03 - Good Things Start Small! By Pastor Jeff Wickwire Notes

The Kingdom of Heaven

Part 3

“Good Things Start Small”

Matthew 13: 31-33 NIV “He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

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In Matthew 13, Jesus presents 8 parables—four from from a boat and four from a house.

In the first two parables we have a sower who sows the seed of the kingdom, which is primarily the gospel.

Then in the next two parables, the mustard seed and the leaven represent the church and illustrate two ways the church would grow—externally and internally.

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So let’s look at these two types of growth.

First...

I. The mustard seed

The mustard seed is about the external growth of the church

Jesus said the external growth of the church would start small like a mustard seed and grow.

Jesus knew that a mustard seed is so small that, if you were holding one in your hand and dropped it on the ground, you might not be able to find it! (Show pic of seed in hand)

Yet even though the mustard seed is one of the smallest of all seeds, it grows into a plant that can reach 10-15 feet high! (Show pic of tree)

Jesus said it becomes so large that birds can sit on its branches and build their nests in its shade.

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The Lord is telling us that, no matter how defeated or frail the church may look at times, it is going to flourish like this Mustard Tree!

And that’s exactly what has happened!

When Jesus first began his earthly ministry, He was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and saw two fishermen, Peter and his brother Andrew, casting their nets.

"Come, follow me," Jesus said to them—They immediately followed Jesus.

So His ministry grew to 2.

As they continued on their way, He saw two other brothers, James and John, mending their nets.

Jesus called them and they immediately left their nets and followed him—now there were 4!

One by one, Jesus called his disciples until there were twelve of them.

That is still a pretty small beginning, right?

This is why the Bible says, “Do not despise small beginnings” (Zech 4:10 NLT).

Because one thing we learn from the parable is that God’s works always begin small, in seed form...

One little seed idea from God, a little handful of people, just a little bit of money, small, humble surroundings...

But if God’s hand is upon it, the small becomes great, and the little becomes mighty!

Paul wrote, “....God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him“ (1 Cor. 1:27-29 NIV).

This is how Jesus’s kingdom grew—from small and insignificant to mighty and unstoppable!

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We see that Jesus sent out the twelve and they brought others to Jesus and the kingdom of God grew.

He next sent out 70 to do miracles and to preach.

And then the Bible tells us that He fed 5000 and His outreach grew exponentially.

Then when the Spirit of God fell on the Day of Pentecost 3,000 were saved, then 5,000 more one chapter later.

By the end of Paul’s life the gospel had been preached to all the known world.

From a very small beginning, the kingdom of God has continued to grow until it has now spread over the entire earth.

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One author describes Christianity’s growth like this:

“It was a religion which seemed at first so feeble, and helpless, and powerless, that it could not live.

Its first founder was One who was poor in this world, and ended His life by dying the death of a criminal on a cross.

Its first preachers were a few fishermen and publicans, who were, most of them, unlearned and ignorant men.

Its first starting point was a despised corner of the earth, called Judea, a petty province of Rome.

Its first movements brought down on its followers persecution from all quarters.

If ever there was a religion which was a little grain of seed at its beginning, that religion was Christianity.

But the progress of the Gospel, after the seed was once cast into the earth, was great, steady and continuous.

The grain of mustard seed “grew into a great tree.”

In spite of persecution, opposition, and violence, Christianity gradually spread and increased.

Year after year its adherents became more numerous.

Year after year idolatry withered away before it.

City after city, and country after country received the new faith.

Church after church was formed in almost every quarter of the world.

Preacher after preacher rose up, and missionary after missionary came forward to fill the place of those who died.

In a few hundred years, the religion of the despised Nazarene had overrun the civilized world.”

And the kingdom of God will continue to grow—John the Revelator records seeing in a vision, “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9 NIV).

Let the devil throw what he wants against the church, the “gates of hell will not prevail”—it’s going to continue growing till Jesus comes again!

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And now the SECOND parable of the leaven illustrates:

II. The internal growth of Christianity

Again Jesus said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened” (13:20-21).

In the natural, leaven is a substance placed in dough that causes it to expand or rise—it eventually permeates the entire loaf of bread.

Another definition of leaven is “a pervasive influence that transforms something for the better.”

The idea in Jesus’ mind is that just a little bit of heaven’s leaven will eventually permeate the entire person until they are totally transformed!

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So the leaven parable is showing us how the kingdom of God will progress in the heart of a Christian.

It works like this:

When a person is saved it is through the seed of the word of God sown into their heart.

God then sends the Holy Spirit to live inside of them—so the leaven of heaven is the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the born again new nature He gives us.

Once saved, the leaven of heaven is now mixed in with the dough of your character and life.

From there the transformation begins.

Little by little heaven’s leaven will influence your conscience, your affections, your thoughts, your will, until the whole person is affected by its power!

New desires begin to appear—The desire to pray, to begin reading the Bible, to go to church and be around God’s people.

A new love for people appears, along with peace of mind and joy; a new world view begins to take shape.

Along with this comes a growing distaste for evil habits and bad companions.

The things we used to love doing begin to repulse us.

And the things we never thought about doing now appeal to us.

The leaven is working it’s way through our soul and lifestyle.

And this work of grace once started will never stand still.

Jesus said it will gradually “leaven the whole lump.”

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In some cases the progress is quicker than in others.

But wherever a real work of the Holy Ghost begins in the heart, the whole character is sooner or later leavened and changed.

The Bible says, “He becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!” (2 Cor. 5:17 LB).

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The message here is that if you are a true child of God, you’re going to grow into the likeness of Christ.

So long as you abide in Him, stay in His word, submit your life to His lordship, it is an iron-clad promise—Heaven’s leaven will eventually transform your whole life!

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