cv2-9-14
The parable of the mustard seed Mt 13:31-35
31 He
told them another parable: “The kingdom of
heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though
it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden
plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
33 He
told them still another parable: “The kingdom of
heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[b]
of flour until it worked all through the dough.” 34 Jesus
spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to
them without using a parable. 35 So was
fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will
open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden
since the creation of the world.”[c]
We continue in our series – great
stories jesus told
Are things the same for you and god, or
do things change? R u growing
The
U.S. standard railroad gauge (distance between rails) is four feet,
eight-and-one-half inches.
Why such an odd number? Because that’s the way they built them in England, and American railroads were built by British expatriates.
Why did the English adopt that particular gauge? Because the people who built the pre-railroad tramways used that gauge.
They in turn were locked into that gauge because the people who built tramways used the same standards and tools they had used for building wagons, which were set on a gauge of four feet, eight-and-one-half inches.
Why were wagons built to that scale? Because with any other size, the wheels did not match the old wheel ruts on the roads.
So who built these old rutted roads?
The first long-distance highways in Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. The roads have been in use ever since. The ruts were first made by Roman war chariots. Four feet, eight-and-one-half inches was the width a chariot needed to be to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses.
Why such an odd number? Because that’s the way they built them in England, and American railroads were built by British expatriates.
Why did the English adopt that particular gauge? Because the people who built the pre-railroad tramways used that gauge.
They in turn were locked into that gauge because the people who built tramways used the same standards and tools they had used for building wagons, which were set on a gauge of four feet, eight-and-one-half inches.
Why were wagons built to that scale? Because with any other size, the wheels did not match the old wheel ruts on the roads.
So who built these old rutted roads?
The first long-distance highways in Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. The roads have been in use ever since. The ruts were first made by Roman war chariots. Four feet, eight-and-one-half inches was the width a chariot needed to be to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses.
This is a parable about the
kingdom. It’s a parable about growing- influence
Something
in the kingdom expects us to grow – to affect others
Jesus includes both men and women
Farming
and cooking
Sounds
old fashioned
But
in Jesus day it was ground breaking
Your
insecurities – I am only a seed
I’m
just a bill
I’m
just a seed, a little leaven
I
love it that God’s son recognizes that we have insecurities and it doesn’t
matter
We
still have potential
You
have a purpose. God has a plan.
You
are to grow
To
change. To become – to morph
Not simply to grow for self, but for
others
To
provide shade – that’s a big mustard plant
Its
beyond what mustard plants normally do
Exceptional
growth – miraculous growth
Yeast = 60 pounds of flour
makes enough bread to feed 100+, this isn’t an individual effort, this is a
feast for many
See
what God can do with something given over to him
We
can give people the good stuff
cool shade - rest from our labor
What
do you give you others
Who
are you mentoring? Helping?
I
talk to people all the time….Oh, not me.
Jesus
says, yes you.
Every
single person has a sphere of influence
You
may be 8 or 10 – you can influence others
Abraham
was blessed to be a blessing
We
say God bless America
What
if we recognized that we are already blessed and use our blessings to help
others
Who
are you mentoring, helping, influencing?
Everyone is expected to grow
Yes
to learn
What
are you reading?
Here are five books on my list
·
Walking
on water
·
The
orthodox heretic
·
Three
simple rules
·
The
velvet elvis
·
The
hole in our gospel
Joseph
Campbell – the hero with 1000 faces- I cant read him
Watch
the youtube videos of him
There
are ways for everyone to learn and grow
To not grow is to stay the same.
Remember the talents. One got 10,
one 5 and one got 1.
The
one that got one hid it and said, here is what belongs to you.
They
did nothing with their life
God
wants us to grow
But
not just to learn more for our brain
also
to expand our hearts
Love
of God
Love
of man
Understanding
of one’s self
You
have a sphere of influence
Only
you have it
Enculturating a mind – yours
Romans
12 12 :1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s
mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to
God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do
not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will
is—his good, pleasing and perfect will
Learning the other options
Learning why
Expanding your horizons
Growing your life paradigms
Leaven………
kneading in the dough
Enculturating a family
Never leave your wing man
Respect your mother
Work hard
Do the right thing
What
we are trying to teach you
Spiritual
development
An
appreciation for and a focus on our mission
Connecting
people to Jesus Christ
It’s
the greatest life possible – it’s the abundant life
Do
it with joy, authenticity and excellence
Possibility.
Potential
What
percentage of people fulfills their potential?
Dan Waldschmidt - You don’t need to be smart to change the world. You just
need to be inspired. Since the beginning of time, great leaders ha10ve
understood the importance of emotion, passion, and connecting what is hard to
do with what is powerful to feel. The truth is that you don’t need to be smart
to grab a sword and charge the enemy head on. You don’t need have a college
degree to bleed and sweat and fight and curse and cry and fight some
more. Any person can have a mission and a cause — and be moved deeply in
their soul to rise above the entanglements of being ordinary to achieve
outrageous success.
A kind word to your daughter
Time spent listening to your son
Holding your spouse’s hand
Helping the neighbor find their dog
Serving a meal at Westport
Sharing some clothes with Hillcrest
Taking a coworker to lunch
Leave a post-it note
of encouragement
Pray for your employees
Mentor a young person
Read a book to a child
Dance with your spouse in front of your kids
Walk through your neighborhood and meet someone
Sing at the stoplights
Life
is here. It is a gift from God. Not just to be consumed by us
We
are players on the field. We can make a difference
When
you do something, often something hard, and you move the mountain
Joseph, Leah and Rachel
Jacob
wrestled with the angel
Jacob
worked 7 years for Rachel, got leah
Worked
7 more for Rachel
She
could not conceive
Finally
she did. when the boy was born she named him
Rachel
– Joseph. The lord shall add. Another son. I want more.
Are
you satisfied with where you are at? Is that enough for you?
Put
your trust in God
Let
him do his work in you
You
have been blessed by the kingdom. Allow God to use you to be a blessing
to others
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