We're going to have our Bible reading this morning.
It is from Matthew 13, starting at chapter 31.
So Matthew 13, starting at chapter 31.
He put another parable before them, saying,
The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed
that a man took and sowed in his field.
It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown,
it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree,
so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.
He told them another parable.
The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took
and hid in three measures of flour till it was all leavened.
All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables.
Indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable.
This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet.
I will open my mouth in parables.
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.
Good morning.
My name is Simon.
I'm just one of the regular attenders here,
but I will be bringing us our message today.
Isn't that fun?
Special welcome to you if you're visiting from Sydney or Tamworth
or somewhere else in between.
But please open your Bibles with me to Matthew chapter 13.
We just pray before we kick in.
Gracious Father, thank you for your words so clearly spelt out to us.
As I go through this message, please give me your words to speak
and your word to permeate the hearts of all who hear,
whether here or at home or listening later.
In Jesus' name, amen.
So as we've just heard through Marty,
we're in the midst of a series of talks working through the parables of Jesus
as we can for us in the book of Matthew.
Adam beautifully put it last week.
Each of these parables shows us a different aspect of the kingdom of God.
Like a beautiful gem, we see the beauty of the kingdom,
but as we turn the gem, we discover new and different aspects.
When we can put all of these different views together,
we can get a deeper understanding of the whole.
And to use a worldly parable, three blind men come across an elephant.
The first man finds a leg and includes, it's a tree.
The second man bumps into the trunk and says, it's a snake.
The third man feels the tail and goes, it's a broom.
So when we look at a single aspect of something,
we learn about that one aspect,
but it's when we put all the parts together to make the whole
that we discover something much greater than we could have conceived.
Now, while this worldly parable can often be used to show
how no one religion has all the answers,
I think it is better served to help us understand
the way these parables that we're working through
tell us about the kingdom of God.
So why does Jesus talk in parables?
So Jesus explains to his disciples that he teaches in parables
to reveal the kingdom of heaven to those who are ordained to hear.
Jesus uses the knowledge of his audience to teach about the kingdom of heaven.
He uses everyday scenarios and images.
Now, these images are not overtly religious
and as such do not pose a threat to the world.
As Eugene Peterson states,
the listeners walked away perplexed,
wondering what the parables meant,
the stories lodged in their imaginations.
See, the use of simple language makes the teaching accessible to everyone,
but will also be easily discounted as worthless
by those who are looking for the majesty and power of a kingdom.
The use of everyday images also allows daily tasks
to remind us of the kingdom of heaven
and keep his teachings at the forefront of our minds.
Every time we see a field of grain,
we can be reminded of the parable of the sower
and the parable of the weeds.
Every time we see or smell a fresh batch of bread,
we can be reminded of the parable of the leaven.
When we see birds perching a tree,
we can be reminded of the parable of the mustard seed.
But why these parables?
Why are we talking about the mustard seed in the tree?
And why are we talking about the leaven today?
So as we heard last week,
all the parables are distinctly different,
but they're all linked.
The parable of the sower,
the weeds,
the mustard seed and the leaven,
they all contain an inherent aspect of growth.
These parables answer a question of growth.
A couple of weeks ago,
Matt asked us the question,
do we feel like the gospel is failing in Australia?
It's an interesting question.
And the way we answer the question
would depend entirely on our perspective.
Our definition of success will shape how we can answer.
If we take the world's perspective,
we might look to the physical growth of the church,
bums on seats,
numbers through the door,
as a measure of the success of the gospel.
Now,
in an article published by the ABC on Monday,
just go on,
Professor Andrew Singleton of Deakin University states that in Australia,
Pentecostals demonstrate a high level of religious commitment and practice,
telling the Radio National Programme,
they are the number one in terms of attendance and bums on seats.
If you're Pentecostal,
you're pretty much guaranteed to go to church each week.
And while the congregations of other Christian denominations are in free fall,
Pentecostal membership has increased in line with population growth since the 1980s.
So,
by the worldly measure,
the only truly growing form of Christianity in Australia is Pentecostalism.
And growth there is 35% from immigration.
Is that how we measure growth of the church?
Last week,
Adam encouraged us to live our lives in light of the harvest,
not in light of the crop in the field.
As the weeds and the wheat grow,
they're almost indistinguishable.
It's only when the fruit,
the seed of each plant develops,
that we can see what is wheat and what is weed.
So,
how do we feel
when we are called by God to place all our hope,
all our identity,
all our eternal self
in the smallest of the seeds?
It is easy to feel that Christianity is losing social status
and influence in Western cultures.
Our own personal walk with God in knowledge and love
can feel like one step forward,
two steps back.
It's just so hard to be consistent.
But as we engage in kingdom work
through little conversations with other believers,
with private, unknown, unapplauded prayers
and giving to missionaries,
the little moments of teaching and correcting our children
to see life from a Christian perspective,
these can all seem insignificant
compared to the comfort and prosperity
and sense him important that the world puts value on.
But by revealing aspects of the kingdom through the parables,
Jesus gives us a true perspective of things.
Jesus is using the knowledge that we have to reveal the kingdom to us.
So let's open up to verse 34.
All these things Jesus said to the crowd in parables.
Indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable.
Now, I think I need to clarify at this point
that it's clear as we read through the various gospels
that Jesus does not talk exclusively in riddles
when talking to the crowd.
There is not an aspect of Yoda
where every item is aristocrat.
Hmm, found someone, yes.
No, Jesus' words are not a listing of proverbs.
This statement is telling us that parables
are an integral part of Jesus' teaching
and he did not teach the crowds anything
without using parables as part of his teaching.
Moving on to 35.
This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet.
I will open my mouth in parables.
I will utter what has been hidden
since the foundation of the world.
So how is Jesus' teaching in parables
fulfilling the words of the prophet?
And which prophet's words are he fulfilling?
So these lines here in verse 35 are quoted from Psalm 78,
which is a psalm written by Asaph.
Throughout Psalm 78, Asaph recounts the history of Israel
from the promise to Jacob,
which affirmed the promise to Abraham,
through all of Israel's sojournings in the wilderness,
all of Israel's complaints in the wilderness,
the punishment made it against Egypt,
and all the aspects of the rebellion of God's people.
Yet Asaph shows us that through all this,
God is steadfast.
Asaph recounts the history of Israel
not from the perspective of the glory of the kingdom,
rather from the perspective of the righteous act of God
in redemption.
So this is what Matthew, in compiling his gospel,
believes that Jesus is doing,
taking the known facts and reshaping them
to give us information
that was previously unknown or unconsidered.
Now the most obvious example for this
is during the Sermon on the Mount
we looked at around this time last year.
In Matthew chapter 5,
Jesus teaches the true meaning behind the Jewish law.
In verses 21, 27, 31, 33 of chapter 5,
he uses the phrase,
you have heard it said,
or something along these lines.
When there Jesus enters into a teaching on the law
as it is stated,
and then the motives of the heart
that are behind each of these laws.
These teachings guide us to understanding
that the kingdom of heaven is not ruled by law,
not accessed through physical obedience,
but rather by a changing of attitude within our hearts
based on the original plan that God has for us.
The parables teach us aspects of heaven
that have always been there,
but not understood in their nature
prior to Jesus shaping them in this way.
Don Carson, in his commentary on this passage,
describes it well with,
Jesus is the royal king and son of David
foreseen in scripture,
but also the stricken shepherd,
equally foreseen in scripture.
Who clearly foresaw that both of these streams
would merge into one person?
Are we open to having our preconceptions challenged
and changed by Jesus?
Are we open to learning new things about God
and his kingdom as our hearts are shaped by the gospel?
Are we willing to give up our expectations
and let Jesus guide us on the path of life?
With a slight understanding of what Jesus is doing
with these parables,
let's look now at how Jesus challenges the understanding
and expectations of his audience then and now
with these words.
Jesus teaches us that his kingdom is for all nations
and it is guaranteed to grow.
Going back up to verse 31,
Jesus put another parable before them saying,
the kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed
that a man took and sowed in his field.
It is the smallest of all seeds.
When it is grown, it is larger than all the garden plants
and becomes a tree,
so that the birds of the air come
and make nests in its branches.
Before we get lost in the amazing imagery and history
that's wrapped up in this simple story,
let's have a look at some more obvious oddities.
Firstly, the mustard seed.
While we clearly know that a mustard seed
is not literally the smallest of all seeds,
we can appreciate that the point Jesus makes.
This is not the only time that a mustard seed is used
to represent something almost insignificantly small.
In Matthew chapter 17,
Jesus uses the mustard seed as an example
of the tiniest amount of true faith
that has the power to move mountains.
So the mustard seed is used as a stereotype
for the picture of insignificance.
Secondly, the mustard tree.
Now most commentators that I read
and most farmers I'm sure would agree
that calling a mustard plant a tree
is a bit of a stretch.
Everyone agrees that the mustard plant
can grow up to three metres high,
but it is more commonly referred to as a bush,
as most mustard varieties are a small shrub.
So why does Jesus describe it as a tree?
As we look back at some scripture reflections
that this story evokes,
we can begin to understand.
If we look at the prophecies of Ezekiel and Daniel,
the mighty trees that provide shelter
to all the nations
are compared to the mighty cedars of Lebanon.
The cedar is a beautiful tree.
It's tall, strong, beautiful to behold.
So the cedar is an excellent metaphor for a kingdom.
The seeds of a cedar,
while not as small as a mustard seed,
aren't exactly the biggest seeds out there either.
Acorns are bigger.
Peaches are bigger.
Plums are bigger.
So why a mustard tree?
It's even when assuring us that the kingdom will grow,
Jesus reminds us that the kingdom of God
is not what we expect it to be.
From a worldly comparison,
the kingdom of God might look weak or pathetic.
As a mustard tree,
we compare to a mighty cedar.
The imagery of the parable
draws us away from the earthly majesty of our kingdoms
and focuses our hearts on the assured growth
to the mature conclusion.
The mature conclusion that the kingdom of God
is growing towards
is a place of rest for all nations.
Jesus is pushing his predominantly Jewish audience
to lift their view of the kingdom up
from their expectations of a restoration
of the kingdom of David,
the worldly kingdom of Israel.
The promise to Abraham of a blessing to all nations
is coming to fruition.
The fullness of God's kingdom is being revealed
and it is bigger than Israel,
just as it was always intended.
Our third oddity,
a mustard seed sown in a field.
Just as a lot of people agree
that calling a mustard bush a tree is odd,
planting it in a field is also out of place.
Jesus himself in this parable
recognises that mustard is a garden plant.
So if we follow Eugene Peterson's line of thought
that these stories were used for teaching
as they lodged in our brains,
the idea of a garden plant growing in a field
is just ludicrous enough
that we'll keep calling it for a good laugh.
Remember that time Jesus planted the herb
out in the fields with all the wheat?
What an idiot.
But the story of the kingdom remains with us
and our minds turn it over and over
every time we think on it.
God's word is work in our hearts,
even as we're laughing at the ridiculousness
of that image.
So two sentences,
three anomalies.
The audience back then as well as now,
we all can't help wondering,
what is Jesus trying to say?
So the image of the birds
coming and making nests in the branches of the tree
reflects the imagery of Ezekiel chapter 31.
Here the prophet is speaking to Pharaoh
with the words of God.
The prophecy speaks of the might
and majesty of the Assyrian kingdom,
famous for decimating the northern tribes of Israel.
He reflects it as a cedar in Lebanon.
In verse 6 of Ezekiel chapter 31,
he recounts,
all the birds of the heavens
made their nests in its boughs.
Under its branches,
all the beasts of the field
gave birth to their young.
Under its shadow lived all great nations.
There is also a similar reflection of this
in Daniel chapter 4
when Daniel is talking to Nebuchadnezzar.
The description of a tree
that provides nesting
for all the birds of the air or heavens
is a kingdom,
an empire that is mighty,
a kingdom that provides
for all the needs
of those who dwell within.
So the image of a mustard seed,
the stereotype of insignificance,
growing into a mighty kingdom,
providing benefits for all
who come to rest in its shade.
Jesus' words show us
the organic unity
of the small beginning
and the mature conclusion.
The empires spoken of
in Ezekiel and Daniel
were all erased.
Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, gone.
Yet God's kingdom
endures forever.
The mighty seed
have been chopped down
but the mustard tree
will last forever.
That small, insignificant seed
will grow
into a mighty kingdom,
will endure.
So when we see the value
in which the world
holds God's kingdom,
are we reminded
of the insignificance
of the mustard seed?
The disciples
hearing this message
would have been,
well, let's get it.
At this point,
they probably didn't get it
but very shortly,
in the next few years,
they'll grasp
the full power
of this message.
As they embark
on the world-shaping
journey of evangelism,
these words
would have been
a great comfort.
In the years
following the resurrection
and ascension of Jesus,
the disciples
committed their lives
to preaching
the kingdom of God
to all who would hear.
From the small beginning
of 12 men,
the church grew.
We can look through Acts
and see that there are
many verses
where it states
many believed.
Chapter 4, verse 4.
Chapter 9, verse 42.
Chapter 13, verse 48.
Chapter 17, verse 12.
Chapter 8, verse 8.
Chapter 21, verse 20.
Many believed.
In those early years,
the church grew
from 12 to tens of thousands.
There's more seed,
mighty tree.
Even with persecution,
like from Saul,
the church continued
to grow in numbers.
And even Saul himself
had the word
hidden from his heart
and after his revelation
on the road,
became part,
an integral part,
of the spread
and growth
of the kingdom.
But,
even as the numbers
of Christians grew,
it was not until
a Christian became
the emperor of Rome
that the church
gained earthly authority
to exist.
In the year 313,
Emperor Constantine
issued the Edict of Milan,
granting
to the Christians
and others
full authority
to observe that religion
which each preferred.
and the Catholic Church
was born.
So nearly 300 years
of growth in numbers,
crossing physical
and cultural boundaries
before the church
became accepted
by the world.
So it begs the question,
how do we consider
the growth of the church?
Do we merely think
of the breadth of growth,
the numbers,
people coming through
the door
and the bums on seats?
Is the church
growing successfully
if we run out of seats
and run out of car parks
and we need to keep expanding?
We've touched on
the message of the Sermon
on the Mount
from chapter 5 of Matthew
where Jesus reveals
that the kingdom
was a matter of
reorientation
of a person's heart.
Now this concept
is so at odds
with society's
drive for confident success
that the world
is unable to see
the growth of the kingdom
or even consider
that a decline
in numbers
in the church
may in fact
be the church
growing
in deeper
love and understanding
through refining
of the people
who are turning up
every week.
What do the apostles
consider to be growth?
In Ephesians chapter 4
verses 15 and 16
Paul talks of
growing up
in every way
into him
who is the head
into Christ
so that when each part
is working properly
it makes the body
grow so that it
builds itself up
in love.
In Philippians chapter 1
verse 9 and 10
Paul prays
that their love
may abound
more and more
with knowledge
and all discernment.
Or in 1 Thessalonians
chapter 1 verse 3
Paul gives thanks
to God
for their faith
growing abundantly
and the love
of every one of you
for one another
is increasing.
Or Peter
the final words
of 2 Peter
chapter 3
verse 18
Amen.
But grow
in the grace
and knowledge
of our Lord
and Saviour
Jesus Christ
to him be the glory
both now
and to the day
of eternity.
Amen.
In all these
prayers of growth
it is not about
numbers.
The growth
of the saints
and the growth
of the church
is measured
in depth
of understanding
and knowledge.
Growth
is shown
by increasing
love
for one another
so that the church
builds itself up.
As we grow
in faith
we grow
in love.
As we grow
in love
the church
is lifted
and God
is glorified.
With the seed
of the kingdom
planted in us
God guarantees
that we will grow
and the sign
of growth
is increased
love.
So how
are we growing?
How are we
growing individually?
How are we growing
as a church?
Christianity
has spread
a long way
from its humble
beginnings.
The church
has crossed
political,
cultural,
physical barriers
to extend
over almost
all the surface
of the earth
and it continues
to spread.
How can we
help grow
the kingdom
in the world?
Not just
in bringing
numbers in
but helping
them to grow
in knowledge
and discernment.
Helping them
to abound
more and more
in love
one for another.
How do we
help the body
build itself
up in love?
What are the
aspects of our
kingdom lives
that we feel
are insignificant?
Perhaps we think
it's insignificant
to give money
to support
that missionary.
No one knows
we do it.
We don't gain
any glory for it.
maybe it's
insignificant
to provide
a meal
to that person
in need.
It's just a meal
I was already
cooking one
little bit extra
it's easy.
Or maybe
you think
it's insignificant
to cross
age or cultural
boundaries
to have
conversations
with other
members of
our church.
All of
these things
which seem
insignificant to
the world
are building
each other
up in love.
Does it
seem to you
that the
kingdom
shines brighter
to us
when you
see people
from all
backgrounds
all cultures
affected the
same way
of the same
words
to be called
to the same
kingdom home?
You see
God is doing
his work.
It's hidden
but it's
powerful
and it
permeates
all aspects
of life.
Let's go
now to
verse 33
of Matthew
chapter 13
no longer
Ezekiel.
He told
them another
parable.
The kingdom
of heaven
is like a
leaven that
a woman hid
in three
measures of
flour
till it
was all
leavened.
As Marty
described with
the kids
talk, that
small batch
of yeast
has a huge
effect on
the whole
dough.
Now
typically
biblically
we associate
yeast
with the
pervasiveness
of sin,
the way
that one
small thing
gets in
and invades
our whole
lives.
But it's
not exclusively
used to
represent evil
or bad
or sin
in the
Bible.
Leavened
bread itself
is specifically
called for
in the
sacrifice of
peace
offerings
and in
the Feast
of Weeks,
both from
Leviticus.
Leavened
is not
universally
bad in
the Bible.
There is
the concept
that Israel
left Egypt
without
leaven
as symbolic
of them
leaving behind
all ties
to the
slave nation
and would
make roots
as a new
nation,
right down
to the
intrinsic
constituents
of their
bread.
I had to
dig a little
deeper in
this to
understand the
difference
between yeast
like Marty
showed us
with the
kids and
that fine
powder and
what a
leaven would
have been
to the
original
listeners.
Now
at that
day yeast
leaven
it's all
the same
thing.
We see
a physical
difference
because we
have new
technology
and through
different
processes
through the
1600s we
discovered yeast
as a dried
yeast extract.
But leaven
in this
parable
refers to
something akin
to a
sourdough
starter
where you
have
the
flour
and the
water
catching
natural
yeast
extracts
in the
atmosphere
mixing
probiotics.
I think
that helps
us to
understand
if we
understand
what leaven
was in
that context
it opens
us a
deeper
understanding
of the
kingdom.
Leaven's
not something
we can
simply take
from a
packet like
Marty did.
We can't
just take
this little
thing and
sprinkle it
in and
it will
rise.
Leaven is
something that
came before
it was
established
before our
time that
is cultivated
and grows
and can be
used over
and over
again
long after
we're
gone.
Leaven is
kept by the
bread maker
of each
family
in Jesus'
parable times
and a
portion is
added to
each batch
of dough
to make
it rise.
So as
Christians,
as believers,
as saints,
we need to
let the
word of
God
permeate
throughout
entire
lives.
Just as
leaven affects
the entire
batch of
dough,
so should
the word
of God
affect all
aspects of
life,
shaping our
identity as
members of
God's
kingdom.
The growth
that we
have looked
at in
terms of
love,
understanding,
knowledge,
discernment,
these are
the signs of
the kingdom
permeating our
lives.
I can name
four main
aspects of
my life,
work,
family,
church,
and rugby.
I name them
as the four
main aspects
because that's
the basic
divisions of
time in my
week.
work.
And it's
easy for us
to compartmentalise
the different
aspects of
our lives.
Work doesn't
spill into
family.
Rugby doesn't
spill into
work or
family,
and work
and family
don't spill
into rugby.
Everything
neatly in
its little
box.
Church
really doesn't
spill into
any of
them.
We find it
easy to
live as
members of
the kingdom
when surrounded
by other
members of
the kingdom,
but much
harder when
surrounded by
the things of
this world.
But that's
not what the
kingdom of
God is
like.
When I have
the word of
God in my
heart, it
will permeate
all aspects
of my life.
It will
dissolve my
autonomy of
self and
restore the
sovereignty of
God.
God spills
into my
family, into
my work, and
even into my
rugby.
As the word
of God
permeates into
my life, the
kingdom will
overflow into
everything that
I do.
it's okay that
Christianity is
not the
focus or
front of
mind of
the world.
God's
kingdom will
permeate the
whole world and
be known and
acknowledged by
all.
God's kingdom
is different to
the world.
It has
different values.
We cannot
rate them the
same way.
And God
will make sure
that the values
of the kingdom
will last
longer than
any worldly
focus.
God's
kingdom is
different to
us.
God's
perspective of
the kingdom
is different
to ours.
We need to
fill our
hearts with
his word.
Let it
permeate to
all areas of
our lives to
gain some
level of
understanding and
appreciation for
the perspective
that God
has.
The kingdom
today feels
small and
insignificant.
All that it's
been reduced by
the world in
physical size or
social importance.
But with
those with
eyes to see
and ears to
hear, God
is still
growing his
kingdom.
So we need
to live now
but in
respect of
the not
yet.
We've seen
that the
tree will
grow.
We've seen
that the
bread will
rise.
Will you?
We feel
that tension
that we're
encouraged by
seeing and
feeling the
growth of
the kingdom
and the
way that the
world treats
it as
something
insignificant.
So even
though the
growth of the
kingdom is
guaranteed by
God, we
are still
living in the
mustard seed of
the kingdom.
It is only at
the end that
the mature
conclusion of
the kingdom be
displayed for
all of
creation to
see.
As in the
parable of
the weeds,
it is at
the harvest
that the
true members
of the
kingdom will
be revealed.
So how
do we live
now in
respect to
that future
time?
If we
measure God's
idea of
growth properly
as internal
character change,
people of all
cultures coming
to nest in
Jesus, then
the worldly
measures of
success make
it look weak
and pathetic.
But we
will see the
glory of
God that is
building and
growing, God's
word permeating
all of a
person and
all cultures
of the world.
If we
believe this,
we will
embrace being
seen as
insignificant in
the eyes of
the world and
being part of
Jesus' mission in
seemingly
insignificant ways.
So as we
go into this
week,
how will
you feel
when we
are called
by God
to place
all our
hope,
all our
identity,
and all
our eternal
self in the
smallest of
the seeds?
, from the
same
looked at
his
other
weaknesses,
and all
through the
number of
wonders.