Matthew 13:31-32: A Mustard Seed
Introduction
A. Since Jesus taught by the use of parables, the concepts he presented in the sermon of Matthew 5-7 appear in other ways giving encouragement to His followers.
1. He began by saying that the context of these parables is “the Kingdom of Heaven.”
2. The kingdom is similar to mustard and yeast.
3. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus told his disciples that they were the salt of the earth and the light of the world. In verse 16 He exhorted them, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father who is in heaven."
4. The effect of good deeds would be not only the glory of the Father but their powerful influence, growing like the mustard seed. However, the effect would not be so obvious, but rather invisible as with yeast.
B. Let us review the good deeds of Matthew 5, and then, we may study the concepts of growth and the invisible effects of our good and faithful living.
I. Good deeds.
A. Learn from God. The poor in spirit learn from Jesus humbly and put His teachings into practice. Matthew 5:3.
B. Repent. The heart that mourns because of its faults repents and is motivated to continue onward, serving with courage and sacrifice, as the apostle Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:12-17. Matthew 5:4.
C. Submit to God. The meek submit to the dominion of God. They put their energy to work in the service of Jesus instead of wasting it by seeking to avenge the many offenses of others that provoke us to anger. We leave wrath in the hands of God and receive the earth by inheritance, all the good of the earthly life and beyond that eternal life as the Lord says in Matthew 19:27-30. Matthew 5:5.
D. Seek and love God. Another powerful motive that disciples have is hunger and thirst for righteousness. One who seeks God's favor, wants to believe and trust in him, serving him with all his heart. Matthew 5:6.
1. Jesus declared that the Greatest commandment is the love of God, Matthew 22:34-40.
2. The powerful faith of Hebrews 11 is the belief that God is the rewarder of the one who seeks him, Hebrews 11:6.
E. Mercy. When you learn the love of God, you begin the practice of loving and blessing your neighbor by both words and deeds. You help the needy and the sinner by giving them not only the physical but also the spiritual that saves the soul. Matthew 5:7
1. It is called the Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20.
2. God will judge all men according to the principle of mercy, Matthew 25:31-46. He will forgive the merciful and condemn those who have denied mercy.
3. God does not forgive the man who does not forgive his neighbor, Matthew 6:12, 14-15.
F. Cleanse the heart. Matthew 5:8. The heart is contaminated by greed, lust, and all forms of selfishness.
1. God is our helper and strength in the fight against evil, when we offer the Gospel that saves the world from sin.
2. He who sees God is he who has fellowship with him, he draws near to God and God draws near to him. The communion that God provides in the church and in the worship and all the work we share in Christ, that communion helps us cleanse our hearts and approach the Lord.
G. Seeking Peace. Matthew 5:9-12.
1. They shall be called the children of God. Children look like their parents.
2. God sent his son to bring peace and reconciliation between God and men, and thus to seek peace among the men of all nations.
3. The effort to evangelize sinners, calling them to repent, provokes persecution and suffering among the children of God. They suffer with joy and thus glorify God. Great will be the reward! Great will be the growth of Christians! Great will be the influence of such children of God!
II. If Satan incites war against us, what profit will there be? Persecuted, we flee from place to place, Hebrews 11:32-38, "Wandering through deserts and mountains, through caves and caverns of the Earth." They insult and persecute us and “revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” How can we be the light of the world, if the world thinks badly of us?
A. Trust in the Lord. The effect will not be obvious. The parables of the mustard seed and yeast.
B. The effect of the life and the message of the Christian grows like a mustard seed. Matthew 13:31
1. It is the smallest, but when it has grown, it is the largest of the vegetables.
2. Faith, though small as a mustard seed, 17:20, can move mountains.
3. The effect of faith is that it harnesses the power of God, the Almighty, the omnipotent.
4. Matthew 18:7, Jesus encourages us to pray to the Father who is in heaven, because we are chosen by him and when we cry out to Him day and night, it will not take long for Him to answer us.
5. Matthew 7:7-12 ““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Because the Father knows how to give good things to those who ask. So verse 12, “whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” This is the “Golden Rule.”
C. The power of faith along with the power of God makes us powerful in fulfilling the will of the Father.
1. Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
2. Matthew 19:26, "With man, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Lu 18:27)
3. Mark 9:23, “And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
4. Mark 14:36, “And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
5. Mark 9:1 “And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
6. Luke 10:19-20, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
D. The effect of the life and message of a Christian, works in an invisible way "as the yeast that the woman took and hid in three measures of flour until everything was fermented." Matthew 13:33-35.
1. It is the power that works in a hidden way. Works and grows in the heart of man, in his conscience.
2. It creates faith. Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
3. It overthrows arguments against the knowledge of God. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
4. It reaches the Conscience. 2 Corinthians 4:1-2, “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.”
-- 2 Corinthians 5:11, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.”
5. It is the Sword of the Holy Spirit, Hebrews 4:12. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Ephesians 6:17; Revelation 1:16; 2:12; 19:15,21)
6. The power of the Holy Spirit is invisible but powerful. Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 1:18-19; 3:20-21; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2 Timothy 1:7; 2 Timothy 3:5)
Conclusion: Parables expand and adorn the basic teachings of Jesus. The Parables of Jesus help us to appreciate the value of the good works that we do, which serve as the salt and light in this world.