Miraculous Growth

Summary of sermon on Matthew 13:31-35 from Pastor Ryan Lewis.

Many Christians could be considered bilingual in that there are certain terms that Christians use that may be unfamiliar to non-Christians.

Some of these terms can include words like “potluck,” “fellowship hall,” and “prayer walk.” These are things we say that we do not really think about.

In the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven, Jesus is answering the question, “What is the Kingdom of Heaven?” He is not speaking geographically, but is speaking about the reign and rule of Christ.

The Kingdom includes two parts:

It’s the present reality that in Jesus, the Kingdom is already here and is advancing
It’s the future realization that His kingdom is coming back and will be complete.

Jesus is showing us small stories with big truths. While these stories may be more challenging for us to relate to now, to the first century Jew, these parables would have made perfect sense.

The Kingdom of Heaven had small beginnings.

In the Parable of the Mustard Seed, we see Jesus using hyperbole to make the point that the Kingdom of Heaven had small beginnings. While the mustard seed may not be the smallest seed, Jesus is using exaggeration to make his point that the Kingdom of Heaven started small.

The Kingdom of God had miraculous growth.

With the Parable of the Mustard Seed, we see a connection to King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 4. God was doing huge things through small beginnings.

The Kingdom of God had miraculous multiplication.

In the Parable of the Leaven, this would have been known to women. When women would work leaven, they would save a piece of the leaven dough and work it into new batches.

This illustrates the expansion of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The mustard seed represents outward growth, and the leaven represents growth from within. Small things can have great influence.

Practical Application

We get to be disciples and make disciples. The Gospel starts as a seed in our hearts and works its way into our lives and the lives of others.

We plant seeds, and we work leaven.

👉 You don’t have to have it all together. Who are you building relationships right now to spread the Gospel?

We sow in our fields, and we work in our flour.

👉 Where has God planted you to share your faith with others? Be faithful to cultivate where God has planted you.

We get to trust God with the results.

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-7.

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Miraculous Growth