"Therefore, He was saying, "What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."
And again He said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until it was all leavened."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us today, whether it's your first time or you are a faithful member of our family in Christ, your presence is acknowledged and truly appreciated. If you have recently received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, whether through this ministry or some other, please contact us so that we can include you in our prayers.
Also, since it's been a while, I wanted to remind you to be sure to visit Go Ye Kids
children's ministry, Vanessa Taylor has helped us in providing printable biblical resources for children, many of them free. So, please be sure to thank her and let her know that you heard about her here. And, if you are a Christian parent or grandparent, or just enjoy reading faith based articles, we like to encourage you to visit Andy and the good folks at Christian Grandfather Magazine. As Christians, we are a community that loves one another, prays with and for each other, and supports one another with our time, our talents and our resources. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian, it's following Christ that makes us a Christian, defined not merely what we say, but what we do. In John 15:12-14, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you." I personally find it very disturbing the massive numbers of people who profess to be Christians then live their lives contradictory to the principals given in the Bible. True Christianity is living in obedience, not because we have to, but we want to as a deep expression of our gratitude for what He has done. I just cannot fathom how anyone who claims to have been redeemed could blatantly live in rebellion to the Holy God Who has done so much to save him?
I was incredibly blessed to have such a meaningful connection to the land and my family's heritage. My great-grandparents owned a sprawling 400-acre farm that they purchased when they got married for just one dollar per acre—a price that seems almost unimaginable today. The old farm became my second home during the summers of my childhood, a place where I spent countless days immersed in farm life. Early in the morning, I would help feed the chickens, watching them scatter and peck at the grain I scattered across the yard, often chasing behind me and then carefully gather the warm eggs from their nests, placing them gently in my basket. I learned to milk the cows under poppy's mostly patient guidance, feeling the warmth of the cow in the cool dark milkhouse and hearing the steady rhythm of milk streaming into the galvanized pail before being poured into the much bigger milk cans. One of the cows, Maisy, became my pet, licking my face as I pet her. I can still hear the laughter as everyone teased that's how I got my cowlick. Little did I know that the bull wasn't very fond of the special attention I gave her, until he gave me the run of my life as he chased me out of the pasture, I narrowly made over the barbed-wire fence.
In the afternoons, I would work alongside mommy helping her in the vegetable garden, pulling weeds, watering the plants, and learning which vegetables were growing and which were ready for harvest. Then running out in the field to ride on the tractor with my great-grandfather, bouncing along as we travel through the fields, I remember the smell of fresh tilled earth or harvested crops filling the air. After our work was done, he and I would sit on the old wooden porch swing, with its weathered chains gently creaking, as we rocked back and forth. There, we would sit and talk for hours about everything and nothing—I'd listen attentively to his stories of the past, he'd smile at my dreams for the future, and the simple observations about life that only come from a quiet, unhurried life.
However, over two centuries ago, when Jesus was teaching this lesson, everybody familiar with planting seeds and harvesting crops, they would have understood that a mustard seed was very small, just about the size of a grain of sand. I read somewhere that there are about 21,000 seeds in an ounce. They only ate what they could produce and prepare. They couldn’t just run down to the local corner store and pick up food. Which explains why so many of Jesus' parables are about plants and seeds. Jesus often used parables to teach spiritual truth about the kingdom of God in a way that people could relate to, understand and remember. And today, He's going to teach us about planting seeds, mustard seeds. By the way, if these sound like familiar stories, He taught them back in Matthew 13:31-31-34. Scripture does not record that Jesus explained this parable to the disciples, it wouldn't have been necessary since its meaning was self-evident. Fortunately, He gave us someone to explain them to us, the Holy Spirit, who helps us understand the mind of Christ as revealed in the Word of God. With that in mind, I'd to clear up that a mustard seed is not the smallest seed on earth, which critics are all to happy to point out, that wild orchid seeds are actually smaller and weighs just 10 billionths of an ounce. Jesus was not wrong. This is what is called biblical or cultural accommodation, where the Bible writer doesn’t necessarily say what is literally true, but what is thought to be true, just to be relevant. All of the seeds that were sown at that time, were sown to produce edible crop, such as barley, wheat, lentils and beans, and of those seeds, the mustard seed is still the smallest, as opposed to wild plants. "Lachanōn," refers to a garden plants, such as herbs or vegetables. However, that small mustard seed when it is planted, grows to be one of the largest plants. For that reason, it can look more like a tree than a bush. So large that birds can live in it. This parable is significant, because it illustrates that small things can and do have the capability of producing extensive results. Explaining the power of the kingdom of God within each and every believer. In other words, don’t be deceived by underestimating the power of the kingdom of God! Like the mustard seed, growth may be slow and steady, but it eventually outgrows all the other seeds, the Gospel of Jesus Christ will evangelize all nations, overcoming all other religions.
As the plant grows, it can reach eight feet high and fifteen feet in diameter, big enough for the birds to build their nest in the tree which represents protection, safety and refuge which a mother bird provides for her young. In the same way, as the kingdom of God grows, it provides a sanctuary, for those who seek shelter in it. Some have attempted to interpret the birds to represent demons as they do in other parables, however, I do not believe there's any reason to assume that is the case here. It's easy to get discouraged, in this world surrounded by evil, the enemy is always tempting us to compromise, to conform to worldly standards in order to thwart our divine purpose. It's so important to remain steadfast, focused on our mission and our mission field, all while being aware of our adversary's strategy! You and I are part of God’s kingdom because somewhere along the way, the good seed was planted. The ongoing work of God was at work in your life in its supernatural way, through the energizing of the Holy Spirit, you may not have even noticed it. Then, one day, before you knew it, you placed your trust in Jesus. God’s kingdom then continues to grow in the life of every true believer good for producing more fruitful plants. The Kingdom of God is here, and it may not look the way you expected, it might seem insignificant, but it will eventually change the world when the Gospel reaches those whose spiritual hunger is deep. Praise God, that in 2025, we were able to help send more than 45,000 Bibles to new believers who had not previously heard the Gospel. And, our work is not even close to being finished yet! I believe God has great things in store for 2026! The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, it's already here, within you and I.
Let's pray,
Heavenly Father,
Father, we are so grateful for Your Word, You are our only hope in this world that overrun self-indulgent entertainment, with very little concern about the consequences of sin or an eternal hell. Lord, prepare our hearts to go into this dying world, so that we can do all that we can to love these unregenerate people the way You love Your enemies, the way You loved us into Your Kingdom by showing compassion to us all, and demonstrating patience with us. That’s our assignment. Nothing has changed, the message isn't any different. Lovingly confront sin, tell them to repent, warn them of the Judgment that is to come then give them the Gospel. Use us, Lord to that end. Trusting the results to You. Father, work mightily in every receiving heart here today, for Your glory and for Christ's sake. In His most precious name.
Amen.
Today's Message: The Growing Influence of God's Kingdom
Let’s open our Bibles to Luke chapter 13, Luke chapter 13, verses eighteen through twenty-one. I pray that you will follow along with me as I read with an open heart and open mind to help us to get a grasp on this very compelling portion of Scripture.
"Therefore, He was saying, "What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."
And again He said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until it was all leavened."
Let's look at verse 18, "Therefore, He was saying, "What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it?" Of course the word therefore is referring to something He previously stated, He had been talking about the kingdom of God and now He's going to elaborate His point, "What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it?" They would have understood that at this point, the kingdom appeared to be very small, practically invisible. Everywhere He went, He preached, He preached about the kingdom of God but things just weren't happening the way they expected them to, they're looking for an external kingdom with Jesus as the King that's going to overthrow Rome rule and would liberate Israel and establish divine rule on earth. Their expectations were rooted in the Old Testament prophecies about a Messianic King. What they couldn't understand was how something so small could become something so big, with great power and influence. It really wasn't clear the Kingdom Jesus was speaking of is not of this world. So to answer their unasked question, He says "What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it?"
In verse 19, He says "It is like a mustard seed." As we mentioned earlier, the mustard was the least of all the seeds they would have been familiar with, yet when it grows, it was able to produce the biggest garden plant that they knew anything about. The mustard seed symbolized something that was seemingly insignificant, yet was capable of extraordinary growth, typically around 8 feet, but could grow up to 10–15 feet tall. Over two thousand years later, we can certainly see how 120 followers in the Upper Room, expanded to about three thousand souls on Pentecost in Acts 2:41, and is now over 2.4 billion Christians worldwide, which can be traced back to that Upper Room and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Yet, there are billions of people all around the world who believe that Jesus is begging them to "make a decision" on His behalf whether or not they will "accept" Him into their heart, because of some well-meaning false Gospel presentation, when what they better be concerned with, is will Jesus accept them into His kingdom because my Bible teaches that in Matthew 7, that not everyone who calls Jesus Lord is going to heaven, but those who do the will of the Father, which according to 1 Thessalonians 4:3, is that you be sanctified and grow in holiness. Sanctified is the past simple and past participle of the word sanctify, which means to be set apart from sin to be used by God for His divine purpose, to make holy. God commands His people to abstain from sexual immorality, which encompasses all sexual activity outside of biblical marriage by living a life transformed by faith.
Growing in holiness is a lifelong process of becoming more like Christ, which requires intentional effort, rooted in the grace of God, equipping them for good works. All of this is consistent with the broader biblical theme of obedience found in Matthew 7:24–27, a parable in which Jesus presents the wise and foolish builders, emphasizing that true wisdom lies not in hearing God’s Words, but in acting on them.
In Matthew 17:20, "And He said to them, "Because of your little faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." Jesus was speaking in the vernacular using common terminology that everybody would have been familiar with. As a matter of fact, its still common symbolism when referring to something small to be compared to a mustard seed. The mustard seed symbolizes humble origins with divine potential. Jesus was very humble with an obscure kingdom unlike anything anyone had ever seen. That's why they mocked Him when they crucified Him. Then, He says "which a man took and threw into his own garden, and it grew and became a tree." He looked nothing like any king they'd ever seen. That small, seemingly insignificant seed fell into the ground and died and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches. The kingdom has continued to grow from Jerusalem a few converts at a time and today, there are over 2 billion Christians worldwide and it's still growing in a way that has far exceeded the expectations of these twelve ordinary men. In the Middle-East alone, Christianity continues to grow, and now make up about 1.9% of Israel’s population. While Islam continues to decline as an intellectual and political force in both Arab and Islamic civilizations, leaving many to wonder if it can undergo renewal through re-engagement with reason and science. Iran is experiencing a significant decline in 2026, as 73% of Iranians support the separation of religion from the state suggesting that the Islamic Republic is "crumbling" and may not survive as thousands have taken to the streets in protest. No matter what happens next, I do not believe there is any scenario in which the Islamic Republic can survive with its power intact.
That brings us to verses 20-21, Jesus isn’t finished yet, showing His desire to help His listeners grasp the reality of what He's saying, again using imagery they would be familiar with. "And again He said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in [g]three sata of flour until it was all leavened." Jesus, like most children of families who love eating bread, grew up watching His own mother make bread. This bread would not only be made for the family to eat, but the extended family and anybody who served in the family as well as anybody who dropped by. Unlike today, meals were not a 15-20 minute ordeal, driven by modern convenience and time constraints, historically, meals were much longer, centered around family and community connection, consumed in a relaxed, reclined position, generally on their left side, allowing the right hand to be free for eating and drinking. As a footnote, the Romans adopted and expanded this custom in the triclinium, where three couches arranged in a U-shape accommodated nine guests (three per couch).
For those of you who have never baked bread, leaven is an rising agent, that causes dough to rise, ultimately extending its impact and affect to produce a massive amount of dough. They would take small remnant of dough from the preceding baking batch that had fermented, placing it in the middle of the mass of newly prepared dough, kneaded and ready for baking, which would act as yeast, permeating the new dough causing it to rise. It was a very small piece of leaven, hidden in three measures of meal. I won't belabor the point to emphasize something more than necessary, but a very small piece of leaven positively influences a massive amount of dough. This would have been a very simple concept for Jesus' hearers to understand. There are some who have concluded that the leaven Jesus is referring to here represents evil and what the parable is teaching is that evil is going to be in the kingdom permeating the kingdom. Their logic comes from Luke 12, when Jesus used the same familiar analogy to describe the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, warning His disciples to beware of hypocrisy's effects. To imagine that the leaven here represents evil would be inconsistent with the layout of the parable.
What Jesus is saying, is you just don't look like somebody who possesses eternal life, its hidden from the world, outwardly, its impossible for them to see. In other, for all intents and purposes, you and I look like everybody else in the world, there's nothing about our appearance visibly that stands out. But even though they don't see it, their lives are being impacted for good by our godly behavior, just as the hidden leaven changes the character of the bread dough. I believe that this beautiful illustration of the way Christians are intended to influence the lives of those around us, even when our acts of kindness, integrity, patience, forgiveness go unrecognized as Christian. I hasten to say, in contrast, it only takes a little "negative" influence to mess up a whole lot. That's why it's so important to resist those moments of temptation to react in the flesh, but to respond in ways that are consistent with a character shaped by the Holy Spirit. Like it or not, your conduct has influence—as a Christian, you represent Christ to the world, you don't get to "opt out" of living as the Bible commands. Whether through family, work, church, or casual interactions at the grocery store or gas station, your conduct has influence, and negative influence spreads very quickly. One small outburst of anger, one tiny act of dishonesty, or one moment of pride can undo years of faithful witness. Whether you realize it or not, if you profess to be a Christian, the world is quietly observing your behavior. Like Paul said in Galatians 5:9, " A little leaven leavens the whole lump."
Psalm 25:4-5, "Make me know Your ways, O Yahweh; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; In You I hope all the day."
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2026 All Rights Reserved