We turn in God's inspired word this morning to Matthew chapter 13. Matthew chapter 13, we read the first 35 verses of this chapter. The same day went Jesus out of the house and sat by the seaside. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship and sat. And the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow. And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside. And the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places where they had not much earth, and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they were scorched, because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up and choked them. But other fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold, who hath ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came and said unto him, why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance. But whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away, even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables, because they seeing see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, by hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive. For this, people's heart is wax gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen them, and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not, Then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which receives seed by the wayside. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same as he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it, but yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while, For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that receives seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word, and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that receiveth seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it, which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He saith unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, nay, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. And in the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them. But gather the wheat into my barn. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all seeds. But when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Another parable speak he unto them, The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until the whole was leavened. All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables. And without a parable spake he not unto them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, saying, I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. So far we read from God's holy word this morning. The text to which I call your attention this morning is verses 31 through 33 of Matthew 13, the two parables here. Another parable, put he forth unto them saying, the kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. which indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it is sown, it is the greatest among herbs and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Another parable spake unto them, the kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until the whole was leavened. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, these two parables evidently belong together, both presenting the same picture of the kingdom of heaven from two different perspectives. Both these parables consider the development and growth of the kingdom. But while the mustard seed calls our attention to the growth and development from the outward viewpoint of the kingdom of heaven in this world, the leaven pictures that same kingdom from the viewpoint of its inward growth. And as we consider these two parables, we not only consider them together, but we must take them together in light of the context of the parables that precede them as Jesus preached from the deck of the ship to those who stood on the shore. So I call your attention to that context because it's the separation of these parables from the preceding that have caused the imaginations of many interpreters to run wild and to misinterpret these parables. I need today to spend much more time in an introduction than I normally would because we need to clear away some of the misinterpretations of this text so that the body of my sermon can focus entirely on the positive meaning of these parables. So in the first place, it's a common misinterpretation of the parable of the mustard seed as meaning that gradually the kingdom of heaven will develop until it covers the whole earth. That's the interpretation of post-millennialism in its many different forms. They teach that the kingdom of heaven under the influence of Christians everywhere, and classical post-millennialism put emphasis on the preaching of the gospel as affecting this. Post-millennialism in most of its forms today is a matter of social gospel teaching, but they teach that the kingdom of heaven under the influence of Christians everywhere will grow. until the knowledge of God and his Christ cover the earth. If the whole world is not converted, and if the whole world is not brought under the influence and teachings of Christ, nevertheless the parable of the mustard seed supposedly means that there will be gradual development of the church until she fills the whole earth. But I would have you notice from the outset that such an interpretation is contrary not only to the context of these parables, but to the whole stream of biblical teaching. When we take the parable of the mustard seed in connection with the parable of the wheat and tares that precedes it, it becomes evident that that interpretation of post-millennialism does not fit. We see, according to the interpretation of scripture, that in the kingdom of heaven, as manifest on this earth, the wicked develop in close proximity to the children of God. And we must expect that. We must expect that such a sharp contrast continues until the execution of judgment when all things that offend and them which do iniquity shall be cast into the furnace of fire and the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. So this shows that we must not expect nor have we seen throughout the centuries the gradual development of a kingdom of heaven into a worldwide and earthly kingdom. Also, we must be careful not to misinterpret along the same lines the parable of the leaven. That's something frequently done today among those pseudo-Calvinists who are really modernists. According to them, the parable of the leaven means that the kingdom of heaven will gradually have its influence in every sphere of life. That is, not only in the Christian's life will the kingdom of heaven show itself and its power and fruit, something which is certainly a clear teaching of scripture, and ought to be our own experience. But they teach beyond that that the influence of the kingdom of heaven will penetrate all spheres of life in society. And the point that they emphasize then is that by the development of the kingdom as leaven, we're going to have eventually a sanctified society, a sanctified economy, a sanctified world, a sanctified educational system in everything, so that the kingdom of heaven conquers the world. And then, of course, to affect that kind of result, the emphasis is placed upon the activity that we must involve ourselves in, striving for the improvement of the world. In its most extreme form, this idea of the leavening power of the kingdom doesn't view the kingdom as the kingdom of heaven. It has an entirely earthly view of the kingdom. Men labor for the kingdom to be realized on this earth and dream and preach of a day when all social ills will be banished forever. And again, I think you recognize, even from the instruction you have received, but also from your own observation, rather than seeing that kind of thing in the world around us, we see, as Scripture tells us to expect, the rapid development of sin and iniquity as the cup of iniquity is filled prior to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ in judgment. The problem with those teachings, those false teachings, is that salvation from sin, the blood atonement, the sovereign grace of salvation, has no place in the preaching from such pulpits, nor in the beliefs of those who have such a view of an earthly kingdom. People of God, as we approach these parables, as with our entire perspective of life, let us do so bowing before the scriptures. You and I are given by God specific callings for every aspect of our life. And you're taught those callings from this pulpit with respect to your life as a husband, as a wife, as children, toward your parents, as employers and employees, your life in relation to the state and to the authorities, the magistrates, but never does scripture call us to work for the improvement of this world with the expectation that we're going to Christianize the world. On the contrary, Christ teaches us that the kingdom of Antichrist shall develop right alongside his own kingdom until the last day. So as we proceed through this text and consider these two parables, let's notice in general that if we carry on with the same method of interpretation as with the other two parables which Jesus himself interpreted for us, Then we conclude that the field is the world, that is, the historical manifestation of the kingdom of Christ in this world, and the seed is the word of God. And though leaven is sometimes used in a negative sense in scripture, such as in the phrase the leaven of the Pharisees, the reference here clearly is to the teaching or doctrine of the kingdom of heaven. The herb tree is the final growth of the small mustard seed, and in the parable, that tree represents the full growth of the church of Jesus Christ as it represents the kingdom of heaven. In the parable of the leaven, the leaven, the meal in which the leaven is hid, can be understood as representing the church in which the word of God powerfully works to accomplish God's purpose. Or if you take the meal and look at it as an individual, the result of the leaven in the meal is the sanctified Christian. But in any case, we have in general the growth of the kingdom of heaven, whether from an outward or an inward point of view. And once again, the Lord gives us these parables for our comfort. The Lord instructs us here that we must not be discouraged nor scoff at the insignificant beginning and the unnoticeable growth of the power of the kingdom. And that, no doubt, is something the disciples were inclined to do. After all, they had envisioned a kingdom of considerable power and glory. Their earthly conception of the kingdom would not be fulfilled. And they were finding that the enmity against them and their Christ was on the increase. The kingdom not only seemed to be far away, it seemed to be impossible of realization. And it might seem the same to us, beloved, as we await the return of Christ and the final realization of His kingdom. But now the Lord shows us that though this kingdom might have an insignificant beginning, and though its growth might be almost unnoticeable, it nevertheless has a magnificent end. So having completed my lengthy introduction and using the language of the text, I call your attention now to the growth of the mustard seed, the power of leaven. We notice, first of all, the insignificant beginning. Secondly, the unnoticeable growth. And finally, the magnificent end. God created both the mustard seed and leaven as tokens of a small and insignificant beginning. I mentioned in my introduction that the mustard seed here is used by God to illustrate the Word of God. And we are confident that such is the correct interpretation because in harmony with the parable Jesus already taught, is this parable, but also the rest of Scripture. More than once in the Bible is seed compared to the Word of God. But then let it be understood, as is taught in 1 Peter 1, verses 23 through 25, the seed, the seed is first of all Jesus Christ, right? He is the seed. The Word become flesh. Because that seed is Christ, that seed can also serve to picture the Word of the Gospel, which Christ himself preaches concerning himself and throughout his church. That word gives origin to the kingdom of heaven in this world. And Christ would teach us from that point of view that the beginning of that kingdom is by all appearances insignificant. Insignificant. So what is this small band? among the entire population of the world. Insignificant, aren't we? The mustard seed is among the smallest of seeds. Many of you probably have never seen one. Many years ago, prior to my going into the ministry, I worked in a lumberyard, hardware, a home center, similar to Home Depot. And this operation where I worked had a seed department because in the city, many had their gardens. And that seed department was a very busy part of the store for the first several months of the year. And one of the seeds that we sold was the mustard seed. I dare say that if I were to take a piece of paper and tape a mustard seed to the paper, You children in the front row probably could not see that seed. Maybe you could, but those farther back wouldn't be able to. Very tiny seed. That mustard seed emphasizes the very small and insignificant beginning of the word of the gospel as the beginning of the kingdom of heaven. The kingdoms of this world have their origins in power, in mighty militaries, in the strength of the people united in their desire for a particular kind of rule. The kingdoms of this world have their beginnings in worldly wisdom and schemings. But the kingdom of heaven has its origin only in the small beginning of the word of the cross. Nothing else. And that word, that little seed dropped by the sovereign sower, is not only insignificant, it's greatly despised. That was true already when Jesus ministered. His disciples could see the very truth proclaimed by this parable. That's probably why they didn't ask for an explanation of this parable. The Lord went through the land preaching the gospel, performing miracles to demonstrate the authority of His Word preached. He gained but a few converts. And they were counted as the scum of society. The lowly and despised, the uneducated, sinners, publicans and harlots became his disciples. And later his disciples would watch Jesus suffer a cursed death. And when all was over, they numbered all together 120 souls. That's not a lot larger than this number here. That was the church, the church. When it comes to the apparent insignificance of the Word of God, it's no different today, is it? The preaching of the cross of a condemned man is always a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. And the voice of the true gospel of Jesus Christ is always that of a voice crying in the wilderness. As the mustard seed, so is the kingdom of heaven with its small insignificant beginning. That small insignificant beginning is also seen in the picture of the leaven. Leaven is also a product of little account, dust particles. Jesus speaks a parable of a woman who took and hid leaven in three measures of meal. And three measures of meal was the usual quantity for a home baking task. So people would have understood what he was talking about. And again, that leaven has an insignificant beginning. And there's an important element that's taught here. The leaven was not in that meal by nature. It had to be placed there. In like manner, the gospel is not a mere natural product. It's not a hidden quality lying dormant in the heart of man, needing only favorable conditions for its development. It's not a human invention. But as Scripture teaches, a divine power wrought by the Spirit of Christ An insignificant beginning which in actuality is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. In the second place, that insignificant beginning brings with it an almost unnoticeable growth. That's the element emphasized in the second parable, that of the leaven. Leaven is yeast, boys and girls, that which makes the bread dough rise into a loaf that can be baked and that's soft and good to eat. And it's emphasized in the text that the woman hid the leaven in three measures of And of course, after the leaven is hidden in the meal, the woman doesn't see the operation of that leaven. That leaven is out of sight. And she might sit there for a while, or a child might come and watch that bread dough and not see anything happen. But she may be confident that in time that yeast will permeate and affect every particle of that dough. She doesn't sit and watch for the dough to rise because she has other household tasks, which are many. So the growth of the loaf goes unnoticed by her. And so it is with the gospel. In this parable, the leaven is the word of God as it's hidden in the regenerated hearts of God's people. Regeneration is first, no question about that according to scripture, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God, but this leaven, this word, as it's hidden in the regenerated heart, is the power, the spiritual power of the kingdom of God. And the Levin illustrates that, so also with the gospel, the power of it is an invisible power. A power that works underneath that which we might notice with our eyes. That word is preached and we see nothing happen. And sometimes I can tell you as a minister, if I lose sight of this word taught by Jesus, the preaching can be pretty frustrating too. Because it seems like it falls on deaf ears sometimes. We see no effect. But the word does work powerfully, though for a time nothing seems to change. And the point which the Lord Jesus would emphasize in this parable is the truth that you and I must trust in the power of that gospel. and believe it will accomplish the purpose whereunto Christ has sent it, the establishment of the kingdom of heaven, the salvation of the church, the word is the power of leaven, ordained by God for the work of saving His church and establishing His kingdom. And it is important for our life as a church and as individuals that we remember this truth. The failure to lay hold of this truth has led to devastation in the church of our day and in the hearts of many people. because men have seen fit to replace the mustard seed and the leaven of the word and the preaching of the gospel with other things. Impatient to wait for that unnoticeable growth of the leaven to take its effect, they resort to other means to establish the kingdom of heaven, embarrassed by the results of the preaching. So they instead would bring about a renewal of society by their own efforts or social tools, or The pulpit and the preaching are set aside for music and entertainment. So that a few years ago, I had a conversation with a man who was a member of a megachurch, and he was talking about the worship in distinction from the message. And I asked him about that. What's this distinction you make between the worship and the message? And he said, well, you know, the focus of the service is on the worship. You know, because that's when the band is rocking and the lights are going crazy and it's so loud in here you couldn't hear gunshots. And the message is when the pastor gets up and gives a 10 or 12 minute talk. That's what the church has come to today. The church becomes a sort of social organization promoting all sorts of extra-biblical or un-biblical philosophy and entertainment. All those efforts are doomed to failure. We say with God, preach the word and no gimmicks. History itself makes mockery of all attempts of man to do better than God. Do you want to witness the powerful attempts of men to build an earthly kingdom by their own leaven? Then look at the huge, empty churches across Europe. and witness the beautiful little country churches across New England and Canada, void of the truth and of any members. Many of those beautiful little country churches in New England are open only for certain events or for photographers. and witness the increasing vacancy of even Reformed churches in our day, many of which are folding and combining, many of which have no children, no youth, all elderly people, the spiritual barrenness evident. a shrill, spine-tingling laughter, echoes through the death-filled kingdoms of men. And when you look beyond the church world, which has by and large discarded the expository preaching of the gospel, and see the connection between the church institute and the political and social realms, then in light of the scriptures you can see the development of the rise of Antichrist. Quite the opposite of the illustration given by Jesus to picture the development of his own kingdom, unnoticed by the world. Yes, all the talk of making this world a better place to live is dedicated to the advancement of Antichrist's kingdom. It has nothing to do with the kingdom of heaven. And it's the undeniable truth of Scripture that the kingdom of man, a kingdom devoted to sin and opposed to God and the power of His Word, will again be destroyed at the end of time when Christ comes again. There is only one power that shall realize the kingdom of heaven. That's the power that brings unnoticeable growth. small in its beginnings, the power that's foolishness to the world, in comparison with the efforts of men and the attempts to establish an earthly kingdom, this power doesn't seem to accomplish much at all. Nevertheless, from the viewpoint of the church's calling and the power of the kingdom, the word of God must be our confidence, and that word must be preached, and the rest may be entrusted to God, who accomplishes His own will, powerfully working underneath what is observed. The leaven is hidden, no question about it. The Word of God works, but it works in the heart. That's the problem, you see, with all the attempted works of men, with entertainment and human philosophies and gimmicks. They're not powerful to work change in the heart. They can't bring about that powerful change of heart that's necessary unto the establishment of the kingdom of God and of His Christ. But the gospel, through the working of the Holy Spirit, works in the hearts of His people, works powerfully, brings tremendous change. Quietly, unnoticeably, yet powerfully and effectively, it works through the whole child of God and through the whole elect church until Christ's kingdom is established. Let's remember this, people of God. The church must not put its confidence in any other power than the Word of God. Let's not grow weary of dropping the tiny seeds of the gospel, as it were, into the soil wherever God gives us opportunity, though the effects appear ever so minimal. It's either this gospel, the gospel of truth, or there's nothing that can ever bring about the kingdom of Christ. And the power of this gospel, you know, don't you? Haven't you enjoyed the gratitude to God that this knowledge of faith has been worked in you by the powerful Word of God? You know the relationship God has given you, the place in his own family, purchased by the precious blood of Christ, proclaimed by this gospel, don't you? Let's rejoice then, beloved. The growth of the mustard seed and the power of leaven both come to a magnificent end. We might wonder why the Lord did not use another figure than that of the mustard seed. After all, the mustard seed is an herb. And while it can grow large enough to be a tree, a small tree, and birds can make their nests in her, nevertheless, the mustard plant remains an herb, not a massive tree. Why didn't Christ use the figure of an acorn in a mighty oak tree? Well, when you consider the figure of the mustard seed and that which Jesus was describing by its use, then you can understand how fitting is that figure. The mustard seed develops into a magnificent plant. When you consider its small beginning, It remains inert, but it shows marvelous growth, the same as the kingdom of God. Who would ever expect the seed of the preaching of the word to develop into such a tremendous end? Look at what the gospel has accomplished in the history of the world. It has established the only kingdom in the world where there is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, where there is holiness and salvation from all evils common to man. All those things unattainable by man are wrought with power by the seed of the gospel as ministered by the Spirit of Christ. It brings to us who are its citizens the forgiveness of sins, the righteousness of the cross, the holiness of God Himself and the blessedness of His fellowship. And so it has developed throughout history into a kingdom innumerable. as God promised to Abraham with a citizenship as populous as the sand upon the seashore and the stars in the heavens. And yet, as magnificent as it is, the kingdom of heaven is not like the kingdoms of this world. And that's why it's compared to an herb and not a massive tree. The oak tree, for example, might be a picture of the kingdoms of this world in their outward show and mighty power, but the kingdom of heaven as found on this earth is not a kingdom of outward show, never will be. It's like the herb. Even so, as small and insignificant as it might appear, you need only ask a citizen of this kingdom, a citizen perhaps in the nursing home, and he or she will tell you the one treasure that is more than all the world is citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. The leaven also illustrates beautifully this magnificent end of the kingdom of heaven, this time from the viewpoint of the inward development of the heart. The power of the gospel is far greater than the children of this world could ever imagine. For we were once the children of this world. never anticipating what the power of the gospel would do in us and continues to do. And we are still undergoing that process of leavening as long as we live on this earth. But consider what we were. We were dead in trespasses and sins. clothed in rags of iniquity, burdened down with guilt and shame. Scripture describes us sinners in the most repulsive language. But by the leavening of the gospel, the Spirit has applied to us the cleansing power of the blood of Christ. The gospel is preached every week to your cleansing, to the removal of your guilt and sin. It brings a rebellious man and a stubborn woman to their knees in confession and repentance. It turns the enemies of God into loyal citizens of the kingdom. It affects us in such a way that receiving the Word of God, we become fruitful even in the outward walk of a sanctified life. It brings heaven into our hearts, the fellowship of God into our conscious experience, empowers us for the battle of faith, and in doing so, This leaven of God's Word prepares all the citizens of God's kingdom for the day that Christ will come again and establish perfectly and finally, forever, His kingdom. Do you know the growth of the mustard seed, the power of the leaven as a matter of your own salvation? receive this Word of God, receive it with rejoicing. Let all His people praise Him who sends forth His Word in such power and to such a magnificent end. Humble though it may seem, a little seed, a little lump of leaven, in His Word we must trust. not in our own strength and ingenuity. For the gospel alone shall triumph over all the powers of sin and death in this world and in your life and mine for our everlasting salvation. Amen.