Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father God, please extend Your blessing upon this study and use it to help us better understand the attributes of Your Kingdom, Your Glory and Your Power.
Amen
We begin our study by reading the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast. For this study, instead of reading them from the Gospel according to Matthew, we will read them from the Gospels according to Mark and Luke.
With this in mind, we begin by reading the “Parable of the Mustard Seed” as it is recorded in,
[30] Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? [31] It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; [32] but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Let us now read the second parable, which is the “Parable of the Yeast” as it is recorded in,
Luke 13:20-21
[20] And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? [21] It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”
For this study, we will explore the above parables as to how they apply to that portion of God’s Kingdom that is within you. The reason for this is because this was how Jesus responded to the Pharisees question of; “When will the Kingdom of God come?” To read Jesus’ response we go to,
Luke 17:20-21
[20] Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; [21] nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For, indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
With this Scripture in mind we will now explore,
Perhaps the best way to see how God’s Kingdom grows within an individual is by example. To do this we will,
1. Read from the Old Testament to see how God’s Kingdom grew within the person of Moses.
2. Read from the New Testament to see how God’s Kingdom grew within the person of Paul.
3. Review the call for you and me to become a disciple of Jesus Christ and a child of God.
We begin the example of Moses with the following,
At the time Moses was born, Pharaoh, being afraid of the growth of the Israelite population, decreed that all male Israelite children were to be put to death. However, Moses’ mother did not obey Pharaoh’s command. Instead of carrying out the king’s order, she placed Moses in a basket and hid him alongside of the Nile River. She did this with the hope that somehow Moses would survive. To see this let us read from,
Exodus 2:1-4
[1] And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. [2] So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. [3] But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. [4] And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby Moses, felt compassion for him and decided to raise him as her own son. As a result, Moses became a grandson of the Pharaoh. This is recorded in,
[5] Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. [6] And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” [7] Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”[8] And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. [9] Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. [10] And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
Further in the Old Testament we discover that through a set of circumstances, Moses, in order to save his life from the wrath of Pharaoh, fled from Egypt and went to the land of Midian. While in Midian, Moses became a shepherd and lived with his wife Zipporah and their son, Gershom. To see exactly what occurred let us read from,
Exodus 2:11-22
[11] Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. [12] So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. [13] And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?” [14] Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” [15] When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.[16] Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. [17] Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. [18] When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”[19] And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”[20] So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”[21] Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. [22] And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”
It was in Midian where,
To read what happened let us go to,
Exodus 3:1-12
[1] Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. [2] And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. [3] Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” [4] So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”[5] Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” [6] Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.[7] And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. [8] So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. [9] Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. [10] Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”[11] But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” [12] So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
Let us notice the following verses,
2-6 … While Moses was tending a flock of sheep, God, from within a burning bush, spoke to him.
10 … God told Moses He was sending him back to Egypt to deliver the Israelites from their bondage to Pharaoh. As a side note, at this time of Moses life the Pharaoh, who was Moses grandfather, died and a new Pharaoh had taken his place. This is recorded in,
Exodus 2:23-25
[23] Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. [24] So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. [25] And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.
We now return to Exodus Chapter 3 and notice the following verse,
11 … Moses told God he was not up to the task. In other words, Moses, now being a shepherd, did not believe he had the skills or qualifications to accomplish such a momentous task.
12a ... God assured Moses He would certainly be with him.
The questions arise as to: “What happened?” and “How does this relate to the growth of God’s Kingdom within an individual?” To find out, let us consider the following brief summary of,
1. Through the hand of Moses God performed miracle after miracle.
2. Through the hand of Moses God led Israel out of Egypt and their bondage to Pharaoh.
3. Through the hand of Moses God wrote the first five books of the Bible.
In addition,
4. After being in God’s presence, Moses’ face would glow with God’s glory. This is recorded in,
Exodus 34:29-35
[29] Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. [30] So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. [31] Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. [32] Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. [33] And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. [34] But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. [35] And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.
Thus, just as yeast will spread throughout flour, God and His Kingdom spread throughout Moses’ being.
For our New Testament example we will look to,
Before we read about the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ call for Paul to become one of His disciples, let review the following brief
The Bible teaches us that Paul (his Roman name), who is sometimes referred to in Hebrew as Saul, was extremely well educated in the Old Testament Scriptures. He also lived his life as a Pharisee, in strict accordance with the law. To see this, let us read an excerpt from his defense to King Agrippa as to why he was preaching and teaching about Jesus.
Acts 26:4-5
[4] “My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. [5] They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
It was Paul’s miss understanding of the Old Testament and zeal for strict adherence to the law that led him to persecute anyone or any organization that professed and taught that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah.
While on his way to persecute the Christian church in Damascus, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to Paul. It was here that
This miraculous event is recorded in,
Acts 9:1-6
[1] Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest [2] and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. [3] As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. [4] Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”[5] And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”[6] So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
With Jesus’ call to Paul in mind let us now read a brief summary of
1. Paul proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ to a myriad of people, including governors, magistrates and a king.
2. Through the hand of Paul God penned fourteen of the New Testament epistles.
3. However, most significantly is how the growth of God’s Kingdom grew within Paul. This is beautifully described in,
Galatians 2:20
[20] I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
The question now arises as to: “What about us?” Specifically, “What about you and me?” To address these questions let us briefly examine
To do this let us first read the following excerpt from the Gospel according to John. This excerpt reveals the tremendous gift God, through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, has extended to each and every one of us. It is recorded in,
John 1:6-13
[6] There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. [7] This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. [8] He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. [9] That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. [10] He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. [11] He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. [12] But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: [13] who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Let us notice the following verses,
12 … All who received Jesus, which are those who have accepted and submitted to Him as their Lord and Savior, also have received the right or privilege to become a child of God.
13 … Those who did receive and accepted Him are now born-again of the Holy Spirit. In other words, as we saw with the examples of Moses and Paul we, who have been born-again, are new creatures. We have been filled with God the Holy Spirit and hence, the Kingdom of God is certainly now within us.
To refresh our memory let us reread,
Luke 17:20-21
[20] Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; [21] nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For, indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
AN EXHORTATION
With the parables of the “Mustard Seed” and “The Yeast” in mind, we find that the Scriptures encourage us to make sure we have been truly born-again by God the Holy Spirit. To see this, let us read from,
1 Corinthians 10:12
[12] Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
With this exhortation in mind let us now prayerfully read,
THE TEST
To do this we go to,
2 Peter 1:1-11
[1] Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: [2] Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, [3] as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, [4] by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. [5] But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, [6] to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, [7] to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. [8] For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. [10] Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; [11] for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Let us notice the following verses,
1-3 … We have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness.
4 … So we can partake of the divine nature, we have been given great and precious promises. In other words, because of these promises we are able to have God the Holy Spirit living within us.
5-7 … Because of all that God has made available for us, the following qualities such as faith, virtue, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love are available to us.
To help us have a clearer understanding of verse 8, we go to the “Amplified Bible” and reread,
2 Peter 1:8
[8] For as these qualities are yours and are increasing [in you as you grow toward spiritual maturity], they will keep you from being useless and unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The key phrase in the above Scripture is: “are increasing.” In other words, as the mustard seed and the yeast grow, these qualities should also be growing within us. Notice, the Scripture does not say they are perfected. It says they should be growing, increasing and/or abound.
Let us now reread from; “The New King James” translation,
2 Peter 1:9
[9] For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
With all the above in mind, let us now reread,
2 Peter 1:10-11
[10] Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; [11] for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
CLOSING
To close our study let us prayerfully read,
Jude 1:24-25
[24] Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
[25] To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen and Amen