The Parables of the Weeds, Seed, and Yeast
“The Kingdom of God Is Like”
Matthew 13:24-43

Introduction
Oppressed by the noonday heat, a tired farmer sat under a walnut tree to rest. Relaxing, he looked at his pumpkin vines and said to himself: "How strange it is that God puts such big heavy pumpkins on a frail * vine that has so little strength it has to trail * on the ground!"

And then looking up into the cool branches of the tree above him, he added, "How strange it is that God puts small walnuts on such a big tree with branches so strong they could hold a man!"

Just then a breeze dislodged a walnut from the tree. The tired farmer wondered no more, as he rubbed his head ruefully and said, "It is a good thing there wasn''t a pumpkin up there instead of a walnut."

Many of us have questions about the things that God does.

Today’s message actually comprises* three parables that help us gain a greater picture of God’s Kingdom.

And Jesus was trying to clear up some misunderstandings regarding the Kingdom.

People have many questions regarding the Kingdom because they are not clear in their minds what this Kingdom is all about.
How does everything operate within this Kingdom?

Where exactly is this Kingdom? Can I find it on Mapquest*?

What is this Kingdom like?

Well, one of the main questions that we are going address today is if this is God’s Kingdom, and if He is in control, then why does He allow evil to exist?

Trans: In order to effectively answer this I must simply admit that …
I. It is God’s Kingdom: and since it is His Kingdom I must trust Him to deal with evil in His time.
I believe that many of us forget this fact. We are talking about God’s kingdom.
Not the earth’s kingdom, Israel’s kingdom, not the kingdom of Monterey Park: it is God’s kingdom.

And because it is someone else’s kingdom I do not have the right or the authority to say how situations will be handled.

However, too many people, Christian and non-Christian alike, look at what is going on around them and scream: “Do you see what is going on? God, do you see what is happening? If you are God, then do something about it!”

Many times we are like the prophet Habakkuk. We discover him in that section of the bible between Psalms and the New Testament called the Minor Prophets.
Why are they called the Minor Prophets*? Is it because they are under 18 years old?
No! We have two sections of writings of the prophets. One is called the Major Prophets because the books are long and the other section called “the Minor Prophets” is called so because the books are shorter in length.