Introduction

Welcome church! Today we’ve got an incredible passage of scripture jam packed with five different parables from Jesus. Parables are short and/or simple stories that highlight religious or moral truths. In the case of Jesus, parables were often used to simplify and make accessible the divine truths of God to listeners both near and far.

Many of our most treasured sections of scripture are in fact parables; The prodigal son, the rich young ruler, the parable of talents… These simple stories challenge us to think deeper and invite us to imagine ourselves in the story as well. It’s no wonder this was one of the preferred methods of teachings for Jesus.

As Malcolm Muggeridge said, “Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.” Simple parables can convey deeply divine and powerful truths, and we have the privilege of hearing five of them today.

“Heavenly Father, please open our minds and hearts to receive your truth today. Thank you for giving us Jesus, and thank you for the powerful truth conveyed in all the bible, but especially those powerful parables of Christ.”

Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.

Main Teaching

Today we’ve got five amazing parables, each worthy of their own investigation, interpretation, and application into our lives.

Our challenge today is this; what can we learn from all of them at once? What parallels and realities can we discern from them all? Let’s begin with a read through of our entire passage for the day;

Read Matthew 13:31-33; 44-52

The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32)

Jesus begins by describing the Kingdom of God as a tiny mustard seed, emphasizing its seemingly insignificant size. A mustard seed is about the size of a small pinhead, and it would’ve been widely recognized as a tiny thing to be compared to.

However, despite its small appearance, the mustard seed grows into a very large tree, illustrating the remarkable expansion and potential impact of the Kingdom. The gospel, and those who hear the gospel, may seem like insignificant happenings in light of all the other possibilities that life has to offer. But the kingdom of God, and the Church, are expanding and growing every day.

We learn that the Kingdom's growth is a miraculous process initiated by God Himself, transforming the seemingly insignificant into the remarkable. A tiny seed, a simple word of encouragement, a prayer for a friend, a single sermon, a meager donation to your favorite non-profit… All these small occurrences may be anything but small in the hands of almighty God.

The Parable of the Leaven (Matthew 13:33)

Similar to the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus uses the metaphor of leaven, a small amount of yeast, to represent the transformative power of the Kingdom in our lives ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium