The Parables of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:1-52)
God has a plan, and he’s let us in on it! In this message, Michael Bouterse, Thrive’s local director, turns to Matthew 13:1-52, where Jesus gives his disciples a “big reveal” about the future of his kingdom. On the one hand, Jesus teaches the disciples that the kingdom has arrived. But it’s arrived in a much different form than they’d expected! During this present age, the world is living in rejection of Jesus, the king. For now, therefore, the kingdom exists in a provisional, spiritual form, till one day the king returns and reigns on earth, bringing the kingdom to its consummation.
Scripture passages cited (or alluded to) in this message include Matthew 9:3, 11; 12:24; Mark 4:11-12; Daniel 2:44; Revelation 21:4; John 3:16; and Ezekiel 36:26.