Cultivating Kingdom Soil; Luke 9:46-48

Delivered during the Sunday morning worship service, 3/19/2023. As the apostles make their way back to Capernaum from the Mount of Transfiguration, an argument erupts between them as to who will be the greatest in the coming Kingdom of God. Upon discerning their thoughts, Jesus brings a child into their midst as a poignant illustration of the essential Kingdom character trait of humility. But the true example of Kingdom humility is Jesus Himself, who now stands in stark contrast to the potentially crippling pride that plagues the disciples. We will analyze the crucial lesson, both for the apostles and the church they will establish, that even a Christian virtue, when "planted" in the soil of self-centered pride, will produce "poisoned fruit". While the same virtue, planted in the good soil of a humble heart, will produce rich and nourishing fruit for the Kingdom. We will learn that "the soil determines the fruit", and that a crucial part of our sanctification is moving from pride to humility, and thereby cultivating both in ourselves and in our churches-- the Christ-like soil of the Kingdom.