Small Things Can Become Otherwise

Psalm 127:1 says,

Psalm 127:1 ESV

1 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.

The point is that man can do what he will, but God’s work is what lasts and is the most meaningful. Applying this verse to the establishment and growth of the Christian faith, is profound.

If the success of Christianity depended upon man’s design and plans, it simply would not work.  It’s growth would not have been successful as it is today.  

The growth of the Christian church was and is not up to man.  It was something supernatural.  Christianity’s success hinged upon the death and resurrection of its founder.  Jesus spoke many times about the Kingdom of God and its growth. 

We’ve seen how mysterious its growth has been in the parable of the sower. Jesus often spoke in parables and only those that were vitally interested, got the meaning of His messages.  What Jesus did and taught went against all conventional wisdom of how to start a religious movement.  And its success was something out of this world. 

There is no greater illustration of its inconspicuous growth than the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven.  One question that we ought to consider this morning is “How does God work in this world?  How does he work in lives?  The success of Christianity can only be summed up in the following…

THE GROWTH OF CHRISTIANITY IS DIVINE.

Matthew 13:31–32 ESV

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. 32 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.”

Here, we have an interesting comparison between God’s kingdom and the mustard seed.  It says, “…and this is smaller than all other seeds; but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants…

A mustard plant in some cases can grow over ten feet in height.  The point is not necessarily the glorious end, but the small beginning, i.e. a tiny seed. 

You will notice that in some of your Bibles that a portion of verse 32 is in capital letters.  This means that it is an Old Testament reference. This description of birds nesting in a tree is a symbol of prosperity and success. 

Among the references is Psalm 104:12, where under God’s provision and sovereignty in creation, all of heaven is in harmony. 

Psalm 104:12 ESV

12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.

In Ezekiel 17 and 31, we read of the stately cedar tree which grew from a small sprig.

Finally, a good example is when the prophet Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 4.  Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was depicted as a healthy tree in which all the birds nested in its branches.

In all of these places, the birds nesting in the tree is a sign of flourishing, of health, of well-being.   

Again, the point is not necessarily the glorious end, but the small beginning, i.e. a tiny seed.  We can apply this both to the church and to the individual.

Consider the tiny beginnings of faith in your life? 

When did you first hear the gospel? 

When did you first become interested in God? 

Who did God use in your as a witness?

Look back on your life and see where you are now.  How has God worked? 

What has He shown you? 

In what ways are you different than you once were? 

Or maybe today is the day that you trust Him for the first time. 

Such a parable tells us that God is oftentimes working behind the scenes.  He also works in ways that man could never work.  He works in the heart: the seedbed of the mind, will and emotions.  Are you aware of what God is doing around you? 

The truth is that if it were up to you and me, we would never follow God on our own accord. Not only are we dependent upon Him for growth, but for regeneration. Jesus said in John 6:44

John 6:44 ESV

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

And John 3:3

John 3:3 ESV

3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

And still John 3:5

John 3:5 ESV

5 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

So one must be drawn, born again, and born of the Spirit. This, in the backdrop of a heart that is exceedingly wicked (Jeremiah 16:12) and wayward (Romans 3:10).

But God is powerful. He is able to raise the dead and bring new life where there was none. Secondly...

THE EFFECT OF CHRISTIANITY IS MIRACULOUS.

Matthew 13:33 ESV

33 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.”

A peck is a large, undisclosed quantity.  Leaven is a piece of fermented dough kept over from a former baking. The lump of dough thus preserved was either dissolved in water in the kneading-trough before the flour was added, or was "hid" in the flour and kneaded along with it (ISBE, “leaven”) Although the leaven is small, it affects a large amount of meal.

The link is as one commentator put it:

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven," it is clearly the hidden, silent, mysterious but all-pervading and transforming action of the leaven in the measures of flour that is the point of the comparison.”

Consider the growth of Christianity.  Today, it composes 33.32% of the world’s population.” (Found at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/xx.html.)

Furthermore, a recent study from Pew Research found that the trend of declining affilation with Christianity is leveling off. A survey of 37,000 Americans found that 62% identify as Christian and that over the last five years, there was little to no decline. (Pew Religious Landscape Study Christianity : NPR). The point is that the church’s presence in the world is sustained by a powerful and loving God.

Consider this. After it had such a miniscule start.  The kingdom that Jesus ushered in was small at the beginning.  It had Jesus and his 11 disciples and anyone else that was interested in listening.  But even his listeners were not all a part of the kingdom. 

It was not made of influential people. 

Peter, James and John were Galilean fishermen- a humble career. 

Mary, Martha and Lazarus were poor from Bethany.

Mary Magdalene was a demon-possessed woman. 

These were not the most well-educated or well-known people.  Yet, they became the nucleus of something that would not only change them, but would change all of human history.  In doing so, God shows the immensity of His power.

19th century Scottish minister David Brown wrote:

“It yields more real satisfaction to see in this brief parable just the all-penetrating and assimilating quality of the Gospel, by virtue of which it will yet mould all institutions and tribes of men, and exhibit over the whole earth one ‘Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.’” (Revelation 11:15) (Dan Brown, The Four Gospels, 81).

The size of the seed doesn’t determine the size of the plant; nor does the amount of leaven determine the end result of the dough.  Consider what God is doing around you.  He is fairly inconspicuous.  But His intended effect is always real and obvious. 

I recently attended a seminar on intercessory prayer in Pottstown. What I learned was that every revival that has taken place over the last 300 was always preceded by a great movement of prayer, where people would pray that the Lord would become known and that people would turn to Him.

One of those revivals was the Welsh Revival of 1904-05. Began by the prayer efforts of Evan Roberts, it laid the groundwork for what would be a transformative movement that would see approximately 100,000 people come to know Christ. The entire country was impacted.

Such a parable imparts a behind-the-scenes type of knowledge.  Are you aware of what God is doing around you?  Just when you think that God is not active, sometimes that is when He’s the most active! I recall a Christian friend saying: “Sometimes it appears that you are waiting on God. Other times it is hard to keep up with Him.”

Verse 34: “All these things Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable, 35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.’" 

Jesus taught in parables.  By doing so, He identifies Himself as the One infinite in wisdom and power. 

In conclusion, let us consider what we’ve learned today: THE GROWTH OF CHRISTIANITY IS DIVINE. THE EFFECT OF CHRISTIANITY IS MIRACULOUS.  The growth of a Christian cannot be measured in action.  It is God’s work upon the soul. 

Nevertheless, there are things that facilitate growth.  A person who is "born again" starts a new life similar to that of a newborn infant. Seven rules that promote good health in babies can be adapted and applied to a Christian's spiritual growth.

1. Daily Food. Take in the "pure milk of the word" through study and meditation. 2. Fresh Air. Pray often or you will faint. Prayer is the oxygen of the soul. 3. Regular Exercise. Put into practice what you learn in God's Word. 4. Adequate Rest. Rely on God at all times in simple faith. 5. Clean Surroundings. Avoid evil company and whatever will weaken you spiritually. 6. Loving Care. Be part of a church where you will benefit from a pastor's teaching and Christian fellowship. 7. Periodic Checkups. Regularly examine your spiritual health.