Luke 13:18-19

Luke chapter 13 I want to read verses 18 and 19 Our Lord says this then said he Under what is the kingdom of God like And where about Where unto shall I resemble it Is like a grain of mustard seed Which a man took And cast into his garden And it grew And waxed a great tree The fowls of the air Lodged In its branches And the branches of it May God bless to us his sacred And holy word This morning The internet, as we know it today Is quite Much used in our society. But it began in 1962 with Paul Baran, who was an engineer at the Rand Corporation. And he found a way to move messages through a network of Defense Department computers. In 1968, the Department of Defense commissioned the building of ARPANET, Advanced Research Projects Agency NEC. In 1971, only 23 computers were hooked up to the so-called Internet. In 1981, IBM then introduced the personal computer, which you could buy and have at your home. By 1984, more than a thousand computers were hooked up to the Internet. By 1989, more than 100,000 were hooked up to the Internet. And by 1991, there it was over a million people. By 1995, more than 30 million people were hooked up to the Internet, and it has grown every year since. The U said the Internet had a very small beginning, but then it grew greatly, and now it’s a massive network connecting millions and millions of people around the globe. the kingdom of God in some ways is like the internet. It starts out very small, very small, with a few disciples in Israel following Jesus Christ. But it has spread across the globe for almost 2,000 years. Person to person, culture to culture. And the parables of the mustard seed and the one that follows it of the leaven relate to us the growth the kingdom of God. And it relates to us this growth from two different perspectives. One is from the outward perspective and one is from the inward perspective. And so we’ll look at that. The kingdom of God is a mystery. And people are in the dark about it. They have confused ideas about the kingdom of God. Unless Jesus here shows, to describe the kingdom of God by the use of similitudes. It is like this, he will say. Now this is used in order for us to grasp. You’ll say it resembles this, and it’s something you know well, and so you can sort of make that application. And so that’s what he does here. here and he says it is like a grain of mustard seed. By using this method, he provides much information in a very short way about the Messiah’s kingdom. I want to look at the parable of the mustard seed this morning. Now, you need to consider the details of the parable. Now, whenever we look at this parable, or that parable, we should compare it to the parables that Jesus has already taught in order to gain from. We’re not left to our own imagination when it comes to the interpretation of parables. Charles Spurgeon used to talk about a man named Trench, who has a very famous book on the types and symbols of the Bible. he had one problem he said with trenches he said his work was like a centipede he said that he’d find so many interpretations of a particular parable so many ways of it interpreted it was like the centipede’s legs it would run on all these different legs he thought it was too much you know that he went overboard with it but here’s the key thing We always use scripture to interpret scripture. And if one parable gives us some insight, it may help us on another parable, especially if we get a portion of the parable interpreted by Christ in the scriptures. So we should wait carefully how Jesus explained his own parables. That is a way to get valuable clues. There are a whole cluster of parables. in Matthew 13 that Jesus told. And they actually were spoken at the same time and they build on one another. And that helps. The parables of Christ are interwoven then. So we want to benefit from what has already been told us because they closely relate to one another. So it’s useful to carry forward from one portion of scripture Christ’s previous teaching on the kingdom that we may gain in sight at the present parable that he tells us here about the mustard seed. So you must compare this parable to those previously given. Now you should ponder the specifics of the parable. We have here a sower. We read about a man who taught. and cast this mustard seed into his garden. I think we could understand this in the same sense in which Jesus explained it in the parable of the sower and that of the wheat and the tears as well. Soing, he tells us, is the proclaiming of the gospel so that people hear the message about the Savior, Jesus Christ. He hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When one heareth the word of the kingdom. So he’s the, the, uh, the sewing is, it has to do with the word of the kingdom that’s being sung. If one sews, you know that a person goes out and they, they used to take a bag of seed and cast it, broadcast it by hand. And so Jesus compares the gospel to someone doing that, and he talks about the different grounds that it will fall on the wayside or the stony ground or the thorny ground or the good ground and so forth he that sow if the good seed Jesus tells us is the son of man Christ himself is the sower of the seed that’s the explanation of the parable of the tears now the next to our Lord Christ sent out the apostles who preached the same message that he did. And then of course we find that today there are men who are preaching. And if they preach the same message that Jesus did and his disciples did, then they are also sowing the seed. And so the sower is someone who’s sowing the gospel. Now the seed is a grain of mustard seed. Now the mustard seed, it seems to me, is the Word of God, and it’s in perfect harmony with the explanation of the parable of the sower. In the rest of Scripture, seed is more than once compared to the Word. Being born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever, 1 Peter 1.23. As such, Christ’s living word is what we might call the power behind the kingdom. It is the way the kingdom of God will advance. While Matthew says this seed was sown in a field, and Mark says it was sown in the earth, Luke says it was sewn in a garden, these different details must not, I think, be pressed to yield different specific meanings for any soil is earth and a garden may be in a corner of a field so there’s a sense in which we could still put this all together. Furthermore, you’ll notice that it is a mustard seed, in this case it’s what single seed that’s mentioned. And the reason for this, it seems, it’s a mustard seed that’s mentioned. And the reason for this, it seems, is that there’s a mustard seed that there’s a single seed that’s mentioned. only one gospel. There’s not a bunch of gospels. The seed is the same. It’s the same message that’s being proclaimed. There’s only one gospel. It’s called the everlasting gospel in Revelation, Chapter 14, because it never changes. As Paul declares, if any man preach any other gospel unto you, then that ye have received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1.9. Then we read about a great tree and it grew and waxed. A great tree. Now the mustard seed, and it’s probably the black mustard seed here, is an annual belonging to the cabbage family. It’s not actually a woody plant. It’s herbaceous. It’s an herb. It’s an herb instead. But Jesus calls it. the greatest among the herbs. Furthermore, although described as a tree, it’s not really a tree, but in a sense, it resembles a tree. It grows quite large. It can grow 9 to 10 feet. And birds indeed can lodge in its branches. It will never be like the cedars of Lebanon. And in a way we might see this as true in in the eyes of the world, when the world looks at it, it’s not that big a plant. It’s just nine to ten feet. It’s not a, you know, it’s not a giant tree of some sort, towering tree. The kingdoms of this world, many times are very large. But Christ’s kingdom is different in nature, even though it’s large enough. It is a movement that’s despised and not esteemed by the world in which we live, but it represents the visible rule of Christ. Even spiritual revivals, like the Reformation, like the Great Awakening, cannot compare in the world’s eyes to the military operations of, let’s say, Caesar or Alexander the Great, or Hitler or something of this nature. The great tree here is the kingdom of God. The time frame is the last days. It deals with the time of Christ, first coming to a second coming. By birds, it appears that Jesus is referring here to individual people of God who find shelter in the plant. They become part of the kingdom of heaven. Birds, in tree branches or under trees in Scripture speak of coming under the protection and the provision of a kingdom as we find in scripture. In Daniel chapter 4 for example, you as a believer sometimes compared to a bird, like a dove or a sparrow or something of that nature. Birds in general because they’re easily frightened, they’re weak, they’re defenseless, are creatures exposed to danger, and they seek shelter from danger, in this case, in the mustard sea. Birds sing praises. And so we, as the people of God, sing praises to the Lord. These animals are called birds of the air, or birds of heaven because of their spiritual qualities. Their hearts are changed. They’re partakers of the heavenly calling. So these birds come willingly and deliberately depend upon the grace and strength of Christ to sustain them. Now it is true in the parable of the sower that the birds are Satan’s agents. But there they’re snatching the seed to prevent it from growing. Here they’re taking shelter in what is grown. So I think we have a right to look at it differently. So you need to consider the details of the parable, we should compare it with previous parables and the specifics of the parable we’ve considered. Now you’re given assurance here, and this is what Jesus is emphasizing of the kingdom of God’s magnificent growth. It must have troubled the disciples that for all of Christ’s preaching about the kingdom of God, there was little evidence of its growth and development at this point. There was not a massive influx of people into Christ’s kingdom because of the ministry that he undertook. The beginning of the kingdom of God was exceedingly small. It was like the grain of a mustard seed cast into the garden. In Matthew, Jesus emphasizes the side of the mustard seed. It’s the least of all seeds, he tells us. Chapter 1352. When Christ descended to heaven, Christianity seemed at first to be so feeble, so helpless, and powerless, that you wondered if it was going to survive. 120 people in the upper room, maybe several thousand scattered throughout the land of Israel at that time. And so you’re looking at this and saying, is this going to make it? Is this kingdom going to survive? The gospel of the kingdom, which preaches the crucifixion of Christ, was to the Jewish stumbling block. And later, to the Gentile, it was foolishness. In particular, we find that the Jews hated and despise the gospel of Jesus Christ. Everywhere was spoken against. Now, Jesus anticipated this, and he addressed this in this parable. However, this was spoken against. terrible we should see more of as a prophecy. Yes, the kingdom of God is here. And whether you understand it or not, it’s going to grow. It’s going to get much larger. And it will grow with the amazing speed of a mustard seat. Think about it. Pentecost, thousands were brought in, and shortly after another group of thousands, like 9,000 people were converted in, a very short period of time. And so, after that, they have the Great Commission. We have people going to different parts of the world. Paul going out on the missionary journeys, and all of a sudden you have people being brought into the kingdom of all parts, all countries, and so forth. And so it becomes quite interesting to see a great multitude being brought into the kingdom of all nations and peoples and tongues and so forth. As Revelation 5 tells us, thus today, there are believers in almost every nation in the world. The words of Christ certainly have come true, for the kingdom of God now is vast in nature compared to what it was at the beginning. So you’re getting. an assurance of the kingdom of God’s growth. Now let’s look at some practical observations here. The first is this. You must not despair of any work that’s done for Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, 1st Corinthians 1558. Christ would not have to be able to be. us despair. Now it is true that we may work a long time and still show a very small increase in the work and it may seem very feeble and small. Simple minister trying to serve Christ may find the church struggling to survive. A solitary missionary, amid many savage heathens of a labor a long time without any converts. A single reformer in the midst of a fallen and spiritually dead church will not make much progress. That’s the way it is. And sometimes it seems that your labor isn’t doing much good. We have that tendency as we look at things. People criticize you, laugh at your efforts, there’s a tendency than to give up, seemingly hopeless situation. As such, we should remember the progress of the kingdom that’s mentioned here in our text. Great things may come from small beginnings if you don’t faint. For who have to speak? the day of small things, Zachariah Fortin. Christ would not have us to despise even a little progress, because that’s a good sign. That’s something we can hang our hat on, so to speak. We have to trust that God will bless our efforts, even if it doesn’t seem at first to be. much success to what we’re doing. So you must not despair of any work done for Christ. The second thing I have to say about this is you must not have mistaken ideas about this parable. Post-millennialist take this parable and say, see, the world is going to get Christianized. Now they use the word Christianized. We’re not saying it’s going to get Christianized. It’s sort of being brought under the power of Christianity. Maybe kicking and screaming, but basically they’ve forcibly brought under the banner of Christianity. And so the mustard seed and the leavened dough are pointed to as proof of the worldwide kingdom before Christ returns, is what we’re told. Now, there are several variations of this view, but basically they’re same in this regard. Now, this is currently a popular view among the Reconstructionists that we have in our society. And supposedly through social and political evolution and revolution, Christianity is going to permeate every aspect of society. And so the Christians will get the upper hand. they will get power and they will sort of force the world to submit to Christian principles. That seems to be the idea. Now as optimistic as all this sounds, it really is in direct opposition to Christ’s teaching elsewhere. In the parable of the sower, the seed does not always fall on good ground. Furthermore, in the parable of the wheat and the tears, Satan’s slows his tears and they stay there until harvest time where then they’re separated. In addition to that, remember the scripture teaches a great apostasy, 2, Thessalonians chapter 2, Revelation chapter 20, prior to the return of Christ. And we should keep that in mind too. You know, the blessed hope is not the Christianization of the world. It’s the second coming of Christ. That’s what saves us. That’s what changes this world into a righteous world. Christ said that when he comes back, he asks the question, will we find faith on earth in Luke 1880? So we must not have mistaken ideas about the parable. And then also let me say this, you should realize the danger of resorting to power and force. to advance the kingdom of God. Christ does not advocate that we use carnal means to promote his kingdom. We don’t use the weapons of man. We don’t use, you know, political strength or political manipulation or human wisdom and ingenuity. We don’t resort to human power. And we should always remember that the church, here is commanded to preach the gospel as the means by which the kingdom of God is to advance. Not to use, you know, get political power to have a moral majority or something of this nature to change the world. We change the world one soul at a time by preaching the gospel of Christ and they become converted. That’s how we change the side. The little seed. seed, the mustard seed of the word needs to be preached. And any time we get away from that, we are not advancing the kingdom of God, no matter what we might think we’re doing externally. It’s interesting. Martin Luther said this. He said, he said, he considered the preaching of the gospel to be the great power to save. In a sermon, he said this, I simply taught. preached, wrote God’s word, otherwise I did nothing. And then while I slept or drank Wittenberg beer with my Philip and my Amstorf, the word so greatly weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor did much such damage to it as I did. But I did nothing. the word did it all. And that’s what we have to understand. Just give God’s message out. It can bring down the papacy. It can bring down all earthly power. We must not neglect the preaching of the Word of God. That’s the key thing in all advancement of the kingdom of God. Well, the growth of the internet. it started very small. Now it’s huge. The growth of the kingdom of God started very small. It is huge today. It is all over the globe. And so we see here this is the work of Christ’s spirit.