Total Take Over
Total Take Over
Have you ever gotten into something and later discovered it was more than you bargained for? Unlike advertisements that invite you but hide important information, Jesus wanted full disclosure. What exactly is the kingdom of God like? In the Gospel of Matthew, the reference is to the “kingdom of heaven”. They are the same thing. Jesus spent His whole ministry and life speaking about the kingdom of God. He even taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come”. Jesus has encouraged us to first seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness. We must understand what it is that we are seeking otherwise we may be disappointed or come to a different conclusion.
Let’s hear Jesus illustrate for us what the kingdom of God is like. Jesus used many parables to illustrate what the kingdom of God is like. We will focus just on two of these today.
Luke 13: 18-20
18Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."
20Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount[a] of flour until it worked all through the dough."
Here are my observations from the passage in addition to the ones you may have.
1. Let us agree upfront that the only one who can explain something to you that you do not know is the one who knows and understands what you do not know. You must believe that the person knows or must have experienced what he is talking about. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”. Jesus is the Word made flesh so He knows what He is talking about. For there to be a kingdom, there must be a king. No king, no kingdom. Jesus identifies the king as God. The kingdom belongs to God. Thus, the kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God wherever the kingdom is established.
2. So what is it like? First, like a mustard seed, it starts small and grows big. We are meant to understand that a mustard seed though very small, grows to a tree of ten feet or more in height. Jesus is saying, I have come and soon will be planted through death but resurrect to produce worldwide influence that the people of that time could not have imagined. Thank God you and I are living proof of this parable. What started with a few disciples is now all over the world. There is no part of the world where Jesus Christ and Christianity is not mentioned and does not have influence. Every aspect of the society has been influenced by God’s reign through the Gospel of the kingdom. You name any one- education and the school system, government and the legal systems, hospitals and healthcare, and etc.
3. More invasive of the kingdom is the invasion of the individuals who accept the kingdom reign in their lives. The yeast (though in some parables used to illustrate evil), in this parable is the measure of the influence of God’s reign in our lives. It is a “Total Take over” mentality. It is like the DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol). If you are not ready for total take over, then do not subscribe to God’s kingdom. Ephesians 5: 17-20, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name our Lord Jesus Christ”
4. Notice that the yeast works gradually from one side to the other but eventually, it takes over and permeates the whole dough and causes it to rise. God is at work in you and me. We should all wear a sign that says, “work in progress”. This is not to say that any influence of God in our lives would only come at the end of His work. Rather, as we allow God to take over aspects of our lives, the evidence should be there for others to see and enjoy and then “glorify our Father who is in heaven”.
5. Remember that dough does not become bread for enjoyment until it is baked. Expect some baking in your life and of course momentary stay in the hot ovens of life. God will not leave you in the oven more than required. You will be brought out just on time for service. Are you feeling the heat of the oven right now? Relax, you are under God’s kingdom reign and He has every knob under control.
6. The total take over of the yeast also implies that the one under God’s kingdom does not dictate the rules of the kingdom. It is not a democracy and that is why many of us in the western culture struggle with our Christianity. We think we always have a say. Yes, in America but not in God’s kingdom. God’s decrees are not subject to vote and are non- negotiable. When He says, “Do not commit adultery”, He means it. It is not “it depends on what is is” as one our president’s tried to argue his way out.
Are you willing for the total take over? You may have watched the “total make-over” shows. The kingdom influence in our lives is far more than that. In those shows, a house is remodeled but still standing on the same site/location. God’s take over involves up-rooting and relocation to where He wants and knows is best for you and me. It is a total surrender and abandonment. I do not know what you signed up for? But God wants all or nothing of us. I am tired of giving God some aspects of my life and not all. I am tired of the “normal” life as defined by the world’s standards and not God’s standard. I want to live the “abundant life” but it only comes by “total takeover” by God. Our thought life, finances, sex (don’t cringe God made it and abstinence till marriage if single), home, work, school and etc must be under the rule and reign of God.
Thank God for the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives because we cannot do it on our own. “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). May we never override the leading and control of the Holy Spirit! “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). Are you “drunk”, filled with the Holy Spirit? Then let it have control in your speech and decisions. Like Jesus, let us commit to doing only what we hear the Father doing and saying through His Word. Have you been totally taken over by the Holy Spirit of God? Then let Him control you and me. A “drunken” person cannot pretend and neither can you if filled by the Holy Spirit. May God help us. Amen.
Have you ever gotten into something and later discovered it was more than you bargained for? Unlike advertisements that invite you but hide important information, Jesus wanted full disclosure. What exactly is the kingdom of God like? In the Gospel of Matthew, the reference is to the “kingdom of heaven”. They are the same thing. Jesus spent His whole ministry and life speaking about the kingdom of God. He even taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come”. Jesus has encouraged us to first seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness. We must understand what it is that we are seeking otherwise we may be disappointed or come to a different conclusion.
Let’s hear Jesus illustrate for us what the kingdom of God is like. Jesus used many parables to illustrate what the kingdom of God is like. We will focus just on two of these today.
Luke 13: 18-20
18Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."
20Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount[a] of flour until it worked all through the dough."
Here are my observations from the passage in addition to the ones you may have.
1. Let us agree upfront that the only one who can explain something to you that you do not know is the one who knows and understands what you do not know. You must believe that the person knows or must have experienced what he is talking about. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”. Jesus is the Word made flesh so He knows what He is talking about. For there to be a kingdom, there must be a king. No king, no kingdom. Jesus identifies the king as God. The kingdom belongs to God. Thus, the kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God wherever the kingdom is established.
2. So what is it like? First, like a mustard seed, it starts small and grows big. We are meant to understand that a mustard seed though very small, grows to a tree of ten feet or more in height. Jesus is saying, I have come and soon will be planted through death but resurrect to produce worldwide influence that the people of that time could not have imagined. Thank God you and I are living proof of this parable. What started with a few disciples is now all over the world. There is no part of the world where Jesus Christ and Christianity is not mentioned and does not have influence. Every aspect of the society has been influenced by God’s reign through the Gospel of the kingdom. You name any one- education and the school system, government and the legal systems, hospitals and healthcare, and etc.
3. More invasive of the kingdom is the invasion of the individuals who accept the kingdom reign in their lives. The yeast (though in some parables used to illustrate evil), in this parable is the measure of the influence of God’s reign in our lives. It is a “Total Take over” mentality. It is like the DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol). If you are not ready for total take over, then do not subscribe to God’s kingdom. Ephesians 5: 17-20, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name our Lord Jesus Christ”
4. Notice that the yeast works gradually from one side to the other but eventually, it takes over and permeates the whole dough and causes it to rise. God is at work in you and me. We should all wear a sign that says, “work in progress”. This is not to say that any influence of God in our lives would only come at the end of His work. Rather, as we allow God to take over aspects of our lives, the evidence should be there for others to see and enjoy and then “glorify our Father who is in heaven”.
5. Remember that dough does not become bread for enjoyment until it is baked. Expect some baking in your life and of course momentary stay in the hot ovens of life. God will not leave you in the oven more than required. You will be brought out just on time for service. Are you feeling the heat of the oven right now? Relax, you are under God’s kingdom reign and He has every knob under control.
6. The total take over of the yeast also implies that the one under God’s kingdom does not dictate the rules of the kingdom. It is not a democracy and that is why many of us in the western culture struggle with our Christianity. We think we always have a say. Yes, in America but not in God’s kingdom. God’s decrees are not subject to vote and are non- negotiable. When He says, “Do not commit adultery”, He means it. It is not “it depends on what is is” as one our president’s tried to argue his way out.
Are you willing for the total take over? You may have watched the “total make-over” shows. The kingdom influence in our lives is far more than that. In those shows, a house is remodeled but still standing on the same site/location. God’s take over involves up-rooting and relocation to where He wants and knows is best for you and me. It is a total surrender and abandonment. I do not know what you signed up for? But God wants all or nothing of us. I am tired of giving God some aspects of my life and not all. I am tired of the “normal” life as defined by the world’s standards and not God’s standard. I want to live the “abundant life” but it only comes by “total takeover” by God. Our thought life, finances, sex (don’t cringe God made it and abstinence till marriage if single), home, work, school and etc must be under the rule and reign of God.
Thank God for the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives because we cannot do it on our own. “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). May we never override the leading and control of the Holy Spirit! “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). Are you “drunk”, filled with the Holy Spirit? Then let it have control in your speech and decisions. Like Jesus, let us commit to doing only what we hear the Father doing and saying through His Word. Have you been totally taken over by the Holy Spirit of God? Then let Him control you and me. A “drunken” person cannot pretend and neither can you if filled by the Holy Spirit. May God help us. Amen.
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