Pray For The Persecuted – David Nasser

Overview:

The kingdom of God is constantly expanding and permeating in the world. Jesus uses two parables to testify to this growth. He points to the mustard seed, notorious for its wondrous ability to begin as a tiny seed that could grow into such a massive plant, and leaven, notorious for being the gift that keeps on giving. With these 2 examples, Jesus is encouraging his followers that His kingdom will grow and multiply with unstoppable force. He spoke these words to just 12 followers; now the Kingdom has expanded to 2.2 billion Christians worldwide! Multiplication has always been the intent of God. He has always wanted a growing kingdom. His very first command to mankind was to “be fruitful and multiply.” We see this multiplication continue to happen in the fact that 60,000 people become Christians every day. We see the permeation of the Kingdom in the way it is changing cultures simply by the hearing of the Word. The Kingdom of God has and will continue to grow and expand as Jesus said it would.

Verses:

Mathew 13:31-33  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.”  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.”

Quotes:

“History bears out the truth of our Savior’s teaching. He started out with twelve ordinary men whom He appointed as Apostles and a handful of other followers. He lived and died in what was considered a backwater province of the Roman Empire, and He is mentioned only in passing in the secular historical sources of that time. But since the time of Christ’s ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension, the kingdom of God has been steadily growing. His church is found around the globe, and it grows even in the most hostile lands. The mustard seed is well on its way to becoming the mustard plant” – RC Sproul

“The Lord opens his reign with a feeble and despicable commencement, for the express purpose, that His power may be more fully illustrated by its unexpected progress.” – John Calvin

Questions:

Do you feel like the mustard seed or leaven Jesus spoke about in Matthew 13? Why or why not?

With the stresses and concerns of life, how can you grow personally and also help your fellow citizens grow?

How have you seen the power of God’s word this week?

Why is the Resurrection essential to our faith?