Welcome to the ministry of First Reformed Church of Aberdeen, South Dakota. Our worship services are at nine o'clock every Sunday morning. Now we join Pastor Hank Bone as he brings us God's word. Turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 13. We've been looking through this chapter. We'll continue to look through this chapter for a few more weeks, going through the parables of Jesus. And in chapter 13, of course, we have those parables more directly related to the kingdom parables. Kingdom parables are sometimes called, or sometimes even called kingdom growth parables. And we've already considered the first two. The next two are pretty tightly joined together. They're short. I'm going to consider them in separate weeks, but they're closely tied together to what we've been looking at. So let's begin our reading with Matthew chapter 13, beginning with verse 1. where it says, On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea, and great multitudes were gathered together to him, so that he got into a boat and sat, and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And then he spoke many things to them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places. where they did not have much earth. And they immediately sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, they were scorched. And because they had no root, they were withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came and said to him, why do you speak to them in parables? He answered and said to them, because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore, I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive. for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn so that I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For assuredly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desire to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it. Therefore hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who receives seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the seedfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who receives seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces some a hundredfold, some sixty, some 30 another parable he put for them saying the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field but while men slept his enemy came and so tears among the wheat and went his way but when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop then the tears also appeared So the servants of the owner came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares? He said to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Do you want us then to go and gather them up? But he said, No, lest while you gather up the tares, you also uproot the wheat with them. Let them both grow together and tell the harvest. And at the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, first, gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them. But gather the wheat into my barn. And another parable he put forth to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches. Another parable he spoke to them. The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened. All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables. And without a parable, he did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter things kept in secret from the foundations of the world. Father, as we have read Your Word, we pray that we may now hear the sense of it, and that Father, through this, we may be comforted by Your Word, as well as encouraged by it. that father you may strengthen us and that you may help us to be put on guard by it for this word is the word of life it is the word that is to direct us in the very path that we walk and so father let us hear your word this day for we ask it in jesus name amen well beloved people of god You know, God calls the Christian out of the world to become a living member of the church, which is the body of Christ. And so if you're here today, it's because in one way or another, one fashion or another, God has in your life come with his word to you and drawn you out of the world and set you into and amongst the people of God. When you as a Christian become a member of the Church, you also become a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. And so in Matthew's Gospel, he's focused on living as citizens of this Kingdom with Jesus as the King Supreme. You know, the whole of the Sermon on the Mount can be referred to as the principles of Kingdom life. So that whole Matthew 5 through 7 where we have the Beatitudes and we have the Lord's Prayer and just a number of different lessons and teachings about how we are to live in this world as members of the Kingdom of Heaven becomes crucial to us, important to us, and we should be very familiar with those sections. But likewise, the whole of Matthew speaks to us concerning the kingdom of heaven. And so as we continue in our consideration of Matthew 13, you must keep before you the overall context of these parables as speaking to the nature of the kingdom of heaven. And that should be important to you because we're citizens of the kingdom of heaven. We just came through the study of 1 Peter and in 1 Peter he talks about us as being pilgrims and sojourners here in this world and that our real home is heaven. And so in the same way we might run up to Canada to play a hockey tournament and we're all in on a million Americans. Well, as Christians, when we walk out into the world, we should be all in on being citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. In the sense, there's that real ownership that we have of knowing where we belong. Because he led off with the parable of the four soils and then the explanation of it, it comes in that context. It comes after, and so here this explanation comes after the three following parables. And so you should sort of anticipate that all four parables are teaching about a similar subject, from the parable of the four soils, the parable of the wheat and the tares, and then he's got this one on the mustard seed, and then the leaven, that we should see those all as kind of bound up as the explanation comes after these. They're all dealing with a similar subject. what was at the heart of the parable of the wheat and tares, is that the devil will be seeking to sow the church with tares to bring harm to the church. The challenge there was that it is nearly impossible to distinguish the young sprouts of the wheat from the rye grass sprouts. They all look the same. So the church begins to grow up together and the lesson is, the teaching is, that it's a mixed bag. Within the church you're going to have God's people and you're going to have some that are pretenders. The challenge there was that it is nearly impossible to distinguish the young sprouts from the rye grass. And so the identification occurs when? It occurs later as the wheat bears fruit and the tares do not. So somebody often in the church will say, but we're not supposed to judge one another. And another might reply, but yes, we are fruit inspectors. So the Master says, let the two grow side by side in the field until the time of harvest, when we can see those that bear the wheat from those that do not. And so this morning we come to Matthew 13, verses 31 and 32, and Jesus teaches what is known as the parable of the mustard seed. Now this parable is among those where our Lord is teaching about the principles of the kingdom of God and the nature of how the church will function within the world, and as such we must keep in mind that the church and the kingdom are not synonymous. They're not exactly the same, but that the church is the more focused expression of the people of God gathered out of the world, while the kingdom of heaven is the broader influence of the working of God's people in the world. For the Christian though, kingdom work begins and is encouraged in and through the church. And as Christians, we are not the church only on Sunday, but we are the called out people of God all week long. So while distinct, the church and the kingdom of heaven are intimately connected. The church is called to worship God while it serves God as citizens of the kingdom of heaven. In particular, this parable is one wherein Jesus gives us insight into the nature of how the church and the kingdom of heaven are ordained to grow in these last days before the Lord returns. Now, when are the last days? The last days begin with Jesus' ascension into heaven and continue on until his return. So we're in the last days, the end times, right now. This is the millennium. I want to say right up front that there are two schools of thought concerning this parable. And the parable 11 that follows, likewise, they're tied together in how commentators view them. Now the first interpretation of these two parables sees them as describing the growth of the church and the advance of the kingdom from a very small beginning to where it spreads throughout all the world before the return of Christ. And history is proving that as the church has grown and spread throughout the world, we see that to be the case. However, that may not be the main point that Jesus is seeking to teach us here, but it is an important point. We don't want to minimize it. Now, the second interpretation takes a different view, where while the church grows and expands, the mustard tree represents the devil's presence in God's kingdom, and the birds are those who do the devil's bidding. Well, as we approach this parable then, what I'd like to say is this. That I really think the theme of this parable may be better understood as Jesus teaching that the expansion of the kingdom will include unwanted elements. I think that's what these parables are teaching. That the church isn't a pure institution. And we should recognize that. And we shouldn't be surprised when we see elements within the church that we don't think belong there. However, as we look at this parable, it will also challenge us a little bit in terms of how we function within and as members of the church. So let's get into it. What are the images of the parable? Our first point, the images of the parable. So that in considering the images, time must be taken to consider that which seems to be out of place. Remember, whenever you're studying scripture, you want to understand the words, you want to understand the elements, and particularly in parables this becomes important because they're, remember our definition of parable, they're earthly stories with a heavenly meaning. So we are taking the earthly images, recognizing they're designed to teach us a spiritual truth. And so as we're looking at the images and we consider those images, time must be taken to consider that which seems to be out of place. Now, that seems odd. And we're going to see some of those elements. And that's important for us in the long run in seeing the intended meaning. But where do we begin? So whenever we approach the passage, the first place we have to begin is always start by making yourself aware of the context. The context is always the key starting point to understanding the passage. So one would make a mistake if they simply open their Bible and say, you know, I want to study parables. Open your Bible and you say, muster see two verses, that's short, that's an easy parable, I'll start there, and just read the two verses. Now I wonder what that understands. What are you supposed to understand by that? And you haven't read everything that's around it. You haven't read Matthew 13. You don't know the whole thing of what's going on. You don't recognize Jesus' conversation to the multitudes and what the multitudes are made up of. You're not taking that into consideration. You're just looking at the two verses. And we call that studying it atomistically. You know, an atom's a little tiny thing. We're just looking at this little bit of it. We're not looking at the whole of what's being taught. but just a couple of sentences. We talk about that as studying it out of context, taking it out of context. And that always is going to be a dangerous thing. So what you want to start with is not only to say, well, I want to study the parable of the mustard seed, so I need to read the whole chapter. I need to figure out where the story is, where the event is, where the unit is in terms of the discussion. And so we've been going through that, we've been looking at that. A careful reflection of the four parables that are surrounding, and they're all together, reveals that they may not be separate, but rather designed to convey complementary ideas. Namely, that the kingdom of God exists within a mixed existence of believers and unbelievers, of good elements and evil elements. That we should expect a number of things in the church to be right on. And we should also expect there to arise things in the church where you go, ah, something seems off here. We should always be aware of that. Always be looking. It has been also the pattern that that which is identified as the field or the main thing belongs to the Lord in these parables. The field belongs to the Lord. the owner of the field. And that this field in these parables has been infiltrated by the enemy in some way. That's sort of the theme through this Matthew 13. So the question that arises here is an understanding of the distinction between the field and the mustard tree. The field has consistently in these parables been seen as the Lord's church or kingdom. The field is constantly been that which has been identified as belonging to the master or the owner, which would be God. But remember that in a parable, you must be careful not to read too much into every element. Rather, there's usually one striking thing that is being sought to be hammered home. And so there's a good example where the focus is not really on the field, but on what Jesus said in this parable, where we read, the kingdom of heaven is like what? It's like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. So what's being focused on here, the field or the mustard seed? So in that sense, the field, while it gives us a little underlying context, isn't that important. The focus is on the mustard seed. So given that, you can understand that both the field and the mustard seed are there as images associated with the owner of the field. Because it says the man took the mustard seed and he planted it in his field. So it was both his seed and it was his field. It is God's field, and He's the one who plants the mustard seed in it to grow and produce an intended fruit. But the focus is on the mustard seed in this parable and what the mustard seed does. And so that becomes the next question, right? Okay, the field's taken care of. What's the function of the mustard seed? Well, it's to grow into a big tree. So we consider the image of the mustard seed that it's a very, very small seed, an herb that normally grows to the size of a bush, depending on the variety, anywhere from four feet to 10 to 15 feet. That in and of itself seems abnormal, that something so small in the beginning becomes so large. It'd be like a magic carrot seed that springs up to heaven and you can climb like Jack the Beanstalk, right? There's imagery here that's seemingly out of place because this thing that should be a bush turns into a tree. It's huge. You should also note that it appears that a single seed was planted in the field, not as the main crop. But again, the focus is on the tree and not whatever else may be planted in the field. Now some commentators see this idea of the mustard seed that something foreign has been introduced as supported by the fact that the preceding parable spoke of the enemy who introduced weed seed into the field. And they're saying that so the mustard seed must represent the same thing as the tares. I disagree with that. I believe that the owner plants the seed and he's planting the mustard seed. So it's not going to be the same thing. Nevertheless, it is the interpretation of that parable that follows these two similar parables, which is usually an indicator that there is a relation in the material. And so at the same time, I think this may take us a little off track if we say the mustard seed is somehow planted by the devil. because it was the owner of the field and not an enemy that planted the mustard seed. So as much as the image of this mustard tree is better seen as a picture of the church or the kingdom of heaven, we understand now the imagery. It starts out as a small thing, one family, one family of Abraham, and grew into a nation. And now in these last days, into the church of God, expanding to every nation on the earth. I think that likewise sort of contradicts the other where the mustard tree is somehow seen as that domain of Satan. Because what do we have? We have the domain of Satan basically encompass the world. All who are in Adam have fallen and only those called out, the remnant, come to be viewed as the people of God. The church is always viewed as the remnant church, a small part of the whole. And so we see the imagery here where the church really begins with Abraham, one family, one man, one family, into one nation, into all the nations of the earth. A growing and expanding thing. A small seed into a large thing that is very much noticed. The other image to be considered is that of the birds that come and nest in its branches. There's also been mention of birds already in this chapter in verse four. They are identified as those who come and snatch away the seed of the word sown that fell by the wayside. These birds are identified as the agents of the wicked one in verse 19. So it's unlikely that the use of the same image in such a close proximity would have a radically different use. But some of the birds in the mustard tree I should say, but some see the birds in the mustard tree as the attraction of the Gentiles coming into the church. So they're saying the mustard tree represents Israel and the birds represent the Gentiles coming in to roost. I disagree with that. Rather, what I see Here is the idea that the church grows and it becomes bigger, the Gentiles become part of that growing process. And so as a result of that, in terms of the context, the best interpretation is that the mustard tree is an image of the church and the birds would need to be viewed as something different than the church, which would be consistent with our other parables. where something different is introduced to that which belongs to the owner. So as such, we see in these parables the image of that which is intended as good, a good thing by God, also finds present an element of opposition from something that ought not to be there, or is not normal to the good things. Now, not so much in South Dakota, but when we lived out in California, and we had peach trees and apricot trees, you might have it with your cherry trees, but you get the tree, it grows up, this fruit starts to bear, and you're going, oh, I'm gonna enjoy this fruit. And the next morning, you get up and you look out there, and there are the birds. They're in the tree. And they don't just eat a piece of fruit, they peck a hole in every piece of fruit. They go through and they essentially ruin the crop. And so I think here what we're seeing in terms of the mustard tree is that the birds come in and they represent that which is from the outside that have come to devour the seeds of the mustard tree. To do damage to the mustard tree in the same way that the terrorists on the wheat field were to do damage to the wheat field. Nevertheless, they grow up together and there is the harvest. So here we have the small mustard seed that grows into a great, unexpectedly large tree that attracts all kinds of birds. So as God brings about the growth of the church through redemptive history, the larger the church grows, the more it attracts unwanted elements. And those are the images. But what are the implications? Well, the implication of the parable then would cause us to see the mustard tree as something in the master's field that is attracting destructive elements in the midst of it. Namely, the birds are there to devour the seeds of the mustard tree. And so it would appear that in the imagery of the mustard tree, we will see this in the effect of yeast, in the parable that follows, that Jesus is intending to warn of an influence within the church that can and will grow and that believers must be very aware of, that we must be very aware of. Recognizing that the occupants of the mustard tree, the birds, are not part of the tree, In the Bible, the imagery of Christ as the trunk and the believers as the branches is often employed. But in those cases, there is an attachment between the root and the branches that bear the fruit. And we don't have that with the birds. So the imagery here has the birds hanging out in the branches. They are mingled with them, but not the same as the branches. They're not part of the tree. So if the mustard tree is designed to represent the church in the field of God's work, then the birds would represent infiltrators into the church. Now there's always limitations, correct, to everything. So the part of the work of the church is to, in a sense, preach to the birds so that they could become mustard seeds. So the imagery sort of falls apart a little bit at that point, but that's not Jesus' lesson here. Jesus' lesson here is that there's going to always be that side-by-side mixture. So Jesus' teaching then is again reinforcing that in the world and the church, believers and unbelievers exist side-by-side. And therefore, the believer must be aware of this and seek to minimize the influence of evil in the church. in the greater Christian community today, in the greater Christian church today, there is always that tremendous drive for the local church to grow. And we're not familiar with that desire ourselves. You know, my heart's desire is to see this congregation grow, to be filled with people who are coming hungry to learn God's word, to worship him, and to serve God with their lives. And that's natural for our call to be engaged in the Great Commission, to reach the lost. We are an extension of the ongoing ministry of Christ to seek and to save that which is lost. That's how Christ continues his saving mission in the world, through us. We are Christ in that sense. We are his representatives. But it is commonly the case that once a small, struggling congregation turns that corner and begins to grow rapidly, it fuels excitement. People begin to talk about something happening in a particular congregation, and soon others are flocking through the doors to become part of something unusual that's going on. Often in the rapid growth, some people become part of the church who have yet to be saved by true faith in Christ. They love being part of the religious experience, but they have yet really to submit their lives to the power of Christ. In this imagery, you know, the birds don't hang out in the small little bush, but when it grows big, it attracts lots of birds. And so it is with the church. As we look big and successful and prominent, more and more people are attracted to it. And those are the implications. So what about the instruction of the parable? What are some of the applications? Well, since this parable and the next come between the parables of the sowing of the tares and the explanation of that parable, we should see this parable as expanding upon this lesson of the evil one seeking to do damage to the church. It's just the context part of it. And this isn't a mystery, but we should ask, in what way Armed with this knowledge, do we as the church respond to the efforts of the evil one who is seeking to devour us as God's people? Well, first we should recognize the primary way in which the devil seeks to bring damage to the church is how? We see it from the wheats and the tares, by introducing a corrupt seed. Bad seed. and that is, his attack will in some way be an attack against God's Word. So the historical strength of the R.C.U.S. was seen in a handful of faithful pastors and a few churches that would not compromise their commitment to the Bible as God's inspired and infallible Word. While the mainline R.C.U.S. was swept away by modernism and liberalism, the remnant stood fast upon the B.I.B.L.E. That's the book for me, right? And that's how simple it was for them. How do you guard yourself? You pay attention to knowing what you believe. Do not listen to the words of the world designed to direct you into doubting what God has said as the absolute truth and only truth and authority for what you believe and how you're gonna live. So the greatest attack on the church today you need to understand, is directed at our children. The schools and universities have been committed to separating us from our kids by questioning our authority and ultimately God's authority. The world is driven by a death culture that has broken down into complete irrationalism, completely enslaved to an appeal to emotions and self-centeredness. And this is the old philosophy simply of skepticism that is at the heart of existentialism. It's not a matter of an absolute truth, but it's how I feel about something. Right? So you're watching an argument, and some of you guys know Charlie Kirk, and he's been on campus this week, and he just simply asked a simple question. What is a woman? And the girls are like, and he goes, are you a woman? They can't answer. And they go, why are you so hateful? He goes, I just asked you what a woman was. And their response is, you're hurting my feelings, so you're hateful. That's existentialism gone into the realm of irrationalism. It's not a new philosophy. It's just a more irrational one that we're seeing today. philosophy of skepticism and existentialism, and it is the fruit of the spread of secular humanism that has captivated our culture. We need to understand that. It's capturing our kids. It's capturing our churches. But you know, there's a new culture on the rise. It's the culture of common sense. Many may be tempted to see that as Christian, But it's not Christian. It may be much more preferable to what we've been looking at, but it's not Christian. It is the philosophy of pragmatism. And it shares the same problem with the other side of seeing oneself, of seeing man as autonomous from God and a rule to himself. And we as church need to recognize that and not be seduced into that. But we might find more support for these ideas in terms of the worldly context. We can't see that as somehow being a Christian option. So the only consistent understanding of reality is found in God's revelation. There you can lay your hearty trust upon the words spoken by God for our benefit. There alone is the word of life that sets one free. The Church is growing and the grace of God is calling people throughout the world to faith in Christ and salvation from a fallen and sin-filled world. True hope is found only when you are in Christ as your Savior through that regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. And so, the nature of the Church is one in which there is a love for God that springs forth in fruitfulness from His Word. that has been sown in our hearts. And that's at the heart of these parables, that we look for that Word to come upon cultivated soil in our hearts in such a way that it brings forth that fruit of godliness. Amen? Our Almighty God and Heavenly Father, the seed of your Word begins small but grows into a mighty thing. And even so, Father, your church has started as a small thing in the midst of the world and has grown into a mighty thing. But we also know, Father, that the world seeks to often overturn the very work of God in our midst. And so, Father, cause your word to be hid in our hearts. Give to us a love for your word and a clarity of sight that we might recognize, understand, and walk according to your word. and not be tripped up by the allurements of the world. Hear us now as we praise you who have taught us, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.