The Parable of the Leaven
Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21
Last week, we learned some valuable perspective from one of Christ’s kingdom parables, a relatively brief parable about a small mustard that grew into a large tree over time. From this parable, we learned not to make the “mustard seed mistake.”
What is the mustard seed mistake? It is to believe that if something is small it must be insignificant or unsuccessful and we must not think that way about the kingdom of God. Though the world and our own natural instincts tends to be impressed by popular people and big crowds, Christ teaches us to measure and view his kingdom in a different way.
From the parable of the mustard seed, we learned that God’s kingdom has small beginnings, that it outgrows rival kingdoms in the end, and that it gives shelter to its foes, as people who are opposed to Christ and God’s kingdom change their mind and believe on Christ for salvation. This parable encouraged us to commit ourselves to small, regular acts of faith and service for Christ, knowing that this is how the kingdom of God grows.
Today, we will gain precious insight from another of Christ’s kingdom parables, one that is even more brief than the last one – one which may be, in fact, the briefest of all the kingdom parables. What’s even more interesting is how similar this parable is to the last one. It’s so similar, in fact, and was given by Christ back-to-back with the last one, prompting many preachers and Bible teachers to teach them as a pair that go together.
But in our planning for this preaching series, we’ve chosen to preach this parable separately because, though they are similar, they are also different, and the differences deserve special attention. Both parables speak about a relatively small object (mustard seed and leaven, respectively) and both show that God’s kingdom grows to its final size and completed state over time, but each emphasize something different and important.
So, let’s see what this parable tells us about the kingdom of God and discover how its message should influence how we view and do life today as followers of Christ.
This parable is simple. There is one character and one basic action. The character is a woman; the action is making bread dough. To make the dough, the woman mixed a small amount of leaven (or yeast) into a large amount of meal (or flour). By mixing this small amount of yeast throughout the flour, the yeast permeated the entire loaf. The amount of dough mentioned would have been enough to feed more than one hundred people.
I did a little math and research this week to see how much yeast it takes to bake bread. These numbers are approx., so don’t go use them to make some bread today! But here’s what I found. You need abt. 1 tsp. of fresh yeast or ½ tsp. of dry yeast for a cup of flour.
Some suggest that this parable describes how a little bit of evil spreads widely. Jesus actually used yeast to describe how the evil influence of the Pharisees and false teachers spread to many people. But yeast doesn’t always describe bad things in Scripture. Sometimes it describes good things, like when God required the Israelites to use bread with yeast when they worshiped him in the tabernacle and temple (Lev 7:13-14; 23:17).
In the other parables Christ told about God’s kingdom, the thing that grows and spreads (seeds, etc.) always refers to some good thing about the kingdom of God – or else the kingdom of God itself. So here, the yeast refers to the kingdom of God or some good thing about the kingdom of God. So, what does this parable teach us about God’s kingdom?
Though it is smaller in number, God spreads his kingdom widely.
Last week we learned that in its early, growing stages, the kingdom of God would be small in comparison to other kingdoms and systems in the world. We estimated that based upon recent research and statistics, approx. 7-8% of earth’s current population identifies as gospel-believing, Bible-based Christians We also estimated that only about half of those, perhaps, are actual, genuine believers (as opposed to merely professing believers).
This means that of the 8.2 billion people in the world today, only 656 million claim to be gospel-believing, Bible-based Christians, meaning that closer to abt. 328,000,000 actually are. To help you comprehend how many people this is in comparison to the rest of the world, then the total amount of genuine Christians is similar to the total population of the United States of America in contrast with the rest of the world.
However, we know that the United States is not the place where all the genuine Christians live, nor is any other country it the world such a place. God has not chosen to place all who are in his kingdom in one central, geographical location or country today. He has, instead, chosen to spread the people of his kingdom throughout the world. As the woman spread her yeast throughout the flour, so God spreads his people throughout the world.
How does this happen? It happens through a variety of means. It happens through migration, when people who migrate come into contact with followers of Christ who teach them about Christ, or when followers of Christ migrate to places where people need to hear about Christ. It happens through people who travel as missionaries for the purpose to telling others about Christ and through Christians who travel for other reasons. Sometimes economics, wars, natural disasters, and other difficult problems cause people to relocate, or people relocate due to a change in employment.
Whatever the case and whatever the reason, God spreads the people of his kingdom widely throughout the world. It is not his desire to or plan for all of his people to centralize and locate in one place right now. It is, instead, his plan for his people to spread throughout the world. Notice what will happen in the end in God’s heavenly throne room.
They sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Rev 5:9)
A great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands (Rev 7:9)
From this we see that before Christ returns to earth to judge all evil and establish his permanent, righteous kingdom on Earth forever, God will first expand his kingdom to include people from every ethnic group and nation throughout the world.
God’s kingdom brings about change from within.
Not only does God spread his people throughout the world widely, he brings about change both in and through his people from within. He does this not through military domination but spiritual transformation, not through external institutional change but internal spiritual change. Like yeast which gets mixed into flour, it causes change from within.
How does yeast work? What does it do? Yeast is a single-cell organism, only visible under a microscope, that people use to bake bread. It sparks a fermentation process that causes a solid, dense ball of dough to rise into a soft loaf. The effects of yeast begin after a person mixes together flour, water, and yeast. The yeast consumes and breaks down sugars present in the dough, releasing carbon dioxide and alcohol, which produce air bubbles that cause the dough to rise, become airier, and make the dough tastier and more edible.
This is how the kingdom of God works today. Rather than gather all his people in the world into one, central location from which to defend themselves and enjoy one another’s company, God spreads his people and kingdom throughout the world so they can bring about gospel change from within the ungodly kingdoms and among the ungodly people throughout the world. As with the mustard seed in the garden, this change is quiet and often hard to see, but it brings about real and lasting change over time. This change happens through God’s kingdom in two different ways.
Through his people within earthly kingdoms.
At the higher, big-picture level, God brings about change from within through his people who are within among other earthly kingdoms. Here’s how that happens – he places some of his people:
By spreading the people of his kingdom throughout the world rather than gathering them together in a concentrated location, he effectively infiltrates the kingdoms of this world through his people. As Jesus himself told his followers (Mark 16:15):
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
This is also why he said in other places that those who are in his kingdom are “the light of the world” and “the salt of the earth.” Until he comes to judge the world and rule over the world in person, setting up a full and complete universal kingdom forever, he calls his people to bring about spiritual change in the world through by being witnesses for the gospel throughout the world.
Through his Word and Spirit within people’s hearts.
There is another even more invisible way that God’s kingdom, like leaven, brings about change in the world from within. He does this by bringing about real change in the hearts of people through his Word and Spirit. Both of these means of change are invisible to our eyes but powerful within our hearts and minds.
About the Holy Spirit, who is God, Jesus said this (John 16:8):
When He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
The Holy Spirit functions like an invisible prosecuting attorney and judge who convinces people they are sinners who need Jesus Christ to forgive and save them from their sins.
For those who believe on Christ and become members of God’s kingdom, the Holy Spirit does invisible work within us to bring about external change to our lives, producing fruit that is evidence of that real, spiritual change (Gal 6:22):
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
How does the Spirit of God bring about this internal change? Through the Word of God as he gave it to be written in Scripture, the Bible. In Eph 6:17, Paul describes the Word of God as “the sword of the Spirit.” And Heb 4:12 says this about the Scripture:
The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Can you see why it’s crucial to have regular exposure to the Word of God, both in your personal reading on a regular basis and in your church involvement, through clear biblical preaching, Bible study classes, small groups, and one-on-one mentorship and study relationships with other believers?
So, like yeast in flour, God’s kingdom brings about change in the world from within, transforming people from within through the Word and Spirit of God, then spreading those people throughout the world to be influences for spiritual change as witnesses for the gospel. As followers of Christ, we do not usually accomplish this purpose in loud and obvious ways, making major news headlines, going viral, and packing large stadiums and venues. We accomplish this change through regular acts of faith and obedience to Christ, helping others see the goodness of God and learn their need for salvation from Christ.
Have you been introduced to Christ through the influence of a faithful follower of Christ in your life? Just as yeast causes dough to rise, has their Christ-like influence caused your interest in Christ to rise and made you interested and even willing to learn how to put your trust in Jesus to become a member of God’s kingdom?
If you are a follower of Christ today, then where in the world has God placed you? What neighborhood, what school, what social group, what place of employment, what community, and what family? And in that place, how are you causing others interest in Christ to rise? Are you representing Christ well through how you behave and treat other people? Are you making a God-like difference in people’s lives? And most importantly, are you having meaningful conversations and interactions with people who are not in God’s kingdom about who God is, what God says, and why they need Christ to become their Savior and King?
This is what the kingdom of God is like today. It is not like other, normal kingdoms which are centered and concentrated in one place, finding ways to grow and overtake other kingdoms through force and power. Instead, it is spread throughout the world as a minority in every place, but a minority which seeks to bring about quiet, steady change over time until Christ returns to establish his eternal kingdom.
So, this parable of the leaven teaches us that the kingdom of God, though it may begin small and seemingly insignificant, works from within to bring about true, gospel transformation. Just as yeast permeates and transforms dough, God's kingdom spreads through His people across the world, influencing not through force, but through the quiet, persistent work of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
This transformation happens within individuals, changing hearts and minds, and through those individuals, it influences families, societies, and cultures. As followers of Christ, we are called to be this yeast in our communities—present in diverse places, professions, and social circles, living out our faith in ways that quietly but powerfully testify to the goodness and reality of God's kingdom. Let us embrace our role with diligence, knowing that our faithful presence and witness can lead to a rising interest in and belief in Christ.
Danielle is a high school English teacher in a community like Fargo-Moorhead. Her life represents the quiet, pervasive influence of the kingdom of God that this parable portrays.
In her classroom, Danielle weaves lessons on compassion, respect, and integrity into her teaching. She uses literature to open discussions on moral and ethical dilemmas, subtly weaving in Christian values without proselytizing. Students often remark how her class feels like a safe space to explore life's bigger questions. She's known for her patience and kindness, which has led to several students opening up to her about their personal struggles, giving her opportunities to share her faith and pray with them when appropriate.
In her community, Danielle volunteers at the local food bank and library on weekends, not for recognition, but because she believes in serving others as Jesus did. Here, she meets people from all walks of life, many of whom are experiencing hardships. She listens, offers help, and sometimes shares her faith, always emphasizing God's love and grace. Her actions have led to several friendships where conversations about faith naturally arise.
Among her circle of friends, who come from various religious and non-religious backgrounds, Sarah is known for her consistent character. She brings homemade cookies to gatherings, remembers birthdays, and is there in times of need. Over coffee or during walks, she shares her life's journey, including how her faith has shaped her life, even through trials. Her friends have seen her faith in action, leading some to ask about Christianity out of genuine curiosity.
In her family, Danielle is the glue that holds everyone together, especially during rough patches. Her faith influences how she deals with conflict, forgiveness, and love. She teaches her children about God's love not just through words but by example—praying before meals, discussing Bible stories as life lessons, and showing unconditional love. Her life has influenced nieces and nephews, who now show interest in church activities.
Danielle also makes time for personal spiritual growth. She reads her Bible daily, participates in a Life Group, has occasional meetings with an older mentor, but also some younger teen girls, and regularly attends church, where she serves in the children's ministry on a rotation. This personal commitment to her faith is what fuels her public life; but her inner spiritual transformation radiates outward from the invisible growth and strength that takes place because of her commitment to depending upon the Holy Spirit and getting into the Word of God with other believers.
Danielle’s life doesn’t make dramatic, immediate impact, but over time, it does make a difference for God. Students from broken homes receive hope and purpose, friends get help in times of need, at least one person she knows did not commit suicide because of Danielle’s influence. Most importantly, over the past decade, several people have come to faith in Christ because of her influence, some of whom have been baptized and become members of church with her, following in her footsteps of faith in Christ.
This story is a fictional one created for this sermon, but perhaps you have known someone like this. Perhaps you have come to faith in Christ because of someone like this. This is the kind of person God is calling you to be because it is through people like this spread throughout our world that the kingdom of God grows and interest and faith in Christ rises.
Can you ask yourself how you can better represent Christ where you are placed?
Discussion Questions
Life 101
Digging Deeper
Last week, we learned some valuable perspective from one of Christ’s kingdom parables, a relatively brief parable about a small mustard that grew into a large tree over time. From this parable, we learned not to make the “mustard seed mistake.”
What is the mustard seed mistake? It is to believe that if something is small it must be insignificant or unsuccessful and we must not think that way about the kingdom of God. Though the world and our own natural instincts tends to be impressed by popular people and big crowds, Christ teaches us to measure and view his kingdom in a different way.
From the parable of the mustard seed, we learned that God’s kingdom has small beginnings, that it outgrows rival kingdoms in the end, and that it gives shelter to its foes, as people who are opposed to Christ and God’s kingdom change their mind and believe on Christ for salvation. This parable encouraged us to commit ourselves to small, regular acts of faith and service for Christ, knowing that this is how the kingdom of God grows.
Today, we will gain precious insight from another of Christ’s kingdom parables, one that is even more brief than the last one – one which may be, in fact, the briefest of all the kingdom parables. What’s even more interesting is how similar this parable is to the last one. It’s so similar, in fact, and was given by Christ back-to-back with the last one, prompting many preachers and Bible teachers to teach them as a pair that go together.
But in our planning for this preaching series, we’ve chosen to preach this parable separately because, though they are similar, they are also different, and the differences deserve special attention. Both parables speak about a relatively small object (mustard seed and leaven, respectively) and both show that God’s kingdom grows to its final size and completed state over time, but each emphasize something different and important.
So, let’s see what this parable tells us about the kingdom of God and discover how its message should influence how we view and do life today as followers of Christ.
This parable is simple. There is one character and one basic action. The character is a woman; the action is making bread dough. To make the dough, the woman mixed a small amount of leaven (or yeast) into a large amount of meal (or flour). By mixing this small amount of yeast throughout the flour, the yeast permeated the entire loaf. The amount of dough mentioned would have been enough to feed more than one hundred people.
I did a little math and research this week to see how much yeast it takes to bake bread. These numbers are approx., so don’t go use them to make some bread today! But here’s what I found. You need abt. 1 tsp. of fresh yeast or ½ tsp. of dry yeast for a cup of flour.
Some suggest that this parable describes how a little bit of evil spreads widely. Jesus actually used yeast to describe how the evil influence of the Pharisees and false teachers spread to many people. But yeast doesn’t always describe bad things in Scripture. Sometimes it describes good things, like when God required the Israelites to use bread with yeast when they worshiped him in the tabernacle and temple (Lev 7:13-14; 23:17).
In the other parables Christ told about God’s kingdom, the thing that grows and spreads (seeds, etc.) always refers to some good thing about the kingdom of God – or else the kingdom of God itself. So here, the yeast refers to the kingdom of God or some good thing about the kingdom of God. So, what does this parable teach us about God’s kingdom?
Though it is smaller in number, God spreads his kingdom widely.
Last week we learned that in its early, growing stages, the kingdom of God would be small in comparison to other kingdoms and systems in the world. We estimated that based upon recent research and statistics, approx. 7-8% of earth’s current population identifies as gospel-believing, Bible-based Christians We also estimated that only about half of those, perhaps, are actual, genuine believers (as opposed to merely professing believers).
This means that of the 8.2 billion people in the world today, only 656 million claim to be gospel-believing, Bible-based Christians, meaning that closer to abt. 328,000,000 actually are. To help you comprehend how many people this is in comparison to the rest of the world, then the total amount of genuine Christians is similar to the total population of the United States of America in contrast with the rest of the world.
However, we know that the United States is not the place where all the genuine Christians live, nor is any other country it the world such a place. God has not chosen to place all who are in his kingdom in one central, geographical location or country today. He has, instead, chosen to spread the people of his kingdom throughout the world. As the woman spread her yeast throughout the flour, so God spreads his people throughout the world.
How does this happen? It happens through a variety of means. It happens through migration, when people who migrate come into contact with followers of Christ who teach them about Christ, or when followers of Christ migrate to places where people need to hear about Christ. It happens through people who travel as missionaries for the purpose to telling others about Christ and through Christians who travel for other reasons. Sometimes economics, wars, natural disasters, and other difficult problems cause people to relocate, or people relocate due to a change in employment.
Whatever the case and whatever the reason, God spreads the people of his kingdom widely throughout the world. It is not his desire to or plan for all of his people to centralize and locate in one place right now. It is, instead, his plan for his people to spread throughout the world. Notice what will happen in the end in God’s heavenly throne room.
They sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Rev 5:9)
A great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands (Rev 7:9)
From this we see that before Christ returns to earth to judge all evil and establish his permanent, righteous kingdom on Earth forever, God will first expand his kingdom to include people from every ethnic group and nation throughout the world.
God’s kingdom brings about change from within.
Not only does God spread his people throughout the world widely, he brings about change both in and through his people from within. He does this not through military domination but spiritual transformation, not through external institutional change but internal spiritual change. Like yeast which gets mixed into flour, it causes change from within.
How does yeast work? What does it do? Yeast is a single-cell organism, only visible under a microscope, that people use to bake bread. It sparks a fermentation process that causes a solid, dense ball of dough to rise into a soft loaf. The effects of yeast begin after a person mixes together flour, water, and yeast. The yeast consumes and breaks down sugars present in the dough, releasing carbon dioxide and alcohol, which produce air bubbles that cause the dough to rise, become airier, and make the dough tastier and more edible.
This is how the kingdom of God works today. Rather than gather all his people in the world into one, central location from which to defend themselves and enjoy one another’s company, God spreads his people and kingdom throughout the world so they can bring about gospel change from within the ungodly kingdoms and among the ungodly people throughout the world. As with the mustard seed in the garden, this change is quiet and often hard to see, but it brings about real and lasting change over time. This change happens through God’s kingdom in two different ways.
Through his people within earthly kingdoms.
At the higher, big-picture level, God brings about change from within through his people who are within among other earthly kingdoms. Here’s how that happens – he places some of his people:
- in some states and some of his people in other states.
- in some nations and some of his people in other nations.
- in some families and some of his people in other families.
- in some sectors and some of his people in others.
- in some governments and some of his people in other governments.
- in some schools and institutions and some of his people in other schools and institutions.
- in some careers and professions and some of his people in other careers and professions.
- in some neighborhoods and communities and some of his people in other neighborhoods and communities.
- in some social circles and groups and some of his people in other social circles and groups.
By spreading the people of his kingdom throughout the world rather than gathering them together in a concentrated location, he effectively infiltrates the kingdoms of this world through his people. As Jesus himself told his followers (Mark 16:15):
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
This is also why he said in other places that those who are in his kingdom are “the light of the world” and “the salt of the earth.” Until he comes to judge the world and rule over the world in person, setting up a full and complete universal kingdom forever, he calls his people to bring about spiritual change in the world through by being witnesses for the gospel throughout the world.
Through his Word and Spirit within people’s hearts.
There is another even more invisible way that God’s kingdom, like leaven, brings about change in the world from within. He does this by bringing about real change in the hearts of people through his Word and Spirit. Both of these means of change are invisible to our eyes but powerful within our hearts and minds.
About the Holy Spirit, who is God, Jesus said this (John 16:8):
When He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
The Holy Spirit functions like an invisible prosecuting attorney and judge who convinces people they are sinners who need Jesus Christ to forgive and save them from their sins.
For those who believe on Christ and become members of God’s kingdom, the Holy Spirit does invisible work within us to bring about external change to our lives, producing fruit that is evidence of that real, spiritual change (Gal 6:22):
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
How does the Spirit of God bring about this internal change? Through the Word of God as he gave it to be written in Scripture, the Bible. In Eph 6:17, Paul describes the Word of God as “the sword of the Spirit.” And Heb 4:12 says this about the Scripture:
The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Can you see why it’s crucial to have regular exposure to the Word of God, both in your personal reading on a regular basis and in your church involvement, through clear biblical preaching, Bible study classes, small groups, and one-on-one mentorship and study relationships with other believers?
So, like yeast in flour, God’s kingdom brings about change in the world from within, transforming people from within through the Word and Spirit of God, then spreading those people throughout the world to be influences for spiritual change as witnesses for the gospel. As followers of Christ, we do not usually accomplish this purpose in loud and obvious ways, making major news headlines, going viral, and packing large stadiums and venues. We accomplish this change through regular acts of faith and obedience to Christ, helping others see the goodness of God and learn their need for salvation from Christ.
Have you been introduced to Christ through the influence of a faithful follower of Christ in your life? Just as yeast causes dough to rise, has their Christ-like influence caused your interest in Christ to rise and made you interested and even willing to learn how to put your trust in Jesus to become a member of God’s kingdom?
If you are a follower of Christ today, then where in the world has God placed you? What neighborhood, what school, what social group, what place of employment, what community, and what family? And in that place, how are you causing others interest in Christ to rise? Are you representing Christ well through how you behave and treat other people? Are you making a God-like difference in people’s lives? And most importantly, are you having meaningful conversations and interactions with people who are not in God’s kingdom about who God is, what God says, and why they need Christ to become their Savior and King?
This is what the kingdom of God is like today. It is not like other, normal kingdoms which are centered and concentrated in one place, finding ways to grow and overtake other kingdoms through force and power. Instead, it is spread throughout the world as a minority in every place, but a minority which seeks to bring about quiet, steady change over time until Christ returns to establish his eternal kingdom.
So, this parable of the leaven teaches us that the kingdom of God, though it may begin small and seemingly insignificant, works from within to bring about true, gospel transformation. Just as yeast permeates and transforms dough, God's kingdom spreads through His people across the world, influencing not through force, but through the quiet, persistent work of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
This transformation happens within individuals, changing hearts and minds, and through those individuals, it influences families, societies, and cultures. As followers of Christ, we are called to be this yeast in our communities—present in diverse places, professions, and social circles, living out our faith in ways that quietly but powerfully testify to the goodness and reality of God's kingdom. Let us embrace our role with diligence, knowing that our faithful presence and witness can lead to a rising interest in and belief in Christ.
Danielle is a high school English teacher in a community like Fargo-Moorhead. Her life represents the quiet, pervasive influence of the kingdom of God that this parable portrays.
In her classroom, Danielle weaves lessons on compassion, respect, and integrity into her teaching. She uses literature to open discussions on moral and ethical dilemmas, subtly weaving in Christian values without proselytizing. Students often remark how her class feels like a safe space to explore life's bigger questions. She's known for her patience and kindness, which has led to several students opening up to her about their personal struggles, giving her opportunities to share her faith and pray with them when appropriate.
In her community, Danielle volunteers at the local food bank and library on weekends, not for recognition, but because she believes in serving others as Jesus did. Here, she meets people from all walks of life, many of whom are experiencing hardships. She listens, offers help, and sometimes shares her faith, always emphasizing God's love and grace. Her actions have led to several friendships where conversations about faith naturally arise.
Among her circle of friends, who come from various religious and non-religious backgrounds, Sarah is known for her consistent character. She brings homemade cookies to gatherings, remembers birthdays, and is there in times of need. Over coffee or during walks, she shares her life's journey, including how her faith has shaped her life, even through trials. Her friends have seen her faith in action, leading some to ask about Christianity out of genuine curiosity.
In her family, Danielle is the glue that holds everyone together, especially during rough patches. Her faith influences how she deals with conflict, forgiveness, and love. She teaches her children about God's love not just through words but by example—praying before meals, discussing Bible stories as life lessons, and showing unconditional love. Her life has influenced nieces and nephews, who now show interest in church activities.
Danielle also makes time for personal spiritual growth. She reads her Bible daily, participates in a Life Group, has occasional meetings with an older mentor, but also some younger teen girls, and regularly attends church, where she serves in the children's ministry on a rotation. This personal commitment to her faith is what fuels her public life; but her inner spiritual transformation radiates outward from the invisible growth and strength that takes place because of her commitment to depending upon the Holy Spirit and getting into the Word of God with other believers.
Danielle’s life doesn’t make dramatic, immediate impact, but over time, it does make a difference for God. Students from broken homes receive hope and purpose, friends get help in times of need, at least one person she knows did not commit suicide because of Danielle’s influence. Most importantly, over the past decade, several people have come to faith in Christ because of her influence, some of whom have been baptized and become members of church with her, following in her footsteps of faith in Christ.
This story is a fictional one created for this sermon, but perhaps you have known someone like this. Perhaps you have come to faith in Christ because of someone like this. This is the kind of person God is calling you to be because it is through people like this spread throughout our world that the kingdom of God grows and interest and faith in Christ rises.
Can you ask yourself how you can better represent Christ where you are placed?
Discussion Questions
Life 101
- Based on the main point of Jesus’ parables on the mustard seed and the leaven, which do you think is primary to the way God chooses to work in the world: the ordinary or the extraordinary accomplishments of his people?
- The purpose of the leaven is to pervade throughout the whole of the dough so that it affects the entire batch. How can Christians be like leaven in this way?
- What are some ways that you can have that kind of effect on people around you?
- Leaven transforms the whole loaf; it produces a fundamental change. How is God’s work within individual Christians like the work of leaven in the loaf?
- How should this affect the way we go about and think about making disciples?
Digging Deeper
- Based on the main point of Jesus’ parables on the mustard seed and the leaven, which do you think is primary to the way God chooses to work in the world: the ordinary or the extraordinary accomplishments of his people?
- The purpose of the leaven is to pervade throughout the whole of the dough so that it affects the entire batch. How can Christians be like leaven in this way?
- What are some ways that you can have that kind of effect on people around you?
- What can we learn about God’s ways from how He spreads the people of His kingdom out rather than concentrating them?
- What kinds of benefits would come with concentrating believers in one place?
- What kinds of benefits come with spreading believers out like leaven?
- God sovereignly spreads His people out, intentionally placing them to impact those around them with the Gospel. How can a belief in this principle affect our thoughts and attitudes when we end up in places or positions we do not want?
- How would a self-focused person respond in this kind of situation? Contrast this with a perspective that trusts in God’s missional placement of believers.
- Leaven transforms the whole loaf; it produces a fundamental change. How is God’s work within individual Christians like the work of leaven in the loaf?
- How should this affect the way we go about and think about making disciples?
Posted in Sermon Manuscript
Posted in Kingdom of God, Parables, Leaven, Yeast, Bread, Evangelism, Gospel
Posted in Kingdom of God, Parables, Leaven, Yeast, Bread, Evangelism, Gospel
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May
June
The First Two Woes of RevelationThe Blessing of WorkThe Four GospelsThe Book of ActsAnother Dramatic IntermissionThe Blessing of MarriageThe Making of a Godly Man, Family, Church & CommunityThe Two WitnessesPaul's Letters & TravelsThe Tragic Entrance of SinAnnouncing the Seventh TrumpetThe Jerusalem Council and The Epistle of GalatiansThe Sad Effects of Sin
July
August
September
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