Our text references the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is not some group of people who have adopted a common belief system. It is a reference to the realm in which God reigns; It is that place that God rules. In our text Mark mentions the kingdom of God in two different settings. In both cases he talk about a seed. A seed is a remarkable thing. It contains all of the things required to regenerate it’s kind. There is the power of life. When put into the right environment, it produces life. If we leave it out on the countertop, it will never become anything. But if placed into the soil, it has the capacity to do great and marvelous things. At barely two millimeters, a mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds. It has the ability to push off many times it’s weight of dirt packed on top of it. The seed represents the great things that can come from small things. It demonstrates the new hope of seemingly hopeless situations. Mark uses the mustard seed to demonstrate how small an amount of something can reap great rewards. Who knows what will be come of a mustard seed until it is sown? Who knows the change that a little love can bring until it is sown? In most cases, God is not looking for how big we can be, but how obedient we can be. Jesus was telling the apostles that what they are facing is nothing compared to His power. Only a tiny amount of faith can cause big things to happen. Within the seed lies a law of purpose. If we plant watermelon seeds, we will get watermelons. If we plant love, we will get love. If we plant grace and forgiveness, we will reap grace and forgiveness. Even a little is enough for God’s purpose. Everything that God has for us is available for just a small amount of obedience. If we will simply sow a little seed, we will reap a great reward. All God needs is for us to allow Him to reign in the situation.

Our text references the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is not some group of people who have adopted a common belief system. It is a reference to the realm in which God reigns; It is that place that God rules. In our text Mark mentions the kingdom of God in two different settings. In both cases he talk about a seed. A seed is a remarkable thing. It contains all of the things required to regenerate it’s kind. There is the power of life. When put into the right environment, it produces life. If we leave it out on the countertop, it will never become anything. But if placed into the soil, it has the capacity to do great and marvelous things. At barely two millimeters, a mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds. It has the ability to push off many times it’s weight of dirt packed on top of it. The seed represents the great things that can come from small things. It demonstrates the new hope of seemingly hopeless situations. Mark uses the mustard seed to demonstrate how small an amount of something can reap great rewards. Who knows what will be come of a mustard seed until it is sown? Who knows the change that a little love can bring until it is sown? In most cases, God is not looking for how big we can be, but how obedient we can be. Jesus was telling the apostles that what they are facing is nothing compared to His power. Only a tiny amount of faith can cause big things to happen. Within the seed lies a law of purpose. If we plant watermelon seeds, we will get watermelons. If we plant love, we will get love. If we plant grace and forgiveness, we will reap grace and forgiveness. Even a little is enough for God’s purpose. Everything that God has for us is available for just a small amount of obedience. If we will simply sow a little seed, we will reap a great reward. All God needs is for us to allow Him to reign in the situation.

In our text, Herod had just killed James. When he saw how the crowd responded, he took Peter prisoner too. Herod knew the God that Peter served so he kept Peter in prison under heavy guard until the date of his execution. The church was praying. They prayed that God would intervene. Peter was bound in chains, but Herod could not bind the church. He did not know that they were praying on Peter’s behalf. Out of nowhere, an Angel came into that prison and broke the chains that kept Peter bound. Peter was asleep, and the angel walked him out of the prison a free man. This bewildered Peter, but when he came to himself, he went to Mary’s house. When he got there, they were all still praying. God had already answered their prayer, but they were still praying. Peter knocks, but Rhoda is so excited that she doesn’t open the door. The answer to their prayer was at the door. They argued about if it was really him. Finally someone opened the door and were astonished. They had prayed to God to do it, and when He did, they couldn’t believe that it had happened. The bible tells us that the guards and even Herod himself were put to death. God’s miracle was so complete that not only did He set Peter free, He took care of the threats that were against him. How many of our prayers has God already taken care of and we continue to pray? Our miracle is on the way. For some, the answer is already at the door. Rhoda went to the door because she heard knocking, then she heard a voice. She realized that what she had been praying for had happened. There are times that we pray and we feel as if they are not even heard. God hears our prayer. In Revelation, the bible says that He stands at the door and knocks and that He will come in to any who open the door. The answer to their prayer was at the door than night. The thing that we have been praying for is no longer bound; it is here. The answer is already at the door.

In our text, Herod had just killed James. When he saw how the crowd responded, he took Peter prisoner too. Herod knew the God that Peter served so he kept Peter in prison under heavy guard until the date of his execution. The church was praying. They prayed that God would intervene. Peter was bound in chains, but Herod could not bind the church. He did not know that they were praying on Peter’s behalf. Out of nowhere, an Angel came into that prison and broke the chains that kept Peter bound. Peter was asleep, and the angel walked him out of the prison a free man. This bewildered Peter, but when he came to himself, he went to Mary’s house. When he got there, they were all still praying. God had already answered their prayer, but they were still praying. Peter knocks, but Rhoda is so excited that she doesn’t open the door. The answer to their prayer was at the door. They argued about if it was really him. Finally someone opened the door and were astonished. They had prayed to God to do it, and when He did, they couldn’t believe that it had happened. The bible tells us that the guards and even Herod himself were put to death. God’s miracle was so complete that not only did He set Peter free, He took care of the threats that were against him. How many of our prayers has God already taken care of and we continue to pray? Our miracle is on the way. For some, the answer is already at the door. Rhoda went to the door because she heard knocking, then she heard a voice. She realized that what she had been praying for had happened. There are times that we pray and we feel as if they are not even heard. God hears our prayer. In Revelation, the bible says that He stands at the door and knocks and that He will come in to any who open the door. The answer to their prayer was at the door than night. The thing that we have been praying for is no longer bound; it is here. The answer is already at the door.

There is a period of time between God’s promise and the fulfillment of that promise. How we live during that time determines much about the fruition of that promise in our life. Most times, that time increment is a very frustrating time of life. It is easy for the flesh to convince us that God’s promise was not what we thought it to be. Often we will have to wrestle with our situation for much longer than we want to. Elijah was facing such at time. In our text Elijah has prophesied that there will be no rain until he says it will. After three and half years, there was a great famine in the land. Then God sends Elijah to declare that the rains would come. All of the things that Elijah did in the few chapters in which we see him, are an illustration to us on how to be an overcomer and see God’s promises come to pass in our life. In desperate times when things were at their worst; when it would have been easy to give up on ever seeing the promise come to pass. Through all this, the power of his faith showed through. When Elijah turned to Ahab and told him to get up to receive the abundance of rain, he too went on an upward path. He took himself to the top of the mountain. As Ahab elevated himself with food, Elijah elevated himself with prayer. After praying, Elijah sends his servant to look for rain. Six times, the servant returned with a report of NOTHING. After each of those six disappointing reports, Elijah simply says “Go Again.” Instead of being discouraged by repeated negative reports, he prayed even more fervently. On the seventh time, the servant returns with encouraging results, but not the magnitude that we would expect. There are three things about Elijah’s faith that are worth knowing. First was Elijah’s confidence. There was no indication that there was any chance of rain, but he trudged up that mountain confidently. Second, he had patience. There was a long time between promise and the fulfillment of that promise. No matter how many times he was disappointed, Elijah remained faithful He kept praying.Finally he persevered. He prayed and prayed again, and then prayed some more.

There is a period of time between God’s promise and the fulfillment of that promise. How we live during that time determines much about the fruition of that promise in our life. Most times, that time increment is a very frustrating time of life. It is easy for the flesh to convince us that God’s promise was not what we thought it to be. Often we will have to wrestle with our situation for much longer than we want to. Elijah was facing such at time. In our text Elijah has prophesied that there will be no rain until he says it will. After three and half years, there was a great famine in the land. Then God sends Elijah to declare that the rains would come. All of the things that Elijah did in the few chapters in which we see him, are an illustration to us on how to be an overcomer and see God’s promises come to pass in our life. In desperate times when things were at their worst; when it would have been easy to give up on ever seeing the promise come to pass. Through all this, the power of his faith showed through. When Elijah turned to Ahab and told him to get up to receive the abundance of rain, he too went on an upward path. He took himself to the top of the mountain. As Ahab elevated himself with food, Elijah elevated himself with prayer. After praying, Elijah sends his servant to look for rain. Six times, the servant returned with a report of NOTHING. After each of those six disappointing reports, Elijah simply says “Go Again.” Instead of being discouraged by repeated negative reports, he prayed even more fervently. On the seventh time, the servant returns with encouraging results, but not the magnitude that we would expect. There are three things about Elijah’s faith that are worth knowing. First was Elijah’s confidence. There was no indication that there was any chance of rain, but he trudged up that mountain confidently. Second, he had patience. There was a long time between promise and the fulfillment of that promise. No matter how many times he was disappointed, Elijah remained faithful He kept praying.Finally he persevered. He prayed and prayed again, and then prayed some more.

In the course of life, we will all find ourselves going through difficult places. Jacob was a man with great potential. He struggled for a long time with things that could have destroyed the plans that God had for him. He was sneak, a cheat and a liar. Our text is from a portion of life when Jacob was running because of those things. He was a fugitive from his own family and he was in a difficult place. As he runs, he beds down for the night using stones for his pillow. We have all found ourselves in a place like Jacob where we are in a hard place and can find no comfort. God did something for Jacob that night. Though he felt alone, the reality is that God would never leave any of us alone. Jacob, and the experience he had that night can testify to someone now who is in a hard place. Jacob’s vision of heaven and earth joining together came to him at a time when he was greatly troubled both inside and out. Being in a hard place does not mean that God cannot speak to us. Just because we experience a hard place, does not mean that God does not care. When we feel all alone, God knows what we need and He is there. Even in that hard rocky place, heaven was not closed to Jacob.The same God that came to Jacob that night will come to any of us when we are in a hard place. The vision promised to Jacob that we can blessed and still experience hard places. A hard time does not mean that God has forsaken us. It gives Him an opportunity to demonstrate how strong He really is. Jacob’s story also shows us that even in when we are in a hard place, we can still dream. God did not want him to lose sight of the vision that God had for him. The dream does not die because we experience difficult times. Keep on dreaming, believing and looking. God is there. God knows where we are. Even if we do not know where we are, God knows. God is our source of comfort when going through a hard place.

In the course of life, we will all find ourselves going through difficult places. Jacob was a man with great potential. He struggled for a long time with things that could have destroyed the plans that God had for him. He was sneak, a cheat and a liar. Our text is from a portion of life when Jacob was running because of those things. He was a fugitive from his own family and he was in a difficult place. As he runs, he beds down for the night using stones for his pillow. We have all found ourselves in a place like Jacob where we are in a hard place and can find no comfort. God did something for Jacob that night. Though he felt alone, the reality is that God would never leave any of us alone. Jacob, and the experience he had that night can testify to someone now who is in a hard place. Jacob’s vision of heaven and earth joining together came to him at a time when he was greatly troubled both inside and out. Being in a hard place does not mean that God cannot speak to us. Just because we experience a hard place, does not mean that God does not care. When we feel all alone, God knows what we need and He is there. Even in that hard rocky place, heaven was not closed to Jacob.The same God that came to Jacob that night will come to any of us when we are in a hard place. The vision promised to Jacob that we can blessed and still experience hard places. A hard time does not mean that God has forsaken us. It gives Him an opportunity to demonstrate how strong He really is. Jacob’s story also shows us that even in when we are in a hard place, we can still dream. God did not want him to lose sight of the vision that God had for him. The dream does not die because we experience difficult times. Keep on dreaming, believing and looking. God is there. God knows where we are. Even if we do not know where we are, God knows. God is our source of comfort when going through a hard place.

The words in our text were spoken to a people who had experienced great loss. They had been overrun by another culture because of the failure of their faith and their sin. Isaiah was a prophet sent to these people. The first 50 chapters of Isaiah are God communicating his unhappiness with them. But by the time of our text, God begins to outline the plan of the Messiah coming to the world. He outlines how God is going to give them back their song. Their grace would allow them to bear children and re-populate a nation. The once broken and desolate people would be revitalized because of what God was about to do. There are three promises spoken in Isaiah 54. First is the promise of a restoration of joy. God promised them a restoration of fruitfulness. He would replace their losses with greater gain. Finally God promised to restore a confidence in them. These promises given to Israel so many years ago is also for us. The same God who promised to make their tomorrows better than their yesterday is the same God saying the same thing to us today. The bible tells us that the blessing that were coming would require them to enlarge their tents and strengthen their foundations to make room for what God would provide. God understood that the promises would be hard for them to believe. For that reason God commanded them to “spare not.” Don’t hold back. Don’t try to limit God. Because all the promises sounded too good to be true, man’s tendency would be to do a little, but not too much. God said to spare not. Today is our moment. Some have lived with a darkness overshadowing us for a long time. If we will believe God and give Him all that he asks. If we do not hold back, He will do all that He said He would do. God does not want an effort, He wants all in. Many want all that God has, but are not willing to give all that they have in order to get it. We cannot sit back and wait for God. We have to first believe before God’s blessings will come. When God offers to do a great thing in our life, the greatest insult would be to not embrace all that He wants to do. God was telling Israel (and us) to let their effort to equal their opportunity. As good as the past may have been, God has greater plans for our future. We must not hold back. What matters right now is that we have an opportunity. We must not look at God and say that what He is asking is too much. Christ went to the cross for our sin. We owe all to Him. Thinking in the weakness of our present circumstances will cause us to fall short of God’s promise. “God I now you can do all but…” This kind of thinking will sabotage what God is trying to do. Don’t let the weakness of our flesh get in the way of what God has in store.

The words in our text were spoken to a people who had experienced great loss. They had been overrun by another culture because of the failure of their faith and their sin. Isaiah was a prophet sent to these people. The first 50 chapters of Isaiah are God communicating his unhappiness with them. But by the time of our text, God begins to outline the plan of the Messiah coming to the world. He outlines how God is going to give them back their song. Their grace would allow them to bear children and re-populate a nation. The once broken and desolate people would be revitalized because of what God was about to do. There are three promises spoken in Isaiah 54. First is the promise of a restoration of joy. God promised them a restoration of fruitfulness. He would replace their losses with greater gain. Finally God promised to restore a confidence in them. These promises given to Israel so many years ago is also for us. The same God who promised to make their tomorrows better than their yesterday is the same God saying the same thing to us today. The bible tells us that the blessing that were coming would require them to enlarge their tents and strengthen their foundations to make room for what God would provide. God understood that the promises would be hard for them to believe. For that reason God commanded them to “spare not.” Don’t hold back. Don’t try to limit God. Because all the promises sounded too good to be true, man’s tendency would be to do a little, but not too much. God said to spare not. Today is our moment. Some have lived with a darkness overshadowing us for a long time. If we will believe God and give Him all that he asks. If we do not hold back, He will do all that He said He would do. God does not want an effort, He wants all in. Many want all that God has, but are not willing to give all that they have in order to get it. We cannot sit back and wait for God. We have to first believe before God’s blessings will come. When God offers to do a great thing in our life, the greatest insult would be to not embrace all that He wants to do. God was telling Israel (and us) to let their effort to equal their opportunity. As good as the past may have been, God has greater plans for our future. We must not hold back. What matters right now is that we have an opportunity. We must not look at God and say that what He is asking is too much. Christ went to the cross for our sin. We owe all to Him. Thinking in the weakness of our present circumstances will cause us to fall short of God’s promise. “God I now you can do all but…” This kind of thinking will sabotage what God is trying to do. Don’t let the weakness of our flesh get in the way of what God has in store.