Research tells us that to communicate something effectively you must say it 8 times. Jesus told us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like 10 times.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Watch the video of this teaching at https://www.celllifechurch.tv/the-kingdom-of-heaven-is-like/ or on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/UD3AyDLvenQ
Anyone who has taken a course on communication has been taught that if you want someone to remember something, they must hear it about 8 times. To get people to remember something, you must say it to them about 8 times. It takes hearing something around 8 times before it is firmly set in your mind and you’ll remember it. You get the idea.
Matthew records many of Jesus’ teachings in his gospel account. Each teaching is unique in some way and relevant to life today. In chapter 13 of Matthew’s gospel, we find a phrase that Jesus used 10 times. 10 times! That must mean Jesus wants us to remember it.
Jesus takes a fairly large chunk of time and repeatedly tells us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like by using parables, or stories that are easily understood.
Each one of these ten different times he uses a different word picture that was relevant to the people gathered then and is relevant today to each one of us. He is telling us what it is like in Heaven and what it is like to be a citizen of Heaven.
If you have said yes to Jesus and asked him to forgive you of your sins and made him your Lord, you are a citizen of Heaven and Jesus is telling you what life is like in Heaven.
Here are 5 attributes of Heaven Jesus shares with us in Matthew chapter 13.
The Kingdom of Heaven is patient. Let’s read Matthew 13:24-30.
(24) Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. (25) But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. (26) When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. (27) “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ (28) “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ (29) “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'”
To succeed now, and in the future, we must be patient. We must wait for the right time to act.
Here the man’s servants wanted to rip out the weeds, but he wisely told them to wait. Wait until it is grown so the wheat can be harvested, and the weeds can be cut down and burned, without destroying some of the wheat at the same time.
In life, we often want justice for being wronged or sinned against by someone. Trust the Lord’s timing. He sees what you have endured and what you have suffered. He will take care of you and right the wrongs against you, in his perfect timing.
Jesus next tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven has faith in Mathew 13:31-32 which says:
(31) He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. (32) Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
It takes faith to continue on the path God has purposed you for sometimes. Looking at what you have and what you need can seem quite hopeless sometimes. Have the faith of the mustard seed. The smallest of seeds which grows into such a plant that birds can nest in it.
God can do anything with a little faith. Miracles are a product of faith.
The Kingdom of Heaven always has what you need. Matthew 13:33 says:
(33) He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Again, it doesn’t take much to accomplish great things in the Kingdom of Heaven. Here the baker takes a little bit of yeast and kneads it into 60 pounds of dough. Bread was a chief part of the diet at that time and 60 pounds of dough would feed a lot of people.
Taking what you have and mixing it in with what everyone else has, always produces much greater results for God than if you act alone. The yeast cannot feed anyone alone, and the dough cannot feed anywhere near the people it can when it has the yeast mixed into it.
Take your talents and abilities that God has blessed you with and combine them with everyone else’s in your church or cell site. You will be able to serve your community in ways you never imagined.
The Kingdom of Heaven is a treasure and worth everything you have. Matthew 13:44-46 says:
(44) “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. (45) “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. (46) When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Once you truly experience the Kingdom of Heaven, you will gladly and eagerly give up everything to be a part of it. You will see that everything you have pales in comparison to the opportunity of eternal life in the presence of God.
All you need and desire for eternity can be found in Heaven.
The Kingdom of Heaven has no room for those who are not fully committed to the plans and purpose of God. Matthew 13:47-50 says:
(47) “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. (48) When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. (49) This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous (50) and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jesus is making it perfectly clear that you must be fully committed to the plans and purposes God has for you. There is no place for the half-hearted or semi-committed. You are either all in or all out.
I remember when Kelly and I were dating. Her family had two dogs. One was a small dog, a Boston Terrier who was a real pet and lived in the house. The other was a large mix and was a working dog. It stayed outside and kept the property secure.
When it would get very cold the outside dog would be allowed into the house at night, but she could only be in the laundry room, just inside the house. She would lie in front of the open door to the family room but would never enter. She had no idea what life in the house was like.
You can’t be just inside of Heaven. You are either fully committed and inside, or you are outside.
Life in the Kingdom of Heaven in the presence of God, our creator, is our ultimate reward. Jesus spent an entire teaching trying to tell people what life in the Kingdom of Heaven is like and will be like for them. However, we must be living these principles now. That’s what Jesus was trying to say through all those parables, and what he’s trying to say to you right now.
Be patient and have faith. Know that you will always be equipped for whatever God calls you to do, and it will be worth every resource you have to see that calling fulfilled.
Be fully committed to the plans and purposes God has for you. Don’t be half-hearted or a Sunday-only Christian. Go all in. Invest everything you have. Use your God-given talents and abilities to change this world and point people to Jesus.
That is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.
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