“Do you have a mustard seed or yeast? – Luke 13:10-21”
Gladstone Baptist Church – 25/2/07 am
S1 - Sometimes we feel that when we minister to others it won’t make much of a difference for his kingdom. – OOPS
I’ve got a quick quiz for you this morning … And I’ve got some prizes for the correct answers.
- What is the world’s biggest mountain? (Mt. Everest)
- What type of tree is the tallest? (Redwood)
- Who is the world’s richest man? (Bill Gates)
- What is the longest chapter of the Bible? (Psalm 119)
Well you have done very well at the quiz so far but it is not quite over.
- What is the world’s smallest mountain range? (Sutter Buttes in California)
- What type a tree is the shortest? (Dwarf Willow 5cm when full grown)
- Who is the world’s poorest man? (Jed Matthews owes 22.4 million and has no assets due to bad investments in an Internet company)
- What is the shortest chapter of the Bible? (Psalm 117 with only 2 verses)
Isn’t it amazing that with our combined wisdom, we knew the answers to the largest questions, but not the smallest. That is a bit of a commentary on life isn’t it. It is the big, flashy, fancy things that catch our eye, not the small, insignificant or normal things. We remember the big achievements, but give very little consideration to the small things that are done. Big is best is what the world’s motto is.
Do you ever feel as if what you do for God is not significant and could never make a difference for him? Last week we inducted all our ministry leaders. And I know that there were some people who were reticent to stand up because they felt that what they did really didn’t count. Not compared to what others were doing and the impact they were having. Their contribution to God’s work is something. But yours is - well nothing out of the ordinary. It is not noteworthy and definitely wouldn’t amount to much. Is this you this morning? Just plain Jane doing what comes naturally.
S2 - Sometimes that is reinforced by other’s opinions of us (Hudson Taylor’s experience vs Jesus experience) vs 10-14 - UGH
Sometimes this can be reinforced to us by others.
William Carey is seen as the father of modern missions. He was born in 1761 in the remote village of Paulerspury, Nothamptonshire, England. His parents were plain people and so was young William. At the age of seven William developed a skin disease that was aggravated by exposure to sunlight and so to keep him out of the sunlight, he became an apprentice shoemaker when he was 14 years of age. He gave his life to God and felt called to become a Baptist pastor. However, He was never considered a good speaker. He was slight of build, prematurely bald, and crude in his speech. His first year at Olney was so unimpressive that the church refused to ordain him. One hearer commented about his sermon as, "weak and crude as anything ever called a sermon."
Carey often said of himself that his one great strength was that he was a "plodder". He may not have had the greatest skills but he had extraordinary tenacity. So, the young preacher persevered and was finally ordained.
Carey developed a love for the stories of the explorers and the world at large. With his skills as a shoe maker, he made a little leather globe and began to teach children about geography and the world. Through this came a passion to reach people across the world for Christ. This grew and soon Carey felt a call to go overseas himself and he sought to mobilise others also. However, his efforts were not appreciated. When he addressed the Minister’s Fraternal of the Northampton Baptist Association in 1787 concerning missions John Ryland Sr. rebuked him saying, "Sit down young man. You are an enthusiast! When God pleases to convert the heathen, He will do it without consulting you or me."
Talk about a put down. Have you ever been put down like that. Told that what you are doing is not important. That it is not important or values. That God doesn’t appreciate what you are doing. Or that it shouldn’t be done that way. That you haven’t got what it takes. That you are too young. That you haven’t got enough experience. The ways we could express this type of rebuke are endless, but the meaning is the same – What you are doing for God is not acceptable.
It might surprise you that Jesus heard rebukes like this also. If you have your bibles there, open them up to Luke 13:10-21 …
. 10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”
20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Pray
How do you feel when you do something for God, only to have another person dump on it and tell you that it was not important, appreciated or done right? It makes you want to give up doesn’t it. It makes you wonder whether you actually have got anything at all to offer God.
S3 - But Jesus was of another opinion – ministering to others is vital work that honours God and so should be done especially on Sundays. Healing, helping, hearing. Vs 15-16 - AHA
But Jesus, being God, knew better than his detractors. Luke records that he put them in their place and then went onto explain how God sees our ministry.
In Vs 15 Jesus compares the hypocritical attitudes of the Synagogue leaders.
15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?
No one would dream of leaving an animal tied up on a Sabbath. The rabbinical law actually stated that though you couldn’t carry anything on the Sabbath, you could lead your animals by a rope or chain provided they weren’t carrying anything. You were allowed to draw water for your animals and pour it into a trough, but you weren’t allowed to hold the bucket while the animal had a drink. That was perfectly acceptable.
Jesus contrasts the attitude these leaders had to their animals and the attitudes they had to this woman. Here was a woman who was in bondage. Luke says that Jesus healed her and set her free from an evil spirit that kept her bound. When Jesus cast out the spirit, he brought healing to her physical disability also. 18 years she had been bound, yet when she was released, all the synagogue rulers could think of was – That is not how Ministry that pleases God is done.
Jesus clearly sets forth a precedent for us – we are to seek to bring healing and release for those who are in bondage to Satan. That is Kingdom work. That is work that pleases and honours God. And what better day to do it on than on God’s holy day. The healing we are called to bring may be physical healing – healing of illnesses. It may be meeting people’s physical needs – helping them in their garden or providing them with temporary accommodation or meeting some transport needs. It may be emotional healing - healing their hurts, spending time listening to them, giving a shoulder to cry on. It may be relational healing – seeking to bring peace in a troubled relationship, trying to act as a mediator or intecessor. It may be spiritual healing – telling them about the one who can forgive their sins and opposing Satan’s work and influence.
This is all kingdom work. This is all valued work in God’s eyes and it is wrong for us to judge what is worthwhile or not. This woman who Jesus healed was a no body. We are not given her name and she is not mentioned again in the bible. In fact, we are not even told where she lived – we are just told Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues. For all we know, this woman never became famous or did anything great or memorable, but Jesus still chose to invest time in her. He reached out and healed her. She had lived 18 years crippled and presumably she could have managed another 18 or 30 or 50 with this condition. Her condition was not a life or death one, but Jesus in his grace and sympathy, took pity on her and her healing was miraculous.
Was her healing important? To her it was. Notice her reaction - her response was to praise God – to give him glory and honour. Would this have pleased God – definitely. Everything we do in Ministry should have this as our aim – To bring glory to God.
Could it have been considered an important act in any other respect? Well maybe those who witnessed it were challenged. Maybe their attention was caught and they focused on God. We are told that the people were delighted in all the wonderful things Jesus was doing. Whether this led to praise of God or led some to give their lives to Jesus, we will never know. But what I knw is this - ministry that pleases God is ministry that points people to God.
Regardless of what others thought, Jesus considered that the healing of this woman was a valid and important ministry because it contributed to the growth of the kingdom of God somehow. It may have been small and insignificant in the world’s eyes, but it was great in God’s eyes.
S4 - The kingdom of God grows to provide for the needs of the world. The Mustard Seed – WHEE
Jesus then gives two pictures to help people see what was important kingdom work. The first picture he presents is that of a mustard seed which is planted and grows into a tree. The mustard seed illustration is used a couple of times by Jesus. Mustard seeds was considered as the smallest item possibly measured. Its diameter was viewed as the smallest measurable length and its weight was the smallest amount that could be weighed using a balance. It was considered minute and used to describe something minute “such as the least drop of blood … or the smallest remnant of sun-glow in the sky” It could be lost in your hand, but when planted it grows and grows and grows into a tree.
It is likely that the variety of Mustard Jesus was familiar with was black mustard plant which can grow upto heights of 3.6m or 12ft. This was a rapid growing plant which could grow big enough for birds to roost in and find shelter and shade.
The implication is that though God’s kingdom starts small, it grows into something large and can do so at a rapid rate. Success in God’s hand does not depend on the initial starting size but on whether it is done for God. Small things done for God, can have a massive impact for his kingdom and can help to grow his kingdom in phenomenal ways. They may be small and insignificant in the world’s eyes, but they are great in God’s eyes because he sees their full potential.
Never think that what you are offering God in faith is insignificant or useless. Because it may be like the Mustard Seed that grows and grows and grows. We need to offer up to God what we have in faith, believing that he will use it for his glory and the extension of his kingdom.
S5 - The kingdom of God spreads to impact everything. The Yeast – WHEE
The second picture that Jesus gives to his audience in the picture of yeast. Yeast in our cooking is good – it makes bread rise. But in the bible, more often than not, the action of Yeast was seen as a negative action. Yeast is a fungus that causes things to ferment. Yeast infiltrates the whole loaf or the whole of the batch of wine. It doesn’t just remain in an isolated part of the bread, but it spreads and affects the whole batch.
Here Jesus, is not referring to yeast in a negative connotation, but is drawing people’s attention to the fact that once the yeast is released into the flour or dough – no matter how small an amount of yeast, it gradually and quietly works its way through the whole batch. It impacts the whole batch and this is what the Kingdom of God is like. When introduced into a person or a family or community or world, it will spread and its impact will touch every part of that person, family or community. Yeast’s influence is contagious and so should our acts of service. Those that see them should praise God and be drawn to serve Him as we do.
Your actions, though they be small and insignificant or not valued by others, if they are done for God and his kingdom, can have an impact that is wide spread. God seeks people who will offer their acts of service to Him in faith believing He can use them to Impact those around the world.
S6 - From your seed or small bit of yeast, something great can grow that glorifies God – YEAH
Some of you sitting here today need to hear that God values what you do for his kingdom. You may look down on what you can offer and others might look down on what you might offer, but God never does. He took a shepherd boy with 5 stones and defeated a giant and a whole army. He took a little boy with 5 loaves & 2 fish and fed a multitude. He took Peter, a headstrong, yet cowardly fisherman who had disowned his own Son three times and he made him into the leader of the early church.
God doesn’t care about the size of the offering you make, but he does care that you are seeking to make a difference in other’s lives. Look for opportunities to heal people in Jesus’ name – to heal them physically, emotionally, relationally and spiritually. Have faith that God will use your efforts to glorify Him.
William Carey could have let his detractors crush his spirits and dreams of going to preach the gospel to those in other nations, but he refused to allow this to happen. In fact, his zeal became greater and in 1972 he wrote a paper entitled “An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to use means for the Conversion of the Heathens.” An incredibly boring title. But it became the Magna Carta for the modern Christian Mission Movement. Carey must have improved in his preaching, because in that same year, he preached a sermon that is still impacting people around the globe today. His catch cry of this sermon was “Expect Great Things from God, Attempt Great things for God.”
He gained the support of the once resistant Baptist Association to establish a Baptist missionary society and before long, this same society selected Carey to go to India to spear head its missionary. He went as a pioneer. That was in 1993 and it took 7 years for Carey to see any converts at all. By 1999, others had gone to join Carey and his family and by 1821, over 1400 had been baptized. Imagine that – 1400 converts in just 28 years. Our church had its 40th birthday last year – I wonder how many people have been brought to Christ through our combined ministry.
William Carey was not a formally educated yet, In spite of his poor education, Carey proved to be a brilliant linguist. After 71/2 years of work his first edition of the Bengali New Testament was ready in 1801. The Old Testament was finished in segments by 1809. By 1837, he and his helpers had translated portions of the Scripture into more than 40 languages. The mission’s first school for natives was opened in 1798 and in the next 20 years 102 more schools were opened with nearly 7,000 students. Carey’s crowning jewel was the Serampore College which is still in operation to this present day.
William Carey was a simple cobbler with no education and not a great ability in preaching. He had nothing grand or mighty to offer God. He was just as insignificant as a mustard seed. Yet when given to God and cast upon the fertile soil, his ministry caused the kingdom of God to grow into a huge tree. Through his ministry, India was touched with the gospel and there was an awakening across the world to the need for missions. His impact was like yeast.
I don’t know whether we have any William Carey’s in the auditorium this morning. I know that we have the same God at work in us as was at work in William Carey. Cary has not much to offer, but was willing to think big and step out in faith. William Carey had expected great things and attempted great things. God had blessed his commitment. Are you willing to release your mustard seed and bit of yeast to God for his glory? Whatever you do whether big or small, do it in his name and for his glory and allow God to bring something great from it.
