Kingdom Parables Mustard Seed And Leaven

Title: “The Irresistible Power of the KOG” Script: Mt. 13:31-35

Type: Series KOG Parables Where: GNBC 2-11-24

Intro: Suppose someone asked you that question: What is the kingdom of God? How would you respond? The easy answer would be to note that a kingdom is that territory over which a king reigns. Since we understand that God is the Creator of all things, the extent of His realm must be the whole world. Manifestly, then, the kingdom of God is wherever God reigns, and since He reigns everywhere, the kingdom of God is everywhere. John Calvin said it is the task of the church to make the invisible kingdom visible. We do that by living in such a way that we bear witness to the reality of the kingship of Christ in our jobs, our families, our schools, and even our checkbooks, because God in Christ is King over every one of these spheres of life. The only way the kingdom of God is going to be manifest in this world before Christ comes is if we manifest it by the way we live as citizens of heaven and subjects of the King.

Prop: In Mt. 13:31-35 we’ll examine two more parables Christ told about the KOG.

BG: 1. Mt. 13 contains 8 parables. All relate to the KOG.

2. What is the KOG/KOH?

Prop: Let’s continue in Mt. 13 as we examine 2 more parable Xst told about the KOG.

I. The KOG is Nearly Imperceptible in its Start.

A. Jesus’ Next Two Parables Underscore this important point.

1. These are the parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven.

a. What do I mean when I use the term “imperceptible”? Well, if one was to look in the dictionary the definition would be: “impossible to perceive or barely noticeable.” Example: “His head moved with an almost imperceptible nod.” As Jesus continues to teach in parables this is a point He is making about the KOG

b. Notice Christ keeps a continuity between the 1st and 2nd parables and now the 3rd. There are 3 catchwords Christ uses: sowing, seed, and field. These words provide a continuity where in the KOG is portrayed as a present reality. However, its presence is in secret form and that presence can be easily overlooked.

2. Let’s go back to the illustrations of the 2 parables to see how imperceptible both were.

a. In these two parables we see Jesus use a mustard seed and leaven to describe an aspect of the KOG. The mustard seed was the smallest of the agricultural seeds used at that time and in that region. Leaven also, is incredibly small and was common to everyone in that time and still today.

b. Illust – I want to be up front. I have read several well-known preachers and scholars who have a completely different interpretation on these passages than I do. Usually, these scholars come from either an extreme Dispensational view or strangely, from a Postmillennial view in which they say that the birds nesting in the branches are Satan’s messengers. They also say that yeast is always bad in the Bible and that the yeast in this passage represents the pervasive nature of evil - i.e. the way it spreads. and in my opinion do complete injustice to the principles of hermeneutics one uses in interpreting parables. They look at these passages an see in them the corrupting influence in the Church in the Church Age. In Biblical interpretation the plain teaching of the passage always takes precedence over a convoluted and forced interpretation based on my theological position.

B. The Beginnings of KOG was Imperceptible.

1. How was the Beginning of the KOG in the Church Imperceptible?

a. With the coming of Christ, the kingdom begins not in the coronation of a mighty king but in the birth of a crying baby. Yet as Jesus’ ministry begins in Mark, he announces, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The KOG had come, but it was barely noticeable.

b. Illust – The start of the KOG may be imperceptible, but by God’s grace and by God’s power it grows. Here Jesus described the kingdom not just as a seed, but as the smallest seed. Jesus is not describing a kingdom that arrives in a blaze of glory—he is describing a kingdom that begins very small. This is not what the Jews expected, but this is the kingdom that Jesus said was near. The kingdom is a story about gradual growth. Kingdom growth. God’s growth! It grows as we advance the Gospel and as we tell men and women, boys and girls, about salvation in Christ. Forgiveness of sin and new life!

2. How is Your and My Introduction into the Faith somewhat Imperceptible?