NB: this is what I planned to say, what I actually said was a little different - check out the audio version!
Remembrance Sunday, an important day to help us remember the human tragedy when nations seek to expand and go to war against each other. And a day to honour the memory of those who have defended us, in war, against tyrants.
Biblically speaking, we can see that there are times when it is right, before God, for nations to go to war, in defence of the innocent; and if this nation hadn't been well-defended in the early 1940s, there would have been terrible consequences.
The use of violence is, unfortunately, sometime part of being a nation in this world.
But God's kingdom is quite different.
Over the course of history, all sorts of people have claimed to be using violence in the name of Christ, but there is no warrant for that in the Bible. In fact, as we're going to see today, sometimes the Kingdom of God looks very weak indeed.
We're looking through Mark's Gospel in our sermon series at the moment, and at the point and we've got to in Mark's gospel, the Kingdom is looking pretty weak - Jesus' newly appointed 12 apostles are probably wondering: "what kind of disaster have we got ourselves into?"
Back in chapter 13 Jesus got his followers together and chose 12 to be with him, the 12 apostles. Now, what happened next? Did they experience the flush of pop star celebrity and popularity? No, their leader Jesus was accused of being mad and under the influence of the devil.
To help them understand this, Jesus explained, with the parable of the soils that we looked at last week, that not everyone will hear and understand and live by Jesus and his message: even though the results will be wonderful for those who do, many will not understand, the message will be veiled to them, there'll be a big drop out rate.
"What kind of disaster have we got ourselves into?" -- thanks Jesus!
Jesus has come proclaiming that he is the king of the new kingdom of God -- and he's proved it quite dramatically with all he has said and done, but now the opposition is heating up, and we're wondering: is it going to be like some of those fireworks on Tuesday night -- a damp squib?
Well Jesus has got some more parables up his sleeve: and the answer is this: the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ will be the greatest kingdom, so stick with Jesus.
The kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ will be the greatest kingdom, so stick with Jesus.
I'm going to split that in three.
First of all, let's look at "the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ."
These parables in our passage today are about the kingdom of God: v. 26 "this is what the kingdom of God is like", v. 30 "what shall we say the kingdom of God is like?"
Jesus has been teaching people about the Kingdom of God ever since chapter 1 v. 15 where he said "the kingdom of God is near, repent and believe the good news".
And we've been watching what he's doing and seeing people's response to his teaching: it's pretty clear that Jesus is the Son of God, just as Mark claims he is -- he is the king of this kingdom of God.
When we looked at this back in chapter 1, we saw that we could describe Jesus' kingdom as God's people, in God's place, under God's rule. God's people, in God's place, under God's rule.
So that to enter God's kingdom, was not to go to a particular land, but to bring yourself under the rule of Jesus Christ, in your life. In his words: to repent and believe. to stop going your way, and start going his way, under his rule.
Like those young men who joined up all those years ago to go and fight against Hitler: it was vital that, once in the army, they forgot what they wanted to do, and were disciplined and followed their commanding officer.
Jesus calls us to enter his kingdom: to come under his rule and become one of his people
The kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So what do these parables tell us about this Kingdom?
They tell us that the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ will be the greatest Kingdom.
And the two key issues in these parables are time and size:
when will this kingdom of God be? it'll start now, but be completed in the future
How big, how significant will it be? insignificant for now, but one day, it will be tremendous.
the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ will be the greatest Kingdom.
We've got four short stories here, four pictures to help us think about the "now" and the "not yet" of the kingdom: a lamp, a measure, the harvest, the mustard tree
a lamp - verses 21-24; a measure - like for measuring out flour, verses 24-25; the harvest vs 26-29; and the mustard tree vv. 30-32
now, the lamp, the harvest, and the mustard tree are all saying that the kingdom is going to be hidden and insignificant to start with, but in the end it will be out in the open - brought to fulfilment, and very important.
so, v. 21 the lamp: what do you do with a lamp?
Two weeks ago when we had the power cut here in church, the vicarage was out as well, and the Heath-Whyte's went to bed very early that evening, because with only candles everything was a bit dark. Now if we had an oil lamp, there's no way we'd have hidden it -- it would have been out on the side helping to give us more light.
and it's the same with the kingdom -- v.22 it's not meant to be hidden, it's going to be out in the open.
The parable of the 4 Soils was saying, in a way, that Jesus' message was hidden, unless you could be bothered to trust him and ask him and find out more - hear he says his teaching, and his kingdom, are supposed to be out in the open.
Then there's the harvest in v.26: you sow the seed, and let it grow, and when it's ripe then you go and harvest it.
That's what the kingdom is like - the message is sown, it gets on with its work in peoples lives and grows, and one day - God's going to have a harvest.
For the moment - the kingdom just gets on with growing - people hear the message, some repent and believe, the kingdom grows.
One Day - it will be harvest day: the kingdom will be complete, and God will gather in his crops.
And then the mustard tree in vv 30-32.
The mustard seed is tiny - but the tree that grows from it is massive, apparently - with great big branches.
Again - the kingdom starts in such a tiny way, it seems so, well, pathetic even - but in the future it's going to be huge. So many people, from all over the world, will have heard the message of Jesus, and turned to him as their Lord and Saviour.
So, three pictures - the lamp, the harvest, the tree - all saying that the kingdom is going to be hidden and insignificant to start with, but in the end it will be out in the open - brought to fulfilment, and very big indeed
Do you remember the British Airways Millennium wheel being built? It was hard to imagine what it would be like, and for a lot of the time it looked like a load of scaffolding being bolted together. When they winched it up into place, there was some worry about whether they'd ever get it done - and would it just be another white elephant like the Dome?
But now, now we can see what it was all about, now it's all finished and working, now it's one of the most popular tourist attractions in London
And that's the point about the Kingdom of God - at the moment we're still waiting, it's still looking like a load of scaffolding - but one day we'll see what it was all about, it'll be all finished and working, it'll be the best place to be in the universe.
Jesus is teaching us something very important about his Kingdom
He has brought the kingdom into being - he's lit the lamp, sown the seed, planted the mustard - but we have to wait for it to be completed.
He's lit the blue touch paper, and we wait for the firework to go off.
Jesus has done everything we need to be able to enter the Kingdom and be reconciled to God - we can be God's people under God's rule, thanks to Jesus' death and resurrection.
But isn't it supposed to be "God's people, under God's rule, in God's place?" Yes - and that's the bit we've got to wait for.
For now, being in God's kingdom is going to be a pretty quiet business: Yes, we're promised that the Holy Spirit will be with us always, but for most people that won't mean some strange spiritual experience, it will mean a pretty normal life, except that you will know that God is with you, you will have his help in understanding (from the Bible) what he wants in your life, and you'll have his help to make the changes that'll mean - which might actually be quite difficult and challenging.
Jesus promises here is that it's not going to be hidden and quiet forever - one day, we will be in God's place, as well as being God's people under God's rule - as Jesus tells us elsewhere, He will return to this world, to judge the living and the dead, and to bring about a new creation, a new world to live in, for those who have received him as Lord and Saviour.
The disciples might well have been thinking: "what kind of disaster have we got ourselves into?" - but here's Jesus' answer: The kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, will be the greatest Kingdom.
But the obvious question is: what is that going to mean for me?
With these parables, Jesus is saying to his disciples, and to you and me: you've got to wait, and while you wait: stick with me.
The kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ,
will be the greatest Kingdom,
so stick with Jesus.
There's one picture we haven't looked at yet: the measure: .v24: Mark 4:24-25 "Consider carefully what you hear," Jesus continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you -- and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."
Which measuring jug will I come to Jesus' teaching with?
Will I come with a little piddly jug? take a little scoop of teaching, spill it all on the way home, and not be very bothered?
Or will I come with as big a jug as I can find and take gallons of Jesus' teaching and keep coming back for more?
With the measure you use, it will be measured to you -- and even more.
It's the same message as the parable of the soils, isn't it? Be Bothered with Jesus and his teaching.
On the one hand it all looks so insignificant now - so untrendy, out-of-fashion, at odds with 21st century culture and ideas. and so our embarrasment or people's taunts (trouble and persecution) threaten to put us off Jesus. But Jesus is the truth, and one day that will be Oh-so-obvious.
On the other hand we're told we've got to wait: even when we trust ourselves to Jesus, we don't get it all straight away. And the waiting time is hard. The worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things, all threaten us to choke the word. And I know this in my life as much as you do - But Jesus' will bring the harvest one day; we will see the huge tree with its spreading branches - the Kingdom will be completed.
So while we wait, Stick with Jesus, and bother with the Bible, his Word to us today.
Imagine someone gave you loads of money, so much you could afford to have a new house built, just for you, just where you want it - but while its being built, you have to live in a caravan in the garden. You'd desperately want to be in your new house - but you've got to wait, and in the meantime instead of a luxury 30ft bedroom with en-suite, you've got a comfortable but small bunk bed; and instead of the huge kitchen with built in range etc etc you make do on a perfectly good little gas cooker.
Well with Jesus we've got something much better than just a caravan - but we've still got stick with him, and wait patiently.
We want so desperately to have more of the final blessings now. We want to see Jesus, physically alive, face to face in front of us. But for now we just have to trust him - we've got to wait to see him.
We want healthy bodies that don't go wrong, that don't get malignant tumours causing pain and distress, and maybe death. But we might have to go through that, hand in hand with our loving Father God, before our Lord Jesus returns.
We want an experience that will give us more than just day-to-day life. The Charismatic churches are always looking for yet another new kind of blessing - but that is not the normal pattern of New Testament Christianity. It is not what Jesus calls us to expect. He calls us to face the reality of this broken world, with love, joy and peace because of what he has done on the cross, and what he has promised for the future.
We want an end to violence and conflict and wars.
And Jesus says: one day... but in the meantime, stick with me.
We can know now what it's like to be loved, forgiven, and reconciled with God. Today we have direct access to God as we talk to him in prayer, and read his the Word to us, the Bible.
But this is just a foretaste of what God has in store for us - and we'll get that when Christ returns: that's when the lamp is on its stand, the harvest comes and the mustard tree is fully grown.
In the meantime, "consider carefully what you hear" - take a full measure of Jesus and his message, his word - live it out, fight the good fight - stick with Jesus.
The kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ,
will be the greatest Kingdom,
so stick with Jesus.