has admitted that he made mistakes, but he has not been charged with any wrongdoing."

Fortunately for Obama bundlers who may find themselves in legal trouble in the future, Clinton-era donor-maintenance fixer Eric Holder (who oversaw the pardon for fugitive financier Marc Rich) is guarding the henhouse at the Justice Department.

Every corner of the Obama administration is stuffed with crony moneybags. Take the first lady's social secretary, Desiree Rogers. More than a party planner, she's a fundraising machine in her own right. According to left-wing watchdog Public Citizen, Rogers bundled more than $200,000 for Obama and contributed $28,500 to Democratic committees. Rogers' ex-husband, John W. Rogers Jr., chief executive of multibillion-dollar Ariel Capital Management, played basketball with Michelle O's brother, Craig Robinson, at Princeton. Mr. Rogers also served as a campaign finance bundler for Team Obama -- and hung with Obama in the White House on Super Bowl Sunday.

An indignant White House says this is about "friendship," not influence peddling. But as Obama himself noted in 2007: "It is no coincidence that the best bundlers are often granted the greatest access, and access is power in Washington."

Indeed, the Obama White House policy can be summed up in four words: No Bundler Left Behind.

Does President Obama Deserve the Nobel Peace Prize?
by Lee Hemen
October 12, 2009

I wonder when anyone will ask the obvious yet unanswered question that if there were only twelve days for Obama to be nominated as President for the Nobel Peace Prize, who nominated him? According to OregonLive.com we discover that “Many observers were shocked by the unexpected choice so early in the Obama presidency, which began less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline and has yet to yield concrete achievements in peacemaking.” In fact, the key is truly found in such statements that were made by the likes of Aagot Valle, a lawmaker for the Socialist Left party, who joined the committee this year, who related that she hoped the selection would be viewed as “support and a commitment for Obama.” Socialist peaceniks want to influence Obama to do things their way.

What many people do not realize is that the Nobel Peace Prize in reality means nothing and the reason is because it has become so politicized as to make it ineffective to make any kind of difference in the world. It is kind of like the Pope who tries in vain to tell world dictators to “straighten up or else.” It means nothing. It is a prize given out by a slanted group of socialists to other socialists who think and act the way they do, kind of like the Oscars and Hollywood.

The prize was created by a guilt-ridden Norwegian, Nobel, who created TNT. And, unlike all the other Nobel Prizes, which are awarded by accredited Swedish institutions, the peace prize is given out by a five-member committee elected by the Norwegian Parliament. A leftist Parliament that picks a committee with a decidedly leftist slant, therefore, the decision to honor Obama was unanimous. Gee go figure.

Here is a list of just a few of those “lightweight” contenders that were passed up for Obama according to Mary Katherine Ham on The Weekly Standard blog:

Sima Samar, women's rights activist in Afghanistan: "With dogged persistence and at great personal risk, she kept her schools and clinics open in Afghanistan even during the most repressive days of the Taliban regime, whose laws prohibited the education of girls past the age of eight. When the Taliban fell, Samar returned to Kabul and accepted the post of Minister for Women's Affairs."

Ingrid Betancourt: French-Colombian ex-hostage held for six years.

Dr. Denis Mukwege: Doctor, founder and head of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. He has dedicated his life to helping Congolese women and girls who are victims of gang rape and brutal sexual violence.

Handicap International and Cluster Munition Coalition: These organizations are recognized for their consistently serious efforts to clean up cluster bombs, also known as land mines. Innocent civilians are regularly killed worldwide because the unseen bombs explode when stepped upon.

Hu Jia, a human rights activist and an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, who was sentenced last year to a three-and-a-half-year prison term for 'inciting subversion of state power.

Wei Jingsheng, who spent 17 years in Chinese prisons for urging reforms of China's communist system. He now lives in the United States.

Wow! What a pathetic bunch of hacks! Surely the Anointed One did something during his twelve days in office to deserve the prize? Well according to his own White House official schedule here is what Obama did:

January 20: Sworn in as president. Went to a parade. Partied.

January 21: Asked bureaucrats to re-write guidelines for information requests. Held an “open house” party at the White House.

January 22: Signed Executive Orders: Executive Branch workers to take ethics pledge; re-affirmed Army Field Manual techniques for interrogations; expressed desire to close Gitmo (How’s that working out?)

January 23: Ordered the release of federal funding to pay for abortions in foreign countries. Lunch with Joe Biden; met with Tim Geithner.

January 24: Budget meeting with economic team.

January 25: Skipped church. (Claims to be a "Christian.")

January 26: Gave speech about jobs and energy. Met with Hillary Clinton. Attended Geithner’s swearing in ceremony.

January 27: Met with Republicans. Spoke at a clock tower in Ohio.

January 28: Economic meetings in the morning, met with Defense secretary in the afternoon.

January 29: Signed Ledbetter Bill overturning Supreme Court decision on lawsuits over wages. Party in the State Room. Met with Biden.

January 30: Met economic advisers. Gave speech on Middle Class Working Families Task Force. Met with senior enlisted military officials.

January 31: Took the day off.

February 1: Skipped church. (Again.) Threw a Super Bowl party.

Yep, sounds like he truly did a lot of stuff for world peace... and how many soldiers have died in Afghanistan since President Peace Maker has taken office? Why over 350 and 43 of those came when he deemed himself to be too busy to speak with his general on the ground for over two (70 days) of those months!  (See: http://conservativeamerican.org/military/soldiers-who-have-died-since-1202009/)

When the announcement was given to give the Anointed One the prize you could hear the utter shock in the room. People gasped because they could not believe the committee would be so blatantly stupid and partisan. But why expect anything else from this group of leftists? And this brings me back to my earlier question: Who nominated Obama in the first place? Sure, anyone can be nominated, even me! And, just about anyone can nominate you, however, that does not mean you will get to the “final round.” So, what do you think? Does President Obama deserve his award? And, who nominated him? Personally I think it was someone form his own inner network and I think it further exposes him to what he truly is, a socialist who wants to change the world into his image as all socialists do. If it was someone close to Obama, the taint of that in of itself stinks as much as the rest of Obama's social change does. It has the same kind of smell as him not releasing his actual birth certificate or any of his college day writings or transcripts.

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Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 25 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2009 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.