THE LITTLE THINGS
Matthew 13:31-33
Introduction:
1. I remember a conversation I once had with a friend of mine that I traveled with—Bill Daab.
2. We were discussing the Christ life and exactly what it means!
3. I remember saying, "Well, I quit doing all the big things that were bad and I am trying to do all the big things that Christians do…I go to church, read my Bible, Pray, etc….it is just some of the small stuff that I need to work on!"
4. I remember his response as clearly as if it were yesterday, "Andrew, Christianity is pretty much the small stuff!’
5. Song of Solomon 2:15 says, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes."
6. It is the little things in the Christian life that make or break us—not the big things!
7. Very few of us have what we would call "big problems!"
8. But we all have little things we need to work on.
9. Jesus addresses some small things in our passage today.
10. He begins with something small that we need to advance in our Christian life.
11. He then speaks of something small that we need to conquer in order to stay pure!
12. We must pay attention to the small things of life!
I. The Mustard Seed—Our Faith (Matthew 13:31-32; 17:20)
· The Mustard Seed was the smallest seed that the people of Jesus day would sow in their garden.
· He was not saying that all that was needed was small faith!
· He was speaking of how faith is like a seed!
A. First a seed must have depth.
1. Do you remember the parable of the sower and the seed?
2. Do you remember how that some seed fell on dirt that was on a rocky shelf?
3. It had no depth of earth.
4. Jesus compared a seed that was not planted in deep ground to a false conversion.
5. For a seed to produce, it must be sown in the right kind of soil.
6. So, borrowing from the parable of the sower, the seed, and the soils—our Faith begins with Salvation!
7. The seed of God’s word is sown in our heart.
8. "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).
B. Then a seed must die.
1. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal" (John 12:24-25).
2. "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die" (I Corinthians 15:36).
3. A seed that is not planted (saving faith), and does not die will never grow!
4. This is speaking of death to self and life in Christ—"I am crucified with Christi…." (Galatians 2:20)
5. We must not have faith in faith!
6. We must not have faith in ourselves—we must die to what we can do in the Christian life.
7. We must awake to new life in Christ!
8. A seed dies, but through that death is turned into something vastly different and with much more potential.
C. A seed must develop.
1. "For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear" (Mark 4:28).
2. How much good would it do for a farmer to sow some corn, see it starting to sprout out of the ground, which proves that the seed itself died, and then sees the plants stop growing?
3. Jesus, here, is not talking only about how small the mustard seed is—but the potential of how big it will grow as it develops!
4. I believe we can apply this to our lives.
5. The Kingdom of Heaven is within us—it is seen by faith!
6. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
7. This Faith is to be like a seed, which:
a. Has Depth
b. Dies
c. Develops
D. The mustard tree eventually supported other things (Matthew 13:32).
1. Faith that has grown properly will result in blessing and helping many other people!
2. Mark 2:1-5—the story of the paralytic—being carried by four men.
3. The text says, Jesus "saw their faith."
4. They had a faith that helped someone else out.
5. What about your faith?
6. Is it enough to cause you to live right and die to self?
7. Is it enough to develop you into what you should be in Christ?
8. Is it enough to cause you to bring your friends and family members to Christ?
II. The Leaven—Our Faults (v. 33)
· Throughout the Bible, from the first mention to the last mention, leaven is likened to sin and corruption.
· The Israelites in the Old Testament were not allowed to leaven their bread to symbolize their break with the sinful world around them!
· Here Jesus is talking about the effect of corruption and unconfessed sins in His Kingdom—the hearts of believers!
· Jesus used leaven to picture hypocrisy (Luke 12:1), false teaching (Matthew 16:6-12), and worldly compromise (Matthew 22:16-21).
· Paul used it to represent carnality in the church (I Corinthians 5:5-8).
A. Notice it was "hid."
1. "Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults" (Psalm 19:12).
2. Illustration from Geology—fault is a crack under the surface that causes earthquakes.
3. This is the hidden sin in our lives.
4. Sometimes, we are not even aware of it!
5. "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked—who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).
6. We need to ask Christ to reveal these secret sins in our lives to us and purge us.
7. We need to get rid of these little foxes that spoil our vineyard!
B. Notice it takes only a small amount!
1. "Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (I Corinthians 5:6-8).
2. Just missing a day or two in prayer.
3. Just taking one drink.
4. Just watching one filthy movie.
5. Just talking with that girl at work one time in a froward way!
6. Just sitting at the lunch table with that guy at work one time!
7. It all leads to more.
8. You do not put unleavened dough beside leavened dough to pull the yeast out of it.
9. You put regular flour with leavened flour and it all becomes leavened!
C. Notice that water defeats the leavening power of yeast!
1. Illustration: Bread Machine—Hockey Pucks, doorstops, etc…On each recipe—do not let this yeast come into direct contact with water!
2. In the word of God, there are two things that are likened to water:
a. The Spirit
b. The Scriptures
3. To get this leavening sin out of your life—get into God’s word and into His Spirit!
4. Listen to these verses:
· "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee…Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word" (Psalm 119:11,9)
· "When…the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come" (John 16:13).
· "Blessed is the man that walketh not…" (Psalm 1:1-3).
· "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41).
Conclusion:
1. Maybe some here say, "I have never even been saved—I need to make sure of that today!"
2. Maybe some have quit growing in their faith and need to rededicate to Christ this morning!
3. Maybe some are just playing around with sin, and need to get it right today.
4. Maybe some are struggling with a fault that is overwhelming and you just do not know how to cope—bring it to Jesus today at the old-fashioned altar of prayer!
