Mark 4:29-32

Mark 4:29-32 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”

John 12:23-26 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

The SEED has come, and the SEED has died. Christ Jesus has come, He died, BUT HE IS RISEN. We are the church, the emerging plant, which is found in the risen Christ. We are now known as the body of Christ. From that SEED'S demise, we, the children of God, have been created. Jesus Christ's death and his subsequent resurrection have brought in the Kingdom of God, a place where God abides on this earth. He abides in us because THE SEED'S WORKS have made us holy. God will not occupy a place of sin because He is righteous, and no shadow is within him. God is life; sin is death. God is light; sin is darkness. We, as the body of Christ, the great mustard plant in the garden of God's creation, have been designed to create seeds of righteousness and goodness in this dying world. As his body, we take on his capacity, his likeness, his life-giving strength. But, we, too, must lose our lives, our earthly likeness. We, too, must die: die to ourselves, our earthly aspirations, our desires. We are not to seek our own will, but HIS WILL. Our lives, our homes, our aspirations, our spirits, should REFLECT HIM. As with the body of Christ, the church, our personal dwelling places should be peaceful sanctuaries, places where the COMFORTER abides. The birds of the air, the restless of the world, should find solace and "shade" from the burning sun and the turmoil of this world. God's will is also to seek the lost; we should be about the business of seeking the lost. All of these activities are the signs following those who have been made alive as a result of their new resurrected life in Christ.

The fruit of our lives should be the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:22-24) The sinful nature of man is self-serving, disruptive, and destructive. If we serve ourselves and do not die, we will definitely produce the wrong kind of fruit, and we will not pass on from generation to generation the good fruit of the Lord, the works of heaven. And sadly to say, we will be known in heaven as unfruitful and ungrateful children. The works of the Lord are the works of the Spirit. These works cannot become a reality if we serve ourselves, if our lives are lived for what we can get for ourselves, if we are living to be ALL THAT WE CAN BE, AND NOT ALL THAT HE CAN BE IN US. Jesus said, "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." We must die as He did, lose our life as He did. We must find new life as He did and serve him as He serves the Father. Where He is, we will be also. No other life is eternal; all other life ends in death separated from God. Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. Praise God my brethren, let us not be that SINGLE SEED, BUT LET US BE KNOWN AS THE FRUITFUL ONES, THE FAMILY OF GOD AND LIFE ETERNAL.