Talk

Revealing the Secrets of the Kingdom

Ben Stuart

January 14, 2024

In this talk from Passion 2024, Ben Stuart reminds us that sincerity precedes the supernatural. We must stop and ask ourselves if we have a deep desire and hunger to know the King or if we are just seeking the benefits of the Kingdom. Do we actually know the Jesus that we claim to love?

Key Takeaway

The Word of God has the power to transform our lives if we let it, but we must first seek God and have a hunger to know Him intimately.

The vast majority of Americans claim to know Jesus, but if you ask them questions about Him, they don't know much about who He was or what He said. So, who is it they love? Their own personal Jesus.

Made-up Jesus can't change you—He is someone you have created. If we want to be transformed by Him, we need the real Jesus, and we get that from His Word. There is world-shaping power in the Word of God, and we need to understand it.

If we can understand the Word, it can change us and make us an agent of change on your campus, with your coworkers, in your city, and in this world.

What are the sifting criteria for those who are transformed by the Word of God and those who just claim to know God? The sincerity of the search. Do you have a heart that has a humble hunger for Him?

Jesus introduced confusing parables to the crowd as a way to sift out people unwilling to seek Him. It exposed the people who had hard hearts.

Jesus then identifies four different types of soils, and Ben Stuart gives examples of what those soils could look like in the present day.

Immediate rejection—the person who has been on their phone during the entire talk, whether the intention is apathetic, antagonistic, or personal.

Eventual rejection—the person who experiences a sort of spiritual high but goes back to life as normal and doesn't share about Jesus. They don't want to be inconvenienced by God.

Eventual rejection because of prosperity—the person who forgot about Jesus because the things around them are more interesting. They seek success, riches, etc., over God.

Good soil—the person who is changed by the Word of God. The Word of God sank deep in the soil of this person.

Which soil is a Christian? The fourth one. You don't plant seeds not to have a harvest. Conversion is explained by the Holy Spirit of God landing in people's souls and transforming them from the inside out.

Transformation is a process, and sometimes it's slow, but there is an eagerness to hear the Word and a receptiveness to want the Word deep in you. You may not understand everything, but He invites you to ask questions.

The humble arrival of Jesus didn't look like a military coup—it looked like a mustard seed.

“

"It is a receptive heart that precedes a transformed life. You must engage if you're going to be changed."

”

Ben Stuart

Discussion Questions

If you examine your life, are there areas wherein you have created your own personal Jesus?
What difficulties do you come across when you read the Word of God?
Do you honestly have a heart that is willing to be transformed by the Word of God? If yes, how so? If not, what opposition are you facing that keeps you from wanting to seek Him?
Do you like the idea of God more than God Himself? How so?
What type of soil do you believe that you are?
How has the Word of God transformed your life?
What fruit of the Spirit do you think is most evident about you, and which fruit do you struggle with exhibiting the most?
What fruit of the Spirit do you see in the friends around you?
How did the comparison of getting to know Christ and the process of dating someone help you understand your relationship with Him?
How can you make more space to spend time with Jesus by studying the Word of God?

Scripture References

1As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

“Do you see all these great buildings?”

replied Jesus.

“Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately,

4“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

5Jesus said to them:

“Watch out that no one deceives you.

Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.

When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.

And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.

Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.

Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

“When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’

standing where it

does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out.

Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak.

How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!

Pray that this will not take place in winter,

because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.

“If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.

At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.

For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

Very truly I tell you, 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.

Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their 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.

Ben Stuart

Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church D.C. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries on the campus of Texas A&M. He also earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime.