MUSTARD SEED AND LEAVEN
Matthew 13: 31-33
CONCLUSION:
A. Jesus shared in the parable of the wheat and tares how that
lost people often become a part of the church
1. Satan then uses these "tares" to:
a. Destroy the witness of the church
b. Disrupt the fellowship of the church
c. Hinder the progress of the church
2. Often, these lost people actually believe that they are
saved
a. Satan wants a lost person to believe that he is saved
b. Satan wants a saved person to believe that he is lost
3. The great lesson of the parable of the wheat and tares is to
be sure that you are saved
B. In v. 31-33, Jesus shares two more parables with the same
design of showing us how both lost and saved fit within the
kingdom
I. THE PARABLE OF THE GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED
A. This parable teaches that the kingdom will have tremendous
growth
1. Notice the growth of the church
a. Jesus called out twelve apostles and sent out 70 two by
two
b. On the day of Pentecost there were 120 in an upper
room
c. Acts records tremendous growth
d. Christianity has now reached the ends of the earth
2. The secrets of the spread and growth of Christianity
a. The early Christians were aggressive in their sharing of
the gospel-- they had boldness
b. The early Christians’ witness was energized by the
power of the Holy Spirit
c. The early Christians’ lives backed up their message
d. The early Christians were committed to Christ to the
point of death
3. We can still see growth in the church today if we will
apply these principles to our lives
B. As the church grew, the birds of the air came and lodged in
the branches
1. In the parable of the sower, the fowls came and devoured
the seed
a. Jesus said this represented how Satan keeps one from
receiving the Word
b. Keep in mind, that Satan tried in the beginning to
destroy the church
c. He used both religious and state persecution to
accomplish this goal
d. The more he persecuted the church, the more it grew
2. Because of his failure to kill the church, he came up with a
new tactic
3. His tactic was to join the church
a. Under Constantine, there was a merger of church and
state
b. Many idolatrous and pagan religions slowly merged
with Christianity
c. This is Balaamism which Jesus rebuked in the church at
Pergamus in Revelation 2:14
4. Satan’s goal today is to join the church to the point the
church:
a. Sacrifices its doctrine for popularity
b. Sacrifices its standards for acceptance
5. One way Satan has done this is by using teachers and
preachers to undermine the faith of some
II. THE PARABLE OF THE LEAVEN V. 33
A. The significance of leaven
1. The definition of leaven is, "a species of corruption
produced by fermentation and tends to putrefaction"
2. Leaven was recognized as such a corrupting influence that
it was required by God to be put away from everything
which typified Christ in the offerings of the Old Testament
a. Israel was not allowed to use leaven during the
Passover-- Exodus 12:15
b. Leaven was not to come into contact with any offering
of blood-- Exodus 34: 25
c. Leaven was also to be excluded from the meat offering--
Leviticus 2:11
3. Jesus also used leaven to describe the evil teaching of His
enemies-- Matthew 16: 6, 12
4. Paul also uses the term leaven to describe:
a. Corrupt doctrine-- Galatians 5: 8-9
b. Vain boasting in the flesh-- I Corinthians 5:6
c. Works of the flesh-- I Corinthians 5:80
5. Leaven is always picture in the Bible as sin
B. A woman took the leaven and leavened the whole
1. The woman hid the leaven
a. Sin always has to work behind the scenes in darkness
b. The tares were sown while men slept v. 25
2. Our problem down through the years is that we have
covered up and hidden areas of sin that we should have
openly exposed and rebuked
3. Often, our desire for peace has caused us to compromise
with sin and doctrinal error
4. Notice two quotes from C. H. Spurgeon:
a. Fellowship with known and vital error is participation
with sin
b. It is never right to do a little wrong to obtain the
greatest possible good
5. A little sin allowed can spread, infect and kill the church
6. The picture of what Jesus finds in the church when He
returns is not pretty
CONCLUSION:
A. How can we prevent such from happening to the church?
1. Stress a salvation experience with Christ before joining
the church
2. To prevent sin leavening the church, the church needs to
come back to the principle of accountability
a. God didn’t save us to do our own thing
b. Discipling means we have someone who will:
(1) Pray for us
(2) Help us, encourage us and confront us about
temptation and sin
c. Accountability means we practice church disciple
B. The church can remain pure and powerful but it must
remain true to Christ
