Mustard Seed
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Intro
Intro
This morning we are looking at one of Jesus’ very famous parables
The Mustard Seed
Jesus says
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.”
I think this parable really doesn’t need too much explanation, so this morning I’m going to not offer too much context, I’m going to show you three examples of the mustard seed from history.
Then I’m going to say what I think God is saying to us today through this text.
Exegesis
Exegesis
We have two items in this very short parabale
The Mustard Seed
Which Jesus says is the smallest seed
One commentary I read says
Only a pedant would worry about whether there are in fact any smaller seeds or spores!
R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co., 2007), 527.
So consider yourself told if you were thinking
“Well actually it’s not quite the smallest seed”
The point is a mustard seed is tiny. Really, really small and yet from this tiny, tiny seed a really big plant comes out from it
Jesus says that’s what the kingdom of God is like.
It starts really small, you can ignore it, almost undetectable and yet it grows and it grows and it grows.
Examples
Examples
So, 3 examples of how the kingdom of God can grow
Abraham
Abraham
I’m going to start with a biblical example.
In the book of Genesis we get introduced to a man named Abram, who’s later known as Abraham
To cut a long story short Abram was a very old man and was married to a very old woman Sarai.
One day God spoke to Abram and said
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”
So starting from this one old man God was going to make a multidue of nations, their are going to be kings and even more God is going to make an everlasting covenant through him and even give his descendants a land.
Now this is obviously going to be a family thing right. That’s how this will work Abraham’s children will have children and so on and this will be the nation.
Abraham has a son at this point Ishmael. but NOT by his wife Sarai. Sarai couldn’t have children and was now old so offered her servant Hagar as surrogate mother and so Hagar and Abraham had a child.
So at this point we’re thinking great… big nation, descendants of Abraham, obvioulsy through Ishmael. Right? Wrong!
And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
Two people in their nineties and with them through a miraculous birth (God has a habit of that) of a son called Isaac who in turn had a son called Jacob and Jacob’s other name was Israel
The great and glorious nation of Israel starting with a mustard seed, two old people, you could ignore them, came Israel God’s holy nation. Through them came David and Solomon and Josiah. Three great kings. Even more amazingly as a direct descendant of Abraham came Jesus of Nazareth through whom God has saved the world.
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
You plant a mustard seed you get a big plant.
Abraham and Sarah are like God’s mustard seed and from them came Jesus, the Christ.
England
England
My next example comes a little closer to home
In the 1700’s England was in a terrible state
Drunkenness was rampant; gambling was so extensive that one historian described England as "one vast casino."
Newborns were often left on the streets 97% of the infant poor in the workhouses died as children. Bear baiting and cock fighting were accepted sports, and tickets were sold to public executions as to a theater. The slave trade brought material gain to many while further degrading their souls. Bishop Berkeley wrote that morality and religion in Britain had collapsed "to a degree that was never known in any Christian country."
Meanwhile, someone toured all the churches in england and found that the sermons were basically without content. Meaningless empty deism. You would be lucky to have heard a reference to Jesus Christ. Many of the ancient church buildings of this nation actually fell into serious disrepair duirng this time. Very few churches were built in this time too. Which gives an idea of the health of the church.
What changed?
An anglican priest was in desperate need of conversion. He had been a missionary but he wrote in his diary. “I went to convert. O who will convert me”. He had no relationship with the living God.
until one day in a prayer meeting this priest says
“I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given to me that he had taken away my sins."
His name was John Wesley credited has the founder of the methodist movement.
From that moment Wesley took off. He travelled at least 250,000 miles around the country preaching in the open-air because the churches wouldn’t let him in.
People would come in their masses, many were converted to Christ. From him came as well as many churches, missionary societies, anti-slavery movments, prison reforms and relief agencies.
He was a mustard seed. One lifeless priest going through the motions. Through him God transformed our nation and the world.
Denham Parish Church
Denham Parish Church
One last example. I could give you so many examples from high profile places and so to really make the point I’m going to give you one that you probably haven’t heard of.
Placement church
Small congregation
GX 30 people and 1 priest
Now a thriving church blessing their community doing amazing work with young families
What is God saying to us?
What is God saying to us?
St Stephen’s what is God saying to you through this parable
This church is made up of generous people, caring people, this church is actively engaged in its community through town centre chaplains, messy church and this year with the toy appeal through acts of kindness.
But as you know this is a small church for at leas the last 10 years this church has sat around 30 regular attendees.
But I believe that’s not a bad thing. Because what we see in the mustard seed is God is a pro at using small things to grow the kingdom of God.
I believe that now is the time that God will do an amazing new thing here.
That through this church we can see the 98% of people in our town who don’t yet know Jesus fall in love with him. That through this church we will see major social transformation. That through this church we will see the other churches of our town transformed and even new churches begin.
And why am I so optimistic? Because we can see this already beginning...
Show video of Emmy...
What can you do:
Pray: that this will happen
Get stuck in: When you see the signs of this mustard plant growing. Help it. invest in time, time, money and talents. Move stuff out of the way
And we will see that Gen 12.2
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.